Death Frost | Deathsworn #2

Chapter 42 ❆ Silent Dragon vs. Black Flame

Thankfully not.

"So now we've got our two contenders for the top spot!"

Silent Dragon and Black Flame at this very moment had long since disregarded the rest of the world. The air between the two of them had turned stiff and cold—worse than when it was between Black Flame and myself. I breathed in sharply and leaned forward into my fist. I did not want my brain to run around calculating things like before, but in this scenario, it could not help but list out several possibilities based on the current cards.

Frankly, I was not sure who among this two would be crowned champion. On one hand, there was Maun, who was a pure, monstrous genius with mysterious origins. On the other, there was Black Flame with extensive technique and experience.

I looked towards the monks' seats, hoping to glean a clue from their expressions. They were locked in a conversation and though their faces were serene, I could make out some excitement. They weren't usually very invested in the fights between the other contestants—more like they were forced to watch because they needed to give evaluations. However, right now, I could say that wasn't really the case.

I didn't know what the purpose of the ranking was, in particular, but perhaps it was a matter of designating resources. Considering how they accepted so little a number of students each year, they must also be deciding who to prioritize. This elimination round should do a bunch of the work with regards to selection as well as pre-training of a sort.

Judging from those faces, though, this fight must be that dragon versus phoenix or King Kong versus Godzilla type of fight. No matter how much people justified the abilities of either side and analyzed how they would fare into battle, it was a betting game at most. Whoever would win between the two was an answer that no one knew until it actually happened—and there was no guarantee it wouldn't be mutual destruction.

"Alright, I know everyone's getting impatient," the announcer said. "So I think it's about time we start this long-awaited battle of the year! Can the black flame burn the dragon? Or will it be devoured and snuffed out? Let this fight begin in three! Two!"

The announcer deliberately paused a while.

"One!"

This time around, it was Black Flame who seized the first attack. Maun as Silent Dragon, like his name, quietly received his initiative. The ferocity of Black Flame roared like his fire. And as I watched the fall of the first combination of attacks upon Maun, I was also reminded of what it felt like to be in his place.

The kicks were long and startlingly high. They accurately targeted the weak points and were occasionally scattered with feints in between to lure the target into prime positions for taking down. To move out of the way of them within such a period would be a near miracle in itself. And with Black Flame's attitude, his execution of feints made them near indistinguishable to genuine attacks.

It was only now, in hindsight, that I realized it.

It wasn't impossible to avoid them, per se, but one would need matching agility and speed as Black Flame as well as a close familiarity to his style. At that time, I did not even know how I managed to survive against him, but I could see why I had lost—or why I was on track to winning.

"And! Black Flame takes the first strike, moving in aggressively on Silent Dragon!"

I turned my attention to Maun's response. I hadn't seen much of how he actually handled his affairs. His fights tended to end quickly with no suspense since he was the sort to take on a beating in favor of getting that critical strike in. For his past two opponents, he was a frustrating person to go up against.

Like now, he did not put a lot of effort into evading. He took some blows head on and infringed on the space that Black Flame was trying to protect. His aggressiveness enabled him to move in smoothly.

Within moments, the situation reversed and Maun was the one sending kicks and punches down his way. Black Flame staggered back from the aggressive advance, blocking with his arms and evading as Maun thundered down on him like an angered god.

Compared to Black Flame, there was no finesse in Maun's attacks. They were rough and unrefined. It lacked grace, but there was power and certainty.

"Look at that reversal!" The announcer said.

I let out a sigh, pressing down on the uncertainty that was coiling around in my stomach.

Maun had no sense of self-preservation when he was ultra-focused on offense, so I could understand why Black Flame would want to stop Maun from landing that first strike. If he decisively controlled the flow of the fight, then his chances of winning were very slim. As a fighter, Maun was like a tank with high damage resistance—and he was a powerful main offense too. I think this nature of his and why it worked for him had something to do with his element, which was life.

I had come upon the conclusion that perhaps he could use his element during the fight to continuously recover and be worn down less. I brought up this matter with him earlier and, as it turned out, he was already—albeit unwittingly—-doing this. When I brought it to his attention, he told me he would try to be conscious of it and manipulate it to benefit him better.

"Black Flame is gearing up! Silent Dragon proves to be a tougher opponent than expected!"

Black Flame pressed on. But considering Silent Dragon's nature, fighting him head on was not the right tactic. With this, he took on an advance-retreat kind of pace, deciding to take back the rhythm of the fight by whittling down on Maun's defenses. Regarding this, I was very impressed with his mentality. I thought for sure he would be the arrogant-type who would recklessly charge in and dominate, but it seemed to not be the case.

He swept in with a fierce roundhouse kick. Maun held up an arm to block his foot and dove in with his elbows aimed at his ribs. Black Flame nearly took that critical blow had he not veered to the side in the last second. Seeing Maun whiz past him, he took the opportunity and jabbed at Maun's underarm.

It was a sensitive part. I felt his pain.

Maun did not bear the blow like he usually did. He was forced to retreat, to let the stunning agony to subside before diving in again. Unfortunately, Black Flame would not allow him rest and moved in this time with the intent of cornering him.

Seeing Black Flame fight from the perspective of an audience was very different. For one, on the field itself, being the target of Black Flame's attacks and his intimidation, one wouldn't really know when he was seriously attacking or feinting. I, for one, was very much lacking in experience in this regard. That suffocating wave that I felt would continuously throw off my pace was this particular combination of bait-and-pull.

And with my nature of overthinking, I tended to take everything he did in the field very seriously.

But this would not work on Maun.

Because he simply. Didn't. Care.

Fighting Maun would be like...punching a wall.

Techniques and styles really didn't work on him. Towards this guy, using those things on him would be like performing ballet for a crowd of chickens. One might say he was unsophisticated and rough, but I suppose that also came with some advantages. Not to mention, Maun was not entirely clueless about how fighting worked. He was just...an inexplicable genius.

I suppose the best explanation for this was that his battle instincts were simply unparalleled.