Avro stared at the chunk of his green afro lying on the floor.

His face immediately twitched, and his jaw trembled as he became enraged.

"A-Arden... you... how dare you..."

Before he could finish, Arden suddenly rushed forward and delivered a mana-infused punch straight to his gut.

Avro's body lifted slightly off the ground before flying backward, rolling several times before finally hitting the wall.

Arden had made sure to use even more strength to make sure that Avro was knocked out this time.

The crowd gasped as they saw the situation. But before they could react... a loud and angry shout appeared from above.

"Arden! How dare you do this to my son!"

A powerful burst of green mana exploded in the air as a tall and large man appeared from the sky and landed beside Avro.

The man's hair was also the same style as Avro's, the ridiculous green afro hair.

After making sure that Avro's still alive, he stood back up and glared back at Arden.

"Arden! You've gone too far! How could you injure him so seriously in front of the entire clan!"

Arden glared back at him and only smiled while keeping his hands in his pocket.

"Oh, if it isn't Elder Asro. It's been a while, and also... This is a fight, Elder Asor, so there will be some injuries."

Asro's eyes narrowed as he gestured toward his son.

"Not like this. You seriously injure him, and also you cut his hair and humiliate him in front of the whole clan."

Arden shrugged while laughing out loud.

"Come on, Elder Asro. I don't hit him that hard. If he's knocked out, then he's just weak. And also..."

He took the chunk of green Afro hair that he had cut earlier.

"I fixed his ridiculous hair so he looks better. You should have thanked me."

The insult infuriated Asro so much that his jaw and fists tightened hard.

"You really have grown arrogant, Arden. If I had known... I would have stopped you the moment you returned."

Arden laughed without any fear.

"Is that so? Then stop me now. Show me what the elder of Avenora can do. I want to see how strong you really are."

Asro frowned as he stomped the ground and flared his mana around.

"Fine then, Arden. I'll make you regret ever challenging me and put you into your place."

Arden's grin widened as he shifted back to his stance.

"Good. The younger ones bored me, and I need a real test from the older ones like you."

He waved his hand, gesturing him to come.

"Come on then, Elder Asro. Make this fight worth my time."

---

Asro stomped the ground hard, and soon the ground split open as countless thorn-covered roots erupted.

"[Thorny Roots Burst]!"

The roots shot out in all directions, moving like living snakes that were faster than arrows with thorns sharper than blades.

The audience gasped, looking at Asro's spell.

Meanwhile Arden's eyes narrowed as she saw the roots going toward him.

He quickly boosted his legs' power with mana and dashed sideways, avoiding the first few strikes.

The roots missed him by a hair and smashed the ground behind him, cracking it.

Arden frowned as he realized just how fast the roots were.

"Damn it! I never thought that the roots could be this fast."

He then rolled to the side again and flopped away from another volley just to dodge the incoming roots.

But they were just too fast and kept tracking him relentlessly.

Arden then decided to fight back as he twisted his body and kicked one root to snap it in half.

But even if one was destroyed, two more emerged from the ground to take its place.

Arden clicked his tongue. "Persistent old man..."

Asro smirked as he controlled the whole arena with his thorny roots.

"What's wrong, Arden? Getting tired already?"

Arden's eyes turned to him for a second, and he just smirked.

"Not yet. This is still nothing compared to the master's training."

He dashed forward again, ducking and weaving, but the roots suddenly changed direction midair.

Thanks to that change, the attacks were coming from all directions, so he couldn't dodge them all, but finally...

One managed to reach and graze his arm, tearing his skin, and in an instant Arden froze.

He could feel that his body suddenly became slightly tired and his mana flow had been weakened slightly.

Arden frowned as he stumbled slightly, gripping his arm.

"Tch. To think that not only are they powerful and fast, but they can also absorb my stamina and mana."

Asro laughed loudly as he saw Arden's face.

"That's right, boy! Don't underestimate me just because I'm old!"

He spread his arms wide, his mana flaring green.

"My trait is [Nature Absorption], so basically every nature spell I use will weaken my enemies and at the same time strengthen me even more!"

He pointed his finger at Arden, smirking.

"You should feel honored to face it, boy, as I rarely fought or even showed off my trait!"

Arden glared, sweat running down his cheek.

"Damn it… No wonder you're an elder. Guess your strength wasn't just talk."

Asro smirked, his tone mocking.

"You finally realize that, huh? That's what separates an elder from a reckless brat."

Arden clenched his fists and steadied his breathing while his eyes were locked on Asro.

"You talk too much, old man. If your roots feed on me, then I'll just destroy them all."

Asro raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Destroy them? Are you kidding me? You're barely even standing!"

He lifted his hand high, and the ground began to rumble violently.

More cracks appeared across the arena as more thorny roots burst upward, twisting and writhing like a forest coming to life.

Asro smirked, his eyes burning with pride. "Let's end this, boy."

He slammed his palm down, and all the roots reacted instantly, lunging from every direction toward Arden.

"Now disappear, Arden! [Thorny Roots Burst - Full Bloom]!"

The entire arena trembled under the attack.

In the middle of that storm, Arden stood perfectly still.

His hair and clothes whipped violently from the wind, his expression calm but focused.

He didn't move recklessly.

He wasn't like Rynar or Rynor, who would have charged through without thinking.

He wasn't like Dahlia, who would have burned everything around her with sheer will.

He was a thinker, someone who measured, analyzed, and waited for the perfect moment.

As the roots converged on him, his eyes scanned every movement or anything that could help him in this situation.

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