The crowd cheers as Jae Il-Seong rushes at Christian. From what they could tell, Christian had just toyed with an innocent girl who was trying her hardest. Christian barely managed to turn around and block Jae Il-Seong’s stab with his sword. He held back while fighting Nang, and couldn’t power himself up fully, so he was easily thrown back, but made sure to push himself up to not hit Nang. The entire stadium shook as Chrisitan got knocked into the deeper section of the wall.
“W-Wait! Brother! Don’t–” Nang tried saying before Jae Il-Seong tossed her back through the Arena’s entrance.
“I don’t want to hear it. This monster has to pay for his crimes!” Jae jumped at the pile of rubble that had collapsed on Christian. Right before the rapier made contact with the rubble, Christian’s hand came out to grab it, and snapped it in two.
“That’s against the rules pal. You don't intervene when I’m helping your sister just because you think you deserve to control her.” Jae’s eyes widened as Chrisitian pushed himself out of the rubble and punched him away. Jae stopped himself with an aeromancy card while pondering on how he would know that. He had literally only talked to him once. Christian’s skin adapted to the damage it took, becoming thinner so that any stab Jae would pull off would sink into Christian’s muscle, and be temporarily stuck, which would allow him to pile on Jae while he couldn’t move.
“Stop projecting. You feel like you can control people just because you’re good at reading faces and think you’ve got everything figured out.” Said Jae Il-Seong before reaching for his true weapon. He had purposefully used a weak weapon and spells to defeat Ian, and didn’t think Christian would manage to destroy his decoy weapon. His true weapon was meant to be a surprise for the demoness.
“Sure pal. Whatever makes you happy.” Christian said as he waited for Jae Il-Seong to make a move. Christian’s class was inherently defensive until he used his level ten ability.
“You are unworthy of witnessing my true weapon, but even unworthy evil must face the rapier of justice.” Said Jae Il-Seong. He was clearly trying to come up with an excuse to maintain… something. Christian didn’t know what he was so defensive of. Sure, Christian wasn’t the strongest man alive, but it wouldn’t be embarrassing to break a weapon to him. Christian knew something was wrong, but couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.
“Just shut up and stab me ya prick.” Said Christian’s to Jae Il-Seong’s annoyance. The crowd could barely even hear what they were saying, and thus their tone became the most important thing about their speech. Christian already knew that, and was speaking confidently and without respect. It would’ve worked if Korean’s weren’t so hung up about respect. He wasn’t seen as an equal to Jae Il-Seong by the wider public, and thus his disrespectful attitude wasn’t perceived as a dismissal of Jae’s ability from a position of strength, but as a paper tiger posturing to seem stronger.
Jae Il-Seong quickly started his assault by summoning a portal beneath him and one above him to build up momentum before summoning a portal on the wall behind Christian and flew through it. Christian’s weak skin didn’t let the blade glide and transfer some of the sharp power into blunt force. It just sunk in. Jae Il-Seong couldn’t believe it. He had to use an ability he reserved for Ian and the demoness. Before he could activate the ability he used on Ian to expand the wound, he was punched right back into the portal he created while still holding his rapier.
“Christian! Activate your ability! He’s trying to use the thing he used on Ian!” Yelled the demoness. Christian quickly realised it and activated his level ten ability. “Ultimate Adaptation” not only perfectly adapted Christian’s body to take damage from his opponent, but to also use their powers against them. His skin became incredibly elastic so that Jae couldn’t actually stab him. The rapier would sink in, but never penetrate the skin, which was required to expand the wound. His skin also got increasingly sticky to still get Jae Il-Seong stuck and unable to move when striking Christian.
Jae didn’t know any of that, so continued his assault on Christian. Most of his abilities were one time use. He could use any variety of spells, but in the form of cards that would disintegrate after being used, portals being the obvious exception since his class needed something in case he didn’t prepare for a battle. If he used too many of them against Christian, he would be guaranteed to lose against the demoness. Jae had already wasted another wound expansion card. He started accelerating again using the same method, and just as before he went in to stab Christian from the back.
“Are you stupid or something?” Christian said before grabbing Jae Il-Seong and running at a wall. He tried smashing Jae’s skull in, but Jae managed to open a portal that led into another one in the sky. Jae Il-Seong flipped Christian over so his back would face the ground. Christian just stayed like that, unphased, and got squished as he hit the ground. His skin’s elasticity managed to keep him together before his body reshaped itself. He could feel his skin starting to flake off, which meant he had a minute or two left. Jae Il-Seong backed off only for Christian to go after him. Jae sliced off a bit of his own cape and teleported away. He wrapped the cloth around the tip of his rapier and started building up speed again.
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“Here’s something funny, old man. You’re right, and nobody will believe you.” Said Jae Il-Seong before trying to strike Christian again the same way.
“Sure they won’t.” Christian, who was smart enough to realise Jae wouldn’t just do the same thing without being sure it would succeed, or be closer to succeeding, slashed at Jae’s rapier from the side, and its more solid frame made sure it didn’t bend, but just made Jae fly off with it instead. Jae summoned another portal to conserve his momentum and tried stabbing Christian again. Christian, who realised he couldn’t slam Jae Il-Seong into anything thanks to his portals, went directly for his head.
Jae Il-Seong, who was an inch away from death by decapitation, finally had to take a gamble. He would use his temporary boost abilities, and hope the demoness skipped her battle with his party member to directly help Christian. Christian’s slash bounced off of Jae’s new, more durable skin. Christian then got stabbed by the rapier in the shoulder, which was an area where his skin had already mostly flaked off.
“Game over.” Said Jae Il-Seong as Christian’s arm got blown off and the wound expanded to encompass Christian’s whole shoulder. Christian knelt down, clutching his wound, but got back up soon after.
“It’s only over when I say it’s over.” Christian picked up his sword with his non-dominant arm and side stepped another stab from Jae. “I thought you were supposed to be a combat genius.” Said Christian before slamming the flat side of his sword into Jae Il-Seong. Jae, as always, summoned a portal to teleport himself away and get rid of the momentum from the sword, which was the real danger, and then went to stab Christian again.
“I am. I don’t adapt. I learn.” Jae tried finishing Christian off, but Christian lifted his hand, signalling defeat. “Huh? Giving up? Where’s the bravado you showed me before?”
“Bravado is just that, bravado. I won’t kill myself just to look strong. Reputation doesn’t mean anything.” Said Christian. He could’ve already deduced that Jae Il-Seong activated some temporary skill just from the massive boost in power he gained. Power is never gained without cost, and the most common cost is time. If he could distract Jae Il-Seong through words, he could make the demoness’s job easier.
“Excuse me? Reputation doesn’t mean anything?! What do you live for? Irrelevance?” Said Jae Il-Seong.
“How am I irrelevant for not caring what a bunch of people I will never meet think about me. I’m not the strongest, and that’s ok. It’s fine to admit defeat.” Christian could read Jae Il-Seong’s face despite the massive pain overtaking him. It was hitting Jae personally. Did Jae Il-Seong do all of this just for fame? For ‘reputation’? It really did seem like it to Christian.
“Because you’ll be forgotten. You’ll be nothing but a speck of dust in the grand scheme of history.” Said Jae Il-Seong.
“Who cares?” Replied Christian.
“Excuse me?”
“Who cares? Will you get to live in the future? Will you get to see people remember you? Will you feel proud of yourself? No! You will be dead. After you die, you don’t feel anything, so what’s the point in doing something you will only be proud of after you die. Leaving your mark on history to the detriment of your present is pain gained without reward.” Said Christian. Jae Il-Seong just looked at Christian, thinking about what he said, before remembering the timers. Jae thought Christian didn’t believe anything he just said. He was just saying it to distract him. That was it!
“Your puny words mean nothing to me.” Jae Il-Seong went in for a final stab, only to be stopped by the demoness.
“Alright, that’s enough.” She said before punching Jae Il-Seong through the arena’s barrier meant to keep the crowd safe.