The battle ring.
Several spectators gathered around the open space meant for duels.
Sounds of cheers.
Calling names and curses.
This was the atmosphere Kilaba had found himself in when he stepped out of his palace. His usual Tuesday. He was walking towards the battle ring with a pep in his step and a smile on his face. This smile told everyone looking at him about his confidence in winning this challenge.
The challenge of mortal combat was hurled at him. This challenger was the tribe’s ex-chieftain whom he had to regretfully spare. Sometimes, Kilaba hated Orc customs because of rules like these.
Kilaba saw the challenger soon enough. He was the same old, haggard Orc Lord that he had defeated not too long ago. He looked even weaker than before. There was a chance he might regress into his evolutionary stage if he keeps up with this streak– a rare instance of devolution among monsters.
And yet, Kilaba could see that there was a certain calm air around Baran that he hadn’t seen before. He was looking at him with strange eyes. It took a while for Kilaba to understand the emotions reflected in his eyes. It was sad. And pity. But what Kilaba found odd about that gaze was that the sadness and pity were directed at him. As if Baran was worried about what was about to happen to Kilaba after this duel.
“Do you still think you can get your chieftain position back by challenging me to mortal combat?”
Kilaba asked Baran after he stepped into the ring and stood before him, maintaining a safe distance. He stared at the ex-chieftain while drawing his azure-colored sword from his storage. This time, he would kill the guy for sure. Nobody could stop him.
Baran sighed after he heard Kilaba’s question. He had visited his former tribe with a few of his trusted Orc Leaders from his new tribe. They received the same jeers and curses as Baran, offered to them by Kilaba’s staunch supporters.
Yet, they didn’t react to any of them. Standing outside the battle ring, they expressed their guilt. They didn’t care what would happen in the duel. Instead, they were more worried about something that was about to follow later on.
Baran pursed his lips and looked around him a bit before replying to Kilaba’s question calmly. His voice had low-key melancholic vibes.
“No, Kilaba. I no longer seek that position. I have already accepted a new chieftain as my liege. I have come here to challenge you under his orders.”
The spectators listened to Baran’s response at the same time as Kilaba did. The surroundings around the battlefield grew quiet before bursting into chaos. Kilaba’s supporters cheered while Brana’s supporters that hadn’t come out in the open felt disappointed.
The Orc Leaders that had supported Kilaba were all standing at the perimeter of the battle ring as requested by Baran. According to the ex-chieftain, they were going to witness Kilaba’s fall. But all they were doing right now was laugh at Baran for his false bravado.
“Hahahaha! You know why that new chieftain has sent you here, right? He is asking you to die by coming to meet me.”
Kilaba was in the same joyous mood as he always was when he said that. Only now did he understand why a sane guy like Baran would choose to come here willingly. He had thought that the old man must have some tricks up his sleeves. That’s why he didn’t attack him right away and maintained a safe distance from him.
As spontaneous as Kilaba was, he wasn’t stupid. His clarity had given him the ability to not underestimate his opponents just because he had beaten them once.
Kilaba then patted his bare chest with his right hand before making a proclamation.
“My men, no matter how Baran’s status is right now, he was a former chieftain of this tribe. He has come here to ask for a glorious death. And it shall be given to him.
But let’s also honor him by conquering his existing tribe and taking it under our wing. That coward chieftain doesn’t deserve to rule over their tribe members if they send an old man like him to battle.”
Baran chuckled when he heard Kilaba’s smart pitch. He was trying to make his supporters and Baran’s supporters come under the same banner and cause by pitting them against his new tribe. This way, the differences between them would get resolved while Kilaba expanded the tribe.
The Orc Leaders that were supporting Baran wouldn’t mind fighting a new Orc Lord that had dethroned Baran. In this way, they will prove their loyalty to Baran after his death, before being assimilated into Kilaba’s camp permanently. A master stroke. Kilaba’s clarity would put most humans’ cunning to shame.
Kilaba’s speech garnered support from all of the Orc Leaders that had gathered to watch the duel, including Baran’s supporters that were standing behind. Baran didn’t waste any more time. He summoned his quicksilver from thin air, letting his opponent know that he was ready for a fight.
Soon, the fight that supposedly had a preordained result began unfolding in front of the spectators’ eyes. Baran was losing ground. Kilaba was tackling each of Baran’s attacks effortlessly with his normal spells. It seemed like he wasn’t even putting half of his strength into fighting the ex-chieftain.
Unknown to Kilaba and his existing tribe, there was someone else watching the fight from over their head, in the sky above. A man was standing on the back of an eagle-type demon beast. They were flying right above the battle ring that was hosting Baran and Kilaba’s duel at this point.
The butcher looked at the battle ring that was far below him with his eagle eyes. He could keep track of what was happening during the battle, thanks to his eagle vision.
The time was ripe to make a move.
“*Sigh. This is the last one.”
The butcher thought to himself as he took out the last vial of a certain potion that he had received from Purgatory. He raised the vial in front of his eyes and stirred it a bit.
Red Solid Spark.
In the next moment, a bolt of red lightning was created around the vial. Eren held the red lightning bolt in his hand and gripped it firmly as the restless red streak of lightning danced around it.
Throw. Swoosh. Kaboom.
===
AN: Solid Spark is introduced in chapter 332.
Also, in the second-to-last paragraph of chapter 360: Playing Spoiler, Eren uses a certain potion to take care of two Adept rankers. This is the remaining vial from that batch.
