บท 17: Weathering the Storm - A Devastating Loss!

"Young pup, it seems you have some fight in you after all." Sebastian's lips curled into a grin, his thumb wiping the slightly bruised part of his face. However, the mark vanished almost instantly. It seemed vampires really had fast regeneration.

Nikolai, however, felt a throbbing pain like his fist hit a stone wall, spreading through his hand and forearm, but confidence started building; somehow, he could feel his attacks.

Although not quite perfect. He could feel the sound and movement of Sebastian. Even his breath sent information into Nikolai's brain, which allowed him to move without his mind telling it to.

As if his body and mind were separate entities, each with a brain controlling their actions in parallel.

"Prepare yourself, boy. Here I come!"

A snap sounded in Nikolai's ear, yet his nose and eyes saw it—the moment Sebastian vanished, he stepped forward with his right leg and threw a powerful uppercut first!

Woosh!

His head leaned back, an explosive force just missing his chin. The ability worked! His body filled with excitement. '—No, keep focused!' Nikolai scolded himself. The excited parts of his mind and body instantly died down as he felt Sebastian's left knee shoot upwards like a jackhammer towards his waist.

"Ugh!"

Nikolai twisted his waist, throwing a weak left jab, the power and speed lacking.

'—Shit, too slow!' Nikolai cursed, his heart dropping, the knee connecting and sending shockwaves through his abdomen; his lower organs felt like they exploded as he was sent flying several feet, rolling over on the ground, and spitting up a mouthful of blood. Yet Sebastian didn't relent, chasing him down like in the UFK, his hammer-like fists raining down on his chest and face.

"How long will you last? I thought you were going to fight, boy." Sebastian sneered, his fists like falling boulders. Nikolai desperately used his arms to guard. However, unable to cover all the areas or dodge every blow at once, his arms, ribs, and face were hit consecutively. A painful feeling like a sledgehammer was beating down on him, his bones creaking and his skin turning purple.

'—Dammit...'

"Peh..." A thick tooth spat from Nikolai's mouth, his face bloody, his lips cut, and his body bruised. Yet his dark red eyes were filled with brilliance and determination as he grit his teeth and blocked Sebastian's next fist with both palms.

"!?"

Nikolai's fingers clasped tightly around Sebastian's fist. He could feel his enemy's enormous power, forcing him to step back a few times. The intensity almost caused his muscles and tendons to tear.

Yet adrenaline and blood surged through his pounding heart, which drove him forward. He stepped closer and pushed Sebastian's fist away with his hands. Nikolai twisted his waist and threw a powerful left hook. Sebastian barely blocked, but a right uppercut followed it.

"A childish trick!" Sebastian snorted.

His knee shot towards Nikolai's abdomen. Yet this time, Nikolai was prepared, twisting his waist to dodge the blow and throwing a counterblow. Before, the two exchanged dozens of blows at an incredibly high speed.

He felt something click inside his mind, Sebastian's blows still hitting two out of three times. Yet the pain vanished, the arena and crowd shouting insults vanished, and all that remained in Nikolai's mind was himself and the sounds, scents, sights and feelings of his enemy's movements and existence flashing before him.

'Left hook.'

His neck tilted, avoiding the left hook. Only for Sebastian to follow up with a left elbow using the momentum, which Nikolai barely blocked, his arms trembling, yet he responded with a right straight, Sebastian's brows twitching.

'Uppercut.'

The punch was aimed at his chin. Sebastian increased his power, his muscles bulging and waist lowered before lifting his arm, but Nikolai knew it was coming and spun clockwise while throwing a left uppercut of his own.

'—!?"

Sebastian was shocked, his eyes widening, Nikolai's uppercut flying towards his jaw. He scuttled his head back, but the damage was done—he stepped back as if fearful of Nikolai's uppercut.

"Haa.....ha.....ha...." Exhausted, bleeding and tired, he couldn't keep up for much longer. No matter how many blows that connected, they only formed light bruises. A moment of frustration almost shattered Nikolai's chances as he took three swift blows to his abdomen, spitting a dark glob of spit filled with blood.

"This filthy mutt isn't as pathetic as I thought..." A voice echoed from the crowd.

"Does the Tepes clan condone this dog squire? Why isn't Sebastian killing him?"

Many voices whispered, the mental damage to Sebastian causing him to lose his cool, a frustration felt within his heart.

"I was planning on toying with you a bit more. But it seems you're getting used to my movements with your strange good luck. Fine, boy. Let's end this here!" Sebastian's pupils shrunk, his muscles bulging, and his power growing so intense it seemed to push Nikolai away.

'—Shit, this is bad....' Nikolai's body was exhausted.

His punches lacked power, and Sebastian's blows were getting faster as if by instinct. Nikolai's body began to emit a dark, jet-black aura. The silver fur on his arm slowly changed colour, while his bones and right claw began transforming, deforming and expanding as it transformed into the monstrous black claw. More than double the size of his silver claw.

[Let go—let your body fight with instinct—it's okay. I won't let you lose control.]

'Eliza... Understood, I'll trust you.' Nikolai trusted her words, closing his eyes, and letting go of his resistance to the darkness growing, screaming inside his heart.

"!?"

"Boy, what are you playing at? Stop closing your eyes. I will kill you if you give up!"

'I know... I knew from the start I had to win, only one chance—after this blow, I will collapse and may even die anyway.' Nikolai had a bitter smile.

A deep hatred boiled in his heart for the princess, Sebastian, and the crowd for insulting him and his father, yet he knew his chance was now and never again. An idea popped inside his head, the darkness enveloping him while Eliza stopped his mind from going into a frenzy.

He ignored the movements of Sebastian and instead fell into a trance. Cold, calm, he could feel his enemy opening his eyes, and he could see his enemy standing opposite him, four metres away now flaunting to the nobles. Nikolai's eyes were deep red and had a silver glow around the edges.

At the end of his tether, feeling the last fumes of adrenaline fading, he took one last deep breath.

"Haa.... let's go."

Nikolai broke into a sprint. First, he measured each step, each breath, each movement, carefully twisting and aligning his tired body, heavily tightening his muscles and storing power like a cannon ready to fire. His tired body, leaning heavily to the right, avoided two devastating punches to his face and throat. Then he moved faster, building momentum, avoiding several blows in a row until he felt it.

The moment!

In that instant, all the power stored exploded into a sudden action. Nikolai felt invincible, his jet-black claw tearing through the air before him with all his rage. His blood art activated, avoiding Sebastian's brutal first hit and then like a flash of black light. His claw tore across Sebastian's face.

The claw cut their face of Sebastian in four places, blood dripping from the wound, as his second, brutal fist drove into his chest of Nikolai.

The impact caused the arena to fill with a loud booming like a hammer hitting bone, which almost punctured his heart. Its force easily broke his ribcage as he flew against the cage wall with a pitiful rattle before he dropped to the ground, blood oozing from his lips.

Yet he was smiling...

[You did it...]

Because Nikolai wounded Sebastian...

[Devoured the strength of a much greater energy Strength: 27 (+2), Endurance: 30 (+5)]

***

Meanwhile, in the most extravagant box, a single woman sat in darkness, her ruby eyes filled with shock as she watched the bloody marking on Sebastian's face refusing to heal...

"H-He... Nikolai won?!"

"He won... I'm glad... but he's so hurt..."

Because Selene Aria Tepes didn't know that if he lost, he would die.

She felt he fought this hard for a different reason. That thought caused her to feel a thump inside her chest. Only a tiny feeling, a small spark, but this little emotion might never have existed if not for this moment.

The moment a small wolf who disliked her stood against an unbeatable enemy and won, all for her¹.