--- [Isabella’s perspective]
Sabrina will face off against Alex this round…
We were teammates in the exam, but none of that matters now.
We’re all here to win, and we can’t let something like that get in the way.
He’s a terribly powerful man though, so she can’t afford to get reckless.
“We’re now heading into the final match of the second round, and it looks like we’re ending on a banger! When her opponent went berserk and refused to back down even after we called the match, she ended up putting everyone here in danger. Her blood had already been spread everywhere and could explode at any time. The hunters that work here had no choice but to guard the audience, meaning there was nobody left to take her out. Well… Other than her that is! She neutralized the threat herself, saving countless lives. She’s not just a strong fighter, she’s a hero! Please give a massive round of applause to Isabella Gladius!” – Bob
Before I even open the door, the audience is already going wild.
Cheering, clapping, screaming, chanting…
Right when I open the door and the audience sees me, they just get even louder.
I’m sure even the people of the neighboring towns can hear them.
As I walk up the stairs, I feel all their eyes on me…
It’s so embarrassing!
I didn’t even do anything; it was all Sabrina.
We didn’t become hunters for fame or fortune, and although she might not admit it, I bet it feels good knowing that they’re all cheering for her!
All of those people love her and are grateful to her.
She earned that!
“When I first introduced him, I expressed my doubt that he’s even human. During the preliminaries he just seemed so much stronger than everyone else to the point where it was almost unbelievable that he could be a D-rank hunter. Well… In the previous round, he proved his superiority. The other contestant didn’t stand a chance… The outcome of this century’s battle festival might have been decided the moment he decided to participate. Please give a round of applause to Alexander Minima!” – Barbara
As instructed, the crowd gives him applause too, but not nearly as much as they did for Sabrina.
The look in his eyes…
There’s something so menacing about him…
He wasn’t like this before.
I wonder if something happened to him these past six months…
The match is about to start, so I better hand over control to Sabrina.
I whisper a few words so quietly only she can hear them.
“Good luck.” – Isabella
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
As I pull out the sword, I feel myself losing the ability to move my limbs.
I’m now just a spectator…
She whispers back…
“I don’t need luck to beat him. Trust me, I got this.” – Sabrina
“Now then, who will win? The hero who saved us all, or the monster who seemingly knows no equal?! Let the fight commence! Isabella vs Alexander!” – Bob
--- [Sabrina’s perspective]
He wastes no time, and immediately rushes towards me.
His movements are so linear…
Despite undoubtedly being faster than me, with some effort, I could definitely stop his attacks.
I don’t know if this is just how he fights, or if he’s so cocky that he doesn’t think he needs to put much effort into winning, but it doesn’t matter to me.
I’ll take every opportunity I can to win.
I firmly grasp the hilt and swing the sword straight towards his fist.
Before he can reach me, the blade touches him…
His arm will split open taking it head-on like that…
Or that’s what I thought would happen…!
He simply grabbed the sword his fingers…
How is that even possible?!
The level of strength and precision required to do that is almost unbelievable.
Most C-rankers probably couldn’t even deal with it that cleanly…
What the hell is this guy?!
Using only the grip between his fingers, he yanks the sword out of my hands even though I’m holding it as hard as I can.
He tries throwing it away, but it instantly teleports back into my hands the moment he does.
It takes him slightly off guard, and I use that opportunity to slash him across the arm.
Despite intending to completely sever his arm, it only leaves a shallow cut…
He’s substantially faster than me, he’s incomparably stronger than me, and he’s tremendously more durable than me…
He’s strictly better than me in every way, and he hasn’t even used his specialty yet…
What his specialty again…?
Oh, right!
It was some kind of absorption ability.
That luckily shouldn’t be of much use against me.
His gaze locks onto my sword, and without being able to do anything to stop him, he takes it away from me.
This time, he makes sure it doesn’t get too far away from me.
In the palm of his other hand, he activates the all-consuming void…
Wait…
No…!
I usually think of my sword as a physical object, but it isn’t really.
The sword itself is my specialty, and I remember Shin saying his ability could absorb anything made by SDM…
That means he can absorb my sword!
That’s bad…
Really bad!
Me and Isabella…
Our existence itself is tied to that sword!
When it’s in its scabbard, Isabella has control.
When it’s outside, I do.
What happens to us if he absorbs the sword or the scabbard?
Will one of us be stuck inside forever with no way to communicate?
Will one of us die?
I have no idea, but I absolutely cannot let him do that!
Before he can absorb it, I quickly throw myself backwards, making the distance great enough that it teleports back to me just in the nick of time…
That was way too close…
I can’t allow him to do that again.
He rushes towards me yet again, but instead of throwing a punch like he did at the start of the match, he simply tries to absorb the sword again.
I can’t exactly blame him; he doesn’t even know I exist…
To him, all he’s probably thinking is that if he gets rid of the sword, I’ll have no way to fight back.
I pull both the sword and the scabbard away from him, but in doing so, it leaves me completely defenseless.
He hits me in the stomach so hard, and I fly out of the arena and crash into the walls down below.
I cough up blood, and fall to the ground.
His attack was powerful, but for some reason, I’ve got the feeling he was still holding back…
I don’t think all the bones in my body would still be intact if he didn’t…
Luckily there’s no ring out rule, so I’m not out yet.
As I walk up the stairs, our gaze meets once more.
Seeing him from down here makes him look so much bigger than before…
Despite getting closer with each step, he never shrinks back down…
Is this…
Fear?
Looking at him makes me feel so small; he’s so far beyond me that I simply don’t stand a chance…
If I know I can’t win, should I just give up?
But Isabella…
If she could speak to me right now, I know she’d cheer me on and tell me I could do it.
But…
I just can’t.
There’s no way for me to beat him.
On top of that, simply fighting him is a massive risk in and of itself.
If he absorbs either the sword or the scabbard, things could end really badly…
By continuing to fight, I’m not just putting myself at risk.
I’m risking Isabella’s life too…
It’s not worth it; it just isn’t.
Before getting to the top of the stairs, I simply stop.
As he looks at me, he knows what I’m about to do.
“I surrender.” – Sabrina
