System's POV

Chapter 764 When Love, and Dreams Collide [Part 1]

Chapter 764  When Love, and Dreams Collide [Part 1]

Vincent slowly walked toward the Arena under the applause of the people who had come to the Colosseum.
High-pitched screams dominated the air, and it felt like all the ladies were cheering for Vincent, to which the young man responded with a wave of his hands to show gratitude.
As he neared the arena, his gaze landed on Zion, who was standing on the stage. 
Their gazes met, and the two nodded at each other in greeting.
Vincent could still remember what happened a day ago when he visited Zion's house early in the morning.
Erica told him that the teenage boy was currently training, so he shouldn't be disturbed.
Vincent nodded in understanding and waited in the living room of the house. However, he was bugged with curiosity and wondered how Zion trained himself. 
The teenage boy was certainly strong, but Vincent had no idea about the specifics since he hadn't seen the latter fight in person.
His only basis was the legendary stories surrounding the Supreme Commander of the Alliance, which sparked his curiosity to begin with.
When Erica left to get him some refreshments, the handsome young man closed his eyes and sent his consciousness to the basement of the house.
The Sorceress had mentioned that Zion was training underground, which was common among the residences of Wanderers.
Private Training Grounds were usually built underground, which also served as a shelter and fortified bunker.
It could be used during emergencies when Jinns attacked on the surface, allowing the non-combatants to hide.
One of Vincent's secret abilities was his ability to separate a part of his consciousness and make it scout around him.
While his consciousness couldn't travel far, it could still explore around five hundred meters away from him.
The only condition was that Vincent should remain in place, not moving an inch during this period of time.
When his consciousness arrived at the Training Room, Vincent couldn't help but smirk.
Zion was seated cross-legged, but he wasn't alone.
Sherry was with him, and the young lady was hugging him from the front, making Zion's head rest on her chest.
'It seems that this kid is doing some different kind of training,' Vincent chuckled internally. 'I approve!'
However, at that moment, Thirteen pulled his head back and slowly opened his eyes.
The teenage boy gazed in Vincent's direction, making the latter wonder if Zion could see him. 
It was nearly impossible for anyone to detect him in this state, so he was certain that the teenage boy looking in his direction was only an accident.
However, when Vincent's gaze met with Zion's the handsome young man felt his heart and consciousness shudder.
Zion's eyes were devoid of any warmth and were filled with killing intent. 
Like a sharp blade, his gaze cut Vincent's consciousness in half, forcibly sending the latter's consciousness to his body.
Blood seeped at the corner of the handsome young man's lips, but he didn't even notice it.
He was so shocked at what he had discovered, which made him feel numb to the injuries he received as the result of the backlash of having his consciousness severed.
Seeing Vincent's current state, Erica was alarmed and immediately asked what had happened to him.
"Don't worry," Vincent replied. "I was just practicing a technique that I recently developed. I still haven't mastered it, so I received a backlash after doing it wrongly."
"I see." Erica nodded. "Fortunately, there's a Healer among the guards stationed in this house. Please, come with me to receive treatment."
"Understood." Vincent nodded and wiped the blood from the corner of his lips using the tissue Erica handed to him.
He was still shaken by that gaze, filled with killing intent, shot in his direction.
The killing intent was so concentrated that it actually turned into a formless attack that could injure energy and soul bodies.
What Vincent didn't know was that Sherry was helping Zion curb the killing intent that would usually flare up from time to time, when the young man tapped into the depths of his consciousness as he re-lived the lives of his hosts who had died unjustly.
Thirteen did it at least once a week, so he wouldn't lose his goal and his mission to defy fate.
Erica and Sherry would accompany him during these sessions, holding him so that he would be able to recover faster and so that his killing intent disperse quickly.
Sherry had first discovered Zion's self-training method when they were in Fractured Heaven.
Whenever he does this, he would kindly ask Sherry to leave him alone for a few hours, so she wouldn't be affected by his training.
However, Erica decided to do an experiment. 
She believed that she and Sherry had a deeper connection with Zion and that they would be able to help him curb his killing intent.
This was only the first session, and Vincent just so happened to be there to see it for himself.
Actually, the handsome young man was unable to get a good night's sleep because the teenage boy's gaze haunted him in his dreams.
'If I lose today, I'll have an excuse,' Vincent thought. 
But, he knew that this excuse wouldn't fly. 
He was going to fight against Zion's brother, Mikhail, whom he recognized as a truly strong individual.
Vincent also noticed that the cold and snobbish boy was actually warm and had a very caring inside.
Of course, he only discovered this side of Mikhail when he visited Zion's residence.
He thought that the young man, who was only slightly below him when it came to good looks, had a double persona.
One that he showed in public, and one that he only showed to his family members.
'He's like Shasha,' Vincent thought.
The handsome young man had seen how the beautiful young lady would show a loving and caring side whenever she was with her family.
This made him feel envious and proud at the same time. Although he wasn't her affection's receiving end, at least he had seen Shasha's other side. Surely, not many had seen it, making him feel superior to others.
As Vincent finally stepped on top of the arena and faced Mikhail, who was looking at him with a calm gaze, the cheers of the crowd became stronger.
Clearly, the sight of two handsome young men together was making their fantasies go wild.
Taking a deep breath, Vincent slowly unsheathed his blade. 
His gaze became determined and focused.
'I can't afford to hold back,' Vincent thought as he took on a fighting style. 'Good thing, this arena has a special mechanism that will automatically eject those who are about to receive a fatal injury. With this, I can go all out without fear of the consequences.'
The handsome young man didn't know that Mikhail was thinking of the same thing inside his mind.
Mikhail also recognized Vincent as a strong individual, so he didn't plan on holding back on their match.
"Are both of you ready?" Thirteen asked.
"I'm ready," Mikhail replied.
"Ready." Vincent nodded.
Thirteen raised his hand and announced the start of the battle.
At that exact moment, rumbling sounds erupted in the arena as the two young men unleashed their strongest attack without hesitation.
Clearly, both of them had the intention of ending the battle as soon as possible, which was going exactly according to Thirteen's assumption.