Overwhelming Firepower

A Seeker, one who pursues the peak of martial arts. They climb a mountain with no summit, chasing a perfection that may never exist.

No matter how grueling the path, no matter how far they fall, they rise again and continue the ascent. It is a journey without end. A pursuit without finish. Yet they continue to climb the mountain called martial arts.

One of those seekers is Faust Kriegerisch, the opponent Lucen was facing. The second the announcer signaled the beginning of the fight, Lucen was slowly moving towards Faust by sliding forward, while Faust remained stationary, not even lifting a single finger.

He was simply standing there, but Lucen could not see any openings at all. Still, that did not discourage him, and instead made him feel excited to see up close the legendary martial artist from the game he used to play.

He slowly got closer, but he was not afraid to be attacked first, as he knew that Faust never initiates the first strike.

They haven’t even clashed yet, but the atmosphere was intense as the audience watched in silence.

Then, without warning, Lucen sprang forward. He did not start with a punch, nor did he do so with a kick.

Lucen’s body twisted mid-lunge, his left foot stomping to the side, not toward Faust, but at a sharp angle just past him. He dipped low, shoulder nearly grazing the ground, then surged upward with a sweeping elbow strike aimed at Faust’s ribs.

It was nothing but a misdirection.

The elbow was fast, but not the real threat. His other hand was already shifting, fingers curling into a clawed palm strike aimed for Faust’s jaw, an upward hook with enough force to dislocate a grown man’s neck.

Faust already sensed that was Lucen’s intent in the first place. Feints like that do not work on him. Faust simply swayed his body to the side, evading the strike, and was about to counter with a punch, but Lucen used the forward momentum of the palm strike to fall forward, landing both hands on the ground.

He did this the second Faust initiated his forward fist strike. Causing Faust to miss him by a hairsbreadth. Lucen, who was now doing a handstand, started moving around using his hands to stay upright and started attacking with his legs.

Now his legs were whirling outward like scythes. His body moved like he was dancing, except every rotation carried the intent to maim. A storm of spinning low kicks and sweeps flowed from his grounded posture, each more unpredictable than the last.

This was the first time Faust saw such a technique, but even then, he immediately understood its rhythm.

Faust disrupted Lucen’s rhythm by stomping on the ground at the exact moment Lucen was about to swing his legs to the side. The stomp not only disrupted Lucen’s rhythm but also blocked his leg sweep.

Lucen was then caught off balance, but instead of falling, he used his hands to push his body backward. Faust used this chance to strike.

His body moved like a whip, no wasted motion, no sound, just a clean, precise thrust of his palm aimed at Lucen’s exposed abdomen.

Lucen twisted midair. The strike grazed his ribs instead of hitting center mass, but it still felt like being rammed by a battering ram.

The air burst from his lungs. He hit the ground and rolled, his back sliding against the arena floor as he gasped.

’Even though I predicted that move, I barely dodged.’

Lucen got up, but he did not charge. Faust did not continue his assault as he was once again having his hands lowered, standing motionless, watching Lucen.

’Heh, even with those weight restrictions, he moves fast, and even blindfolded, it feels like he can see more than I with my eyes wide open... To think that the protagonist in the game, Alexander, can fight this man. It’s now obvious that he let that guy win because he liked him.’

Lucen knew that he wouldn’t be able to hit Faust with half-baked methods, so he decided to go deeper into the character, to use Acting Adept more.

Lucen stood tall again, wiping the blood trickling from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand.

His expression shifted. The playful grin had become sharper. The hunger in his eyes became more focused.

Inside Lucen’s mind, something slid into place. The lines blurred between memory, persona, and instinct.

His spine arched like a predator stretching. He began to walk, not run, not charge, but walk forward slowly. His breathing had changed and become calmer.

Lucen was diving deeper into the character he was playing. His fingers twitched at odd rhythms, shoulders loose, his center of gravity impossibly fluid. Acting Adept didn’t just mimic styles. It let him become what he imagined. The more he understood the character, the better the role he could play with Acting Adept.

Faust’s head tilted slightly. He sensed it too. ”Another change,” he muttered aloud.

Lucen’s entire body relaxed to an incredible degree, and suddenly, with a burst, he charged forward with incredible speed.

Faust was shocked by the sudden increase, but even with that, he reacted fast enough and barely dodged the forward tackle.

The breeze from Lucen’s charge swept past him, hot and heavy like the breath of a beast. The moment Faust’s foot touched down again, Lucen had already twisted mid-stride. With no pause, he spun into a backfist, aiming at Faust’s head.

Faust caught the backfist with his right hand, pushed it aside, and using the same right hand, also did a backfist aimed at Lucen’s ribs.

Lucen heard the sound of his ribs cracking a little, but with the resistance to blunt trauma given by the minor troll vitality and the slight increase in physical stats against a strong opponent given by the Dragonkillers’ Resolve, he was able to withstand that strike.

He did not stagger and instead stood his ground and grabbed hold of Faust’s arm with both hands. Lucen then did a forward kick aimed at Faust’s abdomen, but before his kick could connect, Faust did a low kick aimed at Lucen’s one leg on the ground, making Lucen lose balance.

Lucen’s footing was lost, but his grip on Faust’s arm remained tight.

In the half-second he was falling, Lucen pulled downward with both hands, using Faust’s own limb as an anchor. His body swung low, inverted again, legs snapping upward in a violent scissor motion toward Faust’s neck.

A roar of surprise erupted from the crowd.

Faust was slightly surprised by the unconventional counter. He then proceeded to rotate his wrist, which was being held by Lucen. A sharp, fluid twist, guided by the angle of Lucen’s grip, targeting the weak point in his hold.

Lucen’s grip, firm as it was, lacked the grounding of proper footwork due to his compromised balance. Faust took advantage of that. In one motion, he slid his forearm through the path of least resistance, breaking free without needing too much force.

One of Lucen’s feet sliced through the air, passing mere inches from Faust’s blindfolded face. A strand of his black hair fluttered from the wind the attack created. The two had once again separated. A smile appeared on Faust’s lips.

’Hoh, that was close to a proper hit. It has been a while since someone managed to do that, even with all my restrictions.’ Faust thought to himself.

”That was a good counter, young one! This is the first time I’ve seen such techniques. Who is the one who taught you these techniques?”

”No one. I just move the way that feels like I’ll land a hit.”

”Hoh, not from technique but from wild instincts.”

***

In the audience seats, Sir Thalos was fully immersed in the fight between his young master and the champion of the arena.

’To think the young master has such talent in unarmed combat! Should I tell the lord to make young master focus on training in unarmed combat, instead of doing those other things, like creating games, and learning alchemy?’

While Sir Thalos was seriously contemplating forcing Lucen to solely train in unarmed combat, Harlik and Mark were amazed by the high-level fight.

”Hey, can you move like that if you used your aura?” Mark asked Harlik.

”Are you kidding me? Even if I could keep up by using Aura, I can’t make my body move like that?!” Harlik responded while pointing at Lucen and Faust.

***

Seeing how Lucen was able to keep up with Faust, the minor nobles and the rich merchants felt like they needed to report this scene immediately to their allies and backers.

Even though neither of them was using mana or aura, the speed, strength, and technique they showed were beyond most weaker knights, even when using aura.

***

Lysette had her eyes wide open behind her mask. Even her bodyguards, who were at the third mantle, were speechless while watching the fight.

’To think he would grow up to this point, without anyone knowing!... Was he hiding strength for a long time, or did he gain it just recently? No, based on the way he moves, I might not be an aura user, but I know that’s not how a novice moves. He’s experienced, and if the recent rumors are true, then he must have been on the battlefield a few times now.’

Lysette’s lips curled upward as she started tapping on her armrest.

’If he was hiding his power, why did he decide to show it now? Is it because his preparations are done? Whatever could he be planning with all the moves he’s been making recently? Hehe, how interesting you are, Lucen, so many secrets that I wish to know.’

***

From below, in the bloodstained ring, Lucen took a slow breath and smiled. Faust, who always had a relaxed stance, which was just him simply standing and reacting, now lifted his arms and formed a fist.

Seeing this scene, the crowd was ecstatic. They had never seen Faust taking a proper stance before.

”Your rhythm keeps changing, young one... It would seem that I must raise my tempo a little bit.”