If he hadn't deliberately dragged out the fight and put on an act of exhaustion, Vax—with his fiery temper—would have jumped off the arena in surrender long ago.
He never would have gotten the chance to copy this coveted S-rank talent.
"The seventh round of the finals is over! Do the remaining contestants require a rest period?"
The referee glanced at the five top contestants who had secured their spots:
Ethan, Amy, Nero, Bruen, and Tyr.
"No need for rest. Let's start immediately," Ethan said calmly.
The referee shot him a look, then scanned the other contestants.
Seeing no objections, he nodded. "Please welcome the Top 5 to the arena!"
"Let me briefly explain the rules one more time. The Top 5 will act as defending champions. Any remaining contestant may issue a challenge. Successfully defending your title once allows you to decline further challenges. Winning a challenge grants you the title of new champion, and you may also decline all subsequent challenges."
"The Top 5 Challenge—begins now!"
The referee's voice boomed across the stadium, and the atmosphere instantly tensed up.
Yet, once the challenge phase started, the arena fell into a strange, heavy silence.
The five champions stood calmly on their respective stages.
The stands were packed with people, but no one dared to step forward and issue the first challenge.
"I challenge Tyr!"
"I challenge Ethan!"
Almost simultaneously, the voices of Kane and Vax rang out.
Upon hearing Kane's declaration, Vax shot him a weird look.
Both of them were S-rank talents, but there was a world of difference between them.
Kane had surrendered without even fighting him—clearly, he was far weaker.
And now this washed-up loser had the gall to challenge Ethan?
What was going on in his head?
Could it be that he thought Ethan would be an easy target after his grueling battle?
The thought made Vax grind his teeth in frustration.
After being knocked off the arena, the competitive fire and shame had faded, leaving his mind clear for the first time.
Ethan had been toying with him this entire time!
He didn't know what the priest's goal was, but he'd never forget this grudge!
Vax chugged a large mana potion, waiting for his mana to refill completely before stepping onto the arena.
The rules prohibited the use of any single-use items on stage,
and forbade drinking any power-enhancing potions before a match.
But mana potions were allowed—otherwise, few contestants would have enough mana to endure such high-intensity battles.
Vax shot Kane a pitying smirk, then hopped onto the fifth arena.
Kane's fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white, hatred burning in his chest.
'So what if you won once? What are you so smug about!'
"Just wait until I take Ethan's champion title! Then you'll see the unbridgeable gap between your strength and mine!"
Kane leaped onto the arena in a single bound, his eyes locking onto Ethan with fierce intensity.
His Conceptual Armament's Triple Enhancement was finally off cooldown.
He was absolutely confident he could finish the fight in under a minute!
Ethan glanced at the tempting S-rank talent on Kane's status panel, a flicker of interest in his eyes.
The guy's Triple Enhancement only lasted for one minute.
He wondered if that would be enough time to copy his talent.
If not… how would he stop Kane from surrendering once the enhancement wore off?
"What's wrong? Scared?"
Kane scoffed, his voice dripping with provocation.
"You were so good at putting on an act earlier. Why are you hesitating now?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow, stepping onto the stage.
"If you're so determined to humiliate yourself, I'll try to make this last as long as possible for you."
The words were like gasoline on a fire, making Kane's anger flare even hotter.
"Hmph! Let's see if you can even last one minute against me before running your mouth!"
He was determined to end this fight quickly—ten seconds to defeat Ethan, and the remaining fifty to make him suffer!
"Match—start!"
Even before the referee's voice faded, an overwhelming aura erupted from Kane's body!
A suit of silvery-white light armor materialized, covering him from head to toe.
Triple Enhancement—activated!
Strength, agility, spirit, constitution—all his stats skyrocketed threefold!
A terrifying pressure radiated outward from his body!
"It's over!"
Kane growled, and the arena floor beneath his feet cracked inch by inch.
His figure vanished from sight as if teleporting.
The next instant—
he reappeared right in front of Ethan!
His fist sliced through the air with a sharp, ear-splitting crack.
The punch, amplified by triple his normal strength, slammed mercilessly toward Ethan's face!
This punch was fast, ruthless, and precise—far more powerful than any attack he'd unleashed before!
Gasps exploded from the stands!
Everyone was certain Ethan couldn't possibly dodge this thunderous strike.
Yet, just as the fist was about to connect—
Ethan caught it with his bare hand!
Kane's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
How is this possible?!
He had activated Triple Enhancement, pushing his stats to unprecedented heights.
The speed and power of this punch had even taken him aback—he'd been certain no one could block it!
But Ethan… had caught it with such casual ease?
The hand clamping down on his fist was terrifyingly steady, as if his full-powered blow was nothing more than a gentle breeze brushing past.
"That's all you've got?"
Ethan's voice was calm, even carrying a hint of genuine confusion—as if he really was wondering why such a loud, flashy attack was so utterly weak.
These two simple words were more cutting than any vicious insult.
"You're asking for death!"
The sheer humiliation sent Kane spiraling into madness.
Reason was burned away by his blazing fury.
Celestial Fire Ignition!
He activated the core skill of the Celestial Fire Knight.
Scorching flames erupted from Kane's body in an instant,
coiling around his silver armor and turning him into a veritable god of fire.
His strength and speed surged once more.
The intense heat seared the air, causing it to crackle and pop.
He wrenched his fist free, then slammed his other fist—wreathed in roaring flames—toward Ethan with even greater speed and power!
Fists, elbows, knees, legs…
Kane, empowered by Celestial Fire Ignition, launched an onslaught of attacks like a violent storm, fueled by a rage hot enough to incinerate everything in its path.
In an instant, his attacks completely swallowed Ethan's figure.
All anyone could see on the arena were blurs of crimson fists and legs, accompanied by exploding waves of fire!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The dense sound of impacts was like thunder, sending tremors through everyone's hearts.
The audience watched, mesmerized, their breaths coming in short, ragged gasps.
"S-so strong!"
"It just goes to show—no S-rank talent is to be underestimated. Even Kane, the so-called weakest one, is terrifyingly powerful!"
"This is insane! Who could possibly withstand this?"
Yet, at the eye of this storm, Ethan remained as composed as ever.
He blocked every single attack with ease.
He even took the time to slap a dozen stacks of Celestial Fire Marks onto Kane's body.
The longer Kane fought, the more shocked and frustrated he became.
It felt like he was slamming his fists against an impregnable mountain—
unable to make even the slightest dent!
And what made it even more unbearable was that Ethan was still taking breaks between attacks to hit him with that damned Heal!
The insult was off the charts!
This was a hundred times more agonizing than being defeated outright!
"AAAAGH! DIE ALREADY!"
Kane's sanity snapped completely.
He poured every last drop of power into his attacks, striking with increasing ferocity, his movements growing wild and uncoordinated.
Celestial Fire Slash, Knight Charge… he unleashed every skill in his arsenal without reservation.
The scattered flames nearly covered the entire arena.
But Ethan's figure stood firm like a reef amidst a raging storm, unshaken by the howling wind and crashing waves.
He even had the leisure to adjust his stance casually between attacks.
Kane's heart sank lower and lower.
Fear, cold as ice, began to drown out his blazing rage.
The duration of Triple Enhancement was ticking away rapidly!
Forty seconds had already passed!
Not only had the enemy not sustained any injuries—his breathing hadn't even hitched once!
How was this possible?! He was just a priest!
Could it be… that all his previous matches, including that grueling war of attrition against Vax, had been nothing but an act?
The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning, turning his limbs cold with terror.
"Time's running out for you," Ethan's voice cut through the chaos, calm and eerie.
Kane's body jolted, his frantic attacks stuttering for a split second.
How did he know?!
No—he couldn't let the enemy distract him!
It was just a bluff!
He refused to believe Ethan had blocked forty seconds of his relentless assault without suffering any damage at all.
There had to be a cost!
With that thought, Kane's attacks grew even more ferocious.
Fifty-five seconds… fifty-six seconds…
Kane could feel the explosive power surging through his veins beginning to fade.
The duration of Triple Enhancement was drawing to a close!
Panic seized his heart completely.
No! It can't end like this!
Kane's attacks grew more desperate than ever—
but they were utterly useless!
A wave of crippling weakness crashed over Kane's body like a landslide.
His face turned as pale as paper, and he gasped for breath, his hands barely able to grip his sword.
It was over.
Time was up.
His mind went completely blank.
Meanwhile, Ethan kept casting Heal on him nonstop.
After all, Kane was covered in so many Blazing Inferno Marks—
one wrong move, and he might end up burning to death right there on the stage, getting knocked out before Ethan could copy his talent.
He had to admit—now that he had the Blazing Hellfire Rage S-rank talent,
farming stats and talents had become much more efficient.
He no longer had to alternate between attacking and healing his opponents.
Each Blazing Inferno Mark burned for five seconds, steadily chipping away at their HP—saving him a great deal of trouble.
After a moment, Kane's senses returned.
He glared at Ethan with bitter resentment, about to open his mouth to surrender.
But before a single word could escape, Ethan frowned and slammed his staff directly into Kane's mouth.
Surrender?
Are you kidding me?
I haven't copied your talent yet!
Kane stared at him in terror, scrambling to flee the arena.
But Ethan struck his thigh with his staff once more.
He controlled his strength carefully, avoiding breaking the bone—just a simple fracture.
Kane collapsed heavily to the ground.
The referee immediately began the ten-second countdown.
"Ten! Nine! Eight…"
Ethan instantly healed Kane's injuries and hauled him back to his feet.
Kane, his stats halved by the exhaustion debuff, was completely powerless to resist.
He was trapped on this tiny stage, at Ethan's mercy.
Try to speak, and he gets hit in the mouth.
Try to run, and he gets hit in the leg.
Fall down, and he gets forced back upright.
After several rounds of this, Kane shot a desperate look at the referee, begging for help.
The referee, caught in an awkward spot, finally spoke up.
"Ethan, it seems Kane wishes to surrender."
"Surrender?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
"But he hasn't said a single word, referee. We must respect the contestant's own will—we can't assume he wants to give up just because he looks a little tired."
The referee was left tongue-tied.
It was true—Kane hadn't explicitly said the word "surrender" at any point.
According to the rules, the match couldn't be terminated against the contestant's will.
Kane's eyes blazed with fury, humiliation and fear warring within him.
He tried to signal the referee with his eyes, but Ethan casually shifted his body, blocking the referee's concerned gaze.
At the same time, he pressed the tip of his staff lightly against Kane's windpipe, preventing him from making any clear sounds—only a series of ragged gasps escaped his throat.