Chapter 67 | Aiden vs A Crazed Werewolf
As Marion charged at me, I moved sideways and rolled to another side. He was fast, faster than I expected, probably because of his forced rank jump.
Missing me even after attacking unannounced, he seemed pissed. The host was shouting something, but I kept my focus on the enemy ahead.
He growled as he started doing his werewolf transformation; his face morphed to more that of a big wolf type. His height grew to almost 8 ft, his nails lengthened, and his body was covered in black fur.
The eyes, which were red earlier, now I could sense a bloodlust in them. Whatever reasoning was left in those eyes was also fading, fast.
"You are dead, human," he spoke in a thick, grumbled voice, like he was forcing the words out.
"All out from the get-go, okay, I am game," I stated as he charged at me again.
This time I pumped mana into my legs and activated the sigils to jump at least twice the height of Marion.
Just as he looked above, I extended my fist downward as I shot towards him. As I neared him, he swung his arm high with pointed nails aimed at me.
Using the skill Kinetic Frame Shift, I loosened my fist into claws and used his arm as a lever to deliver a fast knee shot to his face.
He staggered due to the hit, allowing me the time to land at a slight distance from him.
However, it only took him a second to recover as he looked at me and growled loudly and more ferociously this time.
Suddenly, he moved too fast this time. I only noticed a punch approaching me fast.
His speed startled me for a moment as I crossed my hand and planted my feet in a defensive position. The punch struck like a hammer; I gritted my teeth as I skidded backwards.
I felt a drop of blood at the corner of my mouth; as a precaution, I had already applied the illusion mantle, so I didn’t have to worry about golden blood.
"So, this is the strength of a pseudo Sage, but it’s pretty weak compared to a Saint," I sneered.
This time he moved again; my Adaptive Combat Mastery was already helping me move away from his range of attack.
He didn’t relent; I ducked, rolled, and moved sideways, saving myself from his violent strikes.
The more attacks he missed, the faster and more unhinged his attacks became. The moment I rolled away from his attack, suddenly, he raised both fists.
Sensing something ominous, I tried moving away as he slammed both his fists to the ground. I was thrown away as a huge shockwave slammed to the ground.
’Is this a skill?’
The Kinetic Frame Shift helped me stand up quickly as he ran towards me. This time, I also moved using my full speed using mana and sigils. Now his movement appeared a bit sluggish to me.
As he threw his punch, targeting my head. Using my low height, I moved under his hand. Coating my fist with a layer of Nullification and using Overdrive Fist, I hit him in the gut.
Contrary to my expectation, he was able to tank the damage as he skidded backwards. Causing two straight lines in front of him, a pained howl escaped his lips.
However, in his angered state, my focus was on the area where my punch connected, which wasn’t healing back. I didn’t give him time to recover as I charged again, jumping just before him.
Delivering a round kick on his face, preventing him from stabilizing himself. He fell on one knee, droplets of dark red blood scattered on the arena ground.
For a moment, clarity seems to have returned to his eyes as he looks at me. "I will never let a puny human interfere in my dreams."
He howled this time, like a proper werewolf, as his howl echoed in the arena.
"See, buddy, recently I also have decided to not let anything stand in the way of achieving my dreams, even if they are ideals," I accepted for the first time and spoke it aloud.
I felt the illusory rope that was binding me and dragging me back break, as I finally felt free. Like a burden has been lifted, making my thoughts much clearer.
"Looks like my idea to hit your head brought an unexpected result. It’s better this way; you will remember," I smirked as I did a mock signal to attack me.
However, instead of charging ahead, he swiped his claw, and a large slash made of mana shot towards me. I used my Anti-Mage skill with the Nullification ability to punch out the slash.
Just as the slash was nullified, he came with a grabbing motion in an attempt to grab me by the head. I expected a sneak attack as I rolled to avoid getting grabbed.
"How long will you run?" Having his reason returned, he spoke; frustration was laced in his every word.
"Not long," I shot back as I charged at him.
I activated Overdrive Fist, Solar Breaker, and Nullification Coating in a small part of the fist. While also using all sigils and pumping mana in hands and legs. I moved with the intent of a final punch.
Seeing me coming at him, he made a grabbing motion with both his hands. He was trying to leverage his large build to his advantage.
I skidded, using the momentum to avoid being grabbed. As his hands caught only empty air, he was defenseless for a moment.
This time, I delivered the punch straight to his gut. At the same damaged position as earlier. This time, he shot towards the boundary of the ring like a big black comet.
This was my most powerful punch till now. He slammed into the shield of the ring and fell on the ground, almost like a lifeless body.
However, I was sure he won’t die. I didn’t want him dead yet.
He tried to stand up with the support of his hands but started vomiting blood as he forced his body.
As he lay on his back on the ground, he finally reverted to his humanoid appearance, signalling his inability to fight.
The silent arena suddenly erupted in cheers as the host came into action.
"Here we have it, folks, despite the speculation about Marion Moonken. We have a new champion of the Mandate of Kronesthion. Please show your appreciation for the strength and grit shown by him."
"Let’s not wait any more. The winner of this match is AIDEN ORIGIN!" the host announced with enthusiasm and fervor.
After his announcement, the arena erupted with cheers of my name. As I moved towards the exit, Marion was trying to say something.
I went near him, surprised to see a crazed smile on his face. "You should have killed me. I will come for you, Aiden," he tried to laugh but couldn’t due to pain.
But his visible bloodied teeth were proof of his crazed smile. I crouched beside him and smiled as I said, "There’s a reason you are alive."