Chapter 164 164: Final Command.
Keith's eyes danced about, searching for the attack before he moved. His legs felt heavy, but not as heavy as his upper body that drooped slightly.
Lightning charged in his palm and he prepared a deformed ball of lightning to deflect the shield with.
But it would never make sense for his opponent to attack with just a shield.
He gasped, realizing a second too late.
Thousands of small needles cramped into his lower body, especially his legs. His movements stilled and great pain raked through his bones.
His body jerked forward as a sharp breath escaped his lips. "This is…" he knew there were invisible attacks.
Yet the fact that they reached him despite his charged surroundings, and not disperse, made him worried that they might be unaffected by his lightning.
The crowd frowned, watching quietly as the one they had already declared the winner was forced to his knees again.
Keith's knees buckled before he forced himself upright again, trying to ignore the pain that only spread. He looked onward and found the pattern.
He felt the stand going up his legs towards his knee. Then dozens lunging at his thighs. He lowered his head, breathing sharply.
His skin felt as though those invisible needles lodged themselves inside, cutting, digging, tearing and remaining in there.
A thin line of blood rolled down his leg, and more streamed down from the open cuts. His fingers trembled as he felt the warm liquid roll down.
The attack kept him on a standstill and since his opponent was also half-paralyzed from his attack, they were both on a standstill.
This was simply a battle of endurance and indomitable spirit and this attack should be the last one. "No…" His body swayed to the right.
He weakly held onto the railings to avoid going fully to his knees. "I… can still… do something…"
The crowd slowly became silent. They could see the small cuts appearing across Keith's body and they didn't need a prophet to tell them what it was.
Blood dripped from his limped arm as the attacks rose. Keith's eyes widened, as a terrible realisation dawned on him. He raised the injured arm, wrapping it against his body.
"'If it reaches my lungs…" He gritted his teeth. "If it reaches, I might actually die."
He glared at Reginald who had been watching his opponent like a rather interesting experiment. Keith slowly clenched his fists. "I can't let him kill me."
The Match Coordinator's expression changed instantly. "Kill…?" He mouthed inaudibly after reading Keith's lips. His orange flag rose above his head.
"Stop!"
There was no reaction and the invisible attacks continued. The man kept his raised arm, clenching his fingers tightly against his flag.
His role had never felt so useless before. He watched Keith's body jerk again as another cut sliced through his clothes and belt. It was going higher.
The Coordinator raised a second orange flag. "Young man from the Central Region, stop it right now!"
The entire crowd froze, all eyes staring at the two orange flags raised at the same time.
Several Wardens stood, knowing that it must be the last straw. They had never seen that happen before. That match had received the most number of orange flags ever and that genuinely scared them.
Reginald's eyes shifted to the coordinator for the first time since the man started screaming. The wind around him shifted to his line of vision.
A cold breeze shuddered the coordinator and he took one step back, keeping his gaze on Reginald.
"Why?" Reginald sounded irritated. "Have I won the match already?"
The Coordinator pointed at Keith. "Is it still a match if you make your opponent unable to move or defend?"
It was no longer a normal attack. Keith had no defense against it and internal organs were at risk.
And that clearly meant death and no other attack would've claimed life before. At least not so blatantly.
Reginald looked back at his opponent, unconcerned. "Then he should hurry and accept defeat. Then I'll stop."
The flag snapped under the match coordinator's hand. "What—"
Keith pushed himself upwards, lightning crackling through his frame.
The match Coordinator rushed towards him but the charged intensity of lightning made him hesitate.
"Accept defeat?" Keith coughed out blood, he wiped it off almost instantly. "You will only dream about that. I'll just take you down with me."
Reginald only smirked, and readied himself for the fulfillment of those words. He had learnt painfully that his opponent's words always followed through.
The match Coordinator stepped back, raising his hand to stop the other coordinators from getting too close.
What would happen should happen.
Blue lightning erupted from Keith's body, crawling over his skin and wrapping around his arms.
It traveled up his torso and legs desperately trying to protect him from the wind needles. Yet more cuts appeared and streams of blood followed.
The arena swam before his eyes and shapes melted into colours. His legs finally gave way and he crashed to the ground.
Several people gasped. Some looked away.
Reginald didn't blink. His gaze was fixed on Keith, unyielding.
The Match Coordinator took a step forward, lowering his hand so the other coordinators could come. The winner had been decided.
But then he stopped. Something was wrong.
Keith's fingers touched the arena floor, trailing his fingers over the burnt trails he had created earlier.
Lightning still crackled around his body and they transferred to the trails, sizzling against the hard floor.
His eyes remained open, and he did his best not to blink to avoid passing out from blood loss and strain.
He raised his head and looked around the trails scattered over the arena. His breathing grew rough and his body screamed to not move.
Even his vision was failing him but he moved, stretching his bleeding leg towards a farther trail.
A final command left his body.
Blue lightning disappeared into the trails quickly, crawling out like snakes entering tunnels.
Reginald noticed. The crowd did not notice.
The Coordinator noticed but couldn't make anything of it. Yet everyone was watching Keith, waiting for his body to give up.
Reginald took a step forward, and nearly staggered to a fall. He froze, catching himself. He chuckled softly, looking up at his opponent.
"I admire this but you should just give up already."
Keith spared him no glance, and the instant his foot touched the arena floor, he muttered.
"<Chains of Lightning>"
The entire arena exploded with light.
BOOM.