Slrrsh.
His sword cut a fine line across my left arm, painting the sand crimson.
My jaw clenched as another wave of pain washed over me, but I stepped aside and raised my sword into position.
I wasn't given even a moment to breathe before he attacked again.
Swoosh.
Another stab aimed at my left side.
Clang.
I lifted my sword and slashed against his, parrying it aside.
Step.
He pulled back and continued with a diagonal slash at my now unguarded right side.
Shing.
I shifted my sword back and placed my free hand against the blade, barely blocking his strike.
Clang.
His sword slammed against mine, pushing me back.
Step.
He took half a step back before attacking again, aiming a quick stab at my left shoulder.
Swoosh.
I turned the sword and slashed to my left, aiming to parry his strike, but—
I was too late.
Shuk.
Clang.
Slrrsh.
His sword had already pierced my shoulder as I hit it, which created an even deeper cut across my shoulder.
"Aghhh!"
Pain flared up as if my shoulder were on fire.
Blood gushed out of the wound and flowed down my arm.
Drip.
But he didn't stop.
Step.
He pulled his sword back—
The pain made me react too late.
—and stabbed again.
Shuk.
"Arrgh!"
His sword pierced my thigh.
I jumped back under the pain, but even more came as his sword was pulled away.
Slrrt.
Drip.
The continuous sound of blood falling to the ground echoed.
Drip.
My head felt dizzy after all the blood loss, and my legs felt weak.
I gained distance after that jump.
But—
Step.
That didn't matter.
Shing.
He pressed forward and slashed downward straight at my injured shoulder.
Pain rose, but I forced my arms to move, shifting the sword into a horizontal guard with my left hand as support.
Clang.
His sword slammed against mine.
My injured leg trembled uncontrollably under the sword's weight, but I kept my knees from touching the ground.
I knew I wouldn't be able to rise again if I did.
Our blades locked.
He leaned forward, pushing even more weight behind his sword, making my legs almost buckle and collapse.
Then—
As I was desperately fighting, keeping myself standing.
"It's over, boy."
He spoke.
My head turned.
His eyes met mine.
And there it was.
That same mocking smile again.
Thud.
He pushed one more time against my sword, forcing me back, before retreating.
And—
Shing.
He slashed again.
But not at me.
His sword cut through the air as he slashed at nothing.
A fine line of red appeared in the sand where he had slashed.
Blood.
My blood.
I watched that crimson line in the sand for a moment longer, almost in a trance.
His voice resounded again, forcing my eyes back to him.
"The winner is already decided."
His tone wasn't mocking.
No.
Indifferent, as if he were just stating a fact.
My legs were heavy.
Sore muscles.
My mana was almost drained.
Cuts and stab wounds covered my body.
I was exhausted.
Not just from the fight.
From everything.
From days of training without rest.
From nights without sleep.
From questions that had no answers.
I had trained until my mana was empty.
Until I couldn't stand anymore.
Then trained even more during the night.
I fought every day.
Another duel.
Another death.
Another number added to the wall.
Now—
I was tired of it all.
Surviving until tomorrow?
I don't think I can, Lisa.
I want to give up.
To stop.
To let it all end.
To rest.
I want to rest.
But—
Something...
Something about him—
About all of them—
Made me snap.
The crowd.
John's smile.
And number 8.
They laughed at me.
They had no idea what I endured to stand here.
I went through torture.
Then through hell.
And then through frost.
One worse than the other.
And—
I survived all of it.
I arrived here.
And now I was told to survive again?
Again?
And Again?
Until when?
She said, until tomorrow.
But when will this tomorrow be?
In a week?
A month?
A year?
Or even longer?
Who will I be then?
Will I still be Adonis?
Or someone else?
All these questions without answers frustrated me.
The frustration built.
Layer after layer.
Slowly.
It turned—
Into anger.
He said that it's already decided.
That angered me even more.
I was angry.
At them.
At myself.
At the world.
There was so much anger.
I didn't know where to put it.
So I put it into the only thing I had.
My sword.
My grip tightened around the hilt.
Number 8.
He stood in the same spot as before, a few steps away from me, relaxed, as if it wouldn't matter whatever I did.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
And—
I channeled my mana.
Warmth spread.
Shoulders.
Arms.
Hands.
Fingers.
Chest.
Stomach.
Legs.
Feet.
I enhanced my whole body.
Everything.
All the training I did.
Draining my mana until I had nothing left.
Until I couldn't walk anymore.
It was a stupid idea, and what I tried failed miserably.
But it wasn't useless.
When my muscles were sore.
When I had drained most of my mana.
I still attempted to do another strike.
I couldn't move my arms anymore.
So I used mana instead.
I used the minuscule amount I had left, enhanced my arm, and swung.
Again.
And again.
That was when I learned something new.
The way I had enhanced my limbs before was wrong.
I had flooded my arms and legs with mana, pushing it to the brim inside.
The amount of mana I used gave me strength, yes, but it was inefficient.
Too much mana leaked during the enhancement, and even joints and muscles that weren't used were enhanced, which hindered my movements.
This slowed me down and lessened the force I could use.
It took some time before I found a solution.
In that mana-drained state, I tried something new out of curiosity or desperation.
I created a continuous path from my core to my four limbs with the small amount of mana I had left.
Like a fine line of mana or a stream.
I called them Mana Lines.
They connected all my limbs to my core at the same time.
Then—
When I moved, and only then would I push more mana into my limbs, like a burst. That as well only into the used muscles.
Those same mana lines thickened like a continuous flow from the muscle I used to the next.
This technique enabled me to maintain a continuous enhancement and strengthen my muscles when I needed them.
There was no extra mana loss by leakage now.
The muscles and joints that weren't used during the movement no longer hindered me.
The enhancement itself was also faster, as my body was in a continuous enhanced state.
It gave me more explosive strength and speed.
It wasn't some grand breakthrough.
But it was enough.
I took a step forward.
Thud.