Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 331: Pushed To The Limits [2]

The cheering of the crowd boomed throughout the entire platform. It was so loud that I momentarily forgot about the pain I felt in my left hand.

‘…It’s broken.’

My heart sank at the realization.

Staring at the slightly panting Kaelion, I clenched my teeth in frustration. The situation was far from ideal. Even though Kaelion had maintained the upper hand for most of the fight, I had managed to keep things under control.

But it was a struggle.

The rate at which Kaelion could create and form a magic circle was terrifying. On many occasions, I found myself unable to deal with the speed at which he created the magic circles.

To make matters worse, he was extremely adept in close combat.

He was a lot stronger than me in that aspect.

The only reason why I had been able to resist until now was because my body had undergone body reformation. Had it not been for that, I would’ve lost the match in an instant.

“Kaelion!” “Kaelion!” “Kaelion!”

Listening to the animated cheers and chants of the crowd, I pursed my lips tightly. Amongst the chants I could hear the voices of the crowd shouting, ‘finish him!’, ‘his arm is broken! Get him out and enter the next stage!’ ‘Go for it!’

The voices were loud and Kaelion appeared to have heard them too.

As his eyes shifted to my left hand, he didn’t waste time.

Bang!

The ground beneath him caved, and his figure blurred. I tried to step back but realized that I was standing at the edge of the arena.

One would automatically lose the moment that they left the stage so I had no other choice but to dash to my right.

Swoosh!

But as if he could predict my movements, Kaelion’s body shifted and he appeared right in front of me.

“….!”

My heart squeezed as my eyes darted all over, in search of an opening that I could use to get away from the edge.

But how could Kaelion give me that choice?

As his foot pressed against the ground, magic circles formed around us, blocking any path for me to take.

A whistling sound arose shortly after as Kaelion thrust his fist forward, my clothes and hair flapping at the wind generated by his attack.

As I stood at the edge, the approaching fist seemed to grow larger and more pressuring with every inch it came closer.

‘I can’t dodge it!’

There was no way that I could.

The situation appeared hopeless, and in that brief moment when the fist drew closer, I bit my lips and stepped back, my body sinking into the nothingness that stood beneath.

Swoosh!

The fist missed, and I sank outside of the arena.

Kaelion’s eyes widened, and before he could follow up, I opened my mouth and mumbled,

“Sadness.”

His movements suddenly froze, and I twisted my body, realizing that the ground behind me was alarmingly close. Without a moment’s hesitation, I thrust my hand downward, summoning a chain that shot out of my grasp.

Clank!

The chain impaled onto the ground and I held onto it with my right hand.

As my toes clung to the edge of the arena and I gripped the chain with my only working hand, the entire arena fell into an uneasy silence. Although I couldn’t see the spectators’ reactions, I could vividly imagine their stunned and wide-eyed expressions.

Unfortunately, I was not in a position to care too much.

My core burned while the chain visibly shook as I focused on keeping it erect.

Clench.

Tensing my abdominal muscles, I drew my feet forward, careful not to let them touch the ground, and pressed them against the chain. With a swift motion, I pushed off the chain and shot upward, soaring above the stunned Kaelion.

Thud.

Landing onto the platform, I took several steps back while regaining control of my footing.

When I did regain my footing, I suddenly noticed that the entire Colosseum was quiet. When I looked up, the shocked and surprised faces of the spectators came into view.

Then…

Boom!

The entire Colosseum erupted.

***

“Brilliant!”

Karl’s saliva was practically spitting out of his mouth as his voice was barely audible due to how loud the audience was.

“…In some shocking turn of events, Julien was able to turn around the hopeless situation and managed to stop himself from falling off the stage and losing!”

“That was a clever trick.”

Johanna nodded in approval beside him.

She had witnessed the entire thing, and unlike the rest, she was able to keep up with the match with her eyes alone.

“Julien’s actions were well within the rules. Since he didn’t touch the ground with any part of his body, he’s still in the match. It was a great improvisation from him.”

“Great!”

Karl clapped with enthusiasm.

All eyes were directed toward the two competitors who stood on opposite ends. They were both panting heavily, one more so than the other.

Kaelion was the first one to move, his figure blurring as he shot toward Julien.

He was so fast that in a split second, he was already before Julien. Clenching his fist, he prepared to throw another punch in his direction. He was copying the same movement as he had done previously.

Julien’s eyes narrowed. As his eyes darted all over the place, for a faint moment they changed color, flipping between green, red, and blue. However, this phenomenon only lasted for a brief moment before he opened his mouth and mumbled,

“Anger.”

The scenery around Kaelion shifted.

His mind, which had previously been fixed on the match and fully focused on destroying his opponent, hardened. His eyes momentarily lost their clarity, and his punches became increasingly frantic.

‘Fuck! Lose…!’

‘Get out of my way!’

The more he punched, the more his chest boiled.

He started to attack in such a manner that openings started to appear.

Julien wasted no time and took advantage of those openings. Opening his palm, which slowly turned purple, he ducked down and reached for his exposed abdomen.

So long as he could touch him…

“….!”

As if sensing the imminent danger, Kaelion’s mind throbbed with pain as he snapped out of the state that he was in.

But it was too late.

Looking down, Julien’s hand pressed against his abdomen. Despite his best attempts at sucking his stomach in, the hand still managed to reach him, and a wave of weakness washed over his body.

“Ukh.”

Kaelion’s face grew pale.

Sweat poured down from the side of his face and his pupils shook.

Looking up, he saw a fist head in his direction. It was fast and ruthless, and all Kaelion could do was cross his arms in an attempt to block the attack.

Bang!

He stumbled back several steps.

Kaelion felt his arms grow numb as he stabilized his body.

‘…Strong.’

Julien’s physical strength was stronger than he had anticipated. It was still a lot weaker than his, but it was still relatively strong. It wasn’t something he could just dismiss.

But that wasn’t the main problem.

Bang, bang, Bang—! Fist, kicks, elbow strikes, knee blows… Julien didn’t spare a single part of his body, even his injured hand, as he ruthlessly attacked Kaelion with everything that he had. All Kaelion could do was hold on as he was repeatedly pushed back.

Julien’s actions were ruthless and precise. As though this wasn’t the first time he had fought this way.

But as far as Kaelion knew, Julien was a mage.

Since when could he fight like this…!? It threw him off a little.

Boom!

The only time Kaelion reacted was when Julien attempted to touch him instead of hitting him.

He had to be extremely careful of his touch.

Bang—!

A powerful blow sent Kaelion sliding backward. As he stumbled, a shiver ran down his spine, and he instinctively leaped into the air.

As he jumped he looked down.

His heart sank as he noticed the numerous threads that were scattered on the ground, seemingly waiting for him to slice his leg against them.

This was unfortunately the least of his concerns.

Looking down, he noticed that Julien was getting ready to attack him. Having jumped in the air, Kaelion was put at a disadvantage. And this was even though his opponent only had one usable hand.

Julien raised his hand, pointing it directly at him.

Kaelion felt the hair on every part of his body rise. Before he could react, the gravity surrounding him intensified massively.

His body paused mid-air for a brief moment before falling down rapidly.

At the same time Kaelion’s body started to fall, Julien extended his right hand as a purple hand formed beneath Kaelion.

‘Oh, no!’

Kaelion’s pupils constricted.

He tried to move and dodge the hand beneath, but it was impossible.

The hand soon gripped his back and Kaelion felt a massive wave of weakness wash over his body. That was all it took to prevent him from cushioning his fall as he crashed against the ground with a heavy thud.

“Ukeh!”

His back crackled with a sharp pain as he spat out a mouthful of saliva, the metallic taste of iron mingling with the blood on his tongue.

“Cough! Cough…!”

Though the injuries were not as severe as those he had endured in the past, they left him dazed. His vision blurred, and the roaring noise of the crowd began to fade into a distant hum.

All Kaelion could hear were the light ‘thuds’ coming from Julien’s direction as he dashed his way.

“…..”

Kaelion lay in silence, his mind growing at peace.

Though his situation was far from ideal, he remained relatively calm. Coming from an Empire where only the strongest survived, he had faced such dire circumstances more times than he could count.

His body had been honed through despairing situations.

….And it was in such states that he usually became stronger.

‘Right, it’s about time…’

As he closed his eyes, the audience quieted down, seemingly thinking that he had given up. Julien’s footsteps grew closer, his hand extending with precision. With a swift motion, he unleashed a barrage of threads, sending them toward Kaelion.

The speed at which the threads moved was hard to follow, and soon enough they reached for his throat.

‘It’s over.’

‘Julien won.’

The audience all shared the same thoughts in those moments.

And yet…

Just when the audience thought Julien’s victory was secured, Kaelion’s eyes snapped open, his pupils turning completely red.

The threads targeting his neck ricocheted off as Kaelion’s muscles writhed uncontrollably. His body convulsed with an unnatural intensity, producing a series of explosive pops like the roar of a revving engine.

A powerful and oppressive force erupted from Kaelion’s body, and something started to squirm from out of his body, reaching out and enveloping a small area around him.

Everything paused at that moment.

The entire audience froze in silence as several figures stood up one by one.

Gael and Elysia were one such figures as their eyes turned serious.

“…Concept.”

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