System's POV
chapter-217-2

Rianna, Harry, and the other Wanderers looked at Thirteen with solemn looks on their faces.

They knew that he was from the Leventis Family, so they never judged him based on the normal standards of Solterra.

From the beginning, they were observing him as one of the scions of the Ten Prestigious Families.

For them, Zion knowing how to fight was not a surprise.

However, they still thought that due to his age, he would have a hard time fighting against a Tigerkin who specialized in close combat.

But as the minutes passed by, they were starting to understand that they had still greatly underestimated the little boy, who was a few years younger than them.

"You really cannot judge a book by its cover, especially if they belong to one of the Prestigious Families," Rufus muttered, making Jeane, and Eren nod their heads in agreement.

Some of them started to wonder—if they were in Zion's shoes, would they be able to fight Percival in close combat?

The answer was obvious.

They couldn't.

All of them couldn't understand how the seven-year-old was doing it.

It was as if Zion already knew how Percival would attack him and where he was going to attack him.

They watched as sparks flew the moment Percival's claws were deflected by Thirteen's gauntlet.

However, after that exchange, the Tigerkin once again found his foot inside a hole, making him unable to dodge the younger boy's counterattack, which rattled his jaw.

Thirteen didn't miss a beat and unleashed a quick jab, targeting Percival's jaw for the second time, before wobbling backwards like a drunk man.

The Mercenary Leaders, who were watching from the side, couldn't help but be impressed by the seven-year-old's fighting style, which was similar to Brawlers.

But the thing that impressed them the most was his drunken movements making his attacks unpredictable.

Also, even in his drunken state, he never stepped in a hole even once.

The only one who always lost his footing was Percival. It was as if Zion was goading him to make a mistake and using that opportunity to land a blow or two on the Tigerkin's body.

Blood seeped from the corner of Percival's lips as he clenched his teeth in anger.

"Damn you!" Percival no longer held back and activated his Emperor's Might.

He no longer felt guilty or embarrassed about using his Trump Card because he couldn't afford to lose.

Especially not in front of his brother, whom he hated more than the boy in front of him.

Percival then disappeared from where he stood and punched Zion's chest with the intention of sending the boy flying.

But as if expecting his attack, Thirteen crossed his arms over his chest, and jumped backward.

Due to the hole in front of him, Percival was forced to make immediate adjustments, so when his blow hit the seven-year-old's gauntlets, the only thing he managed to do was push him away.

Most of the strength behind his strike had decreased exponentially, allowing the boy to avoid any serious injury.

Knowing that he mustn't let this setback get to him, Percival zigzagged across the battlefield, dodging the holes as he made his way toward the boy, who had a mischievous smile plastered on his face.

'I'll wipe that smile off your face even if it's the last thing I do!' Percival thought as he punched forward.

But, as if he had already predicted this move, Thirteen turned his body to the side, grabbed hold of Percival's arm, and used his momentum to slam him to the ground.

The Tigerkin coughed out a mouthful of blood as his world turned upside down.

One moment, he was charging toward his enemy, the next moment, he was lying on the ground and staring at a gauntlet that was about to smack his face.

Thirteen's blow connected, which was aimed on the Tigerkin's nose, breaking it.

But Percival didn't care.

He didn't block the strike. Instead, he grabbed hold of the gauntlet to make sure that his enemy wasn't going anywhere.

However, Thirteen had already predicted that this would happen.

So, the moment his attack connected, he immediately took the gauntlet off his right hand using a special mechanism and jumped back.

Percival, who had missed the opportunity to grab hold of his target, threw the gauntlet away in anger.

"What are you going to do now?" Percival snarled. "You lost one of your weapons."

"I don't… mind, *hic*." Thirteen chuckled. "I lost my gauntlet, but you… *hic*… lost your nose. A fair trade, right? *hic*"

"Damn you!" Percival was about to go mad due to anger because no matter what he did, his attacks failed to reach the hateful human, who was looking at him with an amused expression on his face.

"Die!"

Percival thrust his hands forward and unleashed a golden flame. The fire spread toward Thirteen, which almost made Gerald jump in front of him to save his son.

But something caught his eye, making him, Adira, and Anwir stop their attempt to go and save him.

The golden flames spread, decimating everything in its path, leaving only scorched earth behind.

"Y-Yes… I did it!" Percival laughed crazily. "I won! I WON!"

But amidst his laughter, an eerie voice reached his ears, making his body stiffen.

"Says who?"

Percival angrily turned around and raised his fist.

But, before he even saw the seven-year-old, he saw a tail made up of rocks headed in his direction.

It was already too late for Percival to do anything. The only thing he could do was groan in pain as Rocky's tail slammed on his chest, sending him flying.

The Tigerkin rolled several meters on the ground before coming to a complete stop.

With blood dripping from the corner of his lips, he forced himself to raise his head to look in the direction of the Rocky Bal-Boa and the boy, who was sitting inside its mouth.

"Y-You cheated…" Percival said through bloody teeth.

"I did," Thirteen replied, no longer looking like a drunk child. "So it's your win. Happy?"

"How can I be happy like this?" Percival could feel his tears falling down his face as lowered his head to the ground. "How can I be happy with this kind of victory?!"

"Well, a win is a win, so that's that," Thirteen commented before snapping his fingers. "Congratulations. You are now free."

Percival immediately felt as if a weight had been lifted off his body, but he didn't feel the happiness that he thought would feel after regaining his freedom.

Instead, what he felt was shame and embarrassment.

Thirteen, jumped out of Rocky's mouth and thanked him for saving him.

He knew that the moment Percival used his Emperor's Might, the battle would become a bit more difficult.

This was why he ordered Rocky to come to his rescue the moment his life would truly be in danger.

However, he hadn't asked the Rocky Bal-Boa to slap Percival with his tail.

No.

Rocky did that of his own volition, which made Tiona nod her head in satisfaction.

After spending some time with the Human boy, Rocky had learned to appreciate him, just like Giga Chad did.

Because of this, as long as he could help it, he would not allow any harm to come to Thirteen—not to mention that the latter entrusted him to save his life if ever he was truly in danger.

"Brother, make sure that Taiga returns safely to his family," Thirteen said as he walked toward the entrance of the cavern.

"Understood," Anwir nodded. "We will be leaving in an hour. If something else comes up, you know where to find me."

"I know," Thirteen smiled. "Thank you, Brother."

The seven-year-old exchanged a fist bump with Anwir before going back to the cave in order to rest.

He didn't even glance in Percival's direction. In his point of view, he had already taught his Little Hero all the lessons that he needed to teach him.

The problem with Percival was that he hadn't truly experienced what it felt like to lose in his life.

Although he fought in the Slave Arena, all the Monsters he fought were stronger than or equal in strength with him.

He never even considered that he would be defeated by someone weaker than him.

Although he had won, it didn't feel that way to him.

Instead, he felt that he was the biggest loser in the duel.

This made him unable to look at the seven-year-old, whose small figure made everyone who watched the duel look at him in a better light.