Zenith's aura rose like a wave.

Rhys felt every hair on his body stand up.

Fate gripped the mic with both hands,

"OH NO—OH NO—ZENITH IS DOING THE SCARY CHARGE AGAIN—WHY DOES HE HAVE MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF THE SCARY CHARGE?!"

Dreamer stayed calm.

"Because he can."

Rhys shouted,

"STOP BEING CALM ABOUT IT!!"

Zenith dashed.

He moved so fast the ground cracked behind him.

Rhys barely had time to blink before the attack came down.

He lifted his sword—

KAAAAAAANG!!

The clash exploded again, dust shooting up around them.

But this time—

Rhys didn't just block.

His blade vibrated.

The red aura pulsed outward again—

stronger than before.

A small shockwave rippled from the point of impact.

Zenith slid back a full step this time.

The stands ERUPTED.

Fate screamed,

"ONE FULL STEP!! THAT'S A NEW RECORD!! RHYS IS EVOLVING LIKE A TRAUMATIZED POKÉMON!!"

Dreamer nodded,

"The resonance is growing. Rhys is syncing with the blade at a faster pace than expected."

Puddle pressed her face against the barrier,

"MASTER YOU DID IT AGAIN!! YOU ARE NOW 'STRONG-ISH!!' KEEP GOING!!"

Rhys yelled,

"I DON'T WANT TO BE STRONG-ISH—I WANT TO BE ALIVE-ISH!!"

Zenith steadied his stance again.

He looked at Rhys with a raised eyebrow.

"…Better."

Rhys shouted,

"STOP SAYING 'BETTER' LIKE I'M SOME STUDENT TAKING A BAD EXAM!!"

Zenith didn't answer.

He simply lifted his sword again.

Rhys watched him—and felt the rhythm of his blade.

Ba-dum.

Ba-dum.

Ba-dum.

The beat matched Zenith's movement.

The timing lined up.

Rhys's eyes widened.

"Oh no. I'm starting to understand."

Puddle gasped.

"Oh yes! Understanding is good!"

"No it's NOT!" Rhys shouted. "It means Zenith will hit me HARDER NOW!"

Zenith moved.

Rhys moved too.

Their swords clashed again—

KAAAANG!!

This time Rhys angled his blade perfectly.

The shockwave bounced between them.

Zenith didn't move much—

but he DID move.

He slid back half a step again.

Rhys felt it.

The sword hummed.

It felt almost… satisfied.

Fate was losing his mind.

"HE DID IT A THIRD TIME!! THAT'S THREE PUSHBACKS!! THAT'S A COMBO!! RHYS HAS A THREE-HIT COMBO!!"

Dreamer spoke slowly,

"Zenith is testing him with stronger strikes each time. Rhys needs to be careful… the next one will not be the same."

Rhys's stomach dropped.

He pointed his sword at Zenith and yelled,

"HEY! CAN WE HAVE A BREAK? LIKE A NORMAL BREAK? WATER? SNACKS? NAPS?!"

Zenith didn't even blink.

"No."

Rhys screamed internally.

Zenith stepped forward.

His aura sharpened.

Dreamer's voice tightened,

"He's preparing his real heavy strike."

Fate shouted,

"REAL? REAL HEAVY?! WHAT WERE THE OTHERS THEN—TRAINING WEIGHTS?!"

Rhys clutched his sword.

"WHY DOES HE HAVE A 'REAL' ANYTHING—HE'S ALREADY TRYING TO KILL ME!!"

Zenith raised the sword overhead.

The lights flickered.

The barrier cracked.

Even the announcers flinched.

Puddle squeaked,

"MASTER THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE IT CAN DELETE BUILDINGS!!"

Rhys felt his legs shake.

He whispered,

"Okay… body… please don't fail me now…"

Fate grabbed the mic with both hands again and practically shouted into it,

"OKAY PEOPLE THIS IS IT—ZENITH IS ABOUT to DROP THE 'HIT YOU INTO NEXT WEEK' ATTACK!! IF RHYS SURVIVES, HE DESERVES SNACKS, A MEDAL, AND MAYBE A THERAPIST!"

Dreamer sighed,

"Fate… please calm down."

"I CAN'T CALM DOWN! DO YOU SEE THAT ATTACK? THAT IS NOT A NORMAL ATTACK! THAT IS A 'GOODBYE TO YOUR FAMILY TREE' ATTACK!"

Rhys braced himself, shaking.

Zenith's sword came down—

but Fate kept yelling anyway,

"RHYS IF YOU CAN HEAR ME: BLOCK BETTER! DODGE BETTER! LIVE BETTER! DO ANYTHING BETTER!"

Dreamer added,

"Preferably without dying."

Puddle slammed her hands against the barrier,

"MASTER PLEASE DON'T TURN INTO SMOKE!!"

Zenith's strike hit.

The ground cracked like glass.

A shockwave blasted out so hard the announcer table slid back six meters.

Fate held onto his chair for dear life,

"OH MY GOD WE ARE MOVING—WHY ARE WE MOVING?! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS PROBLEM, NOT OURS!!"

Dreamer adjusted his glasses even while sliding,

"Fate. Focus. We need to see whether Rhys is still alive."

The dust began to clear.

Fate squinted,

"RHYS?! IF YOU ARE IN ONE PIECE PLEASE WAVE! IF YOU ARE IN MULTIPLE PIECES—UM—JUST… JUST THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS!"

Dreamer elbowed him,

"Fate. Stop."

"I'M TRYING TO BE SUPPORTIVE!!" Fate shouted.

The dust faded fully—

and Fate's jaw dropped.

"NO WAY. HE IS STILL STANDING. RHYS IS STILL STANDING!!"

Dreamer let out a breath,

"He redirected the strike at the last second. Very risky… but it worked."

Puddle burst into tears,

"MASTER YOU ARE NOT DEAD!! GOOD JOB!! KEEP DOING THAT!!"

Fate flailed his arms,

"HE DID IT!! RHYS HAS OFFICIALLY PASSED THE 'NOT BEING OBLITERATED BY A GOD' TEST!! LEVEL-UP SOUND EFFECTS FOR EVERYONE!!"

Zenith blinked once, actually surprised.

Rhys wobbled,

"I am… so tired… please… someone tell Zenith to stop… hitting me… like this…"

Fate instantly yelled,

"NOPE! NO BREAKS! YOU SURVIVED THAT ONE SO HE'S DEFINITELY GOING TO HIT YOU WITH SOMETHING EVEN WORSE NOW!"

Rhys:

"WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT OUT LOUD?!"

Zenith rolled his shoulders a little, like he was warming up for round two.

Fate pointed at him wildly,

"SEE?! I TOLD YOU!! LOOK AT HIM! THAT IS THE POSTURE OF A MAN ABOUT TO COMMIT SERIOUS VIOLENCE!"

Dreamer nodded calmly,

"Yes. He's preparing the next attack."

Rhys stared at them with dead eyes,

"WHY ARE YOU BOTH ANNOUNCING IT LIKE A WEATHER REPORT?! 'CHANCE OF RHYS DYING: 98%. POSSIBILITY OF SURVIVING: PLEASE DON'T COUNT ON IT.'"

Puddle pressed her face harder to the barrier,

"MASTER YOU MUST RUN! DODGE! ROLL! TELEPORT! OR JUST BECOME AIR!"

Rhys yelled back,

"I CAN'T BECOME AIR—I'M HUMAN!!"

Zenith finally spoke,

"Good. You survived that one. Now—don't die for the next."

Rhys nearly cried,

"WHY IS THAT YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE?! SAY SOMETHING ENCOURAGING!! LIKE 'YOU CAN DO IT' OR 'BELIEVE IN YOURSELF'!"

Zenith tilted his head.

"…Don't collapse."

"That's not better!!"

Fate jumped up and waved both arms,

"RHYS, LISTEN! YOU CAN DO THIS! OR YOU CAN'T! BUT IF YOU CAN'T, AT LEAST FAIL IN A COOL WAY!"

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.