On the large stage with two individuals brimming with fighting intent, the entire atmosphere around the arena seemed charged. The constant rattling, cheering, and the calls of wagers being made just seemed to add that extra spark.
Seeing that more of the bets been placed, were in favor of Dante only further aggravated Gunnar's rage.
First, he was downright degraded to be on the same stage as a kid who might still be sucking on his mother's breasts. And now, people were not even considering the chance that he might win the bout against the kid in question. Even with all the cards he laid on the table.
His towering physique and his status as a ''Chosen''- A Wind Mage no less- did not dissuade them from such a notion. With all his emotions at an all-time high, his original disdain and professionalism turned into blind rage and the need to exact personal revenge.
Once he was ready to quickly end the fight and alleviate his pent-up frustrations, the most bizarre thing happened.
Even in the face of his killing intent which he honed throughout his many battles, even with his spear stretched out and a billowing wind covering his entire body and even with his monstrous body covered by the aura of a ferocious beast;
The kid.....the maneless kid.....smiled.
That seemingly simple expression on Dante's face contrary to his usual expression of indifference did not help Gunnar's intention of bottling up his rage.
This simple act sent his rage to heights he never knew existed. But the one thing he knew was that he won't be satisfied with just killing the brat.
''To think a maneless brat dares to mock me'' Gunnar raged on, kicking his feet off the ground and leaving a huge crater on the stage while he burst with a speed that could not be associated with his huge body frame.
Contrary to Gunnar's thoughts, Dante had no intention of mocking him. Dante did not care about the hit the Arena Lord placed on him or people trusting his strength and betting their money on him.
In the first formative years of his life with only thoughts of survival, someone after his head or people knowing his worth and trusting him with their money would have moved him. But after knowing of the real world where skills and intellect were supreme, Dante never really cared anymore.
The hassle of going through fight after fight in the arena had only a single motive behind it; Dante aspired to become a peerless swordsman whereby everything including fate, destiny, and time itself could be cut under his blade.
Scraping for food and other needs was a means to an end -survive till he achieved his goals. He had no time for petty revenge against a person who lost themselves and their dreams under the weight of the set system.
Even then, these people were not all bad. Such worthless people will be the grinding stone for his blade. The more adversity, the sharper his blade. Could anything be more exciting than that?
Contrary to the expectations of the audience, Dante was not some legendary character with an insane amount of luck. His encounter with that sword-loving blonde freak was proof enough. Even now, the scar on his chest continuously ached....but that was for another time.
The source of Dante's strength which allowed him to continuously do the impossible- defeat mages as an unawakened- is a unique power bestowed to very few individuals.
This power is known as Unique Meta Trait. In a world of seven billion, only about fifteen people could gain such power. This power is also known as ''Cursed Brand''. These abilities manifest as permanent tattoos on their users hence the name.
Dante seemed to have a knack for attracting such ominous things. For a power with such a dark epithet, it is a wonder how Dante was able to gain two individual Unique Meta Traits; He truly fit the description of an ''Unfated''. Oppressive Control and Infinite Range Awareness was the name Magnus gave to both his abilities.
For those who may be curious, Magnus and Cloaked Blade refer to the same individual. Magnus is his given name, while Cloaked Blade serves as his moniker or epithet.
Additionally, Magnus possessed a distinctive trait ability and played a pivotal role in training Dante, passing down his knowledge of sword techniques and skills to him.
After repeated use of these abilities, Dante had them under control and he could exploit their strengths and advantages to his benefit...
With a distance of about twenty meters between them, Gunnar's sudden burst allowed him to cross about half the distance as he arrived about ten meters away from Dante's position. During that sudden and swift movement, Dante was not able to track his movement at all.
But once he arrived at a range ten meters from Dante, his movements suddenly slowed down relative to Dante's vision. This was due to an effect of an extension of his Trait ability, Infinite Range Awareness.
This sub-ability under the all-encompassing Infinite Range Awareness was termed Extrasensory Perception. With a current limited range of up to ten meters, Dante's perception is infinitely enhanced.
Underneath his outfit, the blazing sun tattoo on his left chest suddenly lit up as he used the ability.
After barely halting his charge, Gunnar suddenly burst out again towards Dante, spear in hand with a strong force concentrated at the tip as he arrived in front of Dante.
''It is over, kid'' He bellowed as a malicious grin crept up his face.
Suddenly, Dante sidestepped towards the right just as he barely dodged the attack that could have blown off his head.
Just before he could relax, a flurry of attacks rained down on him as Gunnar did not relent on his onslaught. These attacks kept Dante on his toes since he could barely dodge each of them.
The spear shooting outward, firing off slicing streaks of wind in quick succession and the wooden shaft bending and weaving through the air with apparent flexibility, threw off Dante's prediction of its possible trajectory.
He could barely keep up with the attacks and the occasional dodging did no justice to his reserve stamina. With the ability of heightened perception granted by Infinite Range Awareness, his ability to keep up physically was due to his other ability, Oppressive Control.
Right after sensing and predicting the attacks, Dante's lean legs bulge out giving him enough force to facilitate his dodging motion. Oppressive Control grants him near absolute control of his body. This involves the ability to be able to concentrate his body muscles, the force of his muscles, and convert energy from body processes into any part of his body.
But with the technicalities of this came various drawbacks like stamina drain and total mental concentration which adversely affected his perception. This also left other parts of his body unguarded due to the movement of his muscles to a focused area.
Bang!!!
Finally, an attack landed squarely on Dante's chest as he flew out arriving right at the edge of the arena stage.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood while been able to barely stand on his feet. With his katana in hand, he propped himself up as he wiped the visible trail of blood from the corner of his lips.
'I could have died if I did not protect my chest' Dante thought about his close shave with death. Right before the attack landed, Dante instinctively concentrated his body muscles right beneath his chest.
'It felt like my perception had improved but somehow the range is still the same. I cannot always be on the defensive, I need to take an active role here. A couple more of these attacks and....' Dante thought up a new strategy for surviving through the fight.
''Haha, finally the squeaky runt has been knocked down a peg. How long did you think your below-average agility could last against a wind mage?'' Gunnar mocked with a creepy smile plastered over his face.
He reached with his spear as he jetted forward with a much more vicious torrent of wind surrounding his spear. The appearance of the first opening and the damage he caused after connecting his attack reassured him of his victory.
''Here goes nothing'' Dante muttered as his right hand bulged as he crossed his katana across his chest entering a defensive stance.
Clang!
Spear and sword met, with an overwhelming strength jetting out from Gunnar's spear blowing Dante backward with his feet sliding against the ground just as he barely regained his footing.
The overwhelming force traveled through his sword as it rattled his internal organs. A thin trail of blood ran across the left corner of his lips.
''At least I did not cough out a mouthful this time. I can do better'' Dante smiled revealing a set of bloodied teeth. This time Dante took the active role, as he shot forward with the recoil force from his bulging leg muscles. With his sword stretched out, he covered the distance in a matter of seconds.
Clang
Spear and sword collided once again, with Gunnar taking the lead in a show of force. But for the first time, Dante's katana met Gunnar's spear, he did not take a step back. The flurry of exchanges was heated with no doubt about who was superior.
In terms of the power of attack capability, Gunnar was superior. In terms of raw agility and speed, Gunnar was superior. But in terms of pure weapon skill, Dante was superior.
With the dexterous control of his katana and sword skills, he evaded fatal attacks aimed at his blindspots. With his delicate touch and finesse control of his sword.....
Dante suddenly took a step back brandishing his sword with his bulging muscles right above his head as he swung his blade downwards in an arc.
First Form: Fiery Eclipse
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a sword light rushed out the blade of his katana jetting towards Gunnar. The sword light quickly covered the tiny distance between them, with the sword light projecting an illusion taking on the form of a dragon in descent wreathed in flames basking in the moonlight.
For the first time, Gunnar hurriedly withdrew himself backward as he crossed his spear across his chest just as a wind vortex erupted and coated his entire body. The sword attack effortlessly engulfed the wind which further propelled its motion and destructiveness akin to flames.
Bang!
Bypassing his defensive stance, the attack landed squarely on Gunnar's chest as he flew out in turn leaving a scalding wound on his chest.
With his feet gliding against the stage floor, Gunnar barely regained his balance. He coughed up a mouthful of blood through gritted teeth as he stared at the kid that had just moved up his ''must kill'' list.
If not for the cheque he will receive upon killing this brat, he would have just beaten and given him hell after the end of the contest. Tearing him limb from limb will not reduce the hate he felt for the brat at the moment.
A manaless brat scared him off and got through his defenses This was a stain on his ego he could not wipe...
Dante stood there with a listless expression as he clutched the hilt of his katana. His previous attack seemed very easy but that could not be further from the truth.
During their previous heated exchange, he had to constantly be on the lookout for any weak spots in his opponent's defense that could be exploited. This created a strain on his mental faculties since he needed to be on high alert.
The superhuman abilities he gained from his Traits but the lack of a superhuman body to effectively use them also further created a strain on his physical constitution.
This explained the listless expression plastered on his face, the slumping of his haggard body but not that sharp gleam in his eyes nor the firm grip of his hands around the hilt of his katana.
Gunnar burst forth with his spear coated with a violent rushing wind as a fiendish aura coated his body. He appeared suddenly in front of Dante as he unleashed a volley of wind scythes armed with the thought of effectively reaping his life.
Evasion, Parrying, and Countering. In a repetitive motion, Dante carried out all these techniques as he barely stayed afloat. Even in heat of the flurry of exchanges, every technique used in this battle seemed to carry Dante from one stance to another as he showcased his deep-rooted knowledge and experience in swordsmanship.
But even with the exceptional display of skill, multiple cuts started appearing on his body as the spearhead cut through his special muscled layered defenses. Even his mastery over Oppressive Control did no better in averting the accumulation of mortal wounds on his body.
But this did not matter. The more injuries appeared on his body, the fiercer the battle seemed to have become.
Gunnar's fiendish aura flourished as the marvelous sight displayed seemed to have further ignited his bloodlust and fighting intent. The aura traveled across his body coating his spear just as he released a concentrated attack toward Dante.
Clang! Bang!
Surprisingly, even with his condition, Dante barely stepped back. The viciousness of the impact was understated, as a vortex of wind mana suffused the immediate surrounding and the resounding sound of discord ravaged through the boundaries of the sound barrier, as their figures weaved in and out becoming blurs.
Dante's condition seemed to have gone from bad to worse as an aura enveloped his body. In contrast to Gunnar's aura, his aura felt different but similar to the aura projected by mages; his aura felt intangible and non-existent. It felt weak but strong. It felt like a flickering candlelight that could be blown off by the littlest of efforts. It represented duality but seemed to favor a side. It encompassed the essence of finality but it also sheds light on the quintessence of origin. Simply put, it felt.... blurred.
Then it happened;
THUD!