Chapter 20: End of the fight
Dino had used a considerable amount of energy since the beginning of the battle. He was under the impression that I was against the ropes, but he could not have been more wrong!
"It's time to get serious," I said.
"Hmph more of your chat-"
His sentence was cut short and his face turned pale. A purple cloud materialized around my body. I removed the camouflage and revealed my energy core. The crowd began cheering more intensely. The aristocrat's face also dropped as he was taken aback.
"Say your prayers," I said before lunging towards him.
As I got into striking range, I punched to the body. My speed was at such a level that he only had time to place his arm in the way of my fist. He was not able to send energy to his arm, so as the strike landed, a crack echoed throughout the arena.
His arm was broken and was limping by his side. He dashed towards me in a last ditch attempt. He launched a kick which was aimed at my face. I ducked under the attack and kicked his support leg as hard as I could. He let out a loud yell as he fell on the dirt ground. His body was enveloped by a cloud of dust.
He quickly got up and stared at me with bloodthirst. His body was still slouched in pain, yet his face was like that of a rabid dog. He dropped into his stance.
"Are you done? I thought that you would be more entertaining than that," I said.
He darted in my direction and attempted to take me down, but I sprawled and threw him onto the ground.
"This is a very sophisticated fighting style," I said sarcastically.
"YOU FORCED ME TO DO THIS," he yelled.
His teeth bit down on something and his eyes immediately turned crimsons. His aura also changed color and I could see that his energy core was also changing. Its size was expanding violently. Dino's whole body was shaking.
"What the hell."
"Father, he used a bloodthirst pill," Grald yelled.
"I know he did. I have eyes."
"Luke, your opponent cheated. Do you wish to cancel the fight?" the chieftain yelled.
I shook my head. I intended to see this fight through. After the process was done, Dino looked at me with a sinister grin. He seemed possessed. I was looking at him until he suddenly disappeared from my field of view. I frantically looked around until I felt a strike land on my flank. I retreated, yet he was still nowhere to be seen. Blood was oozing out of my orifices. He had gotten exponentially faster. My opponent seemed completely different. His red aura was suffocating. I had to climb over a colossal wall. I raised my guard in anticipation.
My head was swiveling to try and find him. I sensed a shock run down my spine as I felt knuckles land against my jaw. A hook had landed against my face. My vision began blurring and I was struggling to keep my balance. My lips were sliced and blood was dripping down my chin. My body had taken a significant amount of damage from just a few attacks. If I endured any more strikes, my body would give in.
That was when I had an eureka moment. I closed my eyes and attempted to feel the energy around me. My surroundings soon turned purple and I could find his location! His movements were still quick but I was able to block his onslaught. My arm was in agony as I was desperately trying to deflect his attacks. I was waiting for the perfect opportunity. The onlookers were dead silent as they were on the edge of their seats.
I gritted my teeth and dodged his punch while simultaneously throwing a strike to his body. I imbued a large amount of energy into my fist and also used the energy to strengthen my hip rotation. As my punch landed, he spat out a jet of blood. I did not waste any time and launched a kick to his head. He had so much energy that my attacks were also hurting me in the process. This exchanged persisted for another ten minutes. My energy was running low so I decided to put everything into a final attack. If this failed, I would be a sitting duck.
We were fighting in close quarters. He threw a hook and I rolled under it. I imbued my remaining energy into my fist and launched a strike to his abdomen. The sound of his ribs cracking reverberated throughout the arena. He yelled in sheer agony. My energy was completely depleted. He approached me and I was prepared to die. I dropped into my stance, but I knew that I could not defend against what was coming. He torqued his hips, preparing to punch. However, his eyelids shut close as he fell face first to the ground. I was victorious.
The crowd was cheering me on as I emerged on top. The aristocrat dropped to his knees in despair. His golden goose had fallen and the position that he had worked so hard for was lost. The chieftain was almost out of his seat with his mouth agape. His eyes were wide open and he could believe what he had just witnessed. The geniuses all wore stern expressions as a newcomer would most likely overtake them in the rankings.
"Good job kicking his ass Luke," Quincy yelled at the top of his lungs.
The three orcs were elated to see me victorious. They were jumping up and down in ecstasy.
"AND THE WINNER IS, THE HUMAN LUKE," the announcer said while I raised my arms in triumph.
I was desperately trying to maintain consciousness as I was completely drained of energy and strength.
"THE CHIEFTAIN WILL BE SPEAKING," the announcer said.
"As Luke has defeated the eighteenth ranked, the position will be awarded to him. However, Dino will not drop to the nineteenth rank, because he has shattered his energy core. He will be removed from the top twenty."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone