Composing himself, Dox put on a nonchalant look: "I’m no longer the person I was then, just wait and see."
Vay: "See you meet a miserable end?"
Dox responded grumpily: "It’s a triumphant return!"
With that said, Dox had no mood for further arguing with Vay, and he strode toward the center area.
On the other side, the Gray Merchant saw Dox take the stage first and sighed slightly. It was now basically certain that Dox definitely knew his information.
Otherwise, given Dox’s aversion to Blood Origin Wizards, he would have waited for him to take the stage.
Now, with the Wicked Woman taking the stage and Dox already present, it means her speculation was correct. This black-robed judge really isn’t necessarily on the same side as the Mirror Bearer.
However, even if they’re not on the same side, the fact that he is willing to be the judge, and the Mirror Bearer agrees to it, is very intriguing.
Limited confrontation, but not complete opposition?
Is this some kind of survival law in the Underground Labyrinth?
While the Gray Merchant was speculating, Dox had already stood in the center of the field, lazily drawing the red sword from his waist. With a flash of red light, Dox twirled the sword gracefully before tilting it to point at the ground, then extended his other hand to beckon the Wicked Woman with his finger, thinking himself stylish.
The Wicked Woman, floating in the air, was not angered by Dox’s provocation but instead tutted twice: "The Red Sword, Dox... not quite as I imagined."
When the Wicked Woman mentioned Dox’s name, she deliberately paused.
Dox asked suspiciously: "What do you mean?"
Wicked Woman: "The Dox in my imagination is a gentleman who wouldn’t fight women. But unexpectedly, the first to duel me would be you."
Dox scoffed a few times: "I am no gentleman. You’re saying this just to make me go easy on you, aren’t you? I won’t."
Finished speaking, Dox didn’t wait for the Wise Sovereign to say start. He pointed the red sword, merging himself with it, turning into a red line darting towards the Wicked Woman.
Faced with the sudden red line, the Wicked Woman showed a hint of surprise in her eyes but didn’t panic.
As the red line was about to reach the Wicked Woman, bandages began to emanate from her body with phantom-like speed, as if white tendrils, wrapping the red line securely.
As the red line was wrapped, Dox’s figure gradually appeared.
Dox shook lightly, trying to shatter the bandages binding his sword, but their resilience exceeded his expectations. Despite using great force, he only made them loosen slightly with no signs of breaking.
However, the loosening of the bandages allowed Dox to smoothly withdraw his sword.
Without hesitation, Dox blinked to reposition himself for a back attack.
Before he could act, a massive pressure descended from above.
Both Dox and the Wicked Woman were suppressed by the pressure, falling from the air. The source of the pressure was undoubtedly the Wise Sovereign above.
"Engaging before I announce the start constitutes a rule violation. This is your only warning. If it happens again, I’ll throw you directly off the arena."
After speaking, the overwhelming pressure gradually dissipated.
Dox and the Wicked Woman finally got a chance to breathe.
Dox flipped over, muttering as he returned to his original position. The Wicked Woman floated back into the air, a hint of gloom in her eyes.
Earlier it was just speculation that Dox and his group made a deal with the black-robed judge to gain their information. But now it seems the judge is indeed on the same side as the opponent.
Though it was a penalty, it didn’t really punish them. In fact, the descending pressure cleared all the pheromones in the air.
This effectively disrupted a charm cast by the Wicked Woman.
Though she was grinding her teeth in anger, facing the Wise Sovereign’s formidable strength, she dared not utter a word.
All she could do was cast a vicious look towards Dox.
Dox felt the hostile gaze and turned to look but at that moment, the Wicked Woman withdrew the malice and instead giggled: "The judge was right to stop you; that behavior wasn’t quite gentlemanly."
Dox irritably said: "Stop talking about gentlemen. I have nothing to do with that."
"Is that so?" The Wicked Woman suddenly smiled: "Six years ago, I attended a small tea party in the Manluo Plane, where I met a strange witch. Someone at the tea party asked a question: Which man in the Southern Domain Wizard World is the most gentlemanly? Guess who the witch mentioned?"
Dox suspiciously said: "From what you’re implying, that gentleman isn’t me, is it?"
The Wicked Woman stated word by word: "Cor-rect~"
While Dox was shocked by this revelation, the Wise Sovereign had no interest in gossip, directly saying: "If you have the ability, talk while you fight. Now, I announce the battle begins."
As the Wise Sovereign’s voice fell, Dox immediately began his offensive.
As for the "gentleman" issue mentioned by the Wicked Woman, he was completely unconcerned. Securing victory in the battle came first.
However, the Wicked Woman continued talking while deftly evading: "Do you know why she called you the most gentlemanly male wizard in the Southern Domain?"
Dox didn’t answer, his attacks growing fiercer.
But the Wicked Woman answered her own question: "Because she said you never fight women. Even if a woman stepped on you, you wouldn’t draw your sword."
Dox’s movements paused suddenly, but soon, he became even faster than before.
Wicked Woman: "Oh, right. I seem to have forgotten to say, her name is... Yuna."
Dox sharply raised his head, his pupils contracting.
...
"Yuna?" Angel, standing at the edge of the field, repeated the name softly: "Is there such a wizard in the Southern Domain?"
Angel looked up, meeting Kaier’s gaze. Kaier, thinking Angel was asking him, hurriedly shook his head: "N-no, sir, I haven’t heard of her either."
After Kaier spoke, he pulled in Vay, also an apprentice: "What do you say?"
Vay wore a subtle expression, hesitating for a while before saying: "Yuna, I know her."
Both Angel and Kaier were taken aback, looking at Vay.
Vay thought a moment: "Earlier when Dox took the stage, didn’t I mention he shouldn’t be made a fool like back then by a witch?"
Kaier nodded: "Yes, I remember. I wanted to ask at the time, just..." embarrassed to gossip.
Vay: "That witch was Yuna. Back then, she was an apprentice like us, and we ventured together for a while."
As Vay spoke, a look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes.