I stand in what looked to be a big… and I mean a huge arena…. My opponent was the 2nd strongest dragon alive…. Although the first time I saw her in a graceful dress dolled up neat and tidy… now she was wearing full on combat gear. That graceful atmosphere was replaced by an overwhelming presence, she didn't hold herself back, it seems she was still wanting to intimidate me. The audience stands were filled up with not only dragon kin's but even the elves, dwarves and beast kin. So in a way it could be said that the whole world was watching me.
I know that many of the spectators are the leaders around the world, they are here to see if the world would change today or not. but I am sure, the world would change today, even if I lose.
"You can still make this a normal Duel, no one watching here will ever doubt your power." The princess who had a kind heart even for a dragon said that with seriousness. I know that she means well to me…
"But what about the ones who don't watch here….?" I was someone who liked to do things to the end, leaving something half done would only annoy me more.
"Hnhh….! I will vouch for you! no one will ever doubt your strength, no one will challange you too, I will help you, someone like you, who holds this world dear, don't throw away your life!" the Princess looked agitated. I was glad that she thought we were good friends, she even considered so much for me… but still, I will do this even if she was my lover.
my silence made it enough for the princess to understand, she gritted her teeth silently while she finally glared at me with resolve, now it was done, she will not hold herself back any longer.
I will tell you this right now. I have no feelings for this princess. I know she is beautiful and well… although slim, she was curvy too but I got enough so I don't have any wishes for that. That was why I indulged myself with the girls after I got here… no stray thoughts would attract me now.... hopefully.
As the crowd heated up, the queen made a grand entrance to her seat. The crowd went wild. Still, I had no leeway to look at her. I was facing intense pressure from the princess here. Looking away from this fiery beauty would be too disgraceful to her.
This is a duel to death with the challenger from the Dragon Tribe, Her Majesty the Princess Stella Ashvel! Versus the Challenged Human whom we very few know of called Rekka wolford!
Now let the Duel start!
The commentator sounded extra happy. He did spout all the other unnecessary things but I avoided hearing those parts... Never mind that, now I looked straight at Stella. She was glaring at me.
Of Course it was a fight to the death so this was normal. Still though, I was liking this fiery princess even more than the graceful one. It seemed that her hidden self was shown at last.
"I won't show any kindness here." she said as she barreled towards me in speed that shatters sound barriers. A straight up punch to the gut.
BOOOM!
...…..
"Damn…." as I groaned in pain, I looked at my hand that had blocked the punch to the gut. Stella had come at me with so much speed that I wasn't able to dodge. This girl's first punch could have blown me away.
"You still stand…" as Stella said.
Even after blocking her punch, I stood right where I was, that was right, the stance of the flash step, where I stood nobody should be able to move me. The force that I blocked all got absorbed by the ground. Still with the ground that was cracked now under my feet, I knew that Stella was someone who's physical strength had no bounds just like mine.
"Was that your strongest punch?" I asked Stella
"I can do it stronger…." she said from standing where she usually was. After her punch, she had bounced back to that place. What great battle reflexes, I couldn't give her a counter. As I took up my hands, I felt them shaking…. I was receiving a dragon's killing intent… one of the strongest ones at that….
"Then come at me." As I said that, Stella came again, but this time it was different.
Booooom!
"Y-you dodged…. Were you tasting the water when you first blocked my punch?" as Stella asked, I saw the field behind me gouged out.
"Nope, you were just that much fast and strong, I hadn't been able to react." as I said that, I hopped as if to loosen my feet. I already got used to her speed, my perception can't be beat. now I only have to catch up with her.
"Then why don't you taste one of my punches too." After taking a battle stance without giving any time, I did the same straight up punch.
When your opponent has already blocked your first punch, a bead of anxiety rises in the attacker, so when they see their opponent coming to attack, they also inherently try to block instead of dodging.
Stella did the same. But as I quickly stepped my way to her, my speed that had surpassed blinding speed and my physical strength that had only increased since the dragon realm was filled with mana, made even Stella get cautious.
BOOOOM!
........
"How… is this…" Stella, who blocked my boxing straight punch, looked at her hand. It was already looking beat up…. I practice boxing everyday, all the moves come to me naturally now but the bigger thing is, my strength isn't normal. So punches are far from normal too. how to throw the strongest punch? if someone normal learned the technique his punches would be strong for his strength, but if someone stronger learned it? his punches would be overwhelmingly strong.
"You have good reflexes and battle experience too, people may say that you were born strong… but I can see all the hard grueling training you did… it is a shame really… hardly people recognize that."
"...."
"I recognized it…. Your strength is earned… so let me end this with the strength from all the hard training I did too. One hit down.''
Boooooom!!!!!
There was only one thing that was different between me and Stella, where Stella had trained to achieve attack and defense both, I on the other hand never did anything to increase my defense.
As Amanori's wielder, while I wielded her, no magic attack could graze me. And even if physical attack came, with the perception granted to me by the System, I am able to not only block but dodge unnaturally.
Making me able to put my all into increasing my Attack power, the Flash step technique was something that could increase your Agility and strength and the Spirit energy enhancement increased your physical might. I didn't put an ounce of magic in my defense. All my energy went into attack. and I enhanced my body until it was ready to burst from sheer pressure. but so what! I could still recover with my godly healing spell!
As Stella got up from the ground, her hands were worse than mine. My hands were bleeding… too much spirit enhancement… The body can only hold so much.. but there was still life in them, I can throw more!
"You did something foolish… the way you are, my one punch can put you down." as Stella said, getting up. I put my thoughts to rest now. It was time to get things serious. I who got out of the Edge of the world had not only survived it… I had mastered the hell I was sent to.
....
As Rekka's air suddenly changed, Stella got defensive again. Usually high level fighters put some of their mana to defend the body with a barrier. That was commonly done, Stella did the same. Her power, as overwhelming as ever, rarely some could penetrate her defense. But Rekka had blown that barrier apart with a single punch, he was so attack oriented as if he was completely confident that nobody could ever hit him. there wasn't a single barrier protecting his body.
Stella, not waiting anymore, started to attack Rekka again. She was not using all she had. But now she would use it. There was no reason to hesitate. The man in front of her was someone who didn't care for his life at all. That was the image that Rekka presented now.
The time She met Rekka, he looked like a peaceful guy. Who knew his personality could change this much in a fight.
"What's happening!" as Stella punched one after another, none of them hit Rekka. His movements were barely evading the punches but they were evading it nonetheless. Rekka moved his body little but his reflexes that were honed to maximum were a weapon of its own.
Stella might have thought that Rekka was crazy for ignoring his defenses, but Rekka who had fought all his life, knew just what his body was capable of.
He knew that he could block or dodge any attack from Stella, making him use this risky method. But that doesn't mean he was crazy, it just meant that he was capable of making his calculations.
But still.. He had taken two hits from Stella already, although he blocked it, Stella could see that the desired damage had not been gained. True to his word, Rekka had a body that even a cursed sword wielder could not destroy, even if he ignored his defenses that body was not easy to damage. Even with no mana covering his body to make a barrier, Rekka was still sturdy, too sturdy per say...
As Stella's barrage of attacks hit Rekka one after another, Rekka dodged and blocked "Haaaaa!" when suddenly Rekka vanished and Stella felt her back getting hit. Not being able to reach, since Stella moved away, the force of the punch collided with the ground. The sudden speed had really thrown Stella off guard. But Rekka's techniques were refined… Stella couldn't grasp how to dodge it even if she wanted to
BOOOOOOOM!!
"Did his strength increase more!" it was not his strength, but technique. Stella didn't know but Rekka who fought with monsters day and night when he was lost and Rekka who practiced his boxing after being found had made the two styles of fighting his own.
And now those two different techniques and movements, now melded together bringing the power and the lethality at maximum.
"You are defending way too much." as Rekka suddenly said that, Stella felt her feet losing ground, the ground had suddenly caved in. she forgot, Rekka was an adept earth mage.
Booom!
As the punch hit Stella, noting that the ground had disappeared, she slammed to the ground creating a massive crater. The gut punch that Rekka threw had hit hard and the barrier was blown away as if it was nothing to the sheer intensity of the punch. no it was blown even before that. where did the barrier go?!
"GAAAAH!" she spit out bloods from her mouth, the punch not only ignored her defenses the attack power had increased drastically. Rekka was putting gravity to increase his punches' strength. Although there were consequences.
Drip…. Drip….
Beads of blood dripped from his arms… the gravity increased his power dramatically for sure but… the cost was his own durability. His arms get injured after too much pressure is put on it. It was bound to happen.
"Cough cough!" Stella, who got up after moving away from Rekka, coughed out more blood. The attack was lethal. Rekka didn't hold back. Stella looked bewildered. Why would one destroy his own body to damage another?
"Are you trying to kill yourself by exerting this much power!" as Stella said that in an angering voice, Rekka chuckled to himself, seeing that Stella felt as if Rekka had gone insane. his whole body was shaking with pressure, the blood that dripped from his hands felt as if they were blasting out of pressure from the muscles.
Not thinking up any conversation anymore, Stella came forward this time even faster. Her speed made her completely disappear. She was getting restless, she had no idea why Rekka was fighting this reckless, but was he really? Had Stella thought it through, Rekka might not have had it this easy.
"ACK!" Rekka got hit this time. The attack was so fast that he could not see it coming. As Rekka fell on his knees from pain, he felt his hands slumping down… he had blocked it… even after the blinding speed, he had blocked it.. But the results were… both arms broken…. His arms were already damaged from his own attacks, Stella had now used that to her own advantage.
"My attack not only has strength but this attack no matter how strong, it never pushes the opponent away, and anybody who blocks it gets his defense broken, the sheer force all concentrates on the point of attack, thus you don't blow away, your hands would break from the attack thrusting you down. ``As Stella said looking to finish this charade, she moved forward and aimed a punch to Rekka's head. The match was over..
This punch would kill the man for sure, Stella hesitated but seeing that Rekka didn't move, she threw in the punch!
Booooom!
"ACK!"
WHaaaaaaa?!
Something else happened entirely…. Dropped on the ground was now Stella… She lay there unconscious unable to fight.
"I am sorry for not being able to fight straight on Stella, but there is someone else I have to face. Your strength is too much for me now, but I will surely catch up. Then one day, we can fight without any strategy." as Rekka said that, he crouched down in front of Stella.
The crowd had gone silent. Rekka, who should have been dead by now, looked as if he had never even been injured by any earlier attacks, his body looked fine.
Rekka had healed his body… it was his spell… Newborn…
A healing spell that can heal your body in the blink of an eye, normally such a healing spell would take hours to mend the body that was beat up to a deadly point, but the System was godly at handling such spells. what human brains could do in a hour took less than ten seconds for the system, but that is the case if Rekka's brain would have been normal, he had processing power that eclipsed humans and even dragons, the speed of that brain being used by the System... was godly.
And at the last moment when Stella had proceeded to do the finishing move, Rekka vanished from the place with Flash step air version, it not only was superior in speed, it even boosted attack power. The healed him now held the power he had from the first time he entered this ring.
And while Stella had her guard down, Rekka had punched her with a straight counter. Her defenses being lax, since she clearly thought the fight was over, Rekka's lethal punch that made direct contact and had not been guarded… did the trick.
Not to mention… Rekka hit the exact place he had hit the last time. The sheer accuracy of the attack was frightening on it's own. Not to mention he didn't hold back his power at all, even enhanced it to a point of damaging his own body to do lethal damage...
'Folks! Rekka Wolford has done it! After a season of attacks from Stella Ashvel, just when it looked that the challenger would be the winner! It seems that Rekka Wolford has made the biggest reversal in the history of this ARENA!!!!'
What will he do now! Does this mean!! Her majesty Princess Stella is going to DIE!!!
...…
"Dude I am not gonna kill her! I am not a dragon you know?" Maybe my shout shocked the people here but hearing me everything silenced.. my physical strength that combined a stance making my posture deadly enough to throw a punch beyond physical means connected with Stella.
And the end result…. Even though I had made Stella drop her guard, this was the easiest way to win with her. I have been through countless battles, not to mention my intuition is sharp since I was born in the wild. Had I been stronger, I would have gone straight and fought recklessly, but I fought today with much more strategy just like back at the Edge of the world.
What a statement! The winner has decided to spare the Loser! The duel has ended! What a terrifying individual!
The commentator was saying something or the other but I was too busy looking at the princess. I had hit her with a strong enough punch that would get her lights out. her bones were broken.... no they were probably powdered by now, the break attack punches that she talked about I had already mastered those punches, and I used them on her, thus this destructive attack.
Laying her on the ground I evoked my light spell Newborn, her blood stained body still was the same. Even after defending my punches, it seemed that they were strong enough to injure her, no wonder the punches she couldn't block had done a number on her. The wounds and broken bones fixed themselves. A complete recovery. My spell was really something else.
Not even giving me a second, the princess regained her consciousness. She really did recover easily.
"What kind of strength is that? And how did you recover so quickly! Just! What's up with you!" Maybe still shaken out from the punch, she asked me that question while still lying down.
"Well you see, there is a technique I know of. It can make your punches stronger. Even if your strength is minimal, it gives a good increase to physical strength.`` Of course, I was talking about the Flash step, increasing your speed and enhancing your posture. It was night and day when you used it and when you didn't.
"So when you master it with your strength, it becomes something like that?" she still looked at her body that had endured heavy injuries… it was all healed...
"So are you okay now? I have healed you."
"Won't you kill me?"
"A-re? I thought of you saying thank you but you actually said kill you…. But why do I have to kill you?"
"But I was really going to kill you."
"Ha ha, says the one who is down on the ground. You know? Even if you won, I think you couldn't kill me…"
"You think I am soft hearted?" I knew she took that stance to kill me… but I didn't feel any blood lust from her that time. I knew that Stella wouldn't kill me.
"No, that's not it, I have escaped death so much, I probably know who could actually kill me." It was like a gut feeling.
"Hhnn! I don't understand your logic one bit…" perhaps because she lost her façade in front of me but this girl who always looked composed now was looking frustratingly at me.
Was it my imagination? I think I saw a bit of a maidenly look in her too…. Sometimes I feel that this blessing can bring trouble too, I wish I hadn't seen those looks, like those dense protagonists….
...…
Beyond all this, as the queen saw this fight go on, she realized that Rekka had not used the cursed sword at all…
"Was this his way to prove his strength not the cursed swords? But if he wanted to prove his strength then using the cursed sword and getting an overwhelming victory would have been better…" as the queen thought about that, she would never have thought the things that Rekka would ask of her.
For in the future he will be her headache for a long time to come...