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"Why don't you just kill yourself?"
When Valcas said this, it didn't mean he was confident of winning. On the contrary, it was a sign of his surrender.
Suicide was permitted in the gladiatorial arena.
Once a participant committed suicide, the death match would end, the chip restrictions would reactivate, and Valcas wouldn't be able to desecrate the corpse.
As long as Ash left himself a whole body, the Medical Practitioners could communicate with the Void Realm through the Technique Spirit and pull his soul back from the fog of the Void Realm into his body.
When Ash dodged his first "Collapse the Mountain and Split the Earth Miracle," Valcas already lost. The subsequent attacks were nothing but desperate struggles with false hopes. Even if he could win this death match, he couldn't accomplish the Task he'd shouldered: completely eradicating Ash Heath.
Compared to failing the Task, the scene before him made Valcas feel worse.
Nothing was more painful than witnessing the rise of a genius. If there was, it was being the stepping stone for that genius.
Even though Valcas was a middle-aged elf over a hundred years old, this situation made him feel aggrieved—wasn't it unfair? With so many unfortunate people in the world, why should it be him?
To be honest, Valcas's mentality was already a bit shattered. He voiced the fast-track answer straightforwardly, hoping Ash would quickly end this nightmare.
"Why commit suicide? I haven't lost yet."
"You think you have a chance to defeat me?" Valcas laughed in anger. "Oh really? Centuries from now, bards will recite your glorious deeds on the streets, 'Ash Heath, who never learned swordsmanship, faced an overconfident Elf Swordsman in a battle and miraculously defeated him. This marked the beginning of his undefeated and illustrious life.'"
"Ah, merciful Mr. Ash, the humble Valcas pleads that you mention my name in your future autobiography, so I can be immortalized as a clown, alright? Hmm?"
"So, Valcas, when are you publishing a book?"
Ash raised his left hand with difficulty, wiping away the blood flowing down his forehead to prevent the blood stain from sticking to his eyelashes and obstructing his vision, his face still bearing a smile.
"I just have a reason I must win against you."
"What reason?"
"I want to ask you, did Selin Dol send you to kill me, and is there another conspiracy behind my imprisonment?"
Valcas flicked the sword, brushing away the blood and filth on it.
"What's that got to do with you needing to beat me?"
"If I don't beat you, will you answer?"
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Besides, even if I answer, could you tell if I'm lying?"
"I asked someone else the same question earlier," Ash exhaled deeply. "He came to me to solve a mystery. I said, if I lie, can you tell? He said he really could."
"So can you?"
"No, I can't. But I figured that an answer obtained after beating you is probably closer to the truth than just asking you, right?"
"It's been a long time since I heard such a pure reason since I left the orphanage."
Valcas grinned; for the first time, his expression became grim, abandoning the elegance he maintained from entering the arena to fighting. "But if you don't kill yourself, you might really die."
"Then let's see if your sword is faster or mine is."
"Kill you before you commit suicide? Interesting, I accept this challenge."
"Ah, that's not exactly what I meant..."
Ash gripped the sword hilt, clenching his muscles.
"After all, I have no intention of retiring here. If I can't even step over you, this stepping stone, what right do I have to leave this prison?"
"Such bold words!"
The already shattered ground cracked again. The invisible Sword Qi sketched a menacing outline with dust, like a giant sword thrusting at Ash from the earth!
Ash didn't blink, desperately dodging the Sword Qi and the crumbling debris, prolonging the battle to allow his body to absorb as much swordsmanship experience as possible!
The Sword Maiden's swordsmanship experience was genuine. From initially not being able to see Valcas's sword, Ash could now predict Valcas's sword movements just by looking at his shoulders. Though he might not be proficient in using the sword, he was at least skilled in dodging it.
He wasn't merely seeking death; he genuinely had confidence in defeating Valcas.
With the Sword Maiden's swordsmanship experience, the "Collapse the Mountain and Split the Earth" Miracle was no longer an insoluble mystery. On the contrary, under the constraint of Valcas being unable to exert full power, there was a faint exploitable flaw in this technique!
Like the magical auxiliary line in the last question of the college entrance exam math test, Ash suddenly discovered a chance to conquer this difficult problem!
If given a little more time, Ash felt he could even find a flaw in the strike surface of the "Collapse the Mountain and Split the Earth" and counterattack Valcas through the gap!
Just a little more time—
Boom!
Ash let out a muffled grunt as the Magic Power within his mind circulated again, emanating a cool sensation that forced his rationality to suppress the intense pain from his thigh, barely avoiding another "Collapse the Mountain and Split the Earth"!
He glanced at his thigh with his peripheral vision, then dared not look down again.
"Your growth rate is indeed admirable, but unfortunately, you're tired."
Valcas couldn't conceal his regret in his tone. "You've been losing blood since the beginning, and after such intense fighting, you've lost so much blood that your brain is now oxygen-starved, making you physically depleted. You're getting slower."
"Even if you suppress the pain to keep fighting, your body can't go on anymore. I've dug a chunk of flesh from your thigh. Along with the blood you've lost earlier, it's quite surprising you're not in shock."
"Do you know why I've been talking to you this much? Because the longer this drags on, the more strength you'll lose; your sword can no longer be faster than mine. Before you commit suicide, my sword will crush your remnants first."
"Thank you, Ash. Sorry, Ash."
With that, Valcas charged forward with his sword, and the fierce Sword Qi broke the ground again, "Collapse the Mountain and Split the Earth!"
Was my capacity truly limited to this...?
Ash sighed in his heart.
Even before Igula informed him about the information on Valcas, Ash anticipated the dangers of this death match. After all, without any grievances, why would someone challenge him, a newcomer who'd only fought one death match?
A strange colleague suddenly causing you trouble is definitely due to a conflict of interest.
So why did Ash accept the death match?
It's important to know that even before entering the arena, Ash could directly refuse. Others couldn't even curse or look down on him; Ash had that freedom.
But Ash didn't want to back down.
First, he needed an opponent to digest the swordsmanship experience shared by the Sword Maiden. There's nowhere more suitable than the death match arena, which is both dangerous and safe, to take a beating.
Besides, avoiding temporarily won't help; trouble will find him sooner or later.
Most importantly, as he said, he was planning a prison break. If he couldn't even step over a stepping stone like Valcas, what was the point in escaping? He might as well retire!
But life doesn't have so many "Miracles." Even if there are, they're someone else's...
Just as Ash was about to swing his sword to cut his throat in surrender, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from the stands.
It was the Sword Maiden.
"If it hurts, just think of yourself as someone else and it won't hurt anymore."
In that instant, Ash felt something cool melt in his mind. The Magic Power was surging, but it was bound by an invisible cage, unable to touch reality!
Magic Power could be locked, but knowledge couldn't. Even if tight with restraints, it would grow wings and fly.
The dormant Substitute Technique Spirit suddenly started dancing in Ash's Consciousness.
Without any hesitation, he didn't dodge or retreat but chose to swing his sword, rushing towards Valcas!
"It's over."
Watching as "Ash" was engulfed by the "Collapse the Mountain and Split the Earth" Sword Qi, Valcas felt a sense of melancholy. As a Sword Master, he had never seen a swordsmanship Apprentice with a Talent greater than Ash in over a hundred years.
If in a different time, place, and identity, Valcas felt he might even be willing to be the stepping stone...
Nothing was more torturous than watching the rise of a genius, and nothing was more exhilarating than witnessing it up close.
Clap.
Hearing a sound akin to a bubble popping, Valcas realized something was amiss. Staring intently, he discovered "Ash" dissipating under the Sword Qi impact, not even leaving any flesh—
It was a Substitute!
"It's over!"
Valcas glanced sideways and saw that an area in his blind spot was covered in dust and rubble, kicked up by the "Collapse the Mountain and Split the Earth" slash, enough to mask a wounded person's charge!
As Valcas's sword fell to the ground, Ash's sword plunged into Valcas's throat.
The unsharpened blade pierced through the throat!
Ding, ding, ding!
"The match is decided. The winner is Ash Heath!"
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