The king knew it was a futile effort to try to scream or shout. The barrier made it almost impossible for competitors to hear words clearly, and if the information got out that the person fighting the first battalion dragon knight captain was none other than the masked man who left the king in such a critical state, it would certainly cause uproar and concern. Everyone looking was so interested and shocked by the fight to notice just how impressive Bhautik's opponent actually was. The fight was going so fast that barely anybody could react and see what was happening. It was apparent that the longer the fight had gone on, the stronger Soilev had gotten while Bhautik had begun almost slowing down. The king was worried but had no choice but to put all of his trust in the strongest individual he knew.
Bhautik had suddenly increased in speed and found an opening to attack from. He stopped his body so rapidly and with so much force that the ground below him started cracking more and more. With all his power, speed, and might, he threw a hook to the side of Velios's head. It was like time had started moving just a little bit slower for Bhautik, with each fraction of a second during the punch feeling like several seconds. It was as if he could clearly see exactly what was going to happen. At the speed and power he had thrown his punch with, the most Velios could hope for was to block it, and even then, the most likely scenario would be that Velios would fall just short and have his head decapitated by a single swift motion. Bhautik was so close to victory; he could smell it, feel it, and already envision how he was going to celebrate after the match. So why did he get a feeling that he would fall short? That it would come to nothing?
What followed was a massive explosion that covered the whole zone within the barrier. Even with the noise being kept to a minimum by the barrier, the sound could have been heard throughout the whole underground city. Some individuals present described it as an earthquake, or that they could feel the cave itself shaking. The massive smoke cloud was still covering the arena, creating a feeling of suspense that they had never felt before. As the dust and smoke slowly ceased, it became apparent what the result was, but everyone was left baffled at the outcome. None were entirely sure of what they saw, and even Freya and Shiva had no clue about what happened at that moment. Both of them could clearly see Bhautik throwing his most powerful attack, and yet, what appeared from behind the coverage of smoke was something no one had expected.
They were both in the center of the arena, with one of them completely unconscious and the other being the only reason the other hadn't already fallen to the ground. Bhautik's and Velios's entire left arms were missing. Velios's other hand was sticking out from the other side of Bhautik's body, right at where his heart would be. Velios's hand was the only reason the wounded dragon knight captain hadn't fallen yet. Bhautik's unconscious body, unable to properly rest with Velios's arm still in the hole that went right through his body. The both of them were equally covered in blood and injuries, and Velios was slowly healing his arm. For every second that passed, nothing more seemed to happen in the fight. It was as if that attack had ended it all. The crowd was completely speechless at the sight of the two of them. Blood was continuously gushing through the open hole in Bhautik's body, and his feet were only barely able to touch the ground, now completely covered in his blood.
Multiple people's reaction was to either scream, shout, or something of the like. Instead, none of them were able to. The king was completely shattered, realizing that it was all over and that the victor had most likely been decided. Not even he wanted to believe that it truly was the end, but his eyes kept telling him nothing but the truth. He wanted it to be a lie, a dream, a bad nightmare, but it was far too real for him. The only person who might have stood a chance against the masked man, their last hope and the king's final ace, had fallen right before his eyes. He, along with the other spectators, watched as Velios slowly dragged his arm backward, letting more and more blood gush right out of his body as he fell down to his knees before hitting the ground face first, with his head slowly rolling to the side and his full body lying completely still in a huge puddle of his own blood. Velios coldly stood there, watching as the dragon drew its last breaths and then eventually died. He switched his gaze towards his right hand, covered in the blood of the valiant and brave dragon, slowly beginning to fall and join the blood that was already on the ground.
The arena was completely quiet. None could believe that what they saw was real. Most civilians watched as the challenger that still remained just stood there, paying no attention to the reaction of the masses around him. For Velios, the thought of life and death had not been a new concept for him. The thought of killing had always been something Velios found necessary for his own survival, but something was different this time. He couldn't explain it either. The concept of emotions was entirely a new thing for Velios as well, but he thought that he had become proficient at understanding at least his own emotions. But, even he, a person of great knowledge and strength, still has something new that they can learn every day. He remained in the middle of the arena, tilting his head so that it was looking down at the motionless body in front of him as he began to try and find what kind of emotions it was that he was feeling.
The crowd was still shocked to see the result of the match. It was as if the result of the match had turned all of them mute. Vadh had already guessed the outcome of the match, but even he was shocked. He didn't know what had happened either during the massive explosion, but he knew what skill it was that Velios had used. Velios had even told him that it was a skill he had obtained after defeating him. A skill that could greatly increase the deadliness of one's fists. A skill that could turn them into something more powerful, something more durable, and something sharper. Vadh knew exactly what it was but he was still equally, if not more, stunned at the outcome. Vadh suddenly began to get memories that he had never had, memories of someone, not himself, watching as he mercilessly murdered a group of people right before the person's very eyes. The only resemblance he could think about, the only reason he could possibly have that kind of memory at this moment, was probably because of how cruelly gruesome and gory both of the scenarios were.
The king was on the verge of fainting himself, realizing that he no longer had any way to fight back. Velios finally lifted his head up, looking at the devastated looks from every single individual watching. He hadn't himself realized the gravity of the situation from others' view, but his head would start hurting if he tried to think about anything further. Velios straightened his body before lowering his head once more before he started slowly walking away. The fatigue had finally caught up with Velios, and he could feel how weak and damaged his body truly was. He hadn't eaten much for the past few days, and he had excessively used his 'passive healing' so that he could continue fighting the way he did. All the spectators watched in horror, and not a single one could take their eyes off either Velios or Bhautik. Some among them couldn't bear to look at the scene and ended up vomiting. All of their eyes now had a sort of lifeless look. The same guy all of them hated so passionately, that they threw a bunch of stuff onto, and someone who definitely wasn't a friend of their kingdom, had killed their most powerful individual.
As Velios was painfully walking out, he could hear a faint female voice in the background. It was robotic, and Velios brushed it off as nothing. He couldn't bother to turn around to see who it was; he continued marching forward. Crow and the others were even more shocked to see that Velios had won and with more difficulty than when he had fought the king. They couldn't even wrap their heads around the idea that someone so powerful and gruesome could be so kind and forgiving at the same time. It was as if they were looking at two completely different people, with one of them being the strong and kind-hearted who helped every single one of them to control their powers, and the other person being some malicious and cold-blooded killer, killing for the fun of it and without mercy.
Velios continued walking slowly, still not having exited the arena at that point. Suddenly, a primal, guttural scream erupted from the depths of the unseen source, tearing through the fabric of silence with a malevolence that sent shivers down the spines of any who heard it. It began as a low, ominous growl, gradually building in intensity until it reached a crescendo of pure inhuman agony.
The scream seemed to defy the very laws of sound, resonating with a dissonant frequency that not only assaulted the ears but reverberated through the air like a physical force. Its origin was obscured, as though it emanated from a place beyond the veil of reality, a realm where anguish took on a grotesque and otherworldly form. The sheer inhumanity of the scream manifested in its unholy pitch, a symphony of torment that no mortal vocal cords should be capable of producing. Layers of anguish intertwined, creating a cacophony that seemed to stretch the limits of sanity. It was a sound that hinted at unimaginable suffering, a wail so profound that it transcended the boundaries of human comprehension.
As the reverberations echoed through the air, the very environment itself seemed to recoil in terror. The barrier, already strained, quivered and contorted under the unnatural onslaught. The ground beneath Velios crumbled and split, as if the earth itself couldn't bear the weight of the inhuman anguish that had been unleashed. The scream lingered in the air, a haunting resonance that left an indelible mark on all who bore witness. It was a sound that went beyond fear, and burrowed into the deepest regions of the soul, leaving a lingering sense of unease and the unsettling awareness that something profoundly malevolent had been awakened.
Before Velios could muster any sort of response, a swift kick landed square on his head, leaving him with no time to react.