The first descendant: My SSS Rank Awakening

Chapter 5

Everyone sprang from their seats as the tension between Ron and Henry filled the hall.

Ron kept his eyes on Prince Edward. “I am not here to cause trouble. I only want my mother released.”

“Then fight me,” Henry replied. “You were the owner of an SSS-ranked combat class for a few minutes. Surely, some of that greatness should still be inside you.”

Laughter broke from the crowd, but Ron did not look at him.

“As I said, I came for my mother. I have no reason to entertain him.”

Elijah walked towards the Prince before Henry could answer. His voice was lowered, although he made sure enough people could still hear him.

“Your Highness, if these two agree to a fair fight and Ron dies during it, neither Henry nor my family can be held responsible. It would be nothing more than the unfortunate result of an agreement between two willing men.”

Ron finally looked at him. Elijah had already stolen his class, but that was not enough. He wanted Ron dead so nobody could challenge Henry's ownership of the power or threaten their precious championship in the future.

Elijah continued as though his concern was the entertainment of the Prince.

“This will also allow Henry to show you the true strength of his new class. A demonstration against stones can only reveal so much.”

Prince Edward rose from his chair and walked towards the centre of the hall. He carried himself with the dignity everyone expected from royalty, but the excitement in his eyes belonged to a child who had just been offered a new toy.

His gaze passed over Ron before settling on Elijah.

“This is the boy whose SSS-ranked class was extracted earlier today, isn't it?”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

The Prince rubbed his jaw as he considered the matter. Ron watched him and felt the last bit of hope he had placed in the city's law begin to disappear.

These were the people Red expected him to save from the apocalypse. They had watched his power get stolen, imprisoned his mother, and were now discussing his death as if they were arranging another drink.

They could all go to hell.

Prince Edward eventually smiled. “I think the fight is a wonderful idea. If Ron defeats Henry, or at least survives until the fight is called, his mother will be released.”

The offer sent excitement through the hall.

Elijah nodded towards one of the side doors, and two guards dragged Maria into the hall with chains around her wrists. Her dress was torn around the shoulder he had burned, while the skin beneath it had turned an angry red.

Ron's new power reacted before he could stop it. A thin crack spread beneath his shoe, and several candles around the hall went out at once.

Nobody appeared to notice except Maria. Her frightened eyes widened before she slowly shook her head, warning him not to do anything reckless.

Ron forced the power back down. At least she was alive, but seeing her in chains made it much harder to remain calm.

Henry followed his gaze and smiled. “She looks comfortable enough. Whether she leaves like that depends on you.”

Without the First Descendant's power, it would have been nothing more than a public death sentence. Even an S-ranked combat warrior could die from one direct strike delivered by an SSS-ranked class.

Ron looked from the Prince to Elijah and then to Henry. He could end their mockery right now, but his mother was still chained and surrounded by their guards. He also had no idea how much of his strength he could use without exposing the God-ranked class.

He could not wage war against the entire city yet.

The people in the hall mistook his silence for fear.

“He will never accept it.”

“Would you fight someone with an SSS-ranked combat class after losing your own?”

“He came to the awakening hall ready to die. Maybe he will finish the job here.”

A guild master climbed onto his chair and raised a bag of coins above his head.

“I wager one million coins that Ron accepts the fight!”

Another man laughed. “That is the easiest million you will ever lose. I say he runs away.”

More wagers followed until people were shouting, banging the tables and pushing past one another to place their money. Ron stood in the middle of it all, listening as the richest people in the city turned his life into another game.

The guild master who had offered Ron five million coins after his awakening pushed his way to the betting table.

“Three million says Henry kills him with the first attack.”

Ron recognised him immediately. Apparently, the man's confidence in him had disappeared along with the class he wanted to purchase.

Henry counted his fingers slowly, pretending to struggle with a difficult decision.

“I will make it easier for you. I will keep my right hand behind my back throughout the fight.”

“That is still too much,” someone shouted. “Use one finger, Young Master Henry!”

The crowd roared its approval.

Henry raised one finger and pointed it at Ron. “That should be enough. What do you say?”

Ron stared at the finger before lifting his eyes towards Henry's face.

“I will take the fight.”

The hall became so quiet that Ron could hear wine dripping from an overturned cup.

Henry's raised finger lowered slightly. He had offered the fight expecting Ron to retreat and give him another reason to laugh, but Ron's answer had removed the smile from his face.

Elijah placed a hand on his son's shoulder. Henry quickly forced the smile back and lifted his chin.

Someone near the back finally found his voice. “Did he just accept it?”

Henry recovered first. “You understand that you accepted a fight against me, don't you?”

“If you are not deaf, then you heard me correctly,” Ron replied. “I want my mother, and if beating you is the only way to get her back, then I will do it.”

The silence broke beneath another wave of murmurs.

“He has a death wish.”

“There is no way he leaves this hall alive.”

“I hope someone has already prepared his grave.”

Prince Edward clapped his hands with enough excitement to embarrass a child.

“The fight will happen. Clear the centre of the hall.”

The guests dragged their chairs and tables backwards while palace guards cleared enough space for both fighters. More people rushed in from the outer rooms after hearing what was about to happen.

Two guards returned with combat suits. The first was made from bright silver armour reinforced around its chest and neck. The second looked as though it had spent several years beneath a leaking roof, with rust covering its joints and one shoulder hanging lower than the other.

Nobody needed to ask which one belonged to Henry.

“Be careful with Ron's suit,” a guest shouted. “It might kill him before Henry gets the chance.”

The guests laughed, while the guard carrying the rusty armour made no effort to hide his own smile.

A guard carried the silver suit towards him, but Henry raised his hand.

“I will not need protection to defeat this bastard. The only person who should be worried about getting injured is Ron.”

Elijah smiled with pride while the crowd praised his son's confidence.

Henry was not finished.

“We should make this more interesting. If Ron loses, his mother will become my family's servant for the rest of her life.”

The noise in the hall lowered as everyone turned towards Ron.

Prince Edward looked delighted by the suggestion. “That sounds fair. Do you agree?”

Ron said nothing immediately. There was nothing fair about placing the freedom of an imprisoned woman on a fight arranged by the people who had kidnapped her.

The Prince did not wait for his answer.

“Your silence will be treated as agreement.”

Cheers and boos rang through the hall, but Ron's eyes never left Henry.

“If I lose, I will be dead, so your condition means nothing,” Ron said. “But if I win, she walks out tonight, and nobody from Elijah's family will touch her again.”

The demand pulled another round of laughter from the guests. They did not believe there was even a small chance that Henry would lose.

“Those terms are accepted,” Prince Edward declared.

The guard carrying the rusty suit walked towards Ron with disdain written across his face.

“You are a madman for accepting this fight,” he whispered. “Everyone here knows you are going to die.”

Ron watched the guard lift the damaged armour towards him.

“You can keep it. I will not need a combat suit.”

Shock replaced the laughter across several faces.

The guard stared at him. “You plan to face an SSS-ranked combat class without armour?”

Ron moved his eyes towards Henry. “I would only need protection if I were fighting someone with a working brain.”