His body lay heavy against the arena floor. He tried to rise, but his limbs refused. His chest heaved, every breath ragged, his stamina slipping away as though drained from his very core.

I'm on the ground… I have to get up. I can't let this end here. His fingers dug into the dirt, trembling as he forced them to move. His voice echoed inside his own mind, commanding himself. Get up… get up…

With grit and sheer will, Zero began to push against the weakness weighing him down, struggling to lift himself back to his feet.

Lucian lunged forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat. He froze a hair's breadth from Zero and leveled his sword at him, eyes cold. "I thought you were strong," he said. "I thought you might stand a chance. But I was wrong."

Zero forced himself to his feet, every limb protesting. He swallowed, steadied his breath. "You underestimated me," he replied. "My attack isn't flashy, but I'm not weak."

Lucian's lip curled. "Just give up. One more slash from me and your armor will crumble—every joint, every plate. I'll pull off your helmet and see that face." He tightened his grip on the hilt as if savoring the thought of the finishing blow.

Zero's jaw set. "You misjudged me," he said, voice low and fierce. "I won't give up."

With a roar, Zero triggered Momentum Amplification. His body lightened, speed snapping into him like a coiled spring. He vaulted backward in a blur, creating breathing room between himself and Lucian—buying time, buying survival. Lucian watched him go, sword, the hunt resumed.

"Is he stupid? He's still coming close after injuring me?" Lucian thought, tightening his grip. "Fine. Then I'll use it, Lament Slash. If it lands, his armor will scatter completely. It's already cracked. And maybe even his bones will break."

Two blades shimmered into Lucian's hands. He charged, the aura of his technique flaring. At the last moment, he swung, Lament Slash!

Zero's eyes sharpened. "Paladin, Parry!" His sword caught the strike in perfect timing, the clash ringing out like thunder.

But he didn't stop there. "Sword of Fate!" Zero roared, his blade surging with killing intent as he twisted, aiming directly for Lucian's neck.

Lucian's instincts screamed. He jerked back, narrowly avoiding death, but not unscathed. A red line carved across the side of his neck, thin yet deep enough to spill blood. He landed several feet back, clutching it with wide eyes.

"Damn…" Lucian muttered, smirking despite the pain. "Didn't think you had something like that in you. Impressive." His eyes gleamed. "But now, let's see if you can keep up with my speed."

"Same to you," Zero growled. Then he invoked it, Momentum Amplification, times one hundred!

The next instant, both men vanished from ordinary sight. The audience gasped as the stage blurred with afterimages. Only the thunder of colliding blades echoed, clang, clang, clang, like lightning strikes tearing through the air.

Lucian pressed forward relentlessly, blades raining down without pause. Zero met him strike for strike, parrying each blow, but Lucian's speed left him with no openings to counter. Every move was survival.

"What are they? We can't see!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"The little we hear is just the sound of their swords clashing," another replied.

"Yeah," a third added, "most of the fights today were the same. H-rank fighters… they're too fast. You can't follow them with normal eyes."

On the arena floor, Zero grit his teeth as he blocked another relentless strike. It's close. I'm parrying all of his attacks… but I won't be able to keep this up. No—I have to do it now.

He growled, his voice cutting through the air. "Divine Radiant Flame!"

As his sword blazed with fire, the next clash exploded into a torrent of sparks. In a single opening, Zero drove his blade across Lucian's chest. A red line instantly tore through Lucian's clothes, and blood began to flow.

Lucian staggered back, forcing distance. For the first time since the clash began, both fighters became visible to the audience. Gasps erupted. Even among the crowd, some S-rank participants and Norlan, the most skilled among them, were barely able to follow their movements.

Lucian pressed a hand to his wound, eyes narrowing. He caught me. Should I heal this? I can…

Zero's voice was steady, almost mocking. "I didn't expect you to react at that last strike. I aimed to cut you in two, but you managed to slip away. That wound? It's only a slice. You're lucky."

Lucian smirked faintly. "Maybe I am. But my instincts are sharp." He raised his hand and pressed it against the bleeding line on his chest. Light shimmered, and the injury vanished. Then he touched the cut on his neck, and it too closed, leaving no trace of blood.

He rolled his shoulders, eyes burning with determination. "Now… where did we stop? Let's continue."

What am I going to do? Lucian thought, breath ragged. He's parrying every single one of my attacks. I might have to use my final move to actually beat him. I can tell he has enormous strength, the weight behind his sword is extraordinary, and he lifts it like it's nothing. That shouldn't matter. I'm facing someone who once defeated a lesser dragon, and the strike I'm about to use can fell a lesser dragon as well. I'll use it on him.

The two of them sprinted at each other, blades colliding with a ringing clash. Lucian tried to time and shape his attacks, to find an opening, but Zero was faster now, faster and relentless. He kept parrying, parrying, parrying; every single strike Lucian launched was met and turned aside.

Lucian gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep pressing. He gathered himself for the final move, feeling the weight of consequence settle on his shoulders. If this missed, he would be spent. If it connected, the arena would know why he was feared. The two blades sang as they crossed again.

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