When they were going to start fighting, a woman arrived and shouted. "Da Haren! What do you think you are doing!?"
Skye and Da Haren stopped and looked over. There, a human woman with armor made of dragon scales and a gorgeous shield and sword of similar materials was standing with an angered face. Da Haren looked at that woman and stuttered. "G-Grandaunt! What are you doing here?"
"That's my question, young one!" The woman looked around and quickly spotted Yasenia. Her face changed slightly, Yasenia noticing a trace of fear and respect. After hesitating, the woman approached while changing her armor and weapons to normal cultivation robes. The change was instantaneous and covered by a small flash of light, so no one could see anything in between.
Not knowing how to start the conversation on the right foot, the woman opened her mouth and spoke awkwardly. "Um. Yasenia Dravory, I am sorry if that brat bothered you. However, could you let her go? Ah. There should be another annoying one who had fled, helping that brat in the arena come here. If you see him, can you spare him and communicate with us?"
Yasenia's eyebrow raised with curiosity. "You are part of the Dragon Hunting Clan, right?"
The woman, who usually only saw Dragons as prey, was somewhat awkward when speaking with Yasenia and her family. After all, the Dragon Hunting Clan had one rule in terms of these situations, and that was to avoid as much communication as possible.
The reason was simple. Once they communicated with the Dragon race, beings who were usually honorable, intelligent, and relatively reasonable as long as you didn't touch the wrong scale, seeing her as nothing but beasts to hunt became somewhat challenging for some. There had been times of Dragon Hunters completely changing sides and becoming too empathetic of Dragons, helping them to atone for their "sins".
Answering her question, the woman nodded. "Yes. I am the leader of the branch in the lower heaven. My name is… Well, never mind. I've said what I wanted to say, so that's that." Shaking her head, she looked at the arena and spoke sternly. "Now, leave that arena and return with me! Once we find your uncle-cousin, you both will be—"
"He died!" Da Haren shouted, her face cold and angered.
The grandaunt stopped and frowned. "How did he die? Who would dare kill someone from our Dragon Hunting Clan?"
"I did." Yasenia spoke with a calm tone, making the grandaunt's face twitch.
Looking at her, she opened and closed her mouth. Eventually, she sighed and rubbed her forehead. "That's… a problem. That man is the child of someone quite important."
Yasenia shrugged. "He came here to ambush my children like a coward. Therefore, I killed him. You can tell whoever that important person is that the reason their child died is their cowardice in aiming at weaker prey. As a Dragon Hunter, he should be ashamed to aim at the children when he knew he couldn't aim at me."
To a certain extent, the grandaunt agreed. After all, even as Dragon Hunters, they weren't people who hunted for sport. In truth, Dragon Hunters usually aimed for powerful dragons when choosing whom to hunt. That's why they approached Yasenia in the first place. Which of them wouldn't want the honor of hunting a dragon as powerful as Yasenia?
Still, at that time, they kicked a steel plate named "Tatyana's Protectiveness."
"... Even then." She placed one hand on her forehead and groaned. "Why didn't you listen to me, you stupid grandniece! Look what a mess you've created!"
Skye, not wanting to bring trouble to her mother, spoke aloud. "Senior, what if we change our duel's rules? It will be a battle to the death. If I win, then you have an excuse that even if that man were to aim at us, it wouldn't end much differently. If she wins, then my death can be used as—"
Yasenia interrupted, her tone cold. "Skye."
Skye paused and looked at Yasenia. Seeing her angry and cold face, Skye felt a bit of fear for the first time when looking at her mother. Not fear toward her, but fear that Yasenia might hate her or dislike her. "Skye, you don't need to do anything. It is them who are in the wrong, and if they are unreasonable enough to dare to push our buttons too far, we'll just annihilate them as they come, like we've always done."
The grandaunt naturally wouldn't take this lying down, and she looked at Yasenia coldly. "Big words, Dragon. Do you think our title and clan name are just fancy titles? If you dare escalate this, you'll regret this."
Yasenia sneered. "Regret it?" Her aura burst outward, encompassing the entire area into an empyrean presence. It felt as if the cosmos itself had manifested around Yasenia. "I've been polite because you've shown brains and clearly understand what happened. However, if you dare try and use my daughter's life as a wager, I'll dismantle your clan even if I have to tear my body to shreds in the process!"
Everyone was silent for a second, while a few owners of the colosseum arrived. There were around seven people, all of them with Transcendence Realm strength. "What might be the problem here? It is prohibited for Sixth Realm cultivators to fight."
Yasenia dispelled her aura and looked up with a nonchalant expression. "That wasn't my intention. She just struck a nerve, and I lost composure, seniors."
The woman's eyebrow twitched, but she went along with Yasenia's words. "Same here. Things got a bit heated. We'll resolve it calmly and without any conflict."
Those seven people nodded, and one of them stayed behind while the others left. The person who remained was the only woman among the seven, clearly chosen on purpose on the same principle as the guards.
Yasenia looked back at the arena and saw Skye on the verge of tears. She sighed softly and used her energy to bring her into her arms. "I am not truly angry, okay? Don't worry, baby. I was just displeased that you used your own life so lightly."
Skye hugged Yasenia tightly and nodded. "Um. Sorry, Mommy. I won't do it again."
Yasenia smiled gently and kissed her forehead. "Don't be, baby. Now, if you want to fight, go fight. This person is not so weak that you can agree to a death match without risks, but I trust my lovely Skye can win."
Skye rubbed her face on Yasenia's neck and smiled happily. "Okay, Mommy. I'll go and beat her!"
The grandaunt looked at the interaction with an uncomfortable heart. 'Sigh. This is why I don't like interacting with dragons… She is more loving than many parents of our clan…'
When Skye landed on the arena again, she pointed at the woman and spoke aloud. "Fight me! I need to show my Mommy how I defeat you, a Dragon Hunter."
Da Haren spoke with a frown and eyes that shone with a hint of envy. "Aren't you ashamed to be calling your mother that way at your age?"
Skye smirked proudly. "Why would I be ashamed? I will always be my Mommy's little hatchling! I will always call her Mommy!"
Seeing her radiant golden slit eyes shining with love as her blue hair waved behind her, Da Haren felt jealousy. Her mother was far from a loving mother, always strict and pushing her ideals and principles on her. Her father was never there for her, hunting outside as well. Therefore, Da Haren didn't really have a happy household since she was little.
"Ridiculous." Da Haren spat with disdain and then lunged toward Skye. "[Five Dragon Steps]."
Her body moved quickly and erratically, approaching Skye quickly. Lifting the large curved blade, Da Haren shouted. "Die! [Dragon Intent Level 2]! [Scale Slicer]!"
Yasenia glanced at how the sword gained a strange surface energy, trying to match Skye's energy wave. 'Ho~? Dragon Intent? It makes sense. As a Dragon Hunter, they come across the concept of dragons often. Gaining enough understanding about it to gain an intent is not too far-fetched.'
Skye moved when Da Haren was close; her energy exploded outward, and lightning and star energy surged from within her. Channeling the lightning into her guandao, Skye swung it in a wide horizontal arc. "[Weapon Flow Intent Level 2], [Grand Cosmos Martial Art, First Step: Stellar Burst]!"
BOOM!
Both weapons collided, and the two women retreated several steps. Even then, Skye recovered first from the collision, showing her superior bodily strength. Not waiting for the other party, she rushed forward with her own movement techniques. "[Flash Star Steps]."
When Skye stepped forward, a literal flash of light burst from her step, blinding those looking for a brief instant. Each time Skye took a step, that flash of light would follow, creating an extremely annoying effect. Da Haren was distracted for a moment, and by the time she noticed the guandao rushing toward her head, she only had a brief moment to react. "[Dragon Wall]!"
An attributeless energy wall appeared in between the attack and her. Skye's massive edge struck like a hammer against glass.
BANG!
Cracks spread through the shield, and the feedback from the powerful strike made Da Haren take a few steps back while coughing a bit of blood.
"Heh. For a Dragon Hunter, you have quite a few skills named after us! Aren't you just jealous of us, Dragons?"
Da Haren snarled. "Shut up, lizard!"
"Hahaha." Skye grinned. "Dragon Hunters are just a bunch of jealous people who hunt dragons because they'll never become one!"
Da Haren's sword flashed with a powerful light and rushed toward Skye's neck. "[Dragon Beheading]!"
Skye chuckled. "[Numinosity Intent Level 2]."
Yasenia and the grandaunt, along with other experienced cultivators, showed a hint of surprise. Numinosity?' Yasenia squinted. 'Such a peculiar and unique intent. A concept related to mystery and the divine. What is Skye trying to comprehend with this?'
Da Haren's sword flashed quickly, and it sliced through Skye's neck, beheading her in a single strike. This made her lips arch. "Ha! That's what you get!"
The grandaunt shouted. "Don't lower your guard, stupid child!"
Da Haren was confused when she felt the Skye in front of her blur as the blue-haired, golden-eyed curvy woman reappeared completely unharmed and tightly grabbed the guandao's pole edge. Then, through her intent, a surge of strength flowed through her body, lightning and star elements billowing around her. "[Star Lightning Pierce]."
Da Haren barely placed her large curved sword in the way of the guandao.
BANG!
Her body flew across the arena, her arms' bones fractured as her internal organs ruptured from the power behind the attack. 'W-What!? Why did it have so much strength?'
Skye rushed toward Da Haren and spoke. "Numinosity is the concert of divine mystery. Illusions, sudden strength, and concepts beyond your pitiful comprehension can be manifested through the mysteries within the Star element. Enhanced by the Heavenly nature of my Lightning element, I can create small miracles through it. Now, surrender or die. [Numinosity Intent Level 2], [Cosmos Dragon's Immortal Grace]!"
Yasenia felt a strange link to Skye as Skye's strength skyrocketed. The strike she was throwing was truly powerful for someone at her level, making many open their eyes with surprise.
The woman who was part of the organizers stepped into the arena, blocking Skye's strike. "Duel is done! Skye Dravory wins!"
Da Haren fell onto the ground, her eyes trembling with shock. 'W-What? How can something so powerful exist?'