Chapter 233: Chapter 233 – Bloodbath

The atmosphere in the Arclight section was utterly grim and resigned.

Nine of their representatives had fallen into my hand, one by one, without securing a single victory. Some were still lying in the medical bay, others had regained consciousness and returned to watch. The faces that remained—all of them were downcast, spiritless.

Leonhardt Halstrom sat at the end of the bench, elbows on his knees, chin resting on the back of his hand.

He exhaled slowly. The air around him felt heavy as he stood.

Every eye in the Arclight section turned to him. Several mouths opened, wanting to say something, but no sound came out. Others just stared with desperate hope—their last hope.

Leonhardt straightened his collar with one hand. Then, he walked toward the arena.

His boots crunched over the scattered marble fragments at the arena’s edge. Thin smoke still rose from the craters left by previous battles. The smells of scorched earth, blood, sweat, and exhaustion all mingled together.

The Host, whose voice was nearly spent from shouting since the event began, suddenly found new energy.

“LEONHARDT HALSTROM! THE FINAL REPRESENTATIVE OF ARCLIGHT ACADEMY! THEIR UNDEFEATED TOP STUDENT THROUGHOUT THIS TOURNAMENT WILL FACE ADAM SOCHERON! THE MONSTER FROM NINE STARS WHO HAS DESTROYED ALL OF HIS TEAMMATES! THE BIG QUESTION: CAN LEONHARDT AVENGE ALL THOSE LOSSES AND BREAK ADAM’S WIN STREAK? OR WILL ADAM, NOW EXHAUSTED AND GRAVELY WOUNDED, SOMEHOW PULL OFF A MIRACLE AND WIN THIS FINAL MATCH ALL BY HIMSELF? WITNESS! WITNESS THIS EPIC FINALE!”

Leonhardt stopped a few meters before me. His sharp blue eyes stared at me intensely, scanning every wound, every drop of blood, every gash on my body.

“We all underestimated you, Adam,” he said, his voice calm. “We thought the monster from Nine Stars was only Yukie. But you… you’re a monster too.”

I didn’t answer. Just stared at him while catching my breath. My lungs felt like they were burning, my heart pounded wildly, but I had to stay focused.

Leonhardt continued, “Don’t you want to just surrender? You’ve already done something incredible getting this far. Nine consecutive victories. That’s an unforgettable record.”

I stayed silent.

He smiled faintly. “But it seems you have no intention of surrendering at all. You want to defeat all of us single-handedly, don’t you?”

He nodded, as if understanding something. “Then I won’t hold back at all. I will defeat you.”

Finally, I spoke, my voice hoarse, barely audible. “All your friends before you said the same thing.”

Leonhardt smiled thinly.

“Good.”

The referee raised his hand. The entire Colosseum held its breath.

“BEGIN!”

Leonhardt moved.

His sword was drawn in an instant. And when he swung it, something happened.

CRAAK!

Lightning. Bright blue lightning that crackled along his blade. The air vibrated, the fine hairs on my arms standing on end from the static electricity. The sword extended, not physically, but that lightning bolt shot out from its tip, forming an energy slash ten meters long directly at me.

I tried to dodge, but my body was too exhausted. My movements were slow. The lightning strike hit my chest.

ZZZAAAKK!

The pain was incredible. Every cell in my body screamed. My muscles convulsed, my heart stopped for a moment, and I crashed to the floor with a loud BAM.

The Colosseum fell silent.

I lay there, my body trembling violently, thin smoke rising from my burned uniform.

The Host’s jaw dropped, then he shouted.

“LEONHARDT HALSTROM HAS UNLEASHED HIS HIDDEN POWER! LIGHTNING! ALL THIS TIME HE ONLY USED ORDINARY SWORD TECHNIQUES, BUT NOW… NOW HE’S REVEALING HIS TRUE STRENGTH! ONE ATTACK! ONE ATTACK WAS ENOUGH TO BRING DOWN THE INVINCIBLE ADAM!”

Leonhardt stood in place, his sword still crackling with lightning. His eyes looked at my fallen form.

I’m sorry, he thought. I was saving this for Yukie. But you… you forced me to use it early.

My ears rang. The world around me felt blurred. But one thing was clear—I was still alive. And I could still move.

Slowly, very slowly, I rose.

My hands trembled violently. My knees could barely support me. Every muscle in my body felt like it had been wrung out. But I stood.

“ADAM RISES! HE RISES AGAIN! DESPITE BEING HIT BY A DEVASTATING LIGHTNING ATTACK, HE CAN STILL GET UP! THIS IS INCREDIBLE DETERMINATION!”

Leonhardt looked at me with admiration. “Do you have no intention of giving up?”

My ears were still ringing. His voice sounded distant, like from the end of a long tunnel. But I understood the gist.

I didn’t answer. I just advanced.

[Mindrender] raised in my hand. My steps were unsteady, but I kept moving forward. Dragging my broken body toward my opponent.

Leonhardt exhaled. “Sorry. I underestimated your resolve.”

He raised his sword again. Blue lightning once again crackled along its blade.

“I’ll get serious now.”

He swung.

The lightning bolt shot out again, faster, stronger than before. I couldn’t dodge. But I had [Aegis Pendant]—the last use for today.

SHIIING!

The transparent energy shield enveloped my body just as the lightning struck. The discharge spread across the shield’s surface, creating beautiful but deadly electric patterns. The shield held, but I could feel its energy weakening.

I charged forward. [Mindrender] slashed.

Leonhardt parried with his sword.

CRAAK!

When our blades met, the lightning from his sword traveled to [Mindrender], then to my hand, then throughout my entire body. The pain was excruciating. I staggered back, my body trembling violently, nearly falling again.

Leonhardt gave me no time. Another lightning slash shot forward.

BAM!

It hit my chest. I was sent flying, crashing to the floor again, rolling several times.

“ADAM FALLS AGAIN! LEONHARDT IS TOO STRONG! HIS LIGHTNING CAN’T BE FACED WITH ORDINARY MEANS! IS THIS THE END?!”

I lay there. My body felt numb. The lightning had left me barely able to feel anything anymore. But inside my head, something screamed.

Get up. Get up, you piece of trash! You’ve come this far!

Slowly, I rose again.

Leonhardt stared at me with a changed expression.

The Host shouted, “ADAM RISES AGAIN! FOR THE THIRD TIME! WHAT KEEPS HIM GETTING UP? THIS IS INSANE! THIS MAKES NO SENSE!”

I looked at Leonhardt. A gaze full of hatred.

Leonhardt shuddered. For the first time in this fight, he felt afraid.

But he didn’t retreat. He raised his sword again.

I ran with every last ounce of strength I had. [Mindrender] raised, ready to slash.

Leonhardt swung his sword. Lightning struck.

This time there was no [Aegis Pendant]. No protection.

ZZZAAAKK!

Indescribable pain shot through every nerve in my body. I screamed internally, but no sound came out. My mouth opened wide, but only the hiss of electricity emerged. My body convulsed, trembling, like a fish on land.

But I didn’t fall.

I endured it.

My legs shook, my knees nearly gave out, but I remained standing. This pain… I’d felt it before. The pain of being humiliated in public. The pain of being looked down on by people who should have supported me. The pain of being ignored, dismissed, spat upon. That pain was worse than this.

Maybe because I was somewhat used to pain, or maybe because my body was too numb to feel it anymore, I didn’t collapse.

Leonhardt was shocked. His eyes widened.

“What…?”

I swung [Mindrender].

He reflexively parried. Our blades met.

CRAAK!

Lightning once again coursed through my body. But this time I was ready. I gritted my teeth, endured the pain, and pushed forward.

Leonhardt stepped back.

I slashed again. He parried again. Lightning shocked me again.

But I didn’t stop.

Slash. Parry. Shock. Slash. Parry. Shock. Slash. Parry. Shock.

Every clash of swords sent electric waves through my entire body. Every clash made me want to scream. Every clash made me want to fall.

But I didn’t stop.

Leonhardt was an exceptional A-Rank swordsman. Even without lightning, his sword technique was top-tier. His movements were precise, efficient, and deadly. Every slash, every thrust, every parry was executed perfectly.

And with lightning, he was nearly unbeatable. Every time our swords met, his lightning shocked me, weakened me, slowed me, caused me agony. And between those shocks, he kept attacking, searching for openings, waiting for me to fall.

But I had no choice but to keep advancing.

I looked for an opening. My eyes, though blurred, kept scanning his movements. But he was too fast. Every time I saw an opening, he’d closed it before I could react.

Until I saw something. When he parried my attack, there was a slight delay in his left foot. Just a fraction of a second, a micro-movement almost invisible. But I saw it.

I thrust toward it.

[Mindrender] shot forward like a snake, aiming directly at his delayed left foot.

Leonhardt was surprised. He twisted his body, dodging the thrust by shifting just inches. But that was enough, I’d seen his movement pattern.

I pushed forward.

I attacked wildly. Relentless, unending strikes. Slash, thrust, slash again. My sword moved like a machine, ignoring the lightning that kept shocking me every time our blades met. Only focused on one goal—defeating him.

Leonhardt began to be overwhelmed by the intensity of my attacks. Every time he parried, I was already ready with the next strike. Every time he retreated, I advanced. Every time he tried to take the initiative, I cut him off with another attack.

And when he faltered, [Mindrender] shot toward his neck.

But Leonhardt had anticipated it.

His sword swung toward my hand.

SRETT!

Cold. That was the first thing I felt. A strange cold at my wrist.

Then I saw it.

My right hand—the hand holding [Mindrender]—was severed at the wrist.

Blood sprayed. A fresh red torrent burst from the open wound, soaking the floor beneath me. [Mindrender] clattered to the floor with a sharp ring. My hand lay beside it.

The Colosseum screamed.

Thousands of people shouted in unison. Several women covered their eyes. Some men stood with mouths agape. Children cried. Cheers turned into horrified shrieks.

“ADAM’S HAND IS SEVERED! LEONHARDT HAS CUT OFF HIS HAND! THIS… THIS… IS THE END!”

But no.

At the same moment, my left hand clenched and flew forward.

Leonhardt didn’t see it coming. His eyes were still focused on my severed right hand, on the spurting blood, on the fallen [Mindrender]. He was off guard for a fraction of a second.

BAM!

My fist slammed into his face.

His head snapped to the side. Blood and saliva sprayed from his mouth. He staggered back. His sword wavered in his hand.

I didn’t give him time. With my remaining hand, I grabbed his sword arm. My fingers gripped his wrist tightly. The bones beneath my grasp felt brittle, like dry twigs.

Leonhardt tried to break free. His other hand punched my chest, weakly, without strength. He screamed, summoning lightning.

CRAAK!

Lightning exploded from his body, striking me at point-blank range. The pain was incredible. But my body was already numb. I barely felt anything anymore.

I pulled his arm.

And with all my remaining strength…

CRAAK!

His bone broke.

Leonhardt screamed. His sword fell from his crippled hand, clanging against the floor.

But he didn’t give up. From his entire body, lightning exploded again. Stronger. More devastating. Like a storm trapped within a human body, now unleashed.

ZZZAAAKK!

Lightning struck me from all directions. My body was violently electrocuted, muscles convulsing uncontrollably, my eyes nearly rolling back. But I was still standing.

I punched his face.

BAM!

He punched back. His lightning-charged fist struck my stomach. The pain was excruciating, but I didn’t care.

BAM!

I punched again. His jaw.

BAM!

He punched again. My chest.

We rolled across the arena floor. No technique, no style. Just two men destroying each other with their last remaining strength.

Blood everywhere. My blood, his blood. Mingled beyond recognition. The once-white arena floor was now red. Our bodies rolled in pools of blood, leaving red trails wherever we touched.

Punch. Punch. Punch.

My vision began to blur. I could barely see his face. Just a shadow. Vaguely, I saw his lips move, saying something, but no sound came out.

I kept punching.

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

And suddenly, he stopped punching back.

Leonhardt lay beneath me, eyes closed, body limp. His mouth hung slightly open, blood flowing from the corner of his lips. His chest rose and fell but he was unconscious.

Out cold.

I stared at him. My breath came in gasps. My body trembled. My left hand—my only remaining hand—was covered in blood. His blood? My blood? Probably both.

Then the world spun.

I collapsed beside him, unable to move. My eyes were still open, staring at the stained glass ceiling of the Colosseum as it began to fade.

The sounds around me seemed distant. Like from the bottom of a well.

Then silence.

The Colosseum fell completely silent.

Three hundred thousand spectators were still. Even the Host, who hadn’t stopped talking throughout nine fights, now stood with his mouth agape.

Two bodies lay in the arena. Covered in blood, unmoving.

One with a severed hand, body covered in burns.

One with a shattered face and broken arm.

Who won? The referee ran into the arena. He checked Leonhardt—unconscious. He checked Adam—also unconscious. But one thing was clear: Leonhardt had lost consciousness first. Adam had been on top of him when he passed out.

The referee raised his hand.

“LEONHARDT HALSTROM CANNOT CONTINUE THE MATCH! VICTORY GOES TO… ADAM SOCHERON OF NINE STARS ACADEMY!”

The Colosseum exploded with uncontrollable emotional cheers.

NINE STARS ACADEMY: 10 WINS – 0 LOSSES

ARCLIGHT ACADEMY: 0 WINS – 10 LOSSES

The Host finally found his voice.

“THEY’VE DONE IT! NINE STARS ACADEMY WINS PERFECTLY! TEN VICTORIES WITHOUT A SINGLE LOSS! AND ADAM SOCHERON… ADAM SOCHERON HAS SINGLE-HANDEDLY DEFEATED ALL TEN ARCLIGHT REPRESENTATIVES! TEN! THIS IS A HISTORIC MOMENT!”

The pent-up cheers finally exploded. Three hundred thousand spectators stood, shouting, crying, cheering. The name “ADAM SOCHERON” echoed throughout the Colosseum.

But I didn’t hear it.

The world had gone dark.

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