Chapter 19: Echoes of Defiance
The arena of Daveron had become a living storm of blood and aura.
Yunku moved like lightning given form, his speed increasing by the second until the very air screamed around him. The archer blurred into a whirlwind of motion, bow spinning in his palms like a deadly blade as he circled the stage in a lethal spiral.
Zion charged like a moving mountain, axe raised high, muscles bulging with raw, overwhelming strength talent that made the ground beneath his feet crack and groan.
I stood between them, the little abyssal goblin perched on my shoulder, its red horns glinting and pot-belly heaving with mischievous laughter. My regenerated arm flexed, new flesh still warm and tingling. The gentle smile was gone. Only cold abyss remained.
"Echo Steps."
My feet struck the ground in rapid rhythm. Vibrations exploded outward, mapping every heartbeat, every muscle twitch, every killing intent in perfect clarity. I moved, fluid, relentless, closing the distance in a blur.
Yunku laughed and unleashed a storm of arrows from every angle.
I spun the cane like a black whirlwind.
"Motion Palm!"
Aura flared in my palms like twin black stars. I caught arrow after arrow mid-flight, redirecting them with precise flicks, some slamming into Zion's shield, others forcing Yunku to dodge his own shots.
"Blind friend, you're really something!" Yunku shouted, spinning his bow into a deadly blade. "Amagedon Slash!"
He burst forward in a wavy, unpredictable rush, bow-blade slicing toward my throat.
I met him head-on.
"Abyss Touch!"
My fingers danced in confusing patterns, feint left, strike right, before lightly tapping his chest. Dark energy pulsed into his body. Yunku coughed blood, organs convulsing, but his speed talent let him twist away at the last moment.
Zion roared and slammed his shield forward, trying to crush me against the stage edge.
I planted my feet.
"Call of the Abyss!"
Violet-black tendrils erupted from my arm, wrapping around Zion's shield arm. The giant's strength talent fought back, but the abyss drank deeper, pulling at his very life force.
Yunku saw the opening and charged again.
I smiled coldly.
In one fluid motion I grabbed the goblin mid-leap and flung it straight at Yunku's face. The creature latched on, claws digging into his shoulders as I closed the distance in a single Echo Step.
My hand plunged toward Yunku's chest for a fatal Abyss Touch.
At the same moment my cane whipped from the ground, aiming to pierce Zion's throat while he was still restrained by the tendrils.
Both prodigies realized it at the same instant.
They were about to die.
Zion's eyes blazed with pure fury. His massive frame trembled, not from fear, but from rage at being looked down upon like an insect.
"You dare… look down on us like we're nothing?!" he bellowed, voice shaking the arena. "We are Zion of Oren! Son of Sora of Power! And you, a blind fool, think you can end us like trash?!"
His strength talent surged wildly, veins bulging as he fought against the abyss tendrils with everything he had. The shield cracked under the pressure, but his anger only grew hotter.
Yunku, meanwhile, was laughing, a wild, manic, almost joyful sound that sent chills through the crowd.
"Hahahaha! Finally… true death comprehension!" His eyes shone with insane delight as he felt the abyss pulling at his soul. "This is it… the edge I've been chasing! The moment where life and death kiss! Blind friend… you're beautiful!"
Even as blood poured from his mouth, Yunku's smile never faded. He embraced the abyss with open arms, comprehending death not as an end, but as the ultimate thrill.
The little abyssal goblin cackled and raked its claws deeper, while I prepared to finish them both.
The crowd was losing their minds.
"He's really going to kill them!"
"Two prodigies… about to fall to a blind Bronze rank?!"
"Impossible… this can't be happening!"
"STOP!"
Four figures exploded from the high seats like falling stars.
Vice-Principal Vabun's skinless demon form blurred forward, blade drawn in a streak of demonic crimson.
Alvin's sword flashed with royal golden light, cutting through the air with absolute authority.
The Twilight knight's crimson blade sang as she descended like a meteor of war.
Dabara's black blade left a trail of razor wind, his eyes cold and sharp.
All four vice-principals unsheathed their weapons in the same heartbeat, moving with terrifying swiftness that made the entire arena seem to freeze in time.
Vabun's demon blade intercepted my cane mid-strike, stopping it a fraction from Zion's throat with a deafening clang.
Alvin's golden sword slammed into my palm, halting the Abyss Touch inches from Yunku's heart.
The Twilight knight's crimson blade crossed both weapons, forming a perfect cage of steel.
Dabara's black blade hovered at my neck , one millimeter from drawing blood.
The four most powerful Academies in Fortsterling now stood on the stage, surrounding me completely.
Zion staggered back, breathing hard, eyes still burning with rage.
"You… looked down on us," he growled through clenched teeth, voice thick with humiliated fury. "We are not insects to be crushed!"
Yunku wiped blood from his lips and laughed, a broken, joyful sound.
"Death… I finally understand it… thank you, blind friend."
The crowd erupted in chaos.
"THE VICE-PRINCIPALS INTERVENED!"
"They saved the two prodigies!"
"That blind boy… he was really about to kill both of them!"
Caleb leaned forward in his seat, wine forgotten, eyes wide with manic glee.
"Holy shit… he actually almost did it."
Helga's hand tightened on her blade, worry and fierce pride warring in her eyes.
On the stage, the four vice-principals stood like living legends, blades drawn, auras flaring.
Vabun's skinless demon grinned.
"Enough. The child has shown his worth."
Alvin's voice was ice.
"This ends now."
The Twilight knight's red hair whipped in the wind.
"The tournament continues… but not like this."
Dabara said nothing, his black blade simply remained at my neck, a silent warning.
I stood motionless in the circle of four supreme blades, cane still raised, violet-black aura still coiling around me like living shadows.
The entire arena held its breath.
The battle was over.