Reincarnated in the Astral World

Chapter 87: Initial Rounds

Silence reigns among the nobles allied with Dmitri and the Viscount, as well as those neutral, and even the Drummonds are shocked by the level of brutality Arthur achieved in precisely one minute.

'How did he do that?'

'How can a Mystic Fighter be so powerful?'

'And how did he destroy an Elite Warrior in body and mind so quickly?'

'Not a second more than a minute...'

'A fucking minute to destroy a man...'

'What kind of person is he?'

'A Demon!'

'He must be a fucking Demon!'

Though nobody voices these thoughts aloud, their looks say it all. Among those present, including the majority of the Drummonds, only a few are not now scared of Arthur.

The Viscount is clearly one of them, as are some leaders of Lakeview's most powerful families and, of course, Josephine and Oliver, who are smiling excitedly at Arthur.

Arthur ignores the emerging comments and casts his gaze towards the Viscount and his sons. No one moves a muscle, so Arthur turns and leaps from the arena before walking towards the Drummonds' main table.

"That was fantastic!" Oliver taps his shoulder in a friendly manner. "Maybe a bit too much? Nah, Esmond deserved it. You have no idea how many married women he has tormented... I think after you've stepped on his pride like that, he's never going to get hard again, ahahaha!!"

Arthur can't say he cares about other women, but it took just one lustful look towards his sacred mother to awaken his darkest and most violent side.

"Heh, that was nothing," Arthur smiles at Oliver. "I want to see if you can do better."

"Oh, I'll show you!" Oliver grabs a wine glass from the table and downs it in one gulp before looking towards the nobles on the other side of the arena. "So, who's next?"

Some nobles carry Esmond off for medical assistance while Edgar and Elias once again gather to decide on the next challenger.

Meanwhile, Arthur sits at the table between his mother and Margaret, also near Josephine. "Here, hubby," Margaret fills a glass of wine for him and also gives him some meat snacks.

"Thanks, dear," Arthur kisses Margaret's hand lovingly as many people look at him, wondering how the same brutal devil who tormented Esmond a minute ago can have a gentle and loving side.

Aria and Josephine share similar expressions as they watch Arthur, both agreeing that such a balance of darkness and light is quite useful for dealing with the world's crap but without missing out on the good things either.

"Big brother is so strong!" Eve exclaims as she moves from her seat next to Aria and sits on Arthur's lap. She saw the brutal fight but didn't feel any fear since she trusts her brother and also didn't feel any pity for his opponent since he was fighting against Arthur.

"Try this too," Aria offers a cup of jelly to Arthur; she has already eaten half of it, and gives him the other half. "You fought very well, darling~ Mommy is proud~"

"Hmm," Arthur smiles affectionately at Aria while taking the cup and casually eating the jelly; the candy indeed tastes great, but inside, he praises the additional taste on the spoon. "Delicious!"

Aria's eyes sparkle while Margaret notices nothing, but Josephine's sharp eyes don't miss that, 'They are really close… maybe I have been too cold a mother to Oliver? Or they are abnormally loving…' She's not sure what feels naturally right or morally wrong.

As Arthur enjoys a pleasant time with his girls, Edgar and Elias choose the next challenger: one of the younger Elite Warriors from the allied families. The guy is thirty-seven years old and is in the third grade of the Elite Rank.

As the guy steps into the arena with a much humbler attitude than Esmond, Oliver quickly chooses one of his younger cousins to face the opponent. As their power ranks are on the same level, the battle is challenging, as expected, with both fighters having to exert themselves significantly.

But in the end, the young Drummond prevails thanks to his lineage being a bit superior to his opponent as well as his fighting techniques.

The outcome was expected, and as soon as the challenger surrenders, Edgar and Elias already have another member of their group ready to step into the arena.

The young Drummond still wants to continue fighting, but Oliver signals for him to step aside for another cousin to take place, and the fight begins again.

Meanwhile, Oliver returns to Arthur's side at the table and glances at Edgar and Elias. "Their only strategy is to try to exhaust us down with their weaker members and use their stronger ones at the best moment."

"I see," Arthur understands that but he simply feels infinite energy running through his veins. "I'm up next,"

"Nah," Oliver shakes his head. "Let the others have some fun too; we'll step in when they're tired, and the fools put up opponents worthy for us to face."

"Alright," Arthur nods as he receives snacks from Eve and Margaret.

Josephine can't help but smile. "You're eager to beat more arrogant nobles, aren't you? Be careful not to get addicted, hehehe…"

"I think I was born for this," Arthur laughs.

"I agree," Josephine's eyes sparkle as she looks at him. "I knew you had the exact level of violence needed to deal with these kinds of people... they like to feel superior and trample on others, but when they encounter a predator of their caliber, they fall hard."

"There's always a stronger predator, no matter how strong we think we are," Aria comments and strokes Arthur's head. "So don't get overconfident, darling~ you always have to be smarter than your enemies, even if they are stronger."

"That's great advice," Josephine smiles amiably at Aria and then glances at Oliver. "Did you hear that? I'm sure we can learn a lot from our new friends."

Aria nods amiably back to Josephine. She hadn't expected much from such an event, but the old lady seems genuinely good-hearted.

As Arthur's family and the Drummonds strengthen their bonds of friendship, the third fight ends, also with a relatively easy victory for the young Drummond.

There are still more than twenty young nobles from families allied with the Viscount, so they quickly choose another opponent who steps into the arena. This guy is also in the third Grade of the Elite Warrior Rank, so when Oliver chooses his older cousin to fight, the match ends quickly due to the difference of one rank as well as lineage.

For the fourth match, Edgar chooses one of the women from the group, making Oliver thoughtful. "This is not a simple young Lady, but the eldest daughter of the Carmans…"

"I can handle her," Jovie stands up with a confident expression and walks towards the arena.

But Oliver holds her by the arm. "Are you sure? She's one grade above yours, it should be either me or Arthur dealing with her."

Oliver is clearly hesitant to beat a woman, and although Arthur was raised to treat women well, that doesn't include his enemies. And since such a thing never stopped Liam from killing his targets, Arthur also doesn't mind knocking out a female opponent if needed.

"I can handle it," he comments casually.

"No need," Jovie looks at Arthur with an expectant expression. "I'll prove my talent and maybe… earn a reward afterward?"

Arthur's face remains indifferent to Jovie's flirts, but Margaret quickly holds his arm while casting a curious and even provocative smile at the girl. "What kind of reward would that be?"

"Ehhhhh…" Jovie didn't expect Margaret to react so boldly, and she ends up at a loss for words.

Arthur finds the situation amusing and even mentally speaks with Margaret. 'I didn't know you had such a jealous side, honey.'

'Hehehe~' She giggles in his mind. 'This girl keeps throwing lewd glances at you. I know she's on our side, but I can't let any random woman think she can take the place that's already mine and Nyx's.'

'Well said, Margaret!' Nyx hears the mental conversation and also expresses her opinion. 'This girl simply isn't good enough for us to even consider the idea.'

Hearing that conversation, Arthur can't help but sigh. 'Who said this is a decision you two can make alone?'

'..' The girls fall silent.

While Jovie is still thinking of an answer, Josephine smiles at her niece. "You don't need a reward to fight for your family, right? Go there and show your skills, dear."

"Sure, Auntie!" Jovie quickly runs into the arena, leaving the awkward situation behind.

The young Lady Carman is in the fourth grade of the Elite Warrior Rank, one grade above Jovie, but the young Lady Drummond compensates with superior technique and lineage, making it a long, evenly-matched fight.

Many are unsure who has the better advantage, but in the end, Jovie triumphs over her adversary, leaving the arena very tired and with several minor injuries.

Arthur has no romantic interest in her, but he stands up and applauds the girl with a friendly expression. "Good job, you really fought well!"

All the Drummonds also stand to applaud Jovie, who is very happy and proud, and even more fascinated by Arthur.