Chapter 279 (2/2)

It was one more responsibility he could add to the pile, Randidly thought grimly. Break expectations for the people who didn’t come from the top tiered Styles. Force Drak Wyrd to reveal his hidden cards for Azriel. Let Shal come awake to an outcome that leaves him… proud.

“Are both fighters ready?” The referee asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. Both nodded.

Randidly hadn’t had much occasion to actually watch Drak Wyrd, but his full attention was on him now. Power seemed compressed in the man’s body, a palpable aura of competency. There seemed to be no weaknesses in his stance, and his eyes were steady and determined. There wasn’t even any overconfidence, although there did seem to be some cruelty in his expression as he gazed at Randidly.

Was it possible to use that…?

“Begin!” The referee announced.

“Incinerating Bolt! The Spear Advances, Ash Trails!” Randidly said.

There had been some time when he had debated taking a more passive role, but Randidly knew that this was not necessarily a race against time, but against exertion. Drak Wyrd, with his dark, determined eyes, could only fight for so long without his Aether Starvation kicking in, weakening him immensely.

Trusting in Randidly’s own ability to keep himself alive, Randidly decided the best option was a powerful offense that would force Drak to expend his energy while defending. He would probably be able to quickly dispatch most things, defending himself and wounding Randidly, but Randidly knew of no other way to push this match than to gamble his Health, Stamina, and Mana were high enough to make Drak Wyrd expend his Aether.

And Randidly was going to use all of them.

As the bolt ripped forward, Randidly’s body soon followed, aiming for the moment Drak dodged or blocked the bolt to strike, finding a moment of weakness.

Drak opted to deflect it, doing it effortlessly, flicking his spear and knocking the bolt away. At the same time, he accelerated forward, meeting Randidly in the middle of the arena with a crash.

Immediately, Randidly activated Stalemate Breaker, and pressed forward with everything he had, using Empower and Mana Strengthening as well. They were dead even, which shocked Randidly as much as it did Drak, his normally blank expression stretching as he raised his eyebrows.

But Randidly had used ¼ of his Stamina in those brief seconds, just to bring him to a standstill…? Christ.

“Circle of Flame!” Randidly shouted.

As he expected, Drak leaped backwards, moving quickly out of the blast radius, but of course it was a feint. Still, what Randidly hadn't expected was that Drak’s spear would slash out behind him, without even looking, cutting through the Spearing Roots he was aiming to use to catch him in the back, without slowing him down at all.

Still, with Drak’s spear behind him, Randidly activated the Spear Advances, Ash Trails again, Focusing on the concept of ignition, feeling his body thrown forward with its power.

Drak didn’t even blink, blocking Randidly’s spear with a stance that made Randidly feel like he had just thrown himself into a concrete wall. Then Drak’s spear wriggled, and Randidly’s was knocked to the side, leaving him completely undefended.

Growling, Randidly spun away, aiming to slash at him from the side, but he abruptly sensed that a kick was about to hit him, as if Drak had predicted this very move, and prepared to deal with it.

Randidly’s eyes glowed Emerald. The ground around them transformed into mist, and there was a soft ticking in the background. “The Phantom’s Embrace.”

Unlike Azriel, who had grown wary of this skill, Drak made no move to change his kick. Randidly felt every aspect of the kick in a second, his eyes glazing over as his other senses took control. Randidly spun, borrowing the force of the attack to disappear, spinning faster around Drak’s side, his spear moving in an arc.

An arc just short of Drak, but it did rip upwards, cutting a shallow gash into the corner of Drak’s mouth.

Breathing heavily, Randidly stepped backwards. Thick roots of golden energy came upwards, flooding his body with strength, increasing his recovery. Living Blood activated too, doing its best to control the blood loss from the huge gash in Randidly’s left bicep, where a counter attack that Randidly hadn’t even been able to follow with his eyes had struck him.

Both fighters looked at each other. A trail of blood dripped down Drak’s face to his chin, then dropped onto the ground.

Although he earned a pounding headache for it, Randidly used Living Blood to its limit, keeping all his blood flowing back into the wound, as his body slowly knit together. Grinning, Randidly pointed down to the drop of crimson.

“Your blood hit the ground first.”

After he had spoken, Randidly realized for the first time how silent it had become in the arena. His words carried far, and Drak’s face only darkened further. Sighing inwardly to himself, Randidly wished he had the presence of mind to wait a few more seconds. An increased recovery time would have made this wound so much more manageable. But noooo, he had to trash talk.

“We will see whose body hits the ground first,” Drak said, his voice raw, as he raised his spear once more.