Chapter 261 - Battle of the Odd Ones (1/2)
By the end of the day when the moon was at its highest, Zero found it slightly difficult to keep up with the previous energy level. His body was telling him that it was bedtime even though Zero didn't really like sleeping early. It could be due to the level of activities going around in the village. With Hua Tuo, Zero had to find things to entertain himself with. With the village, Zero barely had any time to himself.
Today's master of ceremonies was Ruth. Like the battle that morning, only a handful turned up to watch namely because too many were too drunk from that feast. The children were put to bed and some villagers decided to have an early night seeing as the next day would be business as usual.
”In this battle of the odd ones, we have Vishnu our underrated minotaur fighter and Gweshr our strikingly handsome hairy werewolf. As you can see, it is a full moon tonight so Gweshr is currently in his wolf form instead of his human one. Don't worry, he is still able to understand the common language and can respond intelligently,” Ruth droned on monotonously as if following a script.
Gweshr took offence when he was described as hairy but couldn't do much since he wasn't able to control his transformation on a full moon's night. The werewolf growled menacingly and Zero backed away a little. Gweshr resembled a feral beast who would pounce at any given moment. On the other hand, Vishnu looked like he was pumped full of adrenaline and steroids. Zero worried a little about the sudden buffing up of the dark-skinned warrior.
Vishnu has always been one of the quieter people in the village that Zero had little to almost no interactions with. He liked to keep to himself and skulked around the walls to help with the construction or simply take a nap somewhere quiet and away from activity. Often, he can be found on some random tree. His quiet nature was a welcoming contrast to the bustling village and Zero took the opportunity in the battle to understand more about him.
”The rules of this battle is simple. Firstly, no weapons. Secondly, you win if you push your opponent out of this ring drawn on the ground. Thirdly, bloodline abilities are allowed but no magic. That's all, let the battle begin.”
Zero only noticed the ring on the ground when Ruth mentioned it. The match didn't seem like it was going to be a lot of techniques or tricks if it was about pushing the opponent out of the ring. Zero chalked it down to pure brute strength and wondered why such a fight was considered important. In terms of strength, surely Vishnu would win. Gweshr was stronger and more agile in his wolf form but he wouldn't be able to push Vishnu out of the ring.
Even though the umpire had shouted for the match to start, the warriors didn't move from their spots. Gweshr chose to growl at Vishnu as he locked eyes. On the other hand, the minotaur started to paw the ground with one of his legs as he squared his shoulders forward. He bent down low to the ground with both fists touching it, his legs raised high for a charging position and he pawed the ground more furiously than before. Vishnu's eyes never left Gweshr and his small curved horns at the side of his head extended into something that Zero was sure could rival any knives.
There was tension thick in the air and Zero could barely hang onto the seat of his pants. The two opponents weren't doing anything yet but already, Zero felt as if they were in the middle of an unseen battle. Ruth didn't comment and chose to observe both parties closely for any possible foul play.
While it was true that this match didn't require too much technique, it wasn't an easy one. The vampire wondered if Zero understood what determined a victor in a battle more than skills and techniques. It was something that even Truen agreed on. The young doctor made a brilliant healer because of his kind heart and all-encompassing nature. However, in a battle, Zero made a terrible warrior not because of his lack of abilities or skills. His talent, skills and abilities were top-notch.
The teen simply didn't have the drive for victory.
Zero gasped when both warriors shot off at each other at the same time. The bloodlust in the air terrified Zero. He'd never seen either of them look so fierce before. The carefree werewolf and peaceful minotaur in his memory were completely replaced by the sight of each other trying to tear the other apart.
Wasn't this a friendly match to demonstrate skills? Why were they treating each other like Count Carrabas?
Gweshr leapt just before they collided and gnawed on Vishnu's horn, trying to use the momentum to throw the minotaur off. Vishnu swayed but didn't veer off track. Instead, he dragged the werewolf along, heading straight for the circle's line.
Gweshr knew what Vishnu wanted to do and didn't give him the opportunity to throw him out of the circle. The werewolf let go of the horn and slid across the ground, stepping right at the edge of the circle. His tail swished and the werewolf didn't hesitate to make a run for it, pouncing onto the minotaur's exposed back.
Zero watched as the two warriors brawled without much technique. They were both running on pure instinct and the bloodlust was at a record-high level when Gweshr closed his jaw around one of Vishnu's legs.
The minotaur didn't give two hoots about his bleeding leg and was more focused on bashing the werewolf's skull in with his other hoof. Zero almost leapt into the match to stop them both but Ruth was already beside the teen, holding him down with one hand on Zero's wrist.
”Sit down, the match isn't over yet.”
Zero gave Ruth a strange look. ”They are injured, we need to stop the-”
”No. They are warriors, the wound isn't fatal. You are not interfering until the match is over. If you'd just sit down and watch, you might just learn a thing or two from them.”
The vampire's stern words made Zero sit down again but the worrying didn't stop. The doctor's apprentice looked at the blood gushing out of the bite wound. Gweshr managed to avoid that kick to his skull but the werewolf didn't seem to be in a good position. Vishnu still managed to land a kick to his side and the wolf growled.
Fuelled by both pain and adrenaline, the warriors were at each other's throats again. Zero thought that the way they fought was overly reckless and crazy. The aim was to push the other person out of the ring so why were they growling, biting and kicking each other?
”Have they lost it completely?” Zero asked in a frantic voice, pulling at his hair. He didn't know how much longer both warriors could take but seeing the number of injuries increase as the minutes went by made the young doctor more restless. He wanted to jump in and stop the meaningless battle.
Ruth gave Zero a stern glare. ”You just thought that the battle was meaningless right?”
Zero froze. ”What... how?”
Ruth's glare sharpened and Zero tried to inch away from the furious vampire. Instead of getting scolded or hit, Zero got startled when Ruth sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands. That strange reaction made Zero curious.
”Zero, watch them carefully. This battle isn't just a show for petty tricks and techniques. Unlike the rest of the battles, this match is a true warrior's showdown. The victor of this match isn't going to be the person who is stronger or faster. It's going to take more than that to properly make a warrior concede defeat.”
The young doctor didn't understand what his combat teacher was talking about. For him, this was madness. They were completely battered up and from a doctor's point of view, Zero would have put them both in bed after treatment. They should be in no condition to continue fighting.
Vishnu has his ankle tendon severed on one leg. Gweshr has a broken rib. Did they no longer value their lives?
Zero cringed Gweshr was sent flying with a heavy body slam by Vishnu. The minotaur was looking less bulky now and Zero was sure that whatever buff he had earlier was no running out. According to Hua Tuo, berserker types faced serious lash backs after they come back to their senses. While they were pumped full of rage, they had enhanced power and speed but very low sensitivity. Pain was essentially not felt by berserkers and that made things scary. Zero was told that berserkers could lose a limb and not feel it, charging forward to continue cutting down enemies until they eventually bleed out and die.
How could Ruth and everyone else be so calm when there was already so much blood on the ground?