Asura in Arknights

Looking at his old friend whom he hadn't seen for many years, Byron didn't rush to make a move, but instead, quite unusually, greeted him.

“Byron… I couldn’t find any news about you back then, I thought you were dead.”

"Haha."

Byron laughed a few times in a very unpleasant voice, and slowly said, "I almost died. You have no idea what I went through."

"I'm sorry, if I had known what happened, I would definitely have helped you."

“This is none of your business.” Byron’s smile faded, and he said coldly, “Enough with the small talk. I’ll give you a chance, as a friend.”

Byron clenched his fist, the sharp protrusions on his gauntlets reflecting a chilling light. "If you don't want to end up like the previous two, admit defeat. You can't possibly be my match."

"I will not give up in this match. I have reasons why I cannot give up."

"...Is that so? What a pity. In that case, I can only ask you to die."

As the shadow gradually covered his entire body, Renn took a deep breath and pressed the button hidden in his armor.

As the hidden mechanism inside the armor activated, a sharp object pierced Renn's skin, and some kind of scalding liquid flowed down the metal tip and instantly through his body.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Power

A molten, scorching liquid coursed through his veins, and Renn felt a surge of power welling up from the depths of his body.

Byron's massive body cast a shadow that completely enveloped him, and his clenched fists slammed down on his head like cannonballs, the force even creating a ring of air around Byron's arms.

If that punch had landed, Renn's head would have exploded like a watermelon.

The best strategy against such an enemy would be to avoid his attacks and counterattack when he throws a punch, but Renn did not do that. He roared and met the falling fist with his greatsword.

The rapidly rising body temperature evaporated the sweat on his body, and the resulting mist sprayed out from the gaps in his armor. The greatsword and the metal gauntlets collided, and the loud noise drowned out all other sounds in the arena.

Despite enduring such an impact, Renn did not retreat even a single step.

“You…” Byron’s voice revealed obvious surprise.

"I said I wouldn't give up."

The potion's power exceeded Renn's expectations, and he couldn't help but recall what had happened a few days earlier.

During his usual break time, a stranger approached Ryan.

“Knight Raine, you can call me Adams. I’m a spokesperson for Pol Pharmaceuticals. I wonder if you would be interested in joining our company.”

Ryan declined his invitation. His current boss had helped him during his most difficult time, and Ryan had already made up his mind that he would not leave Bell Health Products unless his boss no longer needed him.

"In that case, I won't insist."

The man who called himself Adams didn't press the matter further. Instead, he took out a small briefcase and said, "To be honest, our target is your relative. This is a gift from our company to you. We hope you can put in a good word for us."

"If nothing unexpected happens, your body will soon be unable to keep up with this frequency of competitions. This gift can help you get rid of your worries. Just one can relieve the fatigue accumulated throughout the day."

"Of course, the association has also approved the use of this drug, which can also be used as a temporary booster in competitions. Just one dose can allow you to unleash your full potential within ten minutes without leaving any aftereffects, and all costs will be covered by the drug itself."

Amid Adams's fake smile, Ryan silently accepted the box of potions.

The memory abruptly ended, the boiling fighting spirit in his chest reaching out to his opponent. The greatsword in Renn's hand felt as light as a feather.

"I must win!!"

-------------------------------------

"Is Ryan going to win?" Adele's eyes lit up.

Anyone could see that Rennes had now completely gained the upper hand.

The greatsword's attack range far exceeded the gauntlets. The greatsword that Renn wielded almost formed an impenetrable curtain, forcing Byron into a situation where he could only passively defend. His armor was gradually peeled away under Renn's sword, and he had several wounds of varying depths on his body.

Blood streamed down Byron's body, pooling in several places on the ring, mixing with the blood left by his opponent earlier.

"Go for it! Beat that guy to a pulp!" Maria was also very excited, shouting encouragement to Rein.

It was as if Renn could cut Byron down with just a little more effort.

However, Zofia showed no joy at the sight of this scene on the ring.

"No... something's not right." Zofia had already stood up from her seat and was staring intently at the screen.

Unlike the two young girls beside her, Zofia was already an experienced warrior who knew the limits of the human body.

No matter how angry one is or how strong one's will is, without the effect of Originium Arts, one can only shield the pain with adrenaline and unleash two or three times more power than usual. This state cannot be maintained for very long.

But at this moment, Renn's condition seemed unusual. After watching the previous few matches, Zofia had a general understanding of Renn's level, and the strength he was now displaying was obviously extraordinary.

Moreover, this is not all the anomalies that Zofia discovered.

"Aunt, what are you saying?"

Hearing Zofia's discouraging words, Maria was also somewhat dissatisfied, but she still asked Zofia what she had noticed, "Is there something wrong? Didn't that cruel guy lose right away?"

“I’m not talking about him. Look closely at Renn. Compared to the previous matches, his swordsmanship style has completely changed.”

Zofia's explanation earned her slightly bewildered looks from the two girls.

After staring intently at the game screen for a while, Maria said somewhat uncertainly, "It seems a little different from before, but what does that mean?"

Maria is, after all, the youngest daughter of the Nearl family. Although she went off to study engineering, she didn't neglect her swordsmanship training from childhood, and her foundation is still there.

After watching for a while, Maria also noticed something, but she didn't understand what it meant.

Adele, on the other hand, couldn't see anything at all.

"...I can't explain it to you in a short time. I can only say that Renn's condition is a bit off."

In just a few dozen exchanges, Raine changed several sword styles in succession, including the Sarkaz battlefield greatsword, the Victorian military sword, the Iberian fighting sword, and the somewhat incongruous Letanian sorcerer's protective sword. In addition, there were some sword styles that even Zofia could not recognize.

According to Zofia's judgment, these sword techniques were at least proficient, reaching the level of mastery; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to use several sword techniques with obviously inconsistent styles on a greatsword.

It was precisely because of these dazzling swordsmanship skills that Renn was able to completely suppress his opponent.

To master a sword technique, an ordinary person would need to spend at least ten years studying it diligently. It's not that no one can do it, but this kind of power... is clearly not something an ordinary middle-aged Sarkaz can master.

What exactly did he do?

Just as Zofia was wondering what was going on, the battle on the stage took a new turn.

With the cost of his left arm armor, Raine deflected Byron's heavy punch, and with his right hand gripping the greatsword like a venomous snake, he thrust it toward Byron's embrace.

Chapter Thirty-Five ends here.

"It seems that Knight Byron paid a heavy price to block this sword; his left hand is likely ruined." The commentator continued to kindly explain the situation of the match to the audience.

Such an intense battle thrilled many viewers, and Byron's defeat met the expectations of the vast majority.

Now that Byron has lost an arm, the outcome of the match is practically a foregone conclusion.

"This is..."

The sword strike that secured the victory for Raine had stirred up a very unpleasant memory for Zofia. She couldn't help but clench her left hand, and the wound that had long since healed began to ache again.

There's no mistake... Even though Rein isn't using dual swords, Zofia would never mistake this extremely insidious backhand sword technique.

One of her predecessors lost an arm in this move, and Zofia herself lost her left hand in the same move and has not been able to recover to her peak level since.

However, only a very small number of Victorian swordsmen can master this technique.

How...how could he know such a trick?

……

Byron pressed his nearly severed wrist tightly against the wound. Thanks to the Sarkaz's powerful physique, the bleeding gradually stopped, but his arm would certainly be unusable until he received treatment.

By this time, Byron had been forced back to the edge of the ring, with nowhere left to retreat.

Looking at Renn, who had lowered his body and was preparing to launch another attack, Byron suddenly felt that he was somewhat ridiculous.

Having fought his way out of that hellish arena, is this all the strength he's capable of? He can't even beat a slightly overweight middle-aged man. What was the point of all the suffering he endured?

“You’re still the same as before, Renn,” Byron said in a hoarse voice. “I’ve lost this time. Make your move.”

However... no matter what Byron says now, Renn can no longer hear it. Ever since he injected that potion into his body, Renn has been in a strange state.

Besides the normal scenes in the ring, Ryan seemed to see another magical world.

Renn felt as if he were in a huge conference room, where, besides himself, there were many blurry figures whose faces he could not make out. From the appearance of these figures, he could roughly determine their race.

There were Filin, Caprini, Liboli, and a few fellow Sarkaz natives.

Some of the figures glanced at him and then looked away, while others gathered around Renn.

That's not how you use a greatsword. You won't win this match like that.

The figures that approached Renn would enthusiastically teach him how to use his weapon. Without much effort, Renn swung his greatsword as the figures guided him.

The sword's edge forced Byron to retract his arms in defense.

Raine knew nothing about swordsmanship; all he relied on was the experience that Sarkaz mercenaries had accumulated on the battlefield. He never imagined that he could wield a sword like that.

Yes, that's it.

The figure encouraged him in this way, but before he could say a third word, he was pushed aside by the other figures, and the new figure continued to instruct Rein on how to wield the sword.

Despite this unusual situation, Ryan felt no unease whatsoever. With the help of these figures, Ryan gradually and completely overwhelmed Byron.

Sometimes, the figures would even fight around Rein to gain the right to mentor him. The latest winner was a petite woman named Felin. With her help, Rein deflected Byron's heavy punch at a small cost and then crippled his left hand with a backhand sword strike.

The man even said with some regret that if it weren't for the unsuitable weapon, that sword strike would have been enough to disembowel his opponent.

No... this is fine.

Despite using some underhanded tactics, he ultimately won the match.

Looking at Byron, who had almost given up, Ryan knew that as long as he pushed him off the ring, it would be his victory.

However, Renn found that his body was slowly assuming a sword-drawing stance.

Before anyone knew it, the figures had stopped arguing and were all walking over to Ryan's side.

Kill him.

The indistinct figures surrounded Renn in the center, speaking in unison.

Countless different voices overlapped, like a steel needle piercing Renn's mind. Under intense pain, Renn could only watch helplessly as he raised his greatsword, pointing the gleaming blade at Byron's neck.

"No... I can't..." Renn closed his eyes, his face contorted as he struggled, desperately resisting the power of those figures.

It was only then that Renn realized what was happening.

Ryan never intended to kill Byron; he simply wanted to win the match, nothing more.

Moreover, if he accidentally kills someone, he will face trial by the Knights Guild.

The two sides clashed fiercely, with Renn's body as their battlefield. What appeared to the outside world was that Renn raised his greatsword and then suddenly stood there motionless.

This strange scene attracted everyone's attention. They simply couldn't understand why Rennes, who was about to win, suddenly stopped. Could it be that he was deliberately throwing the match?

Some of the more hot-tempered people had already grabbed whatever was at hand and thrown it onto the ring.

……

In a VIP box high up in the stands, three people watched the game intently.

"Brother Renn...did he win?" Adele swallowed hard and asked nervously.

"I guess you could say we won," Zofia replied.

The situation is very clear now. Byron has been cornered. If Ryan goes over and delivers another kick, he can be kicked out of the ring.

"What is Brother Ren doing now?"

"..."

How was Zofia supposed to answer that? She had no idea what Rein was thinking, standing there like a fool.

But seeing this strange scene, Zofia's intuition told her that it was time for her to step in. She could contact the organizers to stop the match and then let the referee give the result.

I believe that unless there is deliberate bias in the refereeing, no referee would award the win to Byron.

Delay could lead to unforeseen changes... If this stalemate continues, some very bad things might happen.

Zofia's actions were a bit too late; just as she called for the organizers, Rein suddenly started moving on the ring.

Suddenly, the greatsword he had been holding high came down, slashing down like lightning towards Byron's neck. Even if Zofia or anyone else wanted to stop it, it was already too late.

Just as Byron was about to be beheaded, a crisp sound of shattering glass suddenly rang out from the arena.

A barrier formed by howling winds suddenly appeared on the arena, separating the two people on opposite sides.