The two clashed in a flurry of high-speed strikes and kicks, astonishing the rest of the bodyguards and Judas in the distance.
"I've never seen him fight for this long." One of them clutched their chin in deep thought.
"I'm even more surprised Lionheart still can't use his blessing," another added, glancing toward a comrade. "What was the activation condition again?"
The third bodyguard, a meek-looking man, answered without hesitation. "The opponent needs to have hostile intent for the petrification to—
Before he could finish his sentence, the fourth bodyguard, who had the most serious expression, cut off the meek one from speaking any further.
"Stop, don't go around telling the weakness of our boss's blessing," he said harshly, then softened his face. "But that guy probably can't hear us anyways."
I can hear you! Ferris shouted in his mind.
He was glad that he finally knew the condition, but still.
For anyone else to fight Lionheart, maintaining zero hostile intent was something only experienced fighters could accomplish.
But Ferris didn't need to hold back his hostile intent.
Because I have nothing but respect for you!
In that moment, it seemed as if the two had forgotten why they were fighting in the first place.
The both of them were living in a singular plane of existence, where the only thing that existed was themselves and their duel.
So… should we help him?" one of the bodyguards asked, though his hesitant posture made it clear he had no real intention of stepping in.
The other three weren't any different as none of them looked eager to join the fight.
One of them cleared his throat. "We should just let Lionheart finish this."
"Indeed. We'd only get in his way," another agreed.
"that's so true brother"
. . .
I didn't expect this guy to be so tenacious. Ferris struggled to land proper hits since his body still couldn't comprehend his mental experience as a knight.
Even if he was faster, it seemed as if Lionheart was actually overtaking him.
I need to finish this quickly.
During the exchange of blows, Ferris chose to stay on the defensive to conserve his essence.
He was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
So by holding back and guarding, he hoped to lure Lionheart into committing more to offense and neglecting his defense.
"Are you regretting that you dropped your weapon?" Lionheart asked as he threw a lightning-fast jab.
"Not at all." Ferris redirected the strike with a smooth deflection using his sword essence. "My hands are my friends."
Lionheart smirked at Ferris's reply. "The same goes for me!"
He took the bait! Ferris prepared himself to pounce on him with all he had.
"My fist says hi—greet him properly!" Lionheart poured all of his might into a single destructive fist.
Ferris 100% knew that if that fist landed, he would get his skull caved in.
Honestly, it was expected for someone that doesn't rely on the blessing too much. It was more than clear to Ferris that Lionheart trained his body to its absolute limits.
A finely crafted fist that deserved every bit of respect.
But unfortunately, Ferris wasn't keen on saying hello to it with his face.
Now that Lionheart was committed to an all-out final strike, he was completely left defenseless, which was what Ferris was looking for.
Without wasting even a fraction of a second, Ferris used half of his maximum essence output in his legs, and half in his right arm.
Using his legs, he ducked down instantly. In Lionheart's eyes, it looked like a blur.
Then, driving forward, he moved as if to ram his head straight into Lionheart's stomach.
This is it! Ferris thought with a smile, his one-month training regiment was finally showing its true colors.
I win! He released his sword essence and clenched his fist.
Ferris intended to deliver a lethal kidney shot to knock the lion out cold—
"!!!" But then he froze.
Literally.
I can't move! Ferris felt limp yet rigid at the same time.
It was as if he had lost all control of his muscles but kept control of the breathing cycle and eye movement.
In a shocked expression, he discovered that his fist had stopped a mere centimeter from Lionheart's abdomen.
Lionheart stepped away from Ferris and smirked.
"I was starting to think you weren't human," he said in an admiring tone.
His face eased before leaning in front of Ferris's face. Lionheart could see the mix of confusion and disbelief in his opponent's eyes.
"That's called the sin of pride," he informed Ferris.
Pride? Ferris thought about what it meant.
So it's not hostile intent...
No, pride could also be one of the activating conditions.
That's my fault, Ferris halfheartedly acknowledged his misstep as he saw Lionheart raising his hand.
"I'll acknowledge you're a formidable fighter. That's something we need right now."
He clenched his fist, the motion producing an unpleasant crunch like stone grinding against stone.
"But I won't let some stalking creep get near my miss." He pointed at Ferris again.
The bodyguards also nodded again, and some wiped their tears again in agreement.
I'm... not... Ferris was truly defeated at that point. There was no way for him to redeem himself, and there was nothing he could say for himself.
The only thing he could do now was gather his essence near where Lionheart would strike to reduce the damage, and pray that he would keep his word by only kicking him out of the mall.
Closing his eyes, Ferris only relied on his senses to tell his surroundings.
Noticing that his opponent seemed to have given up, Lionheart dragged his fist down like a guillotine.
Ferris could feel the air pressure coming in, and he readied himself in case he was knocked out cold.
But.
Nothing happened.
When he opened his eyes, he found Lionheart's fist frozen in front of his face. At that same instant, the petrification's grip on his body vanished.
Tilting his head, Ferris was met with an unexpected sight.
Lionheart—who moments ago was dead set on kicking him out—was now frozen in place for a different reason entirely.
Elizabeth's blessing was activated as shards of light were suspended in the air, each one aimed at Lionheart's neck, eyes, and several other vital points.