Several voices roared throughout the entire arena.
The excitement that they have felt during the previous battle with Lisa and Rye made the second to the last match exhilarating.
"Let's go! Prince of the Iron Fist!"
"That guy seems to be weak, beat him up!"
Huck made a huge impact on the crowds within the arena as if he was expecting support from them in the beginning. Though there are gazes that are somehow glazed with harsh intent swarming on the other side as well.
Aran gazed everywhere only to realize that the cheering was not meant for him but rather, it was conclusively for Huck who's making the fight more hyped and unpredictable because of his nature and reputation.
Lisa couldn't help but pay attention to all of the comments, her face seems to be indulged in scorn while clenching her fist. It was natural that the majority of the audience will be supporting someone who already made a title for himself. Just like Huck, she was already approached by several groups who passed the entrance examination but she declined them.
"Alright, I've warmed up my body now. I think it is time for us to battle, don't you think you're a bit condescending earlier?" Huck pointed out.
Aran made a serious facade despite the nervousness he has been enduring. He stepped into the arena while assessing everything in place.
"Yeah, I'm actually really nervous right now, I don't even know if I should be able to hit you with this." Aran honestly accepted the reality that he won't be able to put up a good match.
"But you already know what I said earlier, right?" Aran followed.
"Hmm?" Huck slightly moved his head.
"I will not beat you with my strength, I will take you head-on with my knowledge." Aran confidently declared.
Saying that caused him relief because of what he has been studying and monitoring for the last few years about fighting.
Although the idea of practice is implied, Aran's ability to remember every single detail and use them on a daily basis is pretty commendable, to say the least.
"Heh! I mean, if that's what you are planning then you've already given your ace. If you are going to defeat me with something preemptive then I will proceed on beating you quickly before you can even pull something." Huck replied with a much intense tone while hovering his arms.
He made a few steps on the arena, visualizing the whole place, his arms are quite muscular and the moment he placed his left leg on the front, it immediately emitted a corresponding aura that is dangerous.
Prior to this, Aran noticed the form Huck did.
(His form is very subtle to the point that I don't know which martial arts he is going to use. There's no impractical difference on what kind of move he is going to launch, but if I can somehow see an opening, then that will be the perfect time to strike my move. It might not be that much but I'm pretty sure this one single hit will have a much better impact than his.)
Huck is not using any weapon aside from his fist. Aran knew that he would be doing a technique that is normal for a berserker or brawler.
"Let the fight begin!" The red coat announcer swung his right arm downwards.
"Let's go!"
Huck dashed forcefully, his quick legs enabled him to close the distance between him and his opponent within a second.
"He's fast!"
Aran gritted his teeth as he tried to avoid the attack that is coming.
The first attack came from Huck's fist which barely hit Aran on his face, however, as he stepped back, he didn't notice that there's another fist that is coming right below his chest. Aran received a full-body blow that made him draw saliva out from his mouth.
The impact was so hard that it made him fall to his knees onto the ground. Loud cheering can be heard.
Lisa saw what happened and she became worried as the blow that he received was far more painful than any other normal attack.
"Urgh!" He coughed several times as he was trying to struggle to stand up while raising his left arm with the knife on the front.
Huck didn't waste any time. He raised his left leg and made a swing that strikes Aran's right cheek causing him to flinch and slide off the side of the arena.
"Aran!" Lisa shouted.
"Yes! That's right! Beat him up!"
"As expected with the prince of the iron fist, he can totally beat everyone who gets in his way. His muscles are made for this kind of fight."
Hearing the comments, Lisa clicked her tongue whilst shaking from nervousness.
Aran coughed some blood. He stood up very slowly and dragged his body upward.
His face was already a mess with a little blood scattered around his right cheek. There's also a little wound right below his lips. He took more damage than he expected from the beginning.
The pain on his face integrated with the pain on his stomach. This caused him to wiggle and move slowly.
(His strength is beyond monstrous! If I didn't harden my body, I would've passed out and failed this exam.)
"What? Is that all? Is that all you have got?" Huck provoked him. He chuckled as soon as he saw Aran's beaten face while struggling to get up.
(That hurts a lot, I didn't expect him to throw me off my place that easily. The body blow earlier is making my body parts numb that I can't even hold this knife properly. So this is the 'Prince of the Iron Fist'?)
"Now then, let's continue!" Huck once again dashed on the right side of the arena to follow Aran's track.
Synchronized with this, Aran, using his energy moved on the left side to avoid drawing closer. He switches the handling of the knife from his left to the right and made a stance. It was a good decision to change his form as he cannot move properly with his current condition.
Huck jumped and made a spinning kick. Seeing this form, Aran moved his body on the right side and dodged the kick without any problem. But Huck won't let him rest even for a couple of seconds. After the spinning kick, it was followed by a head kick in which Aran dodged by kneeling down and running away.
Huck forced his way and made several consecutive punches while Aran's arms are crossed, trying to endure the pain. Not only punches but a couple of chopping and elbow hit techniques are mixed within his never-ending movements. With luck, Aran was able to step back once again to rest, but it was quickly negated by Huck's left hook.
Once again, he was thrown off to the side of the arena but he managed to get up quickly. Now that he was able to taste his fighting technique, he finally formulated a strategy inside his head while assessing the environment. This helped him decide on what course of action to take if he was about to launch a counterattack.
(This is bad, I've already figured out his moves but I don't know how long my body will last. The adrenaline inside me is what keeps me alive at this point. I don't want to rest right now or the pain killer of this dilemma will run out. I need to strike him somehow... Mmm?)
Deep in thoughts, Huck's consecutive punches landed on Aran's chest and face making him go down easily.
The whole audience roared with excitement as Aran fell to the ground.
"No! Aran!"
Lisa couldn't hold back herself. She tried to go upstage but she was immediately stopped by one of the winners of the previous match by raising her right arm. She gazed at this particular person and she noticed that it was a girl. The stranger moved her head left and right, she's telling Lisa to not interfere with what's currently happening in the arena.
Lisa made a helpless look as she stepped back.
"If you interfere, both of you will end up getting disqualified. Your previous achievement earlier will be for nothing. You're not exceptional, we're just following a rule." The strange girl said.
Lisa nodded as she gulped.
Three minutes into the match, Aran was still lying down on the ground while writhing in pain. Huck slowly approached him with a menacing look. He tried to drag his body upward to stretch it. Staying down wouldn't help him as the whole match is being assessed right now. If he cannot stand up, that would be the end for him.
"I'm sorry, I know that you were weak all along and I didn't even hold back with our fight. Your statement earlier was so intense that it made me pumped up for some reason. And now the result is here, you're struggling, and you're about to pass out. Tell me Aran, why did you even come here in the first place?" Huck talked as if there's no timer.
"Well, would you look at that? Miss Alliere accepted that bet earlier with so much trust in you. I fail to comprehend what she is implying from when she decided that. I don't think you should continue. I don't want to beat up Miss Alliere's friend or whatever you are to her because that would only decrease my points for having a match with her."
Aran controlled his breathing by slowly inhaling and exhaling. He extensively relaxed his body and reduced his squirming in order to subjugate his erratic nerves. Huck's talking bought him time to recover for a little bit.
(Ugh, this is the worst... I'm dropped dead right now, I can't even feel my legs. It is a good thing that I learned about controlling breathing to relax my nerves and to reduce any pain that I am feeling. Knowledge my ass! I couldn't even count his barrage even after analyzing it. My body failed to adapt to his attack and now I'm beaten.)
Lisa noticed what Aran is trying to do.
"Hey, what would happen if he is not standing for a long period of time?" She asked the girl that stopped her moments ago.
"There's a rule that we follow that if someone is down, the fight will be halted. However, in this situation, that boy has been breathing fine and he is still conscious. The only problem is how long is he able to keep himself like that. a total of thirty seconds should be the maximum time limit on how long he needs to stay down. If that exceeds, then that guy wins." She answered.
"Alright, thank you..." Lisa's worried about Aran's condition, her displeased facial expression was visually present throughout the whole match.
"Stand up, Mr. Crossford! Prove yourself! You've made an exquisite declaration earlier. I'm not ending this fight without providing me your own fighting abilities." Huck provoked him again.
He didn't bother beating him up and ending the fight but instead, he stepped back for a little bit and gave Aran some time to recover and to stand up.
After hearing this, Aran suddenly made a devilish smile but it was not visually possible to see. He slowly raised his left knee and gradually dragged his body upward. Even though he is shaking, he still raised himself until he was ready to take a form.
"That's right... Keep it up." Supported by this, Huck crossed his arms and fist, preparing for the second round of their clash.
(Don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out! Endure the pain, endure the pain, endure the pain, endure the pain, endure the pain. Strengthen your mind, not your fear. This battle is not solely focused on skills and abilities or fighting techniques. It tests your resolve, your determination, and your perseverance. If I were to go down right now and lose consciousness, then what the hell am I working on for the past five years? How is it possible that a single match proved me weak and that my goals are entirely superficial and not accomplishable? I'm frustrated! I rely too much on my own understanding, but never on my own strength and weaknesses! I won't let Lisa have time with you!)
Aran finally took a stance. His form is somewhat impractical and vague. His head was optimally dropped with his hair and bangs covering his eyes.
After a few seconds, he raised his right arm and pointed out the dagger to Huck's face.
"That's it... Let's get this over with!" Once again, Huck was pumped up for the second round of their match.
(I'm losing a sense of the left part of my body. What's causing this? I can feel my left arm pulsating like it is has been moving on its own. My mind is clear and it is pretty sharp. Is this because of my adrenaline? Or something else? I need to figure out a way to strike him or I will be done the next he lands his punch on me.)
three minutes into the match, the second round for their fight will now commence. Aran gripped his knife hard and made a serious expression.
"Let's finish this!" Huck dashed across the arena. His left arm was leaning on the back, and his fist was straightly approaching Aran's face.
But before he can even land his fist, Aran's head slightly moved upward and his face was seen for a couple of seconds.
"—!"
That's when it finally happened. The same phenomenon that gave an eerie feeling to Nash Sterling five years ago.
His left eye changed form, it was different from his right eye. It had a yellowish color, surrounding his pupil with a streak of lines that doesn't resemble a normal human eye. Prior to this, he instantly moved away with a quick dismantling of Huck's force.
Instead of hitting Aran, Huck destroyed the floor with his iron fist.
Everyone suddenly went quiet.
The rest of the winners also maintained a stunning look, keeping their attention intact with Aran's movement. Lisa was part of it as well.
"What?!" Huck stepped away from the broken floor and turned his back. He saw Aran's figure in front of him, but he is not facing him.
"Tsk! Come over here!" Huck didn't have any time to question him and instantly charged Aran. However, Aran pulled himself out again using his godlike quick reflexes and managed to dodge Huck's attack.
This kept on happening while Huck is giving him another consecutive punch.
(What is this? My body is so light, and I didn't even realize that I am avoiding all of his attacks. My mind is also clear and the pain had vanished.)
"Aran... What happened to you?" Lisa's expression was neither surprised nor worried. She cannot comprehend what is currently happening in the arena right now.
"His movements... changed." A guy that wears a black robe commented.
"Urgh! Why can't I hit you?" Huck struggled.
With this change of events, everyone was quiet as they observe what is currently happening.
Huck has been launching several punches but none of them were hitting Aran. Even with his quick swing, almost all of them have been either blocked or dodged. He kept on doing this until he was out of stamina.
(Now's the time to attack him!)
Aran, with his intense and menacing killer instincts, moved forward and started landing punches on Huck's body. He sweeps kicks him and before Huck can even fall on the ground, Aran smacked his face with a sidekick, causing him to blow away instantly across the floor. The impact was so hard that it almost crushed Huck's body.
It was a total counter that reversed his strength to accompany his attack.
The audience roared once again. Aran casually maneuvered his knife, swinging in different kinds of directions. Huck noticed this as he stood up, he made a defensive stance but he couldn't bear the wounds that Aran is dealing him with as the knife scratches his arms and belly.
With his speed, Aran silently goes through the side and went beyond Huck's back, he grabbed his neck and pulled him inward. Using the knife, he slowly moved it near Huck's neck, preparing to kill him if he moves any longer.
On the top of the stage, the judges can't believe what they are seeing right now.
"A blade dancer's technique? I haven't seen that for a decade."
"Yeah, there was no doubt. That boy executed the counter perfectly while moving behind to keep his presence undefined."
"That's impossible, that style of fighting has been abandoned for several years. Are you telling me that this boy learned it from someone else?"
"No, I don't think that is the case. Even though his moves are generally accounted as a shadow blade technique, it is still unrefined. He must be aiming for that kind of move from the start. He assessed the brawler's strength by taking several blows in exchange for that counter."
"I see, so he strategically decided to turn the match inside out at the last minute to counter him. He is very intelligent but he made a huge gamble for that one."
"Yeah, one wrong move and he could've passed out. But I guess it was worth it."
"A self-taught shadow blade technique user, huh. This boy is interesting. He is like a trained assassin."
Everyone was shocked by the turns.
However, as he was winning, the time runs out.
"Times up! This match is over!" The announcer said.
Aran's grappling became loose and he let Huck go.
Huck was breathing so fast, he is scared and pretty exhausted about what happened.
With Aran's condition, his left eye slowly returned back to normal.
The adrenaline that has been keeping him well finally ran out and he immediately fell down on the ground. His eyes were closed but he is breathing fine. The exhaustion and pain finally went inside his mind and now he is struggling to move.
Everyone was curious about what happened and the murmuring started.
"Aran!" Lisa went up to the arena to check on him. She raised his upper body she placed it on her thigh.
While they were stalled, the board members and the grandmasters were discussing something from the balcony.
Huck on the other hand stood visibly in the arena with a shocking expression.
Finally, after a few moments, the announcement of the winners is finally considered.
"Ehem, there has been a complication within this match. The grandmasters have decided to reinstate a rule..." He introduced.
"The winner of this match is..."
Everyone's attention was focused on him, including the other winners.