Shen dashed forward — faster this time, in an instant he closed the distance between them and swung instantly. Vayu could see the attack coming towards him, but there is a huge difference between seeing the attack and blocking the attack, his reaction was slow by a fraction of a second. Steel met steel, the impact pushed Vayu's hand backwards, nearly knocking the dagger from his grip. Shen slashed again. Vayu backstepped trying to dodge the strike, but a thin horizontal tear appeared across his tunic. Shen didn't stop, his dagger came down vertically this time. Vayu steadied his stance and parried his attack, sparks flew as their blades clashed. The force still drove him a step backward.
"I have to attack somehow," Vayu thought, his breath quickening. "If I keep defending, I will keep bleeding"
But he couldn't find an opening. Each time he tried to strike, Shen was already a moment ahead — faster, sharper. All Vayu could do was block or retreat, and little by little, shallow cuts began to bloom across his arms and chest. Meanwhile, Shen's frustration grew. He had removed his iron cuffs — his speed should've doubled. This fight should have ended already. But Vayu somehow kept dodging his attack, when Vayu parried his first strike, Shen had thought it was a fluke. But whenever Shen tried to attack any vital part of his body, he either stepped back or parried it.
"Faster… I need to be faster" Shen thought, his movements blurring as he lunged again.
If only he still had both knives, the match would have ended already. But with just one dagger, it was taking double the time and that was enough for Vayu to defend himself. Still, he didn't stop "faster", Shen repeated in his mind, frustration building and soon he got his chance as he attacked before Vayu could steady his footing. Vayu raised his empty hand to block the incoming strike. The dagger's edge slammed against his wrist joint — and then, to everyone's shock, the upper half of Shen's blade snapped clean off. Gasps rippled through the arena. Even Shen froze, his eyes wide.
"What—?" he muttered.
From the stands, Suwaha's voice thundered over the silence.
"He's cheating again!"
The crowd erupted in confusion — until Vayu lifted his tunic.
Beneath it gleamed iron cuffs, thick and heavy, wrapped around both his wrists and ankles.
The arena went wild.
"He was using iron cuffs too!" someone shouted.
Slowly, Vayu unlatched them, one by one — clink… clink… clink… clink. Each cuff hit the ground with a heavy thud.
For the fourth time, they faced each other — both drenched in blood, both gripping their daggers tight.
Shen took long breaths, How… how is he able to move like that? he thought, disbelief flickering in his eyes. What kind of technique is this? No one should have that kind of stamina. Before he could think any further, Vayu charged. His speed wasn't just faster than before, it was beyond what Shen could follow. How…? Shen's mind reeled. I'm supposed to be the prodigy — the one the elders fought to train, the genius born once in a generation!. Steel clashed, Shen parried Vayus's attack instinctively, but the impact sent a violent tremor up his arm, rattling his bones. The sheer weight behind Vayu's strike made his grip quiver.
Shen couldn't accept it, he clenched his jaw and with fury burning in his chest, he attacked back, pouring everything he had into the next blow. Shen lunged forward, slashing with the broken dagger, but Vayu easily stepped back, the blade cutting through nothing but air. Shen swung again, but before he could complete the motion, Vayu stepped in and drove his fist straight into Shen's face. The impact sent Shen stumbling backward, his footing unsteady. When he finally regained his balance, he looked up to see Vayu still standing in the same spot—calm and composed and watching him closely. Shen's expression twisted with frustration, he couldn't read Vayu anymore. So, he decided to act on instinct. He rushed in, slashing at Vayu with a feint. Vayu backstepped, when Shen swung again, Vayu rushed in to counter. The instant Vayu moved forward, Shen abruptly stopped his body and slammed his foot on the same wound he had stabbed earlier. Vayu hissed in pain, his torso bending forward from the sudden shock. Shen didn't waste a moment, he slammed the broken blade into Vayu's back. But the shattered dagger's edge did little more than a bruise. Gritting his teeth, Shen grabbed Vayu's face between his palms and drove his knee into Vayu's face. The force rocked Vayu's head back, blood sprayed on the ground, even then he refused to fall. He staggered, regained his footing, and glared at Shen with burning eyes. Shen smirked, thinking the fight was turning in his favor and charged again.
Vayu's body was still slightly bent, but the moment Shen slashed, Vayu's hand shot up—grabbing Shen's wrist mid-swing and yanked him closer while slamming his fist into Shen's wound. Shen gasped, pain exploding through his abdomen, but Vayu didn't stop. He hit him again—once, twice, each blow hammering into the same spot until Shen jerked his arm free and stumbled backward, clutching his stomach, his other hand rising while holding the blade between his trembling fingers.
Vayu didn't rush forward—he stood still, calm and composed, his breathing steady. There was no need of being impatient in his eyes. He wasn't in a hurry to win, he simply waited.
They stood face to face for the fifth time, Shen began to circle slowly, his blade low, his movements cautious. Every few seconds, his gaze flicked toward the second elder sitting among the elders' seats. It was so quick that no one in the crowd noticed it, but the second elder did. And he understood immediately what Shen was asking for. Shen wanted permission to use his secret technique. It meant Shen no longer believed he could win through ordinary means. He was desperate. For a long moment, the second elder watched Shen, his expression unreadable. Then, he gave a small nod. Shen's lips curved into a faint smile. He stopped circling. His feet stilled, and his gaze locked on Vayu.
Vayu had seen him glancing towards the second elder and the subtle nod, which second elder gave to Shen he saw that too, it piqued his curiosity. So, he made no move, and watched Shen patiently, he wanted to see Shen's next move, even if he lost then so be it. Vayu would face it head-on. Shen inhaled a long breath then exhaled deeply, his shoulders rising and falling as he adjusted his stance. Slowly, he turned his dagger, changing into icepick hold—the blade pointing downward. His entire posture shifted, his body lowered slightly, like a predator ready to pounce. For nearly a full minute, he didn't move. His body was completely still, his aura sharpening with every passing second until the air itself seemed to tense around him.
Then, finally Shen lifted his head. His eyes met Vayu's once more, cold and focused burning with newfound energy. Shen exploded forward with terrifying speed—so fast that Vayu's eyes widened in shock. Such speed…!, but still he could see the attack coming, but his body couldn't keep up. Still, his instincts screamed at him to move, and he raised his arm to block.
Slash!
A sharp sting tore across his chest. Blood sprayed into the air. Before he could even react—
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Shen's dagger flashed again and again, each strike faster and more precise than the last. The sound of steel slicing through air echoed across the arena. Vayu stumbled backward under the relentless onslaught, barely able to stay on his feet. All he could do was endure. Pain seared through every inch of his body. He bit his lip, as pain run through his whole body, but he bear the pain, grabbing onto his last bit of consciousness.
"I should've attacked when I had the chance…" the thought echoed bitterly in his mind. "Is this why they say curiosity killed the cat?"
Two minutes of pure torment passed before Shen finally stopped. Vayu stood trembling, blood dripping from dozens of shallow cuts. Although none of them were fatal but he had accumulated a lot of damage, his body fully painted red. Shen jumped back maintaining distance, gasping for air, his chest rising and falling heavily. Soon he steadied himself, eyes locked on Vayu and said between heavy breaths,
"Surrender…"
Vayu could tell from Shen's movements that he had used something similar to Overdrive, though clearly it seemed to be a diluted version. His speed had increased, yes, but not much and the backlash was just heaving breathing, while in case of Vayu after he ended overdrive even standing took a lot of effort.
For the Sixth time, they stood facing each other. "Surrender!" Shen shouted, voice strained but defiant. Vayu didn't reply. He simply stared back, silent and unyielding.
"This is the last chance" said Shen, his dagger trembling slightly in his grip. But Vayu stayed still, so Shen started using his technique again, ready to end the fight. At the same time, Vayu began channeling his own energy calmly. His veins pulsed faintly as he heart raced quicker and quicker and he entered Overdrive himself. Unlike Shen, his control over Overdrive was more profound.
Shen lowered his stance, readying for one last charge. Vayu lowered his body too. When Shen finally lifted his head, his eyes looked blue, blazing with determination, Vayu mirrored his movement—his body lowering, his muscles tightening, his aura flickering like wildfire. Then, they moved. For a split second, the two figures blurred—then everything stopped. The sound of metal breaking echoed through the air. Shen's already fractured dagger shattered completely, pieces scattering across the ground.
Vayu's dagger stopped just a centimeter from Shen's throat, gleaming coldly, cold sweat ran down Shen's forehead, he slowly lifted his hands said
"I surre—" Shen barely managed to utter when—
BAM!
Vayu's fist crashed into his chest. The impact sent Shen flying backward like a rag doll, slamming into the arena wall with a thunderous crack. Dust erupted around him as his body went limp, sliding down to the floor—unconscious.
The arena fell silent.