After the referee signaled the start of the round, the crowd was cheering and rallying enthusiastically. Most were rooting for Thaddeus due to his formidable strength and put off by Dalen's appearance.

"Kid, you should just give up now," Thaddeus said while sipping his drink. "Otherwise, you're going to end up with broken limbs once the fight starts."

He didn't take Dalen, a guy in his 20s, seriously at all. Thaddeus' goal was to defeat the top contenders in Group A. To him, the elites in Group B were just stepping stones.

"Father Savier, isn't it inappropriate for a priest to enter a battle ring against younger opponents?" Dalen smiled and lightly waved his folding fan.

"What's wrong with that?" Thaddeus countered. "Priests are human too, with the same emotions and desires as anyone else. Those you see claiming to be above it all are just hypocrites.

"Sure, they act pious, but who knows what they're up to in private? At least I'm honest about my desires. Like they say, 'live lif