Chapter 289 A Person Who Broke His Promise
''I didn''t expect Rocky to be paired with Evan so soon, '' Marin thought inwardly. Evan had already
reached the fourth grade of the Earthly Stage. Marin believed that it was impossible for Rocky who was
only between the second and third grades to win against Evan.
The contest started with the first round which was split into halves. The first half involved thirty spirit
maniptors in a one-on-one battle. Pairs were selected in random and those in low grades were easy
prey if paired against higher graded spirit maniptors. Only the fifteen spirit maniptors who won
their battle participated in the second half. The second half included a battle against each other until
one by one, thepetitors were defeated, with only the seven most powerful left standing. These
seven winners were qualified for the second round of the contest.
The thirty spirit maniptors in the contest were from the first grade of the Earthly Stage to the ninth
grade of the Earthly Stage. The majority of thepetitors were from the first grade to the fifth grade. It
would not be difficult for powerful spirit maniptors to win in the first half of the battle and be qualified
for the second half.
It was truly poor luck that Rocky had an opponent that belonged to the fourth grade of the Earthly
Stage, when the majority of thepetitors woulde from first to fifth.
Marin expected that Rocky would excel or at leastst until the second round. She did not expect this
match up with Evan in the first half. Now, she was worried he would not even make it to the second
half. She felt uneasy about the oue, and she knew that she was alone in this. If Rocky lost, he
would no doubt be ecstatic. After all, he did not want to be there let alone win. Marin''s frown deepened
as she thought about Rocky''s potential reaction. She knew Rocky would view it as the best
Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
consequence since he would not need to proceed to the seeding parts of the contest.
"Even if he tried his best, he would still lose. I shouldn''t have asked him to do this!" Marin wailed in
regret. She should have foreseen this oue. She swiped her hair from her face and let out a loud
breath. ''How could I have been so reckless and stupid?'' She restrained herself from pulling out her hair
in frustration.
Rocky would have made a good bargaining chip in her hand. If she had used him well, he could have
brought her what she wanted but she squandered that opportunity.
The martial field where the contest was held was divided into five parts. It was spacious enough that
five contests could be held at the same time. This would take an hour to an hour and a half to end. With
the starting time in mind, the contests would be done by noon.
"Commander, what should we do if Rocky does not turn up on time for his match?" Deputy Commander
Chen turned to Marin and asked. He looked concerned, his lips pressed tightly together as he waited
for her answer. Truthfully, Marin did not know what to do either. Rocky''s match was scheduledter
than others, but he should have been there by now.
"Wait. That''s all we can do right now," Marin answered. She was surprised at how even and calm her
voice sounded. "Do not worry about Rocky. Just focus on your own matches and make me proud," she
continued. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in support. She knew it was useless to be
anxious. She consoled herself with thoughts of how she would punish Rocky for breaking his promise
and not showing up.
After instructing the Deputy Commander Chen something else, she swiftly moved out towards the
viewing tform.
As soon as she stepped into the dais, Marin felt suffocated and crowded. She saw Lance sitting in the
middle, his face stern and serious. She knew the atmosphere surrounding him felt heavy and stifling,
just from the faces of the Elite Commanders and Frontline Commanders sat around him. Nobody dared
to talk and each one of them seemed extremely ufortable. Only Isis looked perfectly calm, seated
beside Lance.
"Commander in Chief," Marin greeted Lance as soon as she reached the grandstand. She arched her
hands in respect and looked down in submission.
"You''re finally here! Come and sit down." Lance gestured Marin to sit close to him. Fondness flickered
on his face so fast that it was barely there. To all hismanders and officers, he was a stern and
serious leader. He dared not show his tender love for his niece in public. Not that anyone there knew.
None of hismanders and officers knew nor would they believe it if someone told them that Marin
was his niece, as they saw how indifferent he was to her.
He dismissed Marin shortly so she could sit and enjoy herself. She inclined her head in respect and sat
next to Isis. She was relieved to not be the center of attention especially with the situation at hand.
"Any news? Has Rocky arrived?" Marin was thankful for Isis discretion. They talked in whispers, wary
of unwanted attention.
She shook her head at Isis. She did not know how to exin her current situation to her.
"What''s going on?" Isis could tell that something was wrong.
She stared intensely at Marin until she broke. With a restrained sigh, Marin told her the truth, that
Rocky didn''te along with them.
"What? Why don''t you just tie him up so you can bring him here? You know my father requested him to
angry if Rocky didn''t show up. And nobody wanted her father angry.
Marin felt helpless too. It took her a few days to calm down after what happened in the beast stable.
She had been annoyed and did not want to deal with him. Despite this, she had tried her best to
persuade Rocky toe. If Rocky didn''t show up, she didn''t know what she would do. However, a
small part of her still had faith in Rocky. She believed that Rocky was an honest and trustworthy
person. He would not break his promise.
Four hours passed quickly. Her fears seemed to havee true when it was Rocky''s turn, but he had
not shown up. His opponent, Evan, had already entered the stage along with his spirit-manipted
beast.
"Where is Rocky? Why hasn''t he entered the stage yet?" Marin''s shoulder tensed when she heard the
question. The moment that she feared had finallye. Lance seemed to be aware that Evan''s
opponent was Rocky. Thus, when only Evan showed up on the stage, he gave Marin a questioning
nce.
Marin swallowed nervously. She didn''t know what to tell him.
"Father, why are you so anxious?" Isis interrupted. "Rocky may have nned this. Maybe he wanted to
trouble.
"Is that true?" Lance raised a dignified eyebrow but did not say anything else. He looked around the
arena, seemingly mollified.
Marin breathed a sigh of relief and nced at Isis discretely. She nodded at her in appreciation, the
movement was small and unnoticeable to others.
However, Isis felt uneasy too. Outwardly, she did not look any different. But her eyes wandered too,
hoping to glimpse Rocky''s arrival. She was worried that if Rocky did not show up, thepetition
would not be fun at all.
In the waiting area, Evan seemed to be celebrating already. He sneered and said, "I didn''t expect
Rocky to be my opponent. This is a good opportunity for me to seek revenge. I''ll teach him a lesson or
two. It''s his fault that I was transferred to the northwest military camp. That awful excuse for a camp!"
Evan sneered, disgusted by the mere thought of the camp. "Where is he now? Is he too cowardly to
surroundings. Hisughter boomed in the waiting area. He was amused at the thought that he would
surely win. If Rocky showed up he would beat him and teach him a lesson. On the other hand, if Rocky
does not show up, he would still win without any effort on his part.
The rules of the contest dictated that if one party did not show up on the stage within thirty minutes, the
opposing party would win by default. It meant Rocky would automatically lose if he did not show up on
the stage in thirty minutes.
Anxious and upset, both Marin and Isis watched the area where Evan wouldpete with Rocky. They
hoped to finally see him arrive, that he really just wanted a grand entrance.
"Is that man really nning on standing me up?" Marin pursed her lips, fuming. If Rocky dared not to
easily. She despised it above all, people who did not keep their promises. And if he was like that, he
would definitely feel her wrath.