Theo sees the massive fist of the half-giant coming toward his face. He tries to lift his own hand to block the attack, but his opponent is simply too fast and hits him directly, BAM! Theo sees the world spin as he hits the floor, drops of his blood flying through the air.
"WOAH!!!" He hears several surprised voices, and in that second, he realizes that all the bullies he faced on the streets, even those much older than him, were no challenge at all. Comparing starving kids to a half-giant who probably grew up fighting with his fists makes no sense.
But instead of staying on the floor, Theo ignores the pain in his face and tries to get up and react, but he fails again as he feels the cold boot of the half-giant against his stomach. His body goes light for half a second before intense pain spreads from his belly through his whole body.
BAM! With a brutal kick, the half-giant sends Theo flying like a ragdoll several meters to the edge of the arena, almost falling into the lake. He tries to get up quickly, but feels a sharp pain in his belly and ends up vomiting a mouthful of blood on the floor.
Theo remembers that Eruina warned him that the physical aptitude tests could be quite violent, but he didn't expect his opponent to actually try to kill him. The half-giant doesn't advance to the edge of the arena but instead flashes a sadistic smile at Theo on the floor.
Behind the giant, Theo also sees the shocked faces of the other nobles in line, the satisfied smiles of the Dalemmar and their allies, and especially the expressions of Lorien and Sarah. The mysterious white-haired boy looks furious and ready to jump at the half-giant's throat, but Sarah is holding him while she herself stares at Theo with calm and confident eyes.
He can't help but smile at her as he wipes the blood from his mouth and stands up, facing the half-giant, who laughs mockingly. Theo straightens his posture and spits on the floor before flashing a provocative smile at the half-giant, who looks confused. At the side, Luke seems annoyed while Vera watches excitedly.
Theo doesn't wait for his opponent to act and charges at him at full speed. The pain he feels inside his body burns in his veins like flames, sharpening his senses. Now fully focused, he approaches the half-giant who swings his fist forward carelessly.
Whoosh! Theo ducks just in time, circles around the half-giant, and punches him in the belly. BAM! Theo feels his fist collide with the side of the half-giant's belly, but instead of it being soft like anyone else's, it's hard as rock and doesn't budge at all, while it's Theo who feels his fist ache.
"Hehe!" The half-giant laughs and quickly turns. Theo is caught by surprise and can't dodge a punch that hits him in the face. BAM! This time, Theo stays firm not to be thrown to the floor, but his blood still splashes due to the brutal blow.
He quickly recovers and dodges another blow from the half-giant, circling his opponent and punching his belly on the other side and in front, but no matter where Theo hits, the whole body of the half-giant feels like solid rock.
The half-giant doesn't stand still and counters all of Theo's strikes, landing several hits. Finally, Theo tries to take down his opponent with a sweep, but the half-giant seems rooted to the ground like an ancient tree and kicks Theo before he can get up, launching him several meters back again.
"Arrgh…" Theo feels his limbs go numb from all the pain. His face is wet with blood, as are his clothes, and he fails to get up from the floor, spitting up another mouthful of blood.
The half-giant doesn't attack again, and Theo can see the pitying expressions of dozens of nobles, including Professor Luke, who starts walking toward him, raising a hand. "This battle is ove-" But before Luke can finish speaking, Theo raises his hand, too. "I'm not done yet."
"But-" Luke tries to argue, but Vera interrupts him. "The boy is fine, Luke, and he wants to keep fighting, so give him a chance." Luke just sighs as he returns to his position, and Theo flashes a grateful smile at Vera, who nods slightly to him in response.
Theo starts getting up again and notices that the necklace Eruina gave him is outside of his shirt, so he holds it for a second before tucking it back inside his shirt. Then he gets up, wipes the blood from his face, and stares at his opponent again. The half-giant is intact, without any injuries or even the slightest scratch.
Having tried hitting almost every part of the half-giant's body, Theo knows only two remain. One he doesn't want to punch for obvious reasons, leaving only the half-giant's head as a target. Theo hasn't tried landing a direct hit on the face yet because the height difference between them is over half a meter, making it quite a challenge. But with no other options, he charges again toward his opponent.
The half-giant watches Theo advancing and then jumping to initiate a powerful punch mid-air. Theo's movement is very fast, but the half-giant anticipates his moves and catches Theo's fist in the air, pulling him toward his other hand, which he uses to grab Theo by the neck.
Being in the air and in the middle of a risky move, Theo can't do anything and falls into the half-giant's grasp, who holds him suspended in the air by the neck. Theo tries to use his free hand to break the grip, but it seems impossible.
"You're weak!" the half-giant exclaims, pulling Theo closer so others can't hear him whisper. "My boss told me to say he's going to teach your girlfriend some manners. And as for your little faggot friend..." The half-giant shows a sadistic yellowish grin. "Let's just say he's going to be my prize, hehehe…"
Theo feels his blood boiling in his veins even more, and it leaks from his mouth and eyes while the half-giant squeezes his neck with all his strength. He also feels his whole body burning, his flames stirring inside him, and fighting against the restrictive enchantment of Eruina's necklace. He knows something is going to happen if he can't escape that…
With the half-giant focused on his provocations, Theo manages to think of something and acts quickly, grabbing the half-giant by the collar of his shirt and surprising him by pulling his head toward his own, smashing their foreheads against each other in a brutal headbutt. BAM! CRACK!
Theo and the half-giant hear the cracking echo inside their heads and a sharp pain strikes both of them. The half-giant takes a step back, clearly shaken, but he doesn't release Theo, who also becomes dizzy and with the vision blurred.
"HA!" Theo recovers from the dizziness quickly and, even with his head aching and bleeding, throws a wild look at the half-giant, who is shocked by Theo's sudden explosive surge of strength. Before he can think of anything, Theo grabs the half-giant's neck with his free hand and pulls their heads together for another brutal headbutt.
"ARGHH!" Once again, both hear the cracking of bones echo inside their skulls, this time even louder. The half-giant can't handle the intense pain and dizziness, releasing Theo and taking more steps backward. Theo almost falls to his knees while trying to deal with his own dizziness. His skull feels cracked, and the pain flows through his whole body.
Most of the people watching hear the loud cracks and are shocked to see both still standing. The half-giant looks stunned, but Theo shakes his head and slaps his own face, quickly recovering. He lifts his head and flashes a confident smile at the half-giant. "Hey, big piece of shit!"
The half-giant regains some awareness upon hearing Theo's voice, but his vision is still blurred and his mind confused. He can only see Theo running toward him and jumping again. He tries to defend himself, but his body simply doesn't obey now, and all he can do is watch as Theo jumps high and drives his clenched fist straight into his face.
BAM! The brutal blow sends the half-giant crashing to the floor as some of his teeth fly out along with his blood. He hits the floor with a loud impact, making the whole arena shake. But before he can think of anything, Theo's face appears right in front of him with a cruel expression.
The half-giant is still confused, stunned by the intense pain in his head, so Theo grabs his collar and lifts him just a little to start punching his face repeatedly. BAM! BAM!! BAM!!! Each punch is more violent than the last, crushing the half-giant's nose and tearing out even more of his teeth.
"That's enough! Enough!!" Luke exclaims as he moves toward them, but Vera steps in front of him. "He's still conscious and hasn't given up." She argues, but Luke doesn't stop. "The boy is going to kill him!!"
Luke pushes Vera out of his way and then pulls Theo away from the half-giant. Theo needs a few seconds to calm down and for his blood to cool, then he exhales and wipes the blood from his face, throwing a mocking look at the half-giant lying in a puddle of his own blood. "He's still breathing."
While Professor Luke treats the half-giant's more serious injuries, Vera approaches Theo with an excited smile. "My my~" She gives him a thorough look from head to toe. "I was right about you…"
Theo returns the eccentric professor's analyzing look with a cold expression. "Not disappointing you wasn't on my list of priorities." Theo's words make Vera start laughing. "Hahaha!"
But Theo ignores Vera and turns his attention back to Sarah and Lorien, who quickly enter the arena with concerned expressions. "Big brother? Are you okay??" Lorien exclaims, worried about Theo's state, and Sarah quickly pulls out a small bottle with a viscous green liquid from her pocket, pouring a few drops onto her finger and bringing it to Theo's bloodied forehead. "I heard the cracks-"
Sarah gently rubs Theo's forehead with her thumb, spreading the green liquid but growing increasingly confused. "H-how… I'm sure I heard the cracks… but there's no wound." She looks at Theo with a curious gaze, but he only smiles back at her. "You must have heard the other guy's head cracking."
"I guess so…" Sarah doesn't look fully convinced about that, but she can't stop smiling at Theo. "Anyway, you were bloody fantastic out there! I knew you were special the moment I saw you."