The entire coliseum vibrated with tension.
Sir Kael, standing tall like an indomitable shadow, kept his sword planted in the ground. At his feet, Asori gasped for air, his breath ragged, his forehead dripping with sweat and blood. His strikes lacked strength, and every charge was met with merciless brutality.
The crowd did not cheer; they were stunned. Most had already decided who the victor was.
Kael yanked him up by the hair and smashed a knee into his face, sending him crashing back into the arena floor. Then he stomped on his chest with enough force to knock the air from his lungs.
—Is this all, brat? —he roared with disdain, raising the dark blade.
The edge dripped with shadowy energy, as if devouring the very light around it— Neither your wind nor your so-called "courage" will save you. He kicked Asori, nearly knocking him out of the platform.
Asori coughed blood. His muscles felt like lead, his knees buckling. Every blow was a mountain crushing his body.
I'm going to lose.
The thought stabbed through his mind. Fear dragged him back, just like that night in the forest. Blair, trapped and helpless, overlapped with his current powerlessness.
But amid the chaos, a spark flickered.
He remembered Eryndor's voice, cold and firm, when he had forced him to fight blindfolded on Mount Aeryon:
"The wind does not exist to protect you. Make it a part of you. Silence the noise, listen to the whisper."
He remembered Blair, her trembling hand on his cheek the first time she called him an idiot, and her promise: "Don't stain your hands with blood, don't change who you are."
He remembered Lira, the little girl who smiled until the very end, trusting him even though he couldn't save her.
Flat on the ground, Asori gritted his teeth. The pain didn't vanish, but it stopped being noise. It became a reminder that he was still alive. He couldn't always depend on someone else to rescue him. Not now.
His breathing steadied. His ruined muscles found a rhythm. Slowly, he pushed himself up, blood streaming from the cut on his brow, and locked eyes on Kael.
The knight smiled beneath his helm.
—That's better. Make me feel I'm not wasting my time, brat.
The next clash was brutal. Kael swung a downward slash. Asori sidestepped and countered with a fist reinforced by Astral. The strike thundered against the armor, forcing Kael two steps back.
The crowd roared. Blair leapt to her feet, tears in her eyes.
—Yes, Asori!
Kael lunged again, unleashing a flurry of strikes that would have crushed anyone else. Asori didn't block; he flowed with them. His feet slid across the sand, dodging by a hair's breadth, reinforcing his body at the exact instant.
Every strike he landed returned confidence to him. The fight was beginning to balance.
—Incredible! —Mikrom shouted from the stands—. That brat's fighting him as an equal!
But Mikan narrowed her eyes.
—Look closer. Kael's… adapting.
And she was right. After several exchanges, Kael let out a guttural laugh.
—I see… so that's your rhythm. Fine then… feed the void.
He drove the sword into the sand. Shadows spread like black roots, reaching for Asori. The boy felt the air thicken, his muscles losing strength. An invisible suction drained his energy.
He collapsed to his knees, gasping.
—Wh… what is this?
Mikrom clenched his fists in the stands.
—It's the same thing he did to me! That bastard… he's stealing your energy to fuel his own!
Blair pressed her hands to her chest, desperate.
—Asori…!
Mikan stopped her, her tone firm.
—Trust him. That kid… hasn't shown everything yet.
In the arena, Asori trembled, his vision blurring. But he didn't yield.
—I… won't fall…
With a roar, he forced his body to move, even as each step weighed like lead. Blow after blow, Kael met him with a cruel smile. But little by little, Asori found openings—landing punches, knees, tackles. They weren't devastating, but they were relentless.
Mikan's eyes narrowed further.
—He's breaking his own limits… Fear is pushing him forward. That boy… he's learning to fight with everything he is.
Blair, tears threatening, whispered:
—Asori… don't you dare give up.
The crowd was on the verge of hysteria. No one understood how this young man, nearly defeated from the start, was now matching strides with the Shadow Knight. Asori was surpassing himself—driven by something greater than strength: love.
Kael growled, tired of his resistance. With sudden speed, he drove the sword down, pinning both of Asori's hands to the ground.
The boy's scream tore through the coliseum, and the crowd fell silent.
Blair shot to her feet, eyes wide.
—ASORI!
Mikrom and Mikan felt a chill. The scene mirrored the night in the forest, when Kael had nearly executed him.
Leaning on the sword, Kael bent down.
—Once I'm done with you… —his voice dripped with venom— I'm going to have some fun with your little princess.
Asori's pupils dilated. The revelation struck like thunder.
—…It was you… —he panted, his face twisted in rage— You… were the one who attacked Blair…
Kael laughed cruelly.
—And what if I was? I'd do it again… and next time, I'll make sure you're not there to interrupt me.
Asori's body began to tremble. Not with fear— with fury.
The veins in his arms burned, his Astral roared within him. The sword buried in his hands began to vibrate. A force unknown ignited in his chest, a power he had never felt before.
The wind howled in spirals around him. Sand rose into a storm.
With a guttural scream, Asori tore his hands free of the sword, ripping flesh and skin. Energy erupted. The crowd fell into absolute silence. His eyes now glowed with incandescent yellow, his pupils turned into a kaleidoscope swirling like a cyclone. His aura was so dense the platform itself vibrated.
For the first time, Kael stepped back, surprised.
The boy, his voice deep, as if another force spoke through him, declared:
—This… I won't forgive, bastard.
And the roar of the wind engulfed the entire arena.