System's POV

Chapter 770 The End Of Friendship [Part 2]

Chapter 770  The End Of Friendship [Part 2]

A day before Joshua and Roland fought against each other in the Arena…

"Listen up, Joshua," Thirteen said in a solemn tone. "As a Sage, you're considered an all-rounder when it comes to using spells and debuff spells on the battlefield. "Unlike Erica, who specializes in firepower with her destructive spells, you are more versatile because you have many options. However, being versatile is not enough for you to win against Roland if the two of you fight against each other."

Joshua frowned. "Why would I fight Roland?"

"Because you have to," Thirteen replied. "Right now, you and him are at a crossroads that will decide your path in life. After your… betrayal, you should already understand that your relationship with him and your friends will no longer be the same, right?"

Joshua nodded, knowing that this was the truth. It might've been Zion who pushed him and Roland to a corner, but it was still him who made the choice to attack his best friend.

He might be many things, but he was not someone who blamed others for the decisions he had personally made.

Although his falling out with Roland made him regret his decision, it was something he had no choice but to live with for the rest of his life.

"Joshua, I'm sure that deep inside, you feel inferior to Roland," Thirteen said. "It seems that you've also accepted that if the two of you fought, the one who'll lose is you. "Because of this, you don't dare to fight Roland. After all, what is the point of fighting a battle you already know the result of, right?"

The Sage could only nod to Thirteen's statement because he was correct. Deep inside of him, he wished to fight Roland.

However, knowing that the end result would be his loss, he kept this desire locked up in the hidden depths of his heart.

"But you also know that a fight between the two of you is inevitable, don't you?" Thirteen stated as if it was a fact. "If you run away from this, not only will your relationship fall apart completely, but he might also make it his life goal to take revenge on you."

"… Roland isn't that kind of person," Joshua replied. "He is righteous by nature. Although I'm sure he will hold a grudge against me, he will not make it his life purpose to hunt me down for life."

Thirteen raised his finger and wagged it side by side.

"You're wrong, Joshua," Thirteen replied. "The only thing constant in this world is change. No matter how righteous Roland is, your betrayal has scarred him deeply. Once darkness takes root in a person's heart, it's very hard to get rid of it.

"Have you not heard the saying, 'Darkness cannot fight darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that'?"

Although Thirteen felt like puking as he said those words, it was something that had to be said because it was one of the truths of the world.

"If nothing is done, Roland might become one of those Dark Heroes," Thirteen explained. "I'm sure there will come another special event in which he will be forced to make a choice to remain righteous or join the dark side.

"Frankly, it's easier to do bad things than to do good things. Even if his will is strong, it will have a limit. You need to give him a new goal in life, which he can pursue, so he won't get distracted by dark thoughts.

"You need to fight him to atone for your mistake, and by doing so, you'll also save him from choosing a path worse than death itself."

Joshua closed his eyes and took a deep breath in order to calm himself down.

He felt very guilty for what he had done to Roland, and if possible, he wanted to make up for what he had done.

However, Thirteen's words sounded very convincing that it made him feel that he needed to fight against Roland, so both of them would be able to take a step forward and move on.

Although a duel might not repair their relationship, it would still allow them to settle their grudges against each other.

After that duel, regardless of the result, both sides would be able to have closure and finally take a step forward to their path.

"Understood," Joshua said after regaining his composure. "What must I do? Just like you said, I have no chance of winning against Roland in a duel."

Thirteen nodded. "You're right. However, that's only because you still don't understand the true specialty of a Sage. As long as you Master this power, you have a fifty-fifty chance to win.

"But if you follow my advice, your chances of victory will rise to ninety percent. So, would you like to listen to my strategy on how to beat a Hero?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Joshua replied without hesitation. "Tell me how to win, and I will do it without fail."

Thirteen smirked and pressed his index finger on Joshua's forehead, passing the latter knowledge and skill that would allow him to overcome one of the greatest battles of his life.

***

Back at the present time…

"Divine Edge!" Roland roared, making a downward slash with his sword.

His blow was imbued with his emotions toward his former best friend who hurt him deeply.

He wasn't aware that Joshua was carefully watching his every move and had already acted before he could even swing his blade.

The Sage remembered Thirteen's instructions, and he followed them without fail.

"If you ever see Roland raise his sword, making it glow brightly, you should evade to the right. Your friend is right-handed, so it will be a little hard for him to follow up an attack right away after unleashing this powerful strike."

Joshua then vanished from where he stood and reappeared dozens of meters to his right side.

Because of this, Roland's full-powered slash hit nothing and even slammed at the barrier of the arena, resulting in cracks on its surface.

This proved how strong the young man's attack was, and it would have given Joshua severe injuries had he taken the attack head-on.

After a few seconds, the cracks on the barrier slowly disappeared because the repair function of the barrier had taken effect.

But Roland wasn't paying attention to this.

He simply glanced in the direction of his opponent, who had used a power that he had never used in the past.

Joshua had used instant teleportation, a skill that not many were able to use.

There were artifacts, equipment, and skills that had similar effects, but they could never match a true teleportation ability.

The reason?

It was because it guaranteed that its caster could escape from any dangerous situation unless certain conditions prevented them from doing so.

"When did you learn teleportation?" Roland asked. "Yesterday," Joshua replied. "I felt like learning the skill, so I just learned it. This is only natural for a genius like me. Unless you have other trump cards you can use, this fight will become a very boring match. I hope you don't disappoint me, Roland." Thirteen gave the Sage a thumbs up in his heart because he was playing the villain role very well despite not being a villain.

Joshua's words made Roland narrow his eyes. A moment later, the sword in his hand changed form, becoming bigger, longer, and more domineering.

"Your teleportation will not save you from me," Roland declared.

"What a coincidence." Joshua smirked. "Your sword will also not save you from me."

The Sage pointed his staff at the Hero and summoned a ten-meter-long Dark Spear.

Roland snorted and took a step forward.

A moment later, he turned into a ray of light, charging toward Joshua who had already anticipated his next move.