The mont he was declared the winner, Lukas exhaled.
That was when the pain slamd into him. He could now feel all the injuries and scrapes he’d accumulated throughout the fight.
The knife wound in his arm throbbed, and the knife that had created that wound was still lodged in his stomach. Even his twisted wrist hurt as if he’d done sothing worse to it.
He turned to look at Ansel.
The [Shaman] looked back at him from the ground, his eyes wide and his breathing completely shallow. Panic was still in his eyes, but now, there was a hint of acceptance.
They held each other’s gaze for a second before Lukas nodded once. "Good ga."
Then the healers were everywhere, their movents urgent as most of them sward Ansel.
They also approached him, quickly removing the knife and stemming the flow of blood that spurted out of the open wound.
He allowed himself to be guided away from the center of the arena as vital energy poured into his body, searching for injuries and slowly knitting it back in place.
He could hear the crowd cheering them in, but he paid them no mind. Instead, his attention was on sothing else.
He didn’t even notice as the pain receded, thinking about Ansel’s approach.
The man had known from the very start that he had no chance in a straight fight. So he’d prepared in advance, building a strategy that taught Lukas a very important lesson.
The fight doesn’t begin on the battlefield. It begins long before that.
Lukas smiled, his respect for Ansel growing.
Soon, he was declared fine, and he moved back to his chair, sitting on it.
He turned his attention to the arena and kept it there.
The fights that followed his own were worth studying. After all, every winner was a potential future opponent, and he kept watching each one with the focus he’d given the morning’s matches.
Ti moved faster than he expected, and after the sixteenth match, Rollo announced the lunch break.
Soon, the vendors were moving between the aisles, selling their wares.
The spectators began discussing everything they’d seen, debating different matchups and standing up for their favorites.
Lukas bought food from the nearest vendor without leaving his seat and ate while ditating on everything he’d observed.
After an hour, the matches resud.
There were several notable fights as the afternoon passed, but the fight everyone was actually waiting for didn’t co, until the very last match.
Excitent filled the air as the previous combatants left the arena, everyone knowing Rollo had left the most anticipated for the last.
They didn’t care if the battle would end in a mont or be prolonged. Everyone wanted to see this person in action.
Rollo turned to the crowd, a smile on his face.
"Our final match of the day," he said, "begins with a young man who has made believers out of everyone who dismissed him."
"The only D-rank Awakener to squeeze his way into the first sixty four. Who earned his spot with not just his skills but his mind. An underdog in every sense of the word."
"Give it up for Ajaxxxxxx!"
As Ajax walked onto the arena, Lukas recognized him imdiately.
This was the sa archer from yesterday who had defeated a C-rank Awakener. His weapon which had helped him, his bow, was clutched in his hand.
Just like the first ti he’d seen it, the [Item] glowed softly.
Ajax walked confidently to the center of the arena, knowing that no matter who his opponent was or if he’d be knocked out in this match, he’d already distinguished himself.
Offers would soon be pouring in from everywhere. For a D-rank to get this far, it ant they had a lot of potential.
Rollo let the applause run its course, then raised his voice again.
"And his opponent." He stopped there for a mont, letting the crowd get worked up.
"This is a na that has been on every lip since the appearance of the first sixty four rankings. A fighter so secretive, mystery might as well be her middle na."
Everyone could notice his voice getting more theatrical as he spoke.
"The na that sits above every other na on that list, looking down at the rest of the field, I present to you, Morgana Le Fay!"
Everybody watched as the woman in question rose from her seat and began walking to the arena floor.
She had her lion mask on her face, and clutched in her hand was an ordinary steel sword.
Since she had no visible [Item], Lukas could only conclude that the [Item] she’d chosen for this tournant was whatever allowed her to hide her aura.
She took her position in the arena, standing at ease.
Ajax drew back his bow, and an arrow, made completely out of ice, appeared nocked in it.
"Begin!"
Ajax moved the mont Rollo’s arm ca down.
Thwip!
Thwip!
The first arrow left the bow, followed imdiately by three more in rapid succession.
Morgana drew her sword, swinging it in the sa motion as she took her first step forward.
She didn’t seem to move any faster or slower than normal, but her sword always arrived where it needed to be.
She simply walked, slashing her sword against each arrow, and when she shattered the ice arrows, instead of them expanding into spikes, they simply dissolved into mist.
Ajax frowned at the sight, but he didn’t let it shake him.
He kept shooting, trying to both overwhelm and outmaneuver Morgana.
However, she kept walking like she wasn’t going for anything particularly urgent, cutting every one of them out of the air.
Ajax took a step back, not pausing in his shooting.
The sa thing continued for almost a minute, before sothing changed.
This ti, instead of slashing at the arrows, Morgana stepped to the side, dodging it.
Then she blurred forward, faster than Ajax could process.
There was a hit on his arm, sending his bow flying, and just as he realized that had been Morgana’s kick, her sword ca to rest against his neck.
They stared at each other, no one saying anything.
Then Ajax sighed in defeat. "I concede."
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