Too Stubborn to Die

Pentival’s brow creased. Things had just gotten interesting. He wondered how this level 28 human could be doing a better job than Cairon?

It didn’t make a lot of sense. Even if he was special, bridging a gap like this went above and beyond what even the elites he knew were capable of.

Whilst the fiery berserker was hardly his strongest follower, he was certainly no pushover either. In fact, he was strong enough that it had given him pause about sending somebody else up against the cyclops.

Perhaps Elmira had what it took, but he wasn’t about to roll that dice just yet. If she failed, it wouldn’t look good, and he still hoped that he wouldn’t need to bring the entire sector under heel by force. And as much as he wanted to score one back against the cyclops, the risk didn’t seem worth the reward. At least not until he knew more about how that evasive mist Skill worked.

But then this happened… some man at the bottom of the E grade was showing one of his elites up. It wasn’t just that he had lasted longer, either, but he had drawn that steam Skill out of the cyclops. He had forced this Voidrin character to treat their fight seriously.

Not bad. Not bad at all, Aaron Dober.

“That’s better,” Aaron groaned as he rubbed his reattached neck. “Say, how much mana you got left? I’m pretty sure I took out a bunch of your clones. And I might be mistaken, but I have a feeling I know where the real you is.”

“Wait, what? You’re not dead?!” Voidrin’s jaw fell agape.

The incredulity in the Voidrin’s voice told Pentival everything he needed to know. The cyclops was convinced that he had finished the job.

Hmm… I wonder…

Rubbing his white beard, Pentival’s gaze was locked on the battle. He was actually excited to see what would happen next. Even if the final outcome may as well have already been decided, it was still intriguing to see just how far this level 28 could push the cyclops.

The man charged forward far faster than Pentival remembered anyone of his followers being able to fight at a similar level. Not to mention his energy. How could a level 28 have energy in such abundance? Not only that, but his speed and precision… they were remarkable. Heck, he wasn’t sure if the entire squad he beat the Tutorial boss wouldn’t have been able to beat this man at level 28. His skill… his abilities… they just seemed so unfair.

However, it wasn’t even his power and speed that most amazed Pentival. The true art of his combat style was on full display when the two warriors clashed. Everything seemed to be perfect. Every attack was planned. Every step rehearsed.

So that’s what he’s doing…

It had taken him a while to sense the difference in mana, but as the battle dragged on, he spotted it. Every strike that Aaron Dober actually bothered to land was landed against the mist clones with the densest mana signal.

He already felt a degree of thanks that Aaron had dragged Voidrin’s clones out and into the open. He didn’t yet know how to beat them, but at least he knew what the trick was.

And this was the second clue, wasn’t it?

That’s right. Decoys. It would be too mana costly to summon so many fully fledged clones, and so he fills the ranks with decoys. Most impressive.

But that wasn’t all. There was something else going on. Aaron Dober might have figured out the clones, but Voidrin had yet to show his face.

Clever boy. It seems that I underestimated you.

It would be an understatement to say that Pentival thought highly of himself, and for him to realize that this man had figured the cyclops out before he did… it was impressive. But he wasn’t so full of himself as not to recognize talent when he saw it. Noticing talent had been crucial for him to get as far as he had.

But the cyclops wouldn’t be outdone so easily. He was still far stronger and faster than the human, but despite that, the stubborn man held his own. No, it was more than that. Aaron seemed to somehow know exactly where Voidrin would be and how he would attack. It was as if he were reading the cyclops’ mind.

How does he do that? That’s no ordinary Skill…

Pentival wasn’t much of a front-line warrior, but he had seen his followers fight many times, and he hadn’t seen anything like this. He still looked like he was on the losing side, but to even survive this long against someone of such a high level… it was unfathomable.

The mist is powerful, but it’s also a crutch.

He knew better to underestimate the cyclops after what he had done to Cairon, but it was also obvious that he had gotten used to its deceptive nature and was fairly certain he had never had it figured out like this before.

So, that’s it. Voidrin is unremarkable once you figure out his tricks.

The flying cutlass flung back and forth through the air and opened another wound across Aaron, but he barely seemed to notice, and his fat shrank a little as it healed before his eyes.

It was at that moment that Pentival realized that whenever the flying cutlass was around, he was looking at the real Voidrin.

Interesting.

There was no doubt. He had awoken his Vitality Heart. Only one of Pentival’s people had achieved the feat, and it was a game-changer when it came to regeneration and recovery. But there was more to it than just that. He was drawing energy into the Vitality Heart to fuel it further, making his wounds heal even quicker.

And then, when Voidrin broke and created distance to reevaluate his strategy, the insane man started eating. He was actually eating in the middle of a fight.

What? What madness is this? Is he mocking him? No… wait… what’s that?

The man was getting fatter and bigger. But how? He was eating stupidly fast, but they were just tiny finger foods he was throwing into his mouth. How could those tiny little bite-sized meals turn to fat so quickly? And why would they make him grow at such a speed?

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Obviously, it was some kind of Skill, but he hadn’t seen or heard of anything like it before.

Pentival wasn’t the only one who had noticed. Voidrin realized what was going on and flashed forward, diving back into battle to put a halt to Aaron’s cheating.

Maybe I was wrong…

But once again, it was as if this Aaron Dober knew exactly where the cyclops was going to attack, and more impressively, how.

Like a contortionist, he spun around, throwing kicks and punches, darting out of the way, and bending and twisting to avoid attacks by literal inches. Within seconds, Pentival could sense that he had landed several attacks against the mist-filled clones that were attacking from all around as the main form of Voidrin appeared and reappeared in the battle.

He noticed something else. Whenever Voidrin broke free from the melee, the mist around the edges of the battle grew thicker, and it was no doubt how he was hiding.

So, that’s how he does it.

This was actually turning out perfectly. When Voidrin finally managed to beat the stubborn level 28, he would tell Elmira what to do and have her challenge him. Not that she would likely need it, as she was watching herself, but it was best if they were on the same page. If she won, not only would they win one back over the cyclops, but they would prove that his follower is at least stronger than both Voidrin and Aaron, not that the latter meant much. Even if he was impressive, he was still only a pitiful level 28. Most of his people would be well into D grade before Aaron even reached the next grade. Heck, they might even hit C grade before he manages to reach D grade.

At some point, he would have to thank this useful fool. He had given him the reads he needed, and with them, he could save face over their previous defeat.

There it is!

Voidrin appeared at the edge of the arena, took his sword in hand, and began drawing in energy for a powerful attack. A fight-ending attack. But when he charged Aaron and swung down, the insane man turned from the clones he was battling and met him front on. He met the blade of an empowered sword by a level 84 elite with his bare fist!

His fist was clearly empowered by his own Skill, but still! It was insanity, and yet somehow it worked. No. It more than worked. It canceled out the attack of Voidrin altogether and slammed straight through it.

At that moment, Pentival realized how the human had dispelled the mist earlier. And now he had done it again. He hadn’t just used the one Skill, he had used two, and he had done so simultaneously. He had canceled out the attack of Voidrin in a split second and followed through with his own powerful attack.

The synergy of the two attacks… it was incredible. Beyond what someone of his level should be capable of. Far, far beyond it.

How? How did he get this strong? How is it even possible for his level?

But the attacks hadn’t come freely. He could see now that the exchange had left the human small and skinny. It was actually kind of disturbing. He looked less like a warrior and more like a famine victim with his gaunt cheeks.

And while the powerful attack had pierced through Voidrin’s defenses and forced him to retreat again to avoid taking serious damage, it hadn’t actually done much.

The mad man is eating again?!

Pentival incredulously blinked at the ridiculousness of the fight. Every time he was given a chance, this insane man was throwing his little finger foods into his mouth and hoovering them down without chewing.

What kind of path was this? What kind of madness?

Again, Voidrin had no choice but to reengage. He clearly wanted to take a second and plan, but Aaron was filling out at such a speed that he knew he had to take the fight back down to him, or risk losing the edge permanently, should he fully recover his reserves.

The outcome was far from decided, though. Voidrin was still much quicker, and whilst Aaron seemed to know exactly where he would attack and how, if he pushed his combinations long enough, he would eventually hit, and wounds were once again building up across the stubborn human’s body as Voidrin and his remaining clones attacked once more.

However, this man was not easy to kill. Not only that, but the cyclops’ style was not well designed for solving this problem. He didn’t focus on overwhelming power. No, he was about outplaying and frustrating his enemies, landing constantly with relatively quick, low-powered attacks until he broke them down.

But against someone with this kind of durability and healing? This kind of regeneration and energy? Well, that just wasn’t a good matchup. Styles made fights, and Voidrin had the wrong style to face off against Aaron.

Not only that, but it wasn’t just pure energy. Aaron was making him work for it. Forcing Voidrin to throw massive combinations at him just to land a single strike, and with every combination, his clone army was getting culled.

In fact, Pentival mused that Cairon might actually be better suited to fighting this man, not that he wanted to test the theory. He had experienced enough embarrassment for one day.

But what was this? As the fight dragged on, it seemed that the level 84 was the one slowing, and soon, he had exhausted the last of his clones.

Sure, Aaron grew skinny with each engagement, but his recovery was stupid. It was unfair!

And worse still, as Voidrin slowed, the cheeky bastard began to slip his bite-sized meals in between the action of the fight itself, seemingly replenishing himself with energy as he slammed against the stronger opponent.

No, it can’t be, can it? He can’t possibly have a chance to win… can he?

But just as the momentum was going in Aaron’s direction, Voidrin let loose with an absolutely relentless barrage of flying swords. Some kind of Skill, or maybe an ability possessed by the sword itself, had multiplied the sword by the hundreds and filled the entire arena in steel.

It was a devastating attack, but clearly energy costly, and lasted barely a few seconds before being canceled out.

Voidrin stumbled forward, panting as he recovered. The energy cost had been intense, but Aaron now looked like a porcupine, completely covered in swords.

For a tense moment, the two fighters stood, one panting, the other immobile. Aaron was dead this time certainly. No one could survive that. No Skill could bring him back from that.

Then, just as he had the first time, he defied all odds and revived. There was another implosion of energy, followed by a clattering of steel as the human’s body rapidly healed, pushing the blades out. He started moving again, pulling more swords out by hand to speed up the process.

“Oww, dammit,” he groaned. “That fucking sucked. You got my… You know,” he glanced down between his legs.

“Y-you’re alive?” Voidrin stammered. “It’s not possible…”

The cyclops rushed forward, but somehow, the human actually dodged the incoming attack.

Bouncing back, he pulled another sword free and threw something into his mouth.

“Gimme a second, mate.”

Despite his nonchalant words, it was obvious he was on the edge of death. There was not an ounce of fat on his body, and his legs were trembling like they would collapse at any second. But Voidrin simply didn’t have enough gas remaining to take advantage of it, and without an advantage of power, he couldn’t even get close to hitting the elusive human.

This is what they would look like at a similar level, Pentival realized. Now, exhausted as he was, Voidrin’s attacks looked absolutely amateur against Aaron.

Within thirty seconds of kiting the cyclops around the arena whilst pulling swords free, Aaron had mostly recovered. He was still far from 100%, and if Voidrin had the energy to go all out, he could no doubt finish things.

However, the pendulum had swung, and it was clear who was recovering faster.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Aaron jumped up into the air and shot toward Voidrin with a superman punch, landing square in his chest.

What came next was a blur of unrelenting strikes peppering every inch of the cyclops until he was a beaten and battered shell of himself, stumbling and splattering bloody, spitting teeth, and murmuring unintelligibly.

And then, he wound up for the finishing blow, and when it hit, it exploded outward, battering the cyclops’ chest.

Voidrin wobbled, but remained upright. There was still a big power gap.

“Need another?” Aaron shrugged and powered up another massive punch.

Voidrin had been turned into a punching bag, and moments later, he flopped forward, slamming face-first on the floor and sending the crowd silent.

“A-RAN!!!!” The huge asura bellowed and rushed forward, followed by the armor-clad girl.

H-he did it. Amazing. I need him.