CHAPTER 181: GRIM VS CYRUS - THE END

Even though the announcer called for them to fight, nothing happened.

"You do not wish to acknowledge your fans? To even look at your opponents? Are we not equals in this wonderful arena?" Cyrus asked.

"Equals?" Grim questioned it. "Ants, even though they share the same footpaths as us, would be equals through your definition. No. We are not equals. You are but an ant."

Kai leaned forward. That was the most he, or possibly anyone had ever heard Grim say in one go.

Cyrus didn’t provide him with a response, but everyone saw the frustration of the nobleman who was just likened to an insect.

In an explosion of rage, he made the first move, just as he had in every other match. A blur of silver and white, he closed the distance in a heartbeat. His rapier flashed forward, aimed for Grim’s shoulder, but stopped.

Not because it missed.

Because Cyrus’s body stopped responding mid-lunge. The pressure between the tip of his blade and Grim wouldn’t allow any further movement.

Gasps erupted across the stands.

Cyrus reeled back, arm shaking, pulling away from something invisible. His blade had never even touched Grim.

And Grim? He hadn’t moved an inch.

"The mana became tangible? I need to learn how to do that. It could strengthen my barriers even further." Kai mumbled to himself.

Rael was silent, brows furrowed.

Grim raised his hand slightly. Just a twitch.

And the air between them... hummed.

Mana condensed again, thickening so fast Kai felt it even from the stands. Cyrus stumbled, dropping to a knee, sweat suddenly beading on his forehead.

Then, a flash.

No visible spell, just a burst of force like a pressure wave rippling across the arena floor. Dust kicked up in a ring around Grim.

Cyrus Vale was flung backward like a leaf in a storm. His body slammed into the stone tiles with a dull, meaty thud, skidding a full meter before stopping.

Groans filled the arena.

Then silence.

"Well, Grim is not using any magic known to the referees, and nobody can claim that magic is being used, so the fight continues!

Kai gripped the stone beneath his seat.

’He didn’t use a spell. He just... manifested it. Mana density and control that high... it’s not even casting anymore. He’s just willing it into being.’

As the wave of invisible pressure sent Cyrus sprawling, the crowd gasped, but he didn’t stay down for long.

Kai leaned forward in his seat, tense. He’s not done.

Cyrus coughed and pushed himself up with shaking arms, blood at the edge of his lip and his rapier barely held steady in his grasp. His eyes narrowed with grim determination, and Kai noticed something. A subtle sheen forming over Cyrus’s entire body.

Like a second skin of translucent silver mana.

Kai’s eyes widened.

’He’s condensing it around his entire body. That’s not armour or a barrier. That’s... complete control of mana.’

It was a technique Kai had only read about in an old book in the library of Orlin’s. He tried it, but with his lack of a direct source of mana, it proved useless.

It was a full-body mana veil that moved with the user’s intent.

And Cyrus didn’t even seem fully aware he was doing it.

’Inatinctual?’

Cyrus moved again, this time no longer just fast, but untouchable. He parried the ambient waves of Grim’s oppressive mana with graceful slashes and sudden lunges. The crowd, after moments of stunned silence, had erupted into cheers.

Then, a hit.

The point of the rapier found Grim’s shoulder, piercing through his robes and sinking deep into muscle. Grim’s eyes flicked down to the wound, his expression barely registering surprise. He stepped back, but Cyrus lunged again.

Another strike.

This time to the opposite shoulder.

Grim’s balance shifted. His foot slid, barely noticeable, but enough.

Kai grinned from the stands. "Now we have a real fight."

The two warriors circled each other in the dust-swept arena, each move deliberate, every breath measured. They exchanged no words, only silence and calculated ferocity.

Then Grim stomped.

The arena cracked like thunder, tiles exploding in every direction. Kai shielded Vepice instinctively, but the barriers flared bright as hundreds of stone shards slammed into the protective field.

The crowd shrieked.

Dust consumed the air, a thick fog that swallowed vision and sound. For several long moments, the only thing visible were silhouettes, flashes of movement, sparks of mana, the faint clash of weapons.

Then there was only stillness.

The dust slowly settled, curling around the shape of two figures on the ground.

Kai squinted through the haze.

Grim sat with his back resting against a shattered pillar, his arms draped loosely at his sides. The twin wounds in his shoulders still bled, but his face remained passive.

Bored, even.

Next to him, sprawled across the cracked floor, lay Cyrus Vale.

Unmoving.

His rapier had fallen from his hand. His elegant uniform was torn, chest heaving with shallow breaths.

The announcer’s voice cracked through the stunned silence.

"...And that’s the match... Grim wins..."

But Grim didn’t move.

He didn’t raise a fist in victory. He didn’t even look toward the crowd.

He just sat there, as if the fight had been a chore he regretted finishing. As if even winning failed to spark any emotion in him.

Kai watched in silence, brow furrowed.

There was something deeply wrong about Grim’s detachment. The strength he wielded wasn’t born from ambition or pride, it was just... there.

Possibly cultivated, possibly not.

"I don’t think he cares about anything," Vepice whispered beside him, holding his arm.

Kai nodded slowly. "That’s what makes him so dangerous."

The crowd didn’t cheer. Nobody did.

They just... stared.

Rael muttered, "That wasn’t a fight. That was complete and utter destruction. You’d best hope you don’t fight him in the semi-finals."

Vepice looked terrified. "How is anyone supposed to beat that?"

Kai didn’t answer.

He stared at Grim, who had already turned to walk off the arena floor, expression unreadable.

Grim’s eyes flicked upward once, scanning the stands. For a brief second, Kai thought he was looking at him again.

Then he was gone.