Affinity:Chaos

Grey, who was lying on the ground, opened his eyes, he raised his hand, dragging his exhausted body up.

….

In the stands.

"Look, that guy is the first to stand up," Someone said when they saw Grey moving.

The young man who was beside him wasn't showing any signs of standing up, still lying motionless on the ground.

The crowd watched on as Grey managed to get in a kneeling position, placing two hands on his laps, trying to catch his breath.

….

On the platform.

'*Sigh* I'm wrecked. If only I could use all my elements, I wouldn't have been this badly beaten.' Grey thought while gasping for air.

He looked around and noticed he was the only one who was up. After resting for a few seconds, he stood up.

Clank!

As soon as he stood, his mask fell off his face, making a clanking sound as it hit the ground.

Grey raised his hand, touching his face. It had been a long time since he was without a mask, so when the mask left his face, it felt like he was missing something. The mask wasn't the only thing that wasn't on him, his upper clothes had been completely burned down, leaving his bare upper body.

For the first time, the lady, as well as the entire crowd saw the face behind the mask, and they were all taken aback.

Grey was unaware of the crowd's reaction towards seeing his face. He walked towards the young man who had his eyes opened but was unable to stand up.

"Looks like… you… won," The young man said in between breaths.

"Yeah," Grey nodded before offering him a hand.

"It's of no use, I don't think I can stand for a while," The young man said.

"Huh?" The young man suddenly exclaimed lightly.

It was only after calming down did he get a proper look at Grey's face, and he was surprised since he almost felt he was a girl.

Grey noticed this before scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. He waved for the people to come over to help take the young man away.

After doing that, he looked up, and he could feel every single eye in the arena was on him, but they weren't looking at him like someone who won a battle, rather, it was as if they were trying to discern his gender.

He shook his head dejectedly, this was one of the reasons he didn't actually take off the mask after coming to this new continent. Although no one knew him, he knew his face would definitely put him in trouble.

'Such a drag, why do they always have this type of reaction?' He thought dejectedly.

While he was looking around, some people walked into the platform, taking the young man he fought against.

"Will you continue?" The head of the Gayle family asked.

He clearly knew the answer to the question, but he couldn't help himself from doing this. He was hoping Grey's head would be clouded by pride which would make him say yes, given his current state, whoever fights against him next might be able to kill him instantly, not giving him a chance to admit defeat.

"I don't even think I can fight anymore, much less continuing," Grey replied calmly.

His body was a wreck, he would need at least a day or two before he would get back in shape. If he uses the healing tonic he got from the Blooming Vipers though, then he should be fine within a day.

"Are you admitting defeat?" The head of the Gayle family asked, wanting to confirm his words.

Grey nodded, there was no way he could continue fighting in this condition. If he uses the Fusion State, he would be perfectly healed, but in a place where he could barely trust the lady who was traveling with him, it wasn't wise to show off all of his trump cards.

"*Sigh* Alright, the battles have ended," The head of the Gayle family announced with a dejected expression.

"Since you managed to defeat all your opponents so far, I've decided to reward you with this,"

A booming voice suddenly from the special area, looking up, the Faction Leader of the Pyro Faction could be seen slowly floating down, accompanied by the lady.

A scroll appeared on his hand which he threw in Grey's direction.

Grey caught it, keeping it. He wanted to study it, but this wasn't the time.

Since he was done with the fight, then it was naturally time for them to leave this place. Especially after what happened while they were fighting. Of course, no one would suspect them since they were here all through the time of the theft, but he still didn't want any questions to be asked.

"Why didn't you tell me you were this handsome? Anyway, it doesn't matter now, come, we're leaving. It's time to get back at those old tramps!" The lady said, dragging Grey's exhausted body along with her.

"What do you mean to get back at those old tramps? Can you please let me off in whatever plan you're hatching?" Grey begged while being dragged.

"Hmph! Stop showing off because you're handsome, if not that there is no one else who fits the bill for this job, I wouldn't take you as well," The lady said as they left the arena.

"But I don't want to go," Grey complained.

Seeing the departing figure of Grey and the lady, the Faction Leader heaved a sigh of relief, while also feeling a sense of pity for Grey who seems to be bullied by the lady.

From their exchange, it was clear to see that she wanted to make use of Grey's appearance to get revenge on some people. Grey naturally wanted no part in her schemes.

He looked in the direction they were headed, after confirming that it was where the teleportation array was located, he took off, flying away quickly.

The head of the Gayle family stared around, his eyes filled with anger. Of everyone here, only the Gayle family had angry expressions. Their purpose for organizing the event didn't happen, instead, they allowed Grey to make a name for himself. Soon, his exploits here is bound to spread across the entire region.

It was the rise of a new genius.