Affinity:Chaos

Grey's battle opened the ceremony and others started to spar as well. There were a few rival Factions around, so they took this opportunity to show which Faction was stronger. 

The party lasted till midnight before everyone went back to their places. Joyner invited Grey and his friends to sleep over at the Mayor's manor, but Klaus surprisingly turned him down. It was unexpected since Klaus had always been the one who preferred comfort. 

Staying in the Mayor's manor is obviously more comfortable than staying in an Inn. When Reynolds asked Klaus why he refused, he said something along the lines of, 'People aren't always what they seem. It's best not to let them get too comfortable with you.' 

The next day came soon enough, and the news of Grey's battle had naturally spread across the city. When the group arrived at the arena, they got all the attention once again. This time, Klaus and Grey who hadn't fought any battles were the ones who were getting all the spotlight. 

Reynolds and Alice might be strong, but they were undoubtedly weaker than Klaus and Grey. In times of danger, the duo would be the ones who would shoulder the burden. 

They went to the special seating area since Klaus felt returning to their previous seats would look strange. 

Time went by and it was Reynolds' turn to fight. Of the duo, he was the first person called up. 

His opponent was a young lady in the Sixth stage of the Overlord Plane. She knew she wasn't his opponent, but she still tried her best. 

Reynolds wasn't forced to the extent of merging with his Elemental Warrior, but the young lady managed to put up a good fight. 

After defeating her, Reynolds secured a spot in the top ten. This didn't surprise the crowd since they felt other than Alice and at most two others, he didn't have anyone who could force his hand any longer. 

Alice was called up a few minutes later, and just like Reynolds, she won her battle convincingly. Her opponent couldn't last up to five minutes on the platform. She showcased her ferocious fighting style once again. 

Only those who watched Grey's battle the previous night felt Alice was actually very lenient. Grey literally played a game with a human, hitting the young lady from one side to another. That was just pure evil. 

The most anticipated battle of this round was none other than the three-way battle. Although it was a three-way battle, everyone knew that the young lady Grey fought against the previous night would be ganged up on. She was the favorite to win a singles battle, but against two people, unless she went above her limit, or came up with an ingenious fighting strategy, it would be difficult for her to win. 

When the battle started, she didn't give her opponents the chance they needed, attacking straight away. Fighting against Grey the previous day opened her eyes to new things, and surprisingly she made a small advancement after her defeat. 

Grey was the first to notice the increase in her strength. The others also managed to sense it a few moments later. 

The young lady shocked the entire arena when she defeated one of her opponents in the opening exchange. Unlike what others expected, she went all-out, catching the young man by surprise. Before the young man managed to regain himself, the young lady had already sent him out of the platform. 

There were a few people who found it strange, but those powerful individuals knew this was all the young lady's doing. Everyone expected her to stay on the defensive once the battle started, her opponents included. But she took the initiative, and it benefited her since her opponent was caught unaware by her aggressiveness. 

With one person eliminated, her victory was as good as certain. The overall battle lasted just over five minutes, but she won comfortably. 

She surprisingly looked at Klaus and mouthed the words, 'Thank you'. Only a few people caught sight of it, Grey and his friends part of them. 

"What did you tell her?" Alice asked curiously. 

"Just a few words of advice." Klaus said with a mysterious smile. 

"Are you sure she didn't do this because she felt like killing someone and you're not available?" Grey joked. 

"Possibly, but she learned some things from her battle with you. So I did contribute to her victory. Also, I told her the best way to win against her opponents who had already seen her show her weakness during the battle last night was to take the initiative and eliminate one of the duo as soon as the fight started." Klaus chuckled before explaining, he also added, "Had she missed her chance, things wouldn't be this smooth." 

"Is that all?" Reynolds asked with a cunning smile. 

"Of course not. I told her the only way to get married to Grey was if she took the first place. So, be prepared, she will be coming for the first position with her life." Klaus winked at Grey. 

Grey's eyes twitched a few times when he heard this, while those around burst out laughing. Klaus was a fun person to be with, and it was already evident. 

Kyle had already started to miss Klaus even though he hadn't joined a Faction yet. 

With the top ten people now confirmed, the remaining eight who hadn't gotten into a Faction of their choice were given the chance to choose a Faction before continuing the competition. 

They refused, opting to wait after the competition ended or maybe when they were eliminated. The reason they did this was simple. Once they get into a Faction now, they will feel pressured to perform exceptionally well because they were part of a top Faction. Losing against Reynolds and Alice would then be slightly disappointing. 

Since they've decided on doing it this way, they drew lots for the start of the next round. There was still time to not only decide the top five but probably the number one and two spots.