Why am I hesitating? He shouldn't even be a threat… so why the fuck do I feel like I need to end this right now?

His hesitation lasted barely a breath. Then his resolve snapped into place. He shifted his grip, blades reversed, Force surging wildly through his veins.

"Blade Art—Hundred Flowers Slash!"

His arms blurred, transforming into whirring propellers of steel. Hundreds of slashes erupted, a storm of gleaming arcs spiraling toward Axel. Each cut carried only a fraction of his full strength, but with so many packed into seconds, it was a death sentence to anyone reckless enough to meet it head-on.

Terrence sneered. You're charging straight in? Idiot. Even if you tag me with a couple of hits, you'll be shredded into ribbons.

But then—his eyes widened.

"What the…?"

Axel didn't falter. A faint black shimmer enveloped him, a translucent shield swallowing blow after blow. The storm of blades struck and struck again, but each cut dissolved against the barrier like waves crashing into stone.

"Another Original Instrument?!" Terrence snarled.

Axel's shredded coat tore away, revealing the scaled plating beneath. Terrence recognized it instantly. The Serpent King Scale Armor. He'd seen it before, dismissed it as just another piece of equipment. But now, its true power flared: a two-second shield that nullified all attacks under 2000 energy.

And in a battle like this, two seconds was an eternity.

Axel's fist slammed into Terrence's jaw, snapping his head to the side. Terrence's daggers tore into Axel's flesh at the same time, shredding him bloody. Axel staggered but didn't stop, his body a mess of torn skin and crimson trails.

To Terrence, it was monstrous. Most men broke down when drenched in their own blood. He himself had always thrived on pain—his strange talent made him stronger the more he bled. But Axel? Axel didn't even flinch. His face was as cold and expressionless as ever, like pain didn't exist for him at all.

Terrence's lip curled. For the first time, a flicker of unease stabbed through his chest.

Then, with a sharp inhale, he did something that froze the entire arena.

Instead of pulling back, Terrence turned his own blades inward—and drove them twice into his waist.

Blood gushed down his legs, staining his pants dark red. The self-inflicted wounds were brutal, far worse than anything Axel had managed to land on him so far.

Gasps exploded from both the students inside the Landscape Scroll and the crowd packed into the Olympic Sports Center.

"Is he insane? Why the hell would he stab himself like that?"

"Even if pain makes him stronger, what the fuck is he doing?!"

......

From the stands, confusion quickly turned to fury.

"Still think this fight isn't rigged? Look at this shit!"

"He's throwing the match! Must've cut a deal with the bookmakers!"

Bettors who had poured money on Stormwatch's victory were on their feet, voices echoing with rage, calling Terrence a cheater, a sellout, a fraud.

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On the battlefield, though, all that mattered was the blood dripping from Terrence's hands and the eerie smile curving across his face.

.......

Inside the Landscape Scroll, Sergio listened to the roar of the crowd, their confusion spilling into every corner of the arena. He only shook his head.

"Terrence… you've gotten smarter," he murmured. His gaze shifted to Axel, and a faint grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "And you—so you really had a fourth Original Instrument hidden up your sleeve. That's insane. But now… let's see. What's your play?"

At first, Sergio thought he had both fighters figured out. But the longer the duel raged, the more that confidence wavered. He found himself admiring them both. Two young fighters, reckless and brilliant in equal measure. And he was genuinely curious—how far could this fight go?

......

"That's brutal," Axel muttered under his breath as Terrence drove his blades into his own waist.

The effect was immediate. Blood poured from the wounds, but Terrence's speed shot up, balancing out the boost Axel had gained from his Explosive Energy. In this state, he could weave in and out of Axel's reach, nicking him with relentless cuts while keeping just far enough ahead to avoid being punished outright.

The cocky smirk Terrence had worn earlier was gone. His eyes burned with focus now, every movement deliberate. Axel silently tracked each injury he managed to inflict, watching Terrence's unnatural rhythm unfold.

But time was against him. The fiery edge of Explosive Energy was already fading. As it left him, Terrence's terrifying recovery factor kicked in. The gashes he'd opened were closing before Axel's eyes, and Terrence's movements smoothed back into something steadier—his speed and strength gradually easing down as the wounds sealed.

By the time Axel's power-up bled dry, the gap between them was clear again. Axel's breathing was ragged. Terrence, though still cautious, carried himself with the calm of a predator who only needed to wait for his prey to collapse.

He stayed sharp, though—because he knew. Axel had to be holding a recovery skill in reserve. If he didn't grind down every last drop of that Force, Axel could rebound at any second.

And then it happened.

A faint green glow spilled from Axel's body, light pulsing through his skin. Terrence's eyes narrowed.

Here it comes.

The glow spread, wrapping Axel in a soothing current of energy. The wounds covering his body sealed shut in an instant. Where torn flesh had gaped moments ago, smooth skin reappeared. His body practically flourished with life.

But then something Terrence hadn't anticipated happened. His skin also lit with a faint green glow, a warm surge flooding through his body.

Terrence's heart lurched. Oh, fuck.

Axel's self-healing didn't just restore him. It had stripped Terrence's power away. His self-inflicted wounds were gone, which meant his speed and strength, once amplified by pain, plummeted back to normal.

And Axel? He was stronger than ever.

"Bang! Bang!" Two heavy punches slammed into Terrence before he could adjust. His jaw rattled, his gut twisted, and for the first time in the fight, panic clawed at his chest.

Now Terrence was absolutely certain—Axel meant to drag him into close combat and keep hammering away, no matter the cost.

That realization snapped Terrence into action. He made his decision and broke off, retreating with everything he had.

......

The Olympic Sports Center erupted again—but not in outrage this time. Confusion washed over the stands.

"What the hell are they doing?"

"First one guy's stabbing himself, now the other one's healing him!"

"Did they both bet against themselves?"

Laughter, anger, disbelief—the crowd had no idea what they were watching anymore.

Even inside the Landscape Scroll, the contestants themselves were thrown off. Yara, Raymond, Quincy—some of the most elite fighters in the competition—wore the same blank stares as the crowd.

Only Sergio seemed unfazed. He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with quiet admiration.

"That's it… That's the kind of decision-making you only learn in the field."

.......

Axel felt a flicker of regret as Terrence retreated. He wanted to keep the exchange going, but there was no time to hesitate. His hand snapped to the Red Flame Blade. He funneled every last shred of Force into it. His reserves were nearly gone; between Abundant, his Instruments, and everything else he'd burned, this was all he had left.

"Blade Art—Sky-Splitting Blade!" It was Terrence's—the strongest single-target skill Terrence had ever awakened.

Once he'd created some distance, Terrence snapped into full alert. When he saw Axel raise that familiar blade technique, his pulse quickened. This was it—the moment to fight to the death. Whatever Axel had been plotting, the truth was about to be revealed.

But even as Terrence pulled back, Axel was faster. His blade was already drawn, Force pouring into its edge.

Only fifteen meters separated them. The snow beneath their feet cracked and quaked, flakes spiraling into the stormy air.

Then a high, piercing voice cut through the chaos.

"Terrence, move!"

The warning barely reached them before the world split apart.

A pulse of raw energy swept overhead—so fierce it rattled their bones. Then the sky itself ripped open.

BOOM!

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