Chapter 231 - Final Match, Oli vs Burt

"Ladies… And gentlemen… IT'S TIME!"

The audience's anticipation exploded into a furor of cheers. Everyone looked down on the stage with eagerness abound.

Taking in one last dragged-out breath, Oli opened his eyes and scanned over his body. The medics still standing around him showed shocked expressions as Oli flexed and stretched his torso without hesitation. They were blown away to see the youth. He showed no signs of pain despite the wounds and stitches, but they also saw no signs of the wounds daring to reopen. No matter which way Oli flexed or twisted his torso, the lacerations on his chest and shoulder seemed to be fully sealed without a chance of slowing him down.

There was one other person watching Oli with bated breath. From across the way, Burt's expression shifted from nervousness to excitement. Seeing Oli moving so confidently was a good sign for Burt and his motives.

"Take a look! Both of these young men are eager to face off for us, anxious to prove just who is the strongest and who deserves to be the champion! I'll be honest, folks. During the first two rounds, I felt we were unlucky as viewers. We lost two of our top seeds early on due to unlucky pairings and never got to see much of their abilities. But while I thought we had missed out on some great potential fights back then, I'm now certain that we're being spoiled with surprise as these two young men have earned a place in our hearts! We could've never seen this coming but it only goes to show that anything is possible!

"From out of nowhere, without any sponsor or name for himself, at least until now, we have a young man with shocking talent and terrifying agility. Ladies and gentlemen… give it up for Burttin, our underdog who entered without anyone's attention, only to steal everyone's gaze in the end!"

Cheers rang out again as Burt followed his cue. It was the first time he hadn't rushed onto the stage to make a spectacle of himself. But he no longer cared for that. His eyes weren't on the crowd or the ref. Burt's gaze fell strictly on Oli and his genuine grin spoke volumes of his on-edge excitement.

"And coming with a unique sponsor, that of our reclusive, resident swordmaster, despite not once wielding a blade throughout the tournament. With Patriarch Hurman's approval, this young man has turned the tides of battle each time, even when there seemed to be no hope on his side. Yet here he is, having overcome all the odds stacked against him and without caring about his lingering injuries of the last match… Give it up for Oliver, the hammer-throwing brute whose quick thinking and strategy will catch anyone off guard!"

The roaring audience was practically nonexistent to Oli. His eyes were firmly attached to the visage of Burt on the stage and his expression was emotionless. There were many factors Oli would need to keep track of in this fight, so he wouldn't dare let his emotions cause him to slip up. He had a simple goal and a sharp mindset would do anything to guarantee its achievement. Win the tournament.

As Oli came up the stairs, he noticed Burt's uncharacteristic seriousness more closely.

"You okay, Oli?"

"I told you, call me Oliver."

"What if I want you riled up and ready to knock me out?" joked Burt.

Oli chuckled and shrugged, "Then you chose the wrong person to mess with. I can take a joke, but there are some things I don't find funny, including your commentary."

"Oh… That hurts… But I guess that's your goal now. What about your wounds? You won't forfeit will you?"

"Sorry, but you're not gonna win the finals. The last thing your ego needs is another massage by default."

"Good… I doubt that but I'd love to see you try, Oliver."

"Good luck, Burt. You'd better not hold back before you lose and claim you weren't even trying yet."

"Since both of our finalists are ready to get started, there's only one thing left for me to say… Burttin, Oliver… BEGIN!"

Both young men bolted into action without hesitation. Burt surrounded himself in lightning as he crashed into Oli, who had already put up his gorilla-like essence armor and charged with his hammer in front. A wind blade tore into the earthen hammer but it didn't happen as smoothly as people had expected. Oli's second arm threw another hammer as well, plowing through the lighting surrounding Burt's body before Burt nimble and narrowly evaded the hammer.

They backed up a couple of steps, grinning at each other.

"Spectacular!" shouted the announcer. "Such a quick test of each other's skills!"

"No dark essence?" Burt questioned teasingly. 

"Sorry, but I only use that when I feel threatened."

"Then I guess I need to prove my strength!" Zipping back into Oli, Burt hurled half a dozen wind blades into Oli's path. "So show me your strength before it's too late!"

Pounding his foot into the ground, Oli created a thin wall surrounding him to block the wind blades. However, he was a bit surprised to see the wind blades cut through the wall so easily, forcing Oli to back away.

"Come on, don't tell me that wasn't threatening enough?" laughed Burt.

Another half dozen wind blades were thrown at Oli as Burt chased after him. The look in Burt's eye was unblinking determination, yet he didn't appear to look menacing.

Oli wasn't exactly sure what the meaning of Burt's gaze was, but he legitimately didn't feel threatened. But that wasn't due to a lack of strength on Burt's end. There was something else that Oli couldn't overlook as he continued to evade wind blades and throw hammers.

"What are you after?"

"I want a good fight!" Burt shouted with a hearty laugh.

"But what's your end goal?" Oli rephrased his question. "There's no way this is all you can do… Given how condensed your wind blades are, you should be able to handle more than six at once."