Chương 68: Joker

Nox suddenly erupted into flames. Fire swallowed his entire body, wrapping around him like a long, burning coat. Numerous clocks formed within the blaze, hanging from the fiery fabric like ornaments. Each displayed a different time. Some counted down slowly. Others raced toward zero. Nox stared at the countless faces glowing around him. Then he laughed.

"Sorry, Noah." He looked toward the stands.

"Time to steal your thunder." Noah stared down from above.

"You couldn't think of a fire-related phrase?" Nox ignored him. He spread his arms wide as flames surged across the arena.

"Look upon me, everyone!" The crowd watched in stunned silence.

"I may be the weakest of Helheim's Seven Generals…" Dozens of burning clock symbols appeared across the ground around Elijah.

"But behold my power!" The clocks began counting down. One second. Four seconds. Twelve. Twenty. No two displayed the same time. Elijah sighed and tightened his grip around his katana.

"I'm beginning to regret that pep talk." The first clock reached zero. The ground exploded. Elijah vanished.

"Spring Style—Sakura Mirage." Pink petals scattered through the flames as he reappeared several meters away. Another clock detonated beneath him. He disappeared again. Then another. And another. Explosions tore across the arena as Elijah continuously used Sakura Mirage to avoid them, leaving trails of cherry blossoms behind with every movement. The technique was similar to Royal March. It was not as fast, but it carried another advantage. For a brief moment after each step, Elijah's true movements became obscured.

The petals created weak illusions, making it difficult to tell where he would emerge. That minor trick was the only inheritance he had received from Ōkami. But her blood had still given him something valuable. Without it, his Spring Style would never have worked. Every petal. Every illusion. Every impossible step. They were all fragments of the mother who had abandoned him. Elijah reappeared near the center of the arena. He looked down. A massive clock symbol burned beneath his feet. Ten seconds. He had time.

Elijah steadied his breathing and prepared to move. Three seconds passed. The clock exploded. Flames swallowed him. The blast threw Elijah across the arena, his white robes burning as he struck the sand and rolled. Nox smiled from within his flaming coat.

"Illusions." Elijah forced himself onto one knee. Nox tapped one finger against his temple.

"You're not the only one who can use them." The clocks hanging from his coat continued to tick.

"Of course I can lie about how long a timer has left." Elijah stared at the burning symbols scattered across the battlefield. Every number was now meaningless. Any one of them could explode at any moment. Nox's smile weakened slightly as his gaze dropped toward the card hidden within the flames around his hand. The Joker. A clock burned across its surface. Five minutes. That was how long this form would last. Five minutes before the flames disappeared. Five minutes before his body gave out.

Nox raised the Joker card.

"Let's see if you can survive until time runs out." From the stands, Noah watched Elijah move through the field of flames. Those steps. Those petals. That swordsmanship. He did not want to believe it. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. But his heart had already begun pounding.

"Inari…" The name escaped beneath his breath. Ava looked toward him. Noah barely noticed. If Elijah won this match, Noah would face him in the next round. The man who had killed him. The blade that had taken his head. The first monster Noah had failed to defeat. Down in the arena, Elijah rolled his wounded shoulder and tightened his grip around the katana.

"Fine." He watched the false clocks burning across the ground.

"Then I'll switch things up." Nox's flaming ears twitched. Elijah smiled faintly.

"I needed to test these two new styles I've been working on anyway." He lowered his stance.

"They're gifts for my two precious students." The smile vanished.

"I designed them for spear arts, but a katana should be manageable." Elijah pulled his sword back.

"Summer Style—Solar Point." He hurled the katana like a spear. The blade tore through the air. Flames erupted around it, spiraling along the steel until the weapon resembled a burning ray of sunlight. Nox twisted aside. The katana passed close enough to scorch his fiery coat before burying itself deep in the sand behind him. Elijah charged after it. He could no longer trust the clocks beneath his feet. The numbers were lies. The explosions could come early. Late. Or without warning.

All he could do was keep moving and trust himself to react.

"Winter Style—Yuki Onna." Cold spread across Elijah's body. Frost gathered over his robes and limbs as a thin layer of ice formed beneath his feet. Then he slid. He raced across the sand as though it were freshly fallen snow, weaving between the burning clocks with smooth, flowing movements. Nox's eyes widened. Elijah was closing the distance too quickly. Nox slammed one foot against the ground. A small explosion erupted beneath him, launching his body backward before Elijah could reach him.

He landed several meters away. Elijah reached his katana and wrapped one hand around the hilt. Then the sword exploded. Fire swallowed his arm. The blast threw him sideways, nearly tearing the weapon from his grip. Elijah landed hard against the sand. Pain shot through his shoulder. For a moment, his fingers refused to move. The bone had nearly broken. Nox smiled through the flames. A clock symbol had been hidden along the blade beneath an illusion.

"You really shouldn't pick up strange objects." Elijah slowly forced himself upright. He looked at the damaged katana trembling in his hand. Then at Nox.

"That's my sword." Nox smiled through the flames.

"Still strange." Elijah's blue eyes narrowed. The burning clocks surrounding them continued their countdowns, each one threatening to explode without warning.

"My dream is to become the Sword Master." Elijah let the katana fall from his weakened hand. It struck the sand with a dull thud.

"But I don't believe I'm worthy of that title yet." He stepped forward. Nox raised another card, but his fingers were trembling. The Joker's remaining time was almost gone, and the flames surrounding his body had begun to flicker. Elijah lowered his stance.

"After all…" Heat gathered around his right hand. Frost crawled across his left.

"My greatest technique isn't even a sword art." Nox's eyes widened. Elijah vanished.

"But a fist art." He appeared directly in front of Nox.

"Signature Move—Equinox." Flames erupted from Elijah's right hand. Ice consumed his left. He swung both arms in a brutal cross chop, the opposing forces colliding against Nox's chest at the same moment. The impact exploded. Nox was launched backward, crashing into the sand and carving a deep trench across the arena floor. His flaming clocks scattered around him. Several detonated at once. Smoke swallowed the battlefield. Elijah stumbled after him. His right arm hung nearly useless at his side.

His robes were burned and torn, and blood ran from countless wounds across his body. Nox forced himself onto one knee. The two brothers stared at each other. Both were barely standing. Elijah took another step. Then Nox smiled.

"There's one thing you forgot." Elijah froze. Nox lifted his gaze.

"I never said I couldn't mark you too." A hidden clock glowed against Elijah's back. Zero. The explosion tore through him. Blood sprayed across the sand as the remaining cloth along his back was shredded into tatters. Elijah staggered forward, smoke rolling from his body. But he did not fall. At the same moment, the Joker's final timer expired. The flames covering Nox vanished. The burning coat disappeared. Every clock across the battlefield faded with it. Nox collapsed to one knee, completely drained.

Elijah stumbled toward him. One step. Then another. He reached down and grabbed Nox by the neck, lifting him just enough to make the victory clear.

"I win…" His voice was weak. But a faint smile crossed his face.

"Little brother." Nox stared up at him. Then sighed.

"Fine." Elijah released him. Nox dropped gently onto the sand. Lord Ars rose from the imperial balcony, clapping so violently that the entire structure groaned beneath him.

"What a phenomenal match between these half-brothers!" The crowd erupted.

"But in the end, the legendary Red Lotus Assassin has emerged victorious!" Elijah stood unsteadily beneath the deafening cheers. His vision blurred. His knees began to buckle. Before he could hit the ground, Luna appeared behind him and caught him beneath the arms.

"I've got you, honey." Elijah looked weakly over his shoulder. Luna smiled.

"No drinking today." His expression fell slightly.

"Just chicken soup." She lifted him with surprising ease, carrying him as though he weighed nothing. Elijah was too exhausted to argue. On the opposite side of the arena, Cyrus leapt over the railing and landed beside Nox. He immediately pulled his younger brother into a tight hug.

"You did great." Nox's eyes struggled to stay open. Cyrus smiled proudly.

"You lasted longer than I did, at least." Nox gave a tired laugh.

"Thanks…" His head fell against Cyrus's shoulder. Then he passed out in his brother's arms. Cyrus held him carefully as the crowd continued to cheer. Across the arena, Luna carried Elijah toward the exit. For the first time in either of their lives, the abandoned sons of Ōkami had met someone who shared their pain. They had entered the arena as strangers. They left it as brothers.