--- [Isaac’s perspective]
The preliminaries were a little rough, but I got through them.
Some of the people there were exceptionally strong; they could have easily made it far into the main tournament themselves.
If it wasn’t for my specialty, I wouldn’t be here right now…
It cost me my entire left arm, but it was enough to get me through.
With only one working arm, winning this thing won’t be easy, but it had to be done.
The healers can’t heal my sacrifices, even the temporary ones.
What state will my body be in at the end…?
“Sorry everyone! It took longer than usual to get the final match ready due to the fiasco in the previous one. We’re finally back on track though!” – Bob
“We’ve also set up extra security measures to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show everyone!” – Barbara
“And with that, let the final match of the first round begin! Isaac vs Alexander!” – Bob
Alexander…
Alex…
That’s one of the guys from the D-rank exam, and an acquaintance of Lucas.
He beat his opponent with ease, despite him supposedly being the strongest D-ranker there.
I shouldn’t take him lightly.
If I recall correctly, he had some sort of absorption or negation specialty.
Even though his opponent was supposed to be intangible smoke, he was able to touch him.
I don’t think his ability will be relevant in our fight, but you never know.
Do I feel him out, or should I just go for the win immediately?
Both have their own pros and cons.
If I go for the win right away and it turns out his ability can somehow negate my powerup or he can hold out for long enough for it to run out, I might just lose then and there.
But if I feel him out first, he might end up beating me before I get a chance to go all out.
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This is a tricky situation, but…!
Before I get to decide, he comes rushing towards me at an incredible speed, and before I know it, he’s already here.
He unleashes a massive blow, just looking at it I can tell I’ll lose if that makes direct contact…
Since my left arm is temporarily paralyzed, I can only block it with my right.
There’s no way I’ll successfully block an attack like that with only one arm.
There’s no getting away either; he’s way too fast for me to dodge.
I need to use my specialty, now!
But what do I sacrifice…
Quick, I need to come up with something valuable right now!
Uhm…!
My ability to see clearly!
Suddenly, my vision turns blurry, and his fist becomes a blob of colors.
Shit…
Maybe that was too much…
How am I going to win the next few matches like this?
It’s not going to go back to normal until long after the battle festival is over.
But at the same time…!
This power!
There’s so much of it!
I try to grab his fist, but due to my terrible vision, I end up missing, and blocking regularly instead.
Despite getting this massive powerup, he still has enough strength in him to push me back.
He follows up with another punch, and I throw one right back at him at the same time.
His punch lands on my left shoulder, dislocating it.
Luckily, it’s already paralyzed along with the rest of the arm, so I don’t feel it.
My fist digs into his body, but he stands firm.
He is completely unharmed.
At best, it’s going to leave a bruise…
How is he so strong…?
For the first time, he opens his mouth.
“If this is all you’ve got, just surrender. It’s for your own good.” – Alex
There’s something about the way he said it…
This isn’t just your regular warning or cocky delusion.
He’s serious.
If I don’t surrender, things will only get worse for me.
But…
“Sorry, bud. Can’t do that. No matter what it takes, I will win this thing. It’s my best shot at finding him…” – Isaac
“…” – Alex
Despite getting this massive boost, I’m still too weak.
I need more…
To hell with my body, I just need enough power to beat him!
Just then, I temporarily sacrifice all feeling in my right arm too…
The power I got from my last sacrifice is still there, but it won’t be long before it goes away.
Now, with the added boost of a second large sacrifice on top, it should be more than enough to take him out!
But I’ve only got one shot; one attack is all the time I’ve got.
With both arms paralyzed, I can’t just throw a regular punch…
I lean back, preparing to launch a powerful headbutt.
He locks eyes with me, realizing how serious I am.
I bite down as hard as I can and put every bit of power I’ve got into this single attack.
He casually lifts his hand, preparing to stop my attack with it.
“That won’t be enough!” – Isaac
I ram my head into his hand, but instead of him getting blown back with a broken and bruised body, he just stands there.
He stopped my attack…
“Surrender.” – Alex
His hand didn’t even break…
It took no effort at all for him to stop that…
What is he…?
But…
No…
I still can’t give up!
I need to win!
I don’t like doing it, but I think it’s time to start using permanent sacrifices…
“No. I won’t surre-” – Isaac
Before I get to finish my sentence, I feel his fist ramming into the side of my head…
…
…
…
“And it looks like he’s finally awake, ladies and gentlemen!” – Bob
“Now sit tight everyone, round two will begin in just a few minutes!” – Barbara
I lost…
Right when I was about to start making permanent sacrifices, he knocked me out…
We’re both still on stage, so I doubt I was out for very long.
“Sorry sir, but it looks like I’m unable to heal your arms.” – Healer
“I know, don’t worry about it.” – Isaac
“Alright.” – Healer
With no arms to support me, I struggle getting up for a second before Alex helps me out.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” – Alex