Chapter 65: Mordred VS Kalderaan (Part 3)
Kalderan staggered back slightly, his left hand pressed firmly against the gaping wound Mordred’s black katana had opened in his belly. He could clearly feel his blood flowing at an alarming rate, hot and sticky between his fingers. The warrior clenched his teeth violently, fighting the pain that pulsed intensely through his entire body.
He knew he didn’t have much time. The wound was deep and, without immediate intervention, would be fatal.
- Cursed human... he muttered with rage and pain, giving Mordred a look of pure hatred tinged with a fear he stubbornly refused to admit.
Kalderan had never excelled in the art of mana. Unlike other Colosseum fighters, he preferred to rely on his brute strength and relentless fighting technique. To him, mana was a weakness, an unstable resource that only cowards or the weak could rely on as a last resort.
But this time, he had no choice. He had to act fast, and only mana could save his life right now.
Clenching his teeth violently under the effort, he desperately drew on what little magical energy he possessed. Concentration was a painful effort, his face tense with the intensity of the operation.
Slowly, painfully, a tiny glowing ball of fire began to appear in the palm of his right hand, flickering and unstable as if it might disappear at any moment.
- Just a little bit more... just a little bit more, dammit!" growled Kalderan, struggling to keep the trembling flame alive. His face was now dripping with sweat from the colossal effort required by this simple act of magic.
Finally, with a muffled cry of pain, he pressed the flame violently against his wound, brutally pressing his palm against his open flesh.
The pain was searing, excruciating, burning his nerves like a red-hot iron plunged into his guts. A sickening smell of burning flesh immediately rose to his nostrils, causing him to retch with difficulty. But he kept his hand pressed firmly against his belly, his muscles contracting violently under the torture of this savage cauterization.
- AAAAAAAAH!" he screamed, his eyes bulging with pain beyond endurance.