Eli, maintaining his playful demeanour, continued to taunt Kayden,
"Looks like you healed yourself!!" as he effortlessly appeared far away from the throne he created.
"Arhh!" Kayden groaned in frustration, realizing that his attempt to strike Eli had been futile.
With determination, Kayden pulled the sword that had earlier destroyed the throne and glared at Eli with a furious expression....with hidden fear?
Eli, still wearing a playful smile, observed Kayden's reaction.
The Hero's emotions seemed to oscillate between anger and.... fear.
Kayden, overwhelmed by humiliation, was now desperate to prove himself in front of the onlooking audience.... No, it's just a lie he told himself.
As Kayden prepared to attack again, Eli's calm voice cut through the tension,
"Answer, Hero of Theos Kingdom, what happened to that boy?"
"I don't know!! Why would I care about that!!" Kayden retorted, his response laced with defiance. In his attempts to save face, he disappeared and reappeared behind Eli, ready to strike.
But, just as he swung his sword,
'Ting'
A metallic sound echoed in the arena.
The Hero's sword met thin air as Eli had already vanished, appearing effortlessly near the remnants of the broken throne.
"ggrrr" Kayden gritted his teeth, grappling with the frustration of being unable to land a blow on Eli. The weight of humiliation and the need to redeem himself intensified.... if he didn't even scratch Eli then everyone would think of him as a joke.... A Hero Joker.
Sure, Kayden wanted to run away... He was ready at any moment, but a shiver ran down his spine when he received a message stating,
"I will make you the Next King.... If you kill him"
Kayden knew who it was from....
He knew the stakes were high, but the allure of power and control over his own destiny was too enticing.....
'Fuck!'
The prospect of being the next King.... meant he would be surpassing his father's authority which fueled Kayden's determination and even more, The title came with privileges, he could literally do anything he wanted like.... making Aadya his.
Though he understood the risks involved, Kayden decided to cast aside his fear, focusing on the potential rewards awaiting him.
Yet, whenever he saw Eli's face, Kayden's heart beat in fear as his limbs trembled...
Touching the remnants of the broken throne, Eli smiled gently, and his amplified voice filled the arena,
"Yes, because no one cares"
A collective dumbfounded silence settled over the audience upon hearing Eli's cryptic response.
"AAHHHH!!" With a war cry, Kayden reappeared, attempting to strike Eli once more, but...
'Ting'
Eli vanished again, leaving Kayden frustrated and his voice echoing in the arena,
"Why are you running like a coward?" Kayden's voice reverberated, a mix of anger and desperation underlying each word.
Ignoring Kayden's... taunting words? Eli continued with a calm yet impactful demeanour,
"Why should you care about a single child when a Hero has already saved a group of children?
Why bother about the worth of a single life compared to the lives of many?
What concern do you have for a kid who was neglected by the others?
And... why should you worry about the suffering of the parents of that boy?"
Eli's every question acted like a relentless arrow, piercing through the emotional shields of the spectators.
They weren't sure they had answers to all the questions.
"Don't Ignore me, Bastard!!"
Once again, Eli effortlessly evaded Kayden's attack, disappearing from his reach.
Eli's penetrating gaze shifted towards the audience, almost demanding an answer from them.
As silence hung heavily, heads were bowed throughout the arena, as if the weight of Eli's questions had rendered them speechless.
Witnessing this, an enigmatic smile played on Eli's lips.
"LOOK AT ME!!"
Despite Kayden's incessant attacks, Eli moved effortlessly, appearing here and there in the arena. Kayden could only gritt his teeth in frustration and fear...?
Sure, Kayden was really hesitating to fight and that's what Eli wanted from the very beginning.
It was only due to the offer that Kayden's mind pushed his body otherwise he would have already run away.
As he continued to evade, he posed a series of piercing questions to the audience,
"Tell me, everyone, what if that child was your own, your brother, or a close relative? Would you care about his death? Would you seek justice against Hero ?"
"...." The arena remained silent.
"Was it wrong for him to play alone on the playground?"
"..."
"Was he wrong for following the rules and playing inside the playground?"
"..."
"Were the other children right to play outside the playground?"
"..." A heavy silence lingered.
"Was the..... Hero right to save the group of children who ignored the rules? Are they worth it?"
"..." Not a word.
"Was the Hero right to choose to sacrifice the lone child who obediently followed all the rules set by society?"
"..."
"Are the parents of the deceased child wrong for harbouring resentment towards the Hero who saved so many kids?"
"..."
"Tell me, people, who is wrong here?"
"...."
The questions hung in the air, met only by an impenetrable silence that left the audience..... unable to provide an answer.
Kayden, fed up with the ongoing shit, snapped his fingers.
"Hmm?" Eli frowned, feeling the air around him thinning, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Turning his attention to Kayden, who sported a confident smirk, Eli couldn't discern the sudden surge of energy from his opponent,
'I am not sure what happened, but it seems he was more energetic than before,' he thought and asked,
"Tell me, The Hero of Theos Kingdom, who is wrong here?"
"Of course, an idiot like you who is asking an idiotic question...is Wrong!!" Kayden grinned, enjoying the focus he had elicited from Eli.
Kayden completely removed the air from the fighting area, depleting air means he also depleted mana and that means....
"Hehehe.... You are fucking weak now!!" Kayden shouted triumphantly as he disappeared and reappeared behind Eli.
Kayden thought just like their first encounter, he used the same tactic he used before... in order to stop the basic requirement of Mana Breathwork.... which was Mana to perform Eli's arts.
"Chukkk!!"
"Hahahaha.... Take that, bastard!!" Kayden revelled in the sight of Eli's spluttering blood.
However, his satisfaction quickly turned to confusion when Eli's body disintegrated into particles.
"H-Huh?"
"Good grace, even a hero cannot answer my question...ah," a murmuring sound came from behind Kayden.
Just as he turned back, a sudden impact struck him.
"Boom!!"
'Thud'
Kayden's face took a punch, and he was sent flying a few meters, struggling to comprehend how Eli managed to counter his seemingly successful attack.
"H-How?" Kayden attempted to stand while covering his nosebleed.
"How? Of course, I am fucking stronger than a puny fake hero!! How long have you been going delusion yourself?" Eli answered confidently as he walked towards Kayden, intending to conclude the prolonged duel.
"W-What?" Kayden was flabbergasted, trying to process Eli's unexpected resurgence.
Unbeknownst to Kayden... no, more like Kayden didn't research Eli in the first place as he was sure he would win at any condition.
Eli's body was acting as a mana reservoir, akin to a stored mana crystal, instead of a mana crystal his body muscles and other parts as storage material. With a limited amount of time, Eli harnessed the accumulated energy to restore his strength.... Turned his body into a human-sized rechargeable Mana battery.
That's what the 2nd Stage/Form of Mana Breakwork was.
"What? I said it before, didn't I? I am more powerful than the person you fought before," Eli declared, standing before Kayden.
"Hahahaha...." Kayden, frustrated, decided to employ his last resort,
/Reality Mirror/
Suddenly, Kayden disappeared, leaving Eli to frown and scrutinize the entire fighting arena.
The surroundings started to warp, as if everyone present was moving like mirror reflections. The spectacle induced puzzlement and a hint of nausea among the spectators.
Kayden had unleashed his new spell, acquired through the support of the King. A simple yet effective Reality Mirror that distorted images, making it challenging for the opponent to pinpoint his location.... The spell aimed to divert and confuse the enemy by creating a visual spectacle of what was real and what was merely a mirrored illusion.
"Hahahaah..." Kayden's laughter echoed, creating an eerie atmosphere as if he was omnipresent.
"This is my ultimate sp--"
/Domain/
'Crack, Crack'
"sshhh"
"oorrrhh"
"ssiiii"
Eli's pupils shone with a mesmerizing rainbow of colours, a captivating display of his unleashed power. His hair, normally calm, now fluttered with ethereal energy in the airless fighting area and behind him,
"sshhh"
"oorrrhh"
"ssiiii"
"trrrr"
"oooo"
Manifestations of primal elements took form.... Flames dancing, Water swirling, Earth solidifying, Plasma pulsating, and Air flowing.
This vivid backdrop indicated not only his command over mana but also his mastery of the 2nd Stage/Form of Mana Breathwork.
Aadya and Rize were taken aback by his mastery over the 2nd Form.
'If he reached this much then what about 3rd form... 'Gulp'' They thought while worriedly gulping.
"W-W-What the....?" Kayden stammered, his confidence waning as he witnessed Eli's overwhelming display of power.
Even though he hid behind the mirrored worlds, he couldn't shake off the realization that he wasn't entirely detached from this reality. The consequences of his actions might now come back to haunt him.
"Let's see how you can hide now," Eli declared, his gesture prompting the elements to converge and fill every inch of the fighting area with their unrestrained energy.
"W-Wait, I-I a sor--"
/Elemara/
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
...
....
...
..
After long minutes of relentless assault, the firing ceased, and the dust gradually dissipated.
The audience was left in stunned silence, not because of the butchered state of Kayden's body which was riddled with countless holes.... but due to the extensive damage inflicted upon the arena.
'T-That's going to cost a lot!!' They collectively thought, their minds already calculating the expenses for repairs.
In the midst of the aftermath, Kayden felt his consciousness waning. Despite the anger and frustration, a sense of relief began to wash over him.
'Thank go--'
"sshhh"
However, a sudden blue light flickered before his eyes, causing his expression to shift to one of horror.
Eli, observing Kayden's trembling eyes, calmly stated,
"No one is right, and... no one is wrong"
"..." An uneasy silence hung in the air. It took a minute to understand that Eli was continuing his story.
Kayden felt he wanted to puke blood, 'Come on bastard, at least let me faint!!!' he thought.
Without any care, Eli continued,
"Who are fated die... will die.
Who are fated live... will live
If not the Hero, the children who played in the ground should be the ones.... died.
A fate that can altered by a single person....
A fate that took the happiness of a small family....
That's fate created by the gods... you call.
In the eyes of parents, their own child values more than any other child....
So, the Hero who saved children... Is really a Hero?
... Hero of the Theos Kingdom, Kayden R..... You.are.not.a.Hero.to.me!
We are Heroes to anyone... but Villains to someone!!"
"BOOM!!" With those parting words, Eli delivered a final blow, rendering Kayden unconscious.
"F-Fucke--" Kayden mumbled as his consciousness faded away. He wanted to question why Eli had healed him, only to deliver those cheeky lines?..... If that was the purpose, Kayden wished he had never heard them in the first place.
"ssshhh"
"ssshhh"
A white light emerged from the ground, signalling the end of the intense battle.
"WINNER: ASHER ELI!!" Aadya's voice resonated throughout the arena, officially declaring the outcome.
Suddenly,
"I am sorry" Eli bowed slightly. His posture conveyed a sense of sincerity as he admitted his mistake.
"I wasn't trying to hurt you, Miss, but still, my emotions got messed up, so I am truly sorry for my misconduct," Eli continued, acknowledging the inappropriateness of his earlier remarks.
Eli's apology was a stark contrast to the intense and fierce battle that had just taken place. It was as if a different side of him had emerged, a side that showed vulnerability and self-awareness.
'What a weird man!' they thought.
He wasn't sure where Kayden's fiancee was, but he had degraded her in front of everyone, so he apologized in front of the audience.
That's it!!
Eli suddenly turned sly, adding a touch of humour to the atmosphere,
"And I'd like to take this ring as a memento. Thank you."
"...."
People didn't know what to say or how to react. Some were still processing the intensity of the duel, while others were pondering the unexpected turn of events.
Whether they were sad about the hero's defeat or happy that Eli apologized in front of everyone, the emotions in the arena were palpable.
Sure, if it was before the good story, everyone would surely support the Hero, but after the story, they had mixed feelings. Eli's words had left an indelible mark, making them question and reflect.
They didn't understand why that story and his words lingered in their hearts as if he also suffered something.
Asher Eli looked around at everyone before deciding to leave for a meeting with the King of Theos Kingdom.
As he started to walk away, a sudden interruption cut through the air.
A voice, powerful and demanding, echoed through the arena,
"I, King Theo, Son of Carter Theo ask you to du---"
'sling'
'Thud'
'splash'
"Oops... I thought it was a bug," Eli remarked casually, holding his trident.
It happened very fast as people weren't even aware when Eli held the trident.
Seeing head rolling on the ground....
"KKKYYYAAAAAAA!!!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"