Death Frost | Deathsworn #2

Chapter 41 ❆ Finals

The next section of the battle would be between Mushroom Soup and Defiant Soul, myself and Stone Guardian, a knockout round between the losers of the first and second fight, then finally Maun against Black Flame. This schedule was bomb, and I could tell the arena would be packed to watch the match between top one and top two. I, too, looked forward very much for the confrontation between the two hegemons of this tournament. It would help vent some anger and indignation from me if Maun could pummel Black Flame to the ground too.

Eren was very enthusiastic about the match and had, once or twice, shaken Maun senseless, telling him firmly that he must win and take revenge for her and me. Maun seemed confident enough, so I was not very worried about it. He'd gone back to carving on his wood blocks in a better mood than before.

I, on the other hand, was in a bit of a pinch. If I lost my round here, I would definitely have to tire out myself in that knockout fight. And I was in no mood to put myself in such a difficult position

Nonetheless, my opponent this time would be Stone Guardian. While I did not underestimate him, I would have to say he was currently among the weakest in the lineup after Defiant Soul. I had also thoroughly documented his style during the previous fights, so I was confident I could deal with whatever he would be throwing at me.

I had also learned a lot from the match against Black Flame. If anything, his constant suppression of me during our confrontation had helped enlighten me to some extent. I'd spotted my weaknesses and seen my own shortcomings. Armed with this new knowledge, I continued sparring against Elion with the goal of polishing off these rough points of mine. This time, Erenol began to join in my nightly exertions as well. It seemed she was very determined not to fail the test for Dragoon Academy this time.

When the next round came, we all gathered in the arena once more.

The excitement was high. Even before the day began, the audience were clamoring for action. I heard the town was abuzz and there were already bets going around wondering who would win. In the dugouts, I could feel the energy exceeded the previous days.

Surprisingly, though I felt some rush, I wasn't at all anxious. I did not have a clue where this calm was coming from, but I would like to preserve this state of mind. So while I quietly spectated the battle, I did not act like I did before. I did not take notes and solemnly focused on the fight instead.

Mushroom Soup, as expected, won against Defiant Soul, securing a place in the top five.

By the time it was my turn to come up, the cheers were very enthusiastic too.

The announcer made it the point that the audience were looking forward to seeing some more amusing scenes from me. In fact, many were betting and hoping that I would win just so I could match up against Black Flame again.

It seemed we have been branded the "comedic duo" title.

I hoped to disappoint them. After all, I was not really always so...silly.

Perhaps it was my somber and numb mood that allowed me to proceed with a hint of savagery. This time, I was in no mood for nonsense. Unlike my calculative and prodding self that went up against Black Flame prior—overthinking, overplanning—I came up to Stone Guardian with aggressiveness and decisiveness I did not know I was capable of.

The results were not unexpected, but still surprising. I did not waste a lot of time fighting against Stone Guardian this time. Compared with my previous fight, I slid into it with ease.

Stone Guardian was slow. And though he tried to make up for it by supplementing it with his element, I did not have a lot of trouble breaking through his defenses. Of course, I could not completely suppress my overactive brain from jumping on a lot of ideas mid-fight. Though its activity was not as hyped as my last fight, it was still quite jumpy.