AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The other three males hesitated. Good. That was precisely what I was counting on.
I sprang toward Adam again. I needed to get him out of the fight. I kicked, extending myself as my foot slammed into his thigh. Then before lowering my leg, I leaned back, giving myself more power before I landed another kick to his jaw.
Adam’s eyes rolled back in his head. One moment, he was standing before me. The next, he was falling flat on his back. The other males stopped short, gawking at Adam’s leg. He was lying in a pool of his own blood.
My own eyes racked his body, just for a moment, to find the source of his bleeding. Bone was protruding out of his thigh. Shit. I didn’t think I’d hit him that hard. It would heal. He might not walk the same, but it would heal.
I tore my gaze from the bloody mess on the ground to stare at the three remaining opponents. I couldn’t afford to get distracted. I had to finish this fight as quickly as possible so I didn’t deplete my stamina. I smiled, letting a vicious curve take over one side of my mouth. I knew I looked malicious, but it would do the job. Horror briefly flashed across their faces as they took in Adam, then my coy grin standing above him. They were hesitant. They were scared. They were exactly where I needed them to be.
I barely heard the announcer shout, “That’s unbelievable! Sie Noren took out an opponent in ten seconds! I think that’s a new record for the fastest fight we have seen during the tournament.”
The most tenacious male out of the bunch—I think his name was Robert—pulled his gaze away from Adam to stare at me. He resumed his pacing around the arena, looking for a weak spot, a way in. The other two followed closely behind him.
Robert met me first and heaved a strong arm in my direction. I dodged his punch, only to be greeted with a hard kick in the ribs from the one named Savern. He flashed me a wicked, satisfied grin as I grunted from the pain searing in my side.
Clutching my ribs, I staggered away from them, trying to catch my breath.
I collected myself, staying light on my toes. If I got caught in the middle of those two, I’d be done for. I clung to the outside of the ring, making sure to keep them in front of me at all times.
Now joined by Nathan, the three of them worked together, not letting me catch my breath. They lunged at me one after another. All I could do was swerve, hoping to counteract with a kick or punch of my own. They were trying to tire me, but I’d practiced my whole life for this. I had stamina. I could push through the ragged breathing, the bruised rib, the tiredness of my muscles. Thanks to the forced training my father had put me through, I knew what exhaustion felt like. I knew I could handle whatever pain they shot at me.
Savern and Nathan were smaller. It didn’t take long for them to fatigue, feeling the effects of each blow I made toward them. Robert, though, was clearly ready for a good fight. He landed a solid jab to my face just above my eyebrow. I staggered back as blood began to seep into my vision. In one swift motion, I wiped the blood off with the back of my hand.
Robert, thinking he had me, let his guard down. I lunged. He was stronger than me, but I was leaner, more agile, and faster. I landed three blows and then side-stepped before he could counter.
I glanced at the red clock flashing by the announcer’s booth. The fight had only been going on for nine minutes when I finally pinned Nathan and Savern to the ground, leaving just Robert. It felt longer. Those nine minutes felt like a lifetime from the toll it took on me. I already had too many open wounds and was covered in black and blue from various bruises starting to develop.
Robert threw a powerful kick to the already tender spot on my ribs, causing me to stumble backward. His next punch landed straight to my sternum, knocking the wind out of me. I gasped as I stumbled backward.
He grumbled something under his breath. The smirk and mocking demeanor of his face told me it was vulgar and vile. I couldn’t make out his words through the coughing spell that followed his punch, the ringing in my ears, and the constant cheers from the crowds, but I knew he was taunting me.
It was enough to set me off, reminding me of my father. I didn’t know if it was the mere act of fighting, the tone of his voice, or the fact that he had the same dark brown eyes. It didn’t matter. I saw red right before I charged at him, losing myself to the fight.
When I came back to myself, my own chest was rising and falling in time to my heavy panting as I stood towering over Robert, his face flat on the ground. I was straddling him. One foot planted on the rubble as my other leg rested on a wobbly knee. My fists were clenched around his shirt, lifting him just slightly off the ground.
He let out a groan, which gave me a moment of relief until I noticed the pool of blood that sprayed out around him. I glanced down at my own knuckles. They were bloody, scabbed, and raw. Shit. How hard had I hit him? How long was he in this state before I stopped?
I peered toward the crowd, who seemed transfixed in our direction. In awe or shock, I couldn’t tell. The arena grew deathly quiet until the announcer came on the loudspeaker, “And our winner is Sie Axel Noren!”
Only then did the crowd erupt in exhilarated cheers. I stumbled off of Robert. I couldn’t make out what the announcer was saying, the ringing in my ears was meeting its crescendo—the Tournament was far from over.
FIVE
SCOTLIND
“Holy shit,”Miles breathed. “He’s an animal.”
He was the first person to break the silence after Sie’s fight. The Hall, which was usually loud and chaotic, felt ominous in the minutes after Effin announced Sie as the winner. With only the distant clicking of someone tapping their fingers against the table, the silence was penetrating.
I’d heard rumors of Sie being an amazing fighter. Everyone thought he would be good, but I didn’t realize he would bethatgood. Ever since he was little, when his abilities first manifested, everyone talked about him. Sie probably grew up knowing he would someday be the future King of Tennebris. I just never truly comprehended how powerful he was until today.
The only rank five alive in Tennebris. A weapon even without his abilities. He moved like lightning, striking the ground before the thunder roared. His movements were nimble and deft—and deadly.
“Yeah, and that was just him fighting with his combat skills. He didn’t even use his abilities,” Vallie replied, her eyes still glued to the screen. Her gaze was transfixed on Sie as he walked out of the arena. “They got what they deserved. All teaming up on him like that wasn’t right.”
Images of Adam’s bone protruding through his skin flashed in my mind. Sie did that in a matter of seconds.Seconds.I forcibly shook my head to clear my thoughts, to erase the mangled, bloody limb from my brain. Then the way he attacked Robert, it was like something in him had snapped.
“I can’t believe Sie only has fifteen minutes to recover before the next fight,” Yuri yelped. “That’s so unfair. He was so beaten up, and now has to fight the King right away.”
