CHAPTER 85: THE CHAMPION

Buy three Adrenaline Pills.

[x3 Adrenaline Pills cost 300 DP.]

[Do you want to purchase?]

Just as he was about to confirm the purchase—

Everything stopped.

The world didn’t slow.

No.

It ceased entirely.

Asher’s axe hung froze mid-swing, droplets of sweat suspended in the air like crystal beads.

The crowd’s gasps died in their throats, their faces locked in expressions of anticipation.

Pure darkness swallowed the arena.

Alaric found himself standing in an endless void, the familiar weight of his sword gone from his hand.

His breath came in sharp gasps that echoed in the absolute silence, the only sound in this place beyond time.

Then—

A flicker of flame danced before him, small and delicate as a candle’s light.

But as he watched, it began to grow.

Larger, brighter, more magnificent with each passing heartbeat until it towered above him like a living mountain of fire.

Then the flame reshaped itself.

Whoosh!

Wings of pure light spreading wide enough to eclipse the darkness.

A majestic head emerged, with eyes glowing with fury of divine judgment. Which seemed to glare straight into his soul.

Then its beak opened wide, and it let out a piercing, otherworldly cry—

KYAAAARH!

Alaric’s heart jumped to his throat.

What the!

His eyes widened, bones vibrated, and vision blurred as he saw the enormous flaming beast glaring at him with molten, ancient eyes. That burned like twin suns with, hatred?

Every instinct screaming at him to flee from this primordial force of nature.

But he couldn’t move, the Phoenix’s burning gaze seemed to see straight through him, judging, weighing, pinning him there.

And before he could even process it, the darkness collapsed like shattered glass.

"Huh—"

Whoosh!

He blinked and barely tilted his head in time to evade a savage slash aimed at his neck, missing by mere inches.

The brief disorientation nearly cost him his life.

Then the cyan panel flickered before his eyes.

[Host is advised to not use external help, while in the trials.]

Tch.

Then another swing came immediately.

CLANG!

He deflected it with his blade, the impact sending painful jolts up his arms and flipped backward, skidding away to put some distance, but Asher didn’t give him even a chance to breathe.

"Argh!" he grunted as another strike crashed into his guard. He pushed back hard, forcing Asher off balance for a moment. That was all he needed.

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Brandon (Past Life: Alaric Noir)

Race: Human

Age: 19

Title: Slave, Model Servant, (The Fallen King)

Essence Path: The Path of #$#&##@##

Sub-Path: Flame Essence

Rank: E+

EXP: 2030 / 3900

Stats:

STR: 65

AGI: 68

END: 66

WIL: 41

CHA: 49

INT: 60 (??)

Free stats points: 11

Domination Points: 500

Main Quest: Subjugate Selene Glimore (In Progress)

System Level: 2 (Requires 3000 Domination Points to Upgrade)

Skill Tree: Intermediate Fire spell (F), Scorchblade Arts (S)

Shop: Basic Tier Items

Obedience Meter: Target Not Found!

Loyalty Meter: Target not found!

Harem Tracker: 0

DP Exchange: Available

??? (Locked – Requires System Level 3)

He opened his status window and muttered, "Good thing I exchanged a few yesterday and this morning."

Then...

He shifted into a combat stance he hadn’t used yet, his grip on the sword adjusting subtly as he prepared for what came next.

"Give all stats to agility," he muttered under his breath.

Stats:

STR: 65

AGI: 68 — 79

END: 66

WIL: 41

CHA: 49

INT: 60 (??)

Free stats points: 11 — 0

The change was immediate, his body felt lighter, more responsive, as if the very air had become less resistant to his movements.

The next strike came.

CLANG!

And he deflected it with the flat of his blade, twisting low under Asher’s follow-up swing, and then slashed upward, his newfound speed.

Shing!

His blade carved a shallow line across Asher’s chest, drawing first blood after the enhancement began.

What the hell?

Asher’s eyes widened in genuine surprise, his enhanced reflexes barely registering the sudden change in his opponent’s speed.

The young man had been struggling moments before, and now, where had this burst of agility come from?

But Aaric didn’t slow.

He pressed his advantage immediately, his sword dancing in patterns that seemed to blur at the edges. Each strike came faster than the last, forcing Asher to give ground.

The war axe, so devastating in offense, proved cumbersome in defense against such rapid attacks.

"ARGH!"

Growling in frustration, Asher planted his feet and swung with overwhelming force, trying to use his superior strength to break through Alaric’s assault.

But Alaric stepped back smoothly, the axe whistled past harmlessly.

Not enough, Alaric thought grimly, weaving in a zig-zag pattern as he sought openings.

Need more.

He gritted his teeth and channeled his essence downward, feeling the energy pool in his legs like liquid fire.

As Asher raised his axe for another crushing blow, Alaric crouched low and—

WHOOSH!

He exploded forward in a burst of speed that left afterimages in the air, covering ground that should have taken three strides in a single leap.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations for learning: Burst Step]

The arena erupted in shocked gasps.

In the elevated seats, Selene’s lips curved into an amused smile, her emerald eyes glinting with pride.

Hehehe, how much of these tricks are you still hiding under your sleeves?

Across from her, however, Varell’s face had turned thunderous.

His hands gripped the marble armrest so tightly his knuckles had gone white, grey eyes blazing with fury as he watched his champion suddenly being outmaneuvered by the very boy he’d sought to humiliate.

Mirenna leaned forward with barely concealed alarm, while Caleb’s smirk had completely vanished.

Only Livia seemed torn between worry and something that might have been... hope?

Meanwhile, Alaric pressed his assault with relentless precision, his enhanced agility allowing him to strike from impossible angles.

Slash!

[Burst Step!]

Slash!

He attacked, dodged, then struck again.

His movements blurred, weaving through Asher’s defenses like a flame in the wind, blade finding flesh again and again.

But even as he maintained the pressure, Alaric felt his own limitations creeping in.

Shit, I’m getting tired too, he thought grimly, his breathing becoming more labored with each Burst Step.

He needed to end this.

Now.

Circling like a predator, Alaric feinted left, then right.

There, a split second where the war axe was rose to blocking a strike that never came.

A brief gap in Asher’s guard, exposing his torso.

That’s it.

[Flame Blade!]

His sword erupted into brilliant flames.

He poured more than half his remaining Essence into the blade, almost everything he had left.

He felt his reserves drain dangerously low as the weapon blazed like a falling star.

And then—

With a final Burst Step, he launched himself forward for the killing blow—

Fwoooosh!

The flame burned through the air, a blazing arc aiming to end it.

But—

His footing slipped. Too much Essence drain made his balance faltered.

"Tch—!"

His slash missed, cutting only empty air as Asher managed to jump back.

He smirked and stepped in to counter, planting his foot to finish it, but—

"ARGH!"

He froze. A deep crimson line split across his chest.

Blood gushed out.

And...

Thud!

He dropped to the ground, motionless.

---------------

Chapter End.

New goal, since the book ain’t performing well:

+1 Extra Chapter (Every 75 Power stone)

+1 Extra Chapter (Every 25 GT)