Dante looked up and saw the remaining blade hurtling toward him from above. Fear shot through him, and he leapt to the side just in time to avoid it.
'I can't just defend reactively… If I do, that blade will cut me in half. I have to keep pressing the attack.' Seizing the moment while the spinning blade continued its momentum and hadn't yet turned back, Dante charged forward once more.
His gaze fixed on Austor. This time, Dante wasn't aiming just to push his opponent back. He was determined to land a real blow. 'Even if he uses Wind Blast again, I'll give it everything I have and break through it.'
Dante: Activating component: Enhance Agility.
'What's it going to be this time, Austor? If you throw that last blade, I'll gladly take this win. I swear I'll slip past it and give you a nice smack.' Dante silently hoped Austor would make that mistake—throw away his last weapon and hand him victory.
But Austor was no amateur. He could sense Dante's intention.
'Damn it… I've already burned through my energy just to defend. If I use any more, I won't be able to maintain Whirlwind Blade. Bastard… what kind of monster is this kid?' Austor grimaced, a mix of pain and bitter realization. He remembered the faces of Dante's past opponents—the despair, the helplessness. So this was why. No matter what techniques they tried, their confidence was crushed. This monster could see their attack patterns and instantly find a counter, as if their years of hard work and training meant nothing at all. Like a death sentence for their self-belief.
To Dante's disappointment, Austor didn't throw the spinning blade. Instead, he stopped it in place and took up a defensive stance. But Dante wasn't discouraged.
'If you can block one swing, I'll follow with a second, a third—it doesn't matter. What matters is how long you can last.'
Dante lunged, swinging his steel bat down toward Austor's head with brutal force.
Austor raised his blade to block the bat's path, desperation in his eyes as he tried to stop the crushing blow.
The bat collided with the blade, a sharp metallic clang echoing through the arena, reaching even the silent, tense crowd in the stands.
Today, there was no commentator—by popular request. The entire coliseum was hushed, hanging on every sound of the clash.
Meanwhile, Austor…
"Aaaaaaaaaggghhh!" He roared, summoning every ounce of strength to hold back Dante's weapon. Hoping, praying for a miracle that the bat wouldn't fall any further. He thought he could hear the faint crack of bone—likely his own arm. His face twisted in agony, or perhaps sheer refusal to give in.
Physically, Dante wasn't stronger than Austor—in fact, he was probably weaker. But his steel bat was infused with Weapon Infuse: Breaker, while Austor had nothing but a one-handed blade. No shield, no backup. At the start of the fight, Austor had thrown both his weapons in a risky bid for overwhelming offense. When he realized Dante could easily dodge them, he tried to create openings, looking for that one moment to counterattack, to surprise. But that relentless bat kept coming for his head. He'd burned through so much essence trying to defend.
'He's smart… but what terrible luck.'
In one last act of desperation, Austor tried to lift a leg and kick Dante away. But his intent was as clear as day to Dante's Mindstep. Dante pushed forward with greater force just as Austor shifted his weight.
The shove sent Austor sprawling backward, his backside slamming onto the ground. Before he could catch a breath, Dante's bat was already rising again for another strike.
But at that moment, Austor's emotions shifted—from despair to hope.
Dante could faintly hear the sound of the blade whirring toward him from behind, and judging by his opponent's emotions, he could sense what was about to happen.
'No. I'll crush that hope right now.' Dante sidestepped just as the spinning blade came at him from behind, avoiding it with ease in a repeat of the earlier scenario.
Austor didn't even have time to feel disappointed. He caught the returning blade with his left hand and swung the spinning blade in his right at Dante.
Dante knocked it aside effortlessly and pressed the attack again.
After realizing that none of his strategies seemed to matter—because somehow, the opponent before him could see through them all—Austor felt deeply disappointed in himself. He decided to change tactics, struggling on in hopeless defiance.
And so they began the deadly game of cat and mouse. Though Austor couldn't match Dante in close combat, he had the stronger, faster agility. Changing tactics, he moved constantly, striking and retreating, darting around the arena. When Dante got close, Austor would either dodge back or fall back to safety. If cornered, he unleashed his Whirlwind Blade to force Dante back. His spinning blade hovered in the air, occasionally lunging at Dante in well-timed attacks. No matter how hard Dante tried, he couldn't end the fight this round.
'Fine. There's no point wasting more stamina or essence this round. I'll save it for the next.'
And so the chase continued for the rest of the first round, with neither able to claim victory.
The bell rang out—clang, clang!—signaling the end of the round. The crowd burst into applause, cheers filling the arena. Dante let out a soft breath and left the arena for now.
He walked down the corridor, planning to wash his face and grab a bottle of energy drink. But soon after, a messenger approached him.
"Your opponent has forfeited."
Hearing that, Dante exhaled quietly. Reflecting on it—
'So there's no second round, huh? Makes sense. He probably spent all his essence just trying to defend against me. I bet he didn't have the confidence left to come back out.'
And so, the battle came to an end. Now, Dante would advance to the finals—where Kara, wielder of lightning, awaited him.
'Will I be able to win? Or will this be tougher than I imagined…?'