[18th June]
The hovering daggers above Rey shot downward the instant the pressure pinned his body in place.
"ARGHHH!"
A sharp cry burst from his mouth as all four daggers pierced into him almost simultaneously.
Blood splashed across the arena floor.
The crowd that had been standing in excitement moments ago went silent again.
Fortunately, Rey twisted his body at the final second.
None of the blades struck a lethal point.
But the damage was still horrifying.
Two daggers pierced through his left arm.
One stabbed deep into his thigh.
And the last buried itself into the side of his abdomen.
His body trembled violently from the impact as blood dripped steadily onto the ground beneath him.
Yet before he could even pull them out properly, the daggers suddenly began vibrating.
Rey's eyes instantly locked onto Raviel.
The latter stood calmly in the distance with one hand slightly raised toward him.
That single gesture was enough.
Rey immediately understood what he was trying to do.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the dagger lodged in his abdomen tightly with both hands.
The next second, the other three blades were violently yanked backwards by Raviel's telekinetic pull.
SCHKK!
Blood tore out together with pieces of flesh as the daggers ripped free from Rey's body with brutal force.
Several people in the audience flinched instinctively.
Even some veteran warriors frowned slightly at the cruelty of the move.
Rey's teeth nearly cracked from how hard he gritted them.
Veins bulged across his forehead as he forcibly suppressed the pain flooding his nerves.
Sweat mixed with blood slid down his chin.
Yet despite everything, his grip over the remaining dagger never loosened.
He slowly raised his head toward Raviel.
"Maybe you don't need this one anymore... I think."
Rey flicked the captured dagger once in his hand.
Now, both of his hands held blades.
For the first time since the battle began, Raviel's eyes narrowed slightly.
He tried recalling the last dagger.
But no matter how much force he applied through his control, the weapon did not move.
Rey was gripping it too tightly.
Raviel's expression darkened faintly.
He stopped wasting effort immediately and instead flicked his fingers forward again.
The remaining three daggers shot toward Rey once more.
But this time, Rey was prepared.
Ignoring the pain ripping through his wounds, he lunged forward instead of retreating.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The sound of metal collisions echoed nonstop.
People quickly noticed something strange.
Rey's dagger handling had changed completely.
Before, his fighting style relied mostly on a single blade and archery.
But now, wielding dual daggers, his movements became far more refined and dangerous.
One blade defended.
The other attacked.
His reaction speed rose sharply as if both hands were moving independently.
Even the pressure from the three floating daggers started losing effectiveness.
And with his enhanced speed and circulation still active, he closed the distance toward Raviel rapidly.
The moment he entered range, Rey thrust one dagger directly toward Raviel's chest again.
But unlike before, Raviel met him head-on.
CLANG!!
The short sword blocked the strike perfectly.
The next second, both instantly entered a brutal close-range exchange.
Sparks exploded continuously across the battlefield.
The speed of their weapons became so fast that ordinary spectators could barely follow the movements anymore.
Rey's expression gradually darkened.
He had assumed that controlling floating daggers while fighting in close combat would divide Raviel's concentration.
But reality proved otherwise.
Raviel fought as if he had trained in this exact situation hundreds of times before.
His swordsmanship never faltered, even while simultaneously controlling the remaining daggers.
'So he prepared for this too...'
Rey's heart sank slightly.
'He may have trained specifically to remove this weakness...'
The pressure began building against him immediately.
And that was exactly the situation he wanted to avoid most.
The floating daggers cornered his movement repeatedly, while Raviel's sword attacks forced him into narrower spaces every second.
His injuries accumulated rapidly.
Cuts began appearing across his body one after another.
His clothes were nearly shredded now.
Blood covered parts of his torso and arms.
And Raviel still wasn't allowing him even a single proper opening to counterattack.
He was steadily dragging Rey toward complete defeat.
Rey inhaled sharply.
Then finally made a decision.
A faint pulse spread outward from his body.
⟪Abyssal Pulse Echo⟫
The world around him changed instantly.
Inside his mind, a virtual dome-like space formed.
Every blade trajectory appeared within it.
Every movement.
Every angle.
Every incoming strike.
His eyes slowly closed.
And then...
His body moved.
Not normally.
But in strange twisting motions that looked almost impossible for a human body to perform.
His daggers slithered like venomous serpents.
Even the old martial artists watching from the noble stands widened their eyes slightly.
CLANG!
Both daggers struck precisely against two incoming floating blades simultaneously.
The Peak Stage-1 dagger Rey originally owned cracked under the impact, barely managing to deflect one blade away.
But the dagger he stole from Raviel was different.
Its strike landed perfectly against the weak point of another floating dagger.
CRACK!
The weapon shattered into fragments instantly.
Gasps erupted across the stadium.
Raviel's eyes sharpened immediately.
He cursed inwardly and rushed forward aggressively.
Rey ignored him completely.
His focus locked onto the final floating dagger.
If he destroyed one more, the pressure would lessen drastically.
But just as he moved—
BOOM!
A kick flew straight toward his chest.
Fortunately, with Abyssal Pulse Echo still active, Rey sensed it beforehand and twisted away narrowly.
The attack barely grazed him as he slid backwards across the ground.
The moment the distance formed between them, he instantly deactivated the skill.
His mana reserves were drying up at a terrifying speed.
Even using it briefly already consumed too much.
Across the battlefield, Raviel recalled all remaining daggers toward himself.
His gaze scanned their condition.
One was completely destroyed.
Another had a heavy dent running across its surface.
One more direct impact, and it would break too.
His expression turned colder.
Rey had not only injured him.
He had destroyed weapons Raviel personally treasured.
Meanwhile, Rey himself wasn't in any condition to keep provoking him anymore.
His breathing had become rough.
Blood continuously dripped from his wounds.
His body felt heavier with every passing second.
Still...
He glanced toward the giant timer above the arena.
Seven minutes had already passed.
Less than three remained now.
A faint smirk appeared on Rey's bloodied face.
He already knew the truth.
Even if the battle dragged on to the end, the chances of victory being given to him were almost nonexistent.
Raviel was the heir of the Duke family.
One of the ruling tyrants of the continent.
No one would offend the Duke over him.
Still...
Dragging Raviel this far already felt satisfying enough.
Rey steadied both daggers for the final phase of the match.
But then—
His expression froze.
Because for the first time since the battle began...
Raviel finally stopped holding back completely.
Spiritual circulation erupted throughout his body.
A brilliant current of energy flowed visibly beneath his skin.
His hair fluttered violently despite the still air.
The spiritual energy coating his swords became so dense that even the surrounding atmosphere distorted faintly.
The pressure radiating from him instantly climbed to another level.
Rey's eyelid twitched.
'You've got to be kidding me...'
His exhausted mind nearly exploded.
'You seriously still had another mode hidden?'
Until now, Raviel had fought mostly using physical ability, weapon mastery, and telekinetic control.
But this...
This was different.
This was the true power of a Spirit Master.
Raviel slowly raised his head.
His eyes locked onto Rey completely.
Like a predator staring at prey that had struggled long enough.
And then—
He vanished.
BOOM!
The arena floor cracked beneath where he stood.
Rey's instincts screamed instantly.
He tried jumping backwards—
—but a hand suddenly appeared around his throat.
A monstrous grip seized his neck violently.
Before Rey could even react, Raviel lifted him into the air like a dead weight.
Rey struggled violently the moment Raviel's hand tightened around his throat.
He tried prying the grip apart.
Tried twisting free.
But it felt like iron chains had locked around his neck.
No matter how much force he used, the hand didn't budge even slightly.
His eyes hardened.
Without hesitation, he slammed his fists repeatedly into Raviel's face and arm.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
But Raviel didn't even flinch.
It was as though the blows striking him were nothing more than falling leaves.
Then suddenly—
BOOM!!
Raviel hurled him downward like discarded trash.
Rey's body smashed into the arena floor with terrifying force.
The ground beneath him exploded into spiderweb cracks instantly.
A mouthful of blood burst out from Rey's lips as pain shot through his entire body.
Yet Raviel wasn't finished.
Not even close.
Before Rey could recover, a brutal kick slammed directly into his abdomen.
CRACK!!
The fractured arena floor sank even deeper.
Rey's body curled violently from the impact.
He could feel his internal organs trembling painfully now.
The crowd stared in horror.
Just moments ago, the battle had seemed almost equal.
Now?
The entire situation had reversed completely.
Raviel was overwhelming him mercilessly.
And the worst part—
He still looked furious.
Raviel raised his leg again, aiming directly for Rey's face.
But at the last second, Rey rolled away desperately.
BOOOOM!!
The stomp shattered the ground where his head had been moments earlier.
Dust and broken stone exploded upward.
Rey barely managed to lift himself—
Only for another kick to slam into his stomach like a cannon blast.
His body flew through the arena like a broken kite.
He skidded violently across the ground before finally stopping near the edge of the battlefield.
Blood dripped continuously from his mouth.
His vision blurred slightly.
Every breath now burned.
He clutched his stomach tightly while lying on his back, staring weakly at the sky above.
But before he could even catch a proper breath—
SHHHK!
A sharp sound sliced through the air.
Then—
PAIN.
Unimaginable pain erupted through his back.
"ARGHHHHH!!"
Four blades pierced through him instantly.
Two stabbed through his shoulder area.
The other two pierced deep into his thighs.
The daggers nailed his body directly into the arena floor.
Gasps erupted across the entire stadium.
Many immediately recognised the scene.
Because this...
This was exactly what Raviel had done in his previous matches.
The same merciless execution-style domination.
Rey tried moving.
But the daggers were being forced downward continuously through Raviel's spiritual pressure.
It felt as though giant nails had pinned him alive.
His muscles trembled violently from the strain.
Yet no matter how much he resisted, his body barely moved an inch.
Footsteps slowly echoed closer.
Rey raised his head slightly.
Raviel was approaching calmly.
One more dagger floated into his hand.
Rey instantly recognised it.
His own dagger.
The one he had lost earlier.
Raviel stopped directly beside him.
Then slowly crouched down.
His cold eyes stared into Rey's face.
"Aren't we familiar with this scene?"
His voice was quiet.
But every word carried poison.
"Ah... right."
"That brother of yours... Fenlor."
"He was also lying in this exact same state before."
Rey's pupils contracted violently.
Raviel's smirk widened faintly.
"Maybe you remember it clearly."
"Then guess what happens next."
He suddenly twisted one of the daggers embedded in Rey's shoulder deeper.
"ARGHHH!!"
Rey's body jerked violently as agony surged through him.
Blood flowed even faster from the wounds now.
"Beg for mercy."
Raviel spoke calmly while staring down at him.
"Or surrender right now."
"Otherwise... I can't guarantee what happens next."
His expression remained completely cold.
Like he genuinely did not care whether Rey survived or died.
"I'll make you bleed twice the amount you made me bleed."
"So hurry up."
"Before I accidentally kill you."
Silence covered the stadium.
Even the cheering audience from before had disappeared completely.
The atmosphere now felt suffocating.
Many people watching no longer looked excited.
They looked disturbed.
Rey's fingers dug into the cracked arena floor.
His entire body trembled from pain.
The pressure on the daggers increased again.
It felt like his flesh was being slowly torn apart from the inside.
His breathing became uneven.
His thoughts started blurring.
'Is this... really it?'
His eyes shook faintly.
'After everything... this is all the strength I managed to gather?'
'I still can't defeat this bas*ard...'
'I couldn't even take revenge for Fenlor...'
A bitter laugh almost escaped him.
Instead of standing victorious...
He had ended up in the exact same position as his brother.
Broken.
Pinned down.
Humiliated.
'Should I just surrender...?'
His fingers clenched harder against the ground.
His will trembled violently.
The pain.
The exhaustion.
The hopelessness.
Everything was dragging him downward.
Then—
A voice echoed faintly in his mind.
A faint memory of the past surfaced in front of his eyes.
"Rey... don't lose hope yet."
"I know you can do this."
"Move forward."
"Keep going."
His eyes widened slightly.
That voice...
He knew it.
That blurry memory deep inside his mind of somebody.
A figure.
Tall.
Warm.
Someone whose face he could barely remember anymore.
Yet somehow...
That voice still remained engraved inside him.
'Dad...?'
The word escaped his lips unconsciously.
Rey froze.
Even he didn't understand why that forgotten memory had surfaced now.
Why, at this exact moment—
when his will was collapsing—
Did he suddenly remember his father?
His blurry gaze slowly lifted upward.
Raviel still stood there above him.
Cold.
Proud.
Waiting.
That same smirk.
The exact same expression he had worn while tormenting Fenlor.
He wanted Rey to break.
Wanted him to kneel.
Wanted him to beg.
The dagger pressed deeper again.
A painful groan escaped Rey's mouth.
Then slowly...
Very slowly...
Rey raised his head fully.
His lips parted apart.
Raviel's eyes narrowed slightly.
Waiting eagerly for the words he wanted to hear most.
And finally—
"I..."