CLANG!

An echo rang through the air as metal collided with polished bone.

Eryx's eyes widened—what!? His thrust had been clean. A perfect opening—and yet, it was deflected!

Alonso's eyes stayed locked on him, steady and unreadable.

And then the blade came.

Fast. Too fast.

He barely brought his trident up in time, both hands gripping the shaft to absorb the impact. The strike sent a jolt through his arms, forcing him half a step back.

What the fuck was that? That blade—it accelerated mid-motion.

No stance, no shift in weight. Just speed. Like the force had come from nowhere.

Another strike.

And another.

He kept blocking, forced into defense. The tempo was strange—erratic. Every time he thought he had the pattern, it twisted. Bent sideways. Just wrong enough to be impossible to predict.

Then—

A sudden thrust. Too fast. Eryx snapped back, breath sharp, the blade halting just shy of his face.

His pulse jumped.

How does he generate that much force with such a weak body?

Unless… Mind force? Ajnal?

He gritted his fangs. So that's it. That's your trick, soft-foot.

The clash continued—slashes, feints, and sudden steps. Eryx parried, reading the shape of each motion, tracing the source of that strength.

Yes. Mind force, no doubt about it.

So be it.

Alright then… Westerner. Let me show you why the Ajnal never set foot on the Plains.

Alonso took a shallow breath, eyes locked on Eryx's block. He studied his motion—the way he held the trident, the tension in his shoulders, the angle of deflection. A quick comparison with the data from Eryx's fight against Grahn made one thing obvious.

He was holding back. Considerably.

But why?

Had he not provoked the lizard enough? Or was Eryx simply wiser than Alonso had given him credit for? Cautious? Waiting?

Interesting.

Alonso maintained the pressure, strikes flowing one into the next. He was deep in Full Overdrive—heart steady, mind sharp. There was a calmness to it this time, a refined clarity. Each blow channeled his internal strength with precision, his recently mastered Understanding of Self enhancing every movement, maximizing output in short, brutal flashes.

And yet—even now, it was clear.

The bastard was built tougher.

Eryx's body, at Third Body State, combined with whatever freakish biology came from his reptilian lineage—dinoman, lizardman, whatever—made him a damn wall. Heavy, dense, unyielding.

Still, Alonso adjusted. He coiled energy from the ground up—feet to hips to shoulders—and unleashed a slash downward, enhanced by a burst of EM force to break the rhythm and cut into the momentum gap.

But then—he felt it.

A subtle shift in the air.

His eyes narrowed.

Eryx was gone.

But Alonso remained calm.

He knew what this was. He'd seen it in Ayu's visuals—and felt it from Makoh before. But compared to the Grandmaster… this was just a cheap version.

Alonso waited, eyes closed. He didn't rely on his senses. Not even on the EM field. He knew techniques like this could fool all of it. And his comprehension of the world couldn't match Eryx's.

But he didn't need to.

He just took a step forward.

Wind brushed past his hair.

He pivoted on his right foot—and slashed at empty air.

CLANG!

The crowd went silent as the next echo of the slash rang out.

Ayu's eyes widened, shock written all over her face. Even if she trusted Alonso, watching him actually deflect someone who had reached One with the World—even if just a scratch of it—was still insane.

Now the question was… how? How the hell did he do it?

The fight went on, and to show it wasn't a fluke, another collision rang loud and clear. Alonso moved with simple steps and twists around the ring, yet unlike Grahn before, it was clear he wasn't relying on superior reflexes or raw physical prowess.

Somehow… he could actually detect Eryx.

Eryx's fangs clenched together. How is this soft foot dodging me? How!? What the hell is happening!?

There was no air of mastery around him. No feeling of someone who'd touched One with the World. Fuck, he didn't even seem to have reached the stage before that. So how?

Eryx channeled his force, opting for a low swing now, power behind it as he held the trident wide.

And yet… it was blocked!

The soft foot met it with both swords, riding the force back, dispersing the pressure clean.

Eryx's pulse began to race.

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He had a bad feeling.

Was he wrong? Was this not some disposable pawn, but a trap Makoh had set? Someone placed here on purpose to make a fool out of him?

Eryx disengaged with a sharp breath. He stayed cloaked to senses, forcing his heartbeat into rhythm again.

He couldn't afford to keep playing. He had to treat this like a real fight. As much as he hated the thought.

His gaze locked onto his opponent.

The boy stood with eyes closed, posture calm. He wielded two reworked Xok'al blades in a dual stance. Eryx studied him deeper, committing every move he'd seen to memory—the way he stepped, the angles of his strikes, the force they carried.

Two things stood out.

First, that Mind Force he used—it disrupted rhythm, accelerating slashes unexpectedly.

And second… he could somehow read him during One with the World.

So be it.

He'd take that as a given—and crush him anyway.

Eryx's eyes went cold. His muscles coiled, trident low.

Then he launched forward—leaving a crater in the dirt where he'd stood.

Alonso grinned internally. Finally, lizard. Don't disappoint me.

He steadied his breath.

Dual Overdrive

The energy slammed into him—heavier than ever before. This wasn't the same old Dual Overdrive, restrained by a weaker body. This time, he could push higher, harder. This was… the real deal.

The primal heat coursed through him, just like the old days. The world slowed, each second stretched thin—the dust suspended in the air, gravity dragging it down grain by grain.

The eyes of the crowd. The twitch of a distant flame. The smell of roasted meat and brulac, the dry iron of blood mixing with sweat and sand beneath his feet.

It was all there.

The world in perfect, savage clarity.

Alonso smiled and gripped his blades tighter.

Then he moved.

He pushed off, his body blurring through the haze. At the last second, he dipped past a sudden thrust and struck from the side—one blade flashing toward the thigh, the other a wide feint meant to draw the eye.

Eryx twisted, caught off guard by the surge in speed. He couldn't fully disengage—Alonso's blade carved across his thigh. Not deep enough to cripple, but enough to sting. Enough to make the bastard feel it.

"Come on, lizard," Alonso said, teeth bared, his smile wild under the firelight. "At least entertain me. The Moon Mother deserves more than this pathetic display."

Alonso noted the flicker in the lizard's eyes as his form finally became visible through the blur. There was anger—but it was tightly held, controlled.

Another boom echoed a moment later as Eryx burst forward, launching a barrage of thrusts, swings, even a low sweeping kick. But under Dual Overdrive, Alonso flowed through it—dodging, deflecting, slipping between the gaps and countering with sharp strikes that bit into Eryx's body, reopening old wounds left by Grahn.

Alonso swept low under a trident meant for his shoulder, the wind from it brushing his hair as he slipped inside range and thrust a blade toward Eryx's core.

The lizard twisted—too slow. The blade cracked his scales and drew blood.

Alonso didn't stop.

His second blade followed, this time aiming high for the throat. Eryx leaned back, almost clear—only for Alonso to shift mid-motion, dropping low into a brutal elbow strike, bursting forward with a sharp EM pulse.

CRACK!

A roar of pain escaped Eryx as the blow connected, forcing him to step out fast—his chest now scored with cracked, bleeding scales. He moved, but slower. His breath hitched. His form… dimmed.

The wounds weren't severe, but they were stacking. Bleeding him out bit by bit.

Alonso felt it. The pressure tipping.

As strong as the lizard's vitality was, if this keeps up… he'll lose.

So… what now, Eryx? Is this all?

Ayu stared at the fight, her heart beating fast. The way Alonso was fighting—that fire in his eyes—it was clear it was the Alonso she knew… and yet… how was he so strong? What exactly happened during that fight with the commander-level Xok'al? What happened after that, during the long sleep?

In any case, she couldn't deny the relief—and even pride—she felt right now. Her loved one, beating the crap out of that annoying lizard… it felt honestly great!

And—

"Alright, soft foot," Eryx snarled, his voice loud and cold, fangs bared in a sneer. "You've scurried around long enough. Let's see how much bark you've got left once I start ripping off pieces."

The voice came out low, heavy. Not with anger—but with calm. A dangerous calm. The kind that came before the storm.

Suddenly, his breathing shifted—quick, deep breaths—as heat began to radiate off his body, distorting the air around him.

Ayu's eyes widened. So did the crowd's.

Fury.

Eryx's muscles bulged, veins swelling and pulsing beneath his scaled skin as the air steamed off him, his body coiling like a predator about to strike.

And—

BOOM!

A blur.

Dust exploded outward. Rocks shot like shrapnel. Alonso's feet skidded across the sand, arms straining, blades locked, breath caught as he shot backwards.

Before he could even regain balance, a thrust came from the side.

Alonso managed to block again, but the force was too much—his arms strained, and he was thrown back once more.

And then again. And again.

Eryx seemed to be everywhere at once, his strikes relentless, forcing Alonso completely onto the defensive.

The ground cracked beneath them, sand erupting in bursts like explosions, loud clangs and booms sending shockwaves from the ring outward.

Alonso clenched his teeth, focusing everything on reading the flow. Vectors flickered in his mind, instinct guiding motion. He tracked the lizard's intent, barely staying upright.

But there was only so much he could do.

Eryx's raw speed and strength under Fury was simply too much.

And then—

SCRSH.

A thrust broke through his guard, slicing a deep cut near his ribs. Blood spilled into the sand.

But there was no pause.

The next strike followed instantly. Alonso gathered all his strength, maximizing his movements through the Understanding of Self, EM pulses surging through his swords.

CLANG!

The trident slammed into his blades. He rode the momentum, letting it carry him back, saving his bones from shattering from the recoil.

But even before he hit the ground, the shaft swept low—aimed for his legs.

Alonso pumped EM into the Xayen knee pads and braced—

But it wasn't enough.

The trident's tip slashed clean through flesh.

Another arc of blood flew.

It was only then that Eryx stopped briefly, his form becoming visible as he stared at Alonso. "Come on, soft foot. The Moon Mother deserves more than this pathetic display."

Ayu clenched her jaw. The tide had turned too fast. She hadn't thought of the possibility of Eryx using Fury—but she should've seen it coming. While Alonso could somehow counter his One with the World, under Fury the difference in physical prowess… was simply too vast.

And those eyes… she could feel the intense killing intent even from here.

Ayu glanced at her master. Should she stop this… could she?

Then came a low chuckle like steam escaping through a grin. The sound cut through the tension, sharp and unexpected.

"Touché, lizard," Alonso said, teeth bared, breath ragged. "But we're not here to talk, are we? I'm still on my feet… so come on. Try again."

Before the last word reached the crowd, a boom echoed out as a barely visible blur slammed into Alonso.

Another crash followed as Alonso was hurled backward, his body once again caught in a storm of rapid strikes—faster, sharper than before.

The sounds of impact came in bursts—dozens in fractions of a second—while blood and sweat sprayed the sand below.

Alonso stayed on the defensive, his frame battered around the arena, wounds stacking across his arms, ribs, and legs.

His body soon turned as red as Eryx's—and yet… no strike pierced clean through his guard.

As fast as Eryx was… Alonso held.

"I'm getting a bit bored, lizard," Alonso muttered mid-clash, as another jolt of pain tore through him—one he didn't show. "We've got to finish this while the full moon's still out, right?"

He chuckled, but his body was strained to the edge—Overdrive surging through every nerve, pushing reflexes to the brink. He maintained perfect control over space, timing, and force—just enough to stay in the fight.

And then—another block, another clash—but the follow-up kick came too fast, too close.

It slammed into his gut like a battering ram.

Alonso flew back, a violent cough of blood bursting from his mouth as he crashed into the ground, skidding hard across the ring.

Before he could even plant his feet—before his vision could fully clear—a shadow loomed.

The trident thrust forward.

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