Chapter 102: Start of the finale.

Chapter 102: Start of the finale.

I stepped into the repaired arena with a certain calm that I hadnt felt in quite a while. Not since before I awakened, in fact. After a moment of deliberation, I realized that this would be the first fight I actually wanted to have because I wanted to. There wasnt anything else to it. Until now, every fight I had been in had been for the sake of something else, be it levels, to prove a point or simply to survive.

This time, however, I just wanted to enjoy the act of fighting. To test my skills against someone I respected. On top of that, I wouldnt have to hold back like I did against friends. I had to give it to the tournaments organizers, they knew how to set the stage.

The rough, earthy flooring that the arena had had an hour ago had now been replaced by clean white tiles. To be fair, maybe this change had only been made in response to the previous fights, which had all turned the arena into a crater.

On the opposite side of the circular area, a relatively small woman stood. With blonde hair and stark blue eyes, any sensible person would describe her as beautiful. Her petite face gave away her age, she looked no older than me. The seeded list had put her at just a few months older than me, as well.

Emeri was a holy maiden of the church of Helios, and she represented them in this tournament. I didnt really know the implications of all this, but it was clear they were proud of their foremost tier 2 classer, seeing as how several priests and nuns were in the stands, holding a banner that said Go, Emeri!.

Chuckling at the sight, I noticed a faint blush appear on my soon-to-be opponents face, though I paid it no heed. Now was the time to fight, after all. With my newly evolved skills, I was confident in overcoming Emeris experience and battle-sense. Well, I would hold off on using [Corrosive mark] and [Cascading mana-intrusive swordsmanship] for a while. It served well to keep a few trump cards for later in the fight.

Finally, the announcer began his speech.

Ladies, gentlemen and others, welcome to the finale of this gripping tournament! After a series of overwhelmingly difficult challenges, only two contestants have made it further than their peers, grating them a spot in the finals!

On one side, we have a familiar face, Arthur the [Overloading Death Knight]! People have started to call him the immortal after his last series of fights, where he started to show his true power! His superior defences, overwhelming style of combat and nigh-invulnerability make him a truly fearsome opponent! He participated in the tier 2 doubles finale as well, where he defeated Peter Arcellus in a head-on clash. Will he be the victor in the singles tournament as well?!

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That will depend on his opponent, Emeri Helios, proud holy maiden of the church! A prodigy since birth, this [Angelic spear maiden] quickly rose through the ranks, so much so that even the bishop took notice. As a result, he personally saw to her training! Emeri uses a sharp and fluid style of combat. This, combined with her incredible holy power has allowed her to pierce her opponents defences no matter what! The ultimate offence versus the ultimate defence, who will prevail?!

And look at this, both participants have equipped their titles! [Dark prodigy], in Arthurs case and [Holy light] in Emeris case. We can only imagine what effects those two titles will have!

Now then, without further ado, I shall commence the countdown. Arthur and Emeri, you may start in 321...start!

The few times I came close to seriously wounding Emeri, her arms would turn into a white blur like before and block my strike just in time. Evidently, she had some powerful skills that served to keep me at bay.

Surprisingly, she was the first to lose her cool. She ended our clash and started at me with a resentful look in her eyes.

I know you can leave curse marks. Why havent you? Are you looking down on me? Or are you trying to get something from me? Go all out, coward! she said, flustered.

Sighing, I decided to just be honest with her since I wanted to avoid stupid misunderstandings.

My curse mark levelled up before. Its quite deadly now. Are you ready? I asked, determined. I knew I would have to use it if I wanted to win.

Dont announce your surprise attacks, idiot! she said, blushing.

I laughed for a moment, before phasing into the shadows. She whirled around with her spear, looking for where I would reappear. In moments like these, I would have to rely on an old trick: appearing above my opponent.

I thrust my sword down as I fell. At the last second, her defensive skill activated again, saving her just in time. Despite this, I had managed to leave a small wound. With it, I had left the corrosive curse mark. Now, all I would have to do was hit the curse mark enough times to win the match.

Then, Emeri pulled a move I didnt expect. Instead of making some space, she ignored her festering wound and counterattacked. I blocked, but she successfully managed to leave a small nick of her own. The skin on my torso bled a little before dark form moved to heal it. As my dark mana made contact with the wound, I felt a painful pang near the wound, making me stumble.

W- what? How?! I shouted. This was the first time I had felt pain this intense since my awakening.

Emeri smiled.

Did you think the church wouldnt copy the idea of curse marks? Holy marks are difficult to cast, but theyre powerful. She said, slightly smugly.

I laughed as the pain intensified, almost making me dizzy. Then, Emeri gasped as I cut off a chunk of my torso, bone and all. The pain stopped, though the chunk of flesh and bone on the floor still sizzled with holy power. Dark form moved to heal my ribs and flesh without issue.

She stared, aghast, at the gaping hole in my chest, which showed my still beating heart.

I grinned.

Are you sure all that effort to copy curse marks was worth it?