Chương 337: True Battle Begins

The giant commander stared at Vale as though he had lost all reason. For a brief moment, he man barked out a furious laugh, pointing the head of his hammer directly at Vale.

"Have you finally lost your mind now that death is staring you in the face, Lionheart?!" His voice thundered across the colosseum, carrying easily into the upper stands. Veins bulged along his neck as rage twisted his features into something feral. To him, Vale's sudden confidence could only be madness, a desperate attempt to hide the inevitability of defeat. Vale simply looked back. His expression was almost puzzled before a slow grin spread across his face.

'He still thinks I'm the same person.' The realization amused him far more than it should have.

'He truly believes nothing has changed except my attitude.' The smile lingered before faltering as a sharp pulse of pain shot through his skull. Vale raised a hand to his temple and squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing hitching as fragments of memories continued crashing together inside his mind. Even now, remembering several lifetimes all at once was almost more than this mind could withstand.

Thousands upon thousands of battles, countless techniques, voices, names, and lessons collided inside his consciousness like tidal waves smashing against fragile glass. For several long seconds he simply stood there, allowing the pain to wash over him until it gradually subsided, not completely, but enough. Lowering his hand, Vale looked back toward the commanders, his composure already restored.

"No matter." His voice had become perfectly calm again.

"Even with this agonizing headache... handling amateurs like yourselves won't be difficult." The scarred swordswoman's expression changed. Until now she had mistaken his confidence for arrogance, but something about him suddenly felt wrong. His posture, his breathing, even the way his eyes moved had changed. It wasn't confidence anymore. The giant, however, noticed none of it. His face twisted with unrestrained fury as he exploded forward.

"You arrogant little bastard! I'll pound you into the ground until no one can tell where your body ends and the arena begins!" Every thunderous step shook the arena floor as his enormous hammer swung backward before accelerating into a devastating horizontal arc. Vale watched him approach, the grin on his face only widening.

Despite the blood staining his armor, despite the injuries that had nearly killed him only moments ago, and despite the relentless ache inside his skull, he simply couldn't suppress his excitement. Because now he finally had something to compare himself against.

'Kealix...' His thoughts drifted briefly toward the man who had taught him.

'Just how insignificant are these people compared to you?' The hammer closed the final distance.

"I'LL CRUSH EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY!" Vale didn't even uncross his arms until the last possible instant. Then he ducked. The hammer roared over his head, but instead of retreating, Vale stepped directly into its path. His metallic hand caught the very edge of the hammerhead. The immense momentum carried his body into a smooth spin, his feet barely brushing the stone as the colossal weapon pulled him through the motion. At precisely the right moment, his leg snapped upward. CRACK.

His heel connected squarely with the giant's jaw. The commander's head whipped violently to the side, blood and broken teeth scattering through the air as he staggered backward in shock. Before Vale could capitalize on the opening, an arrow screamed toward him. His grin only widened. Without even fully turning toward it, he casually raised his reinforced forearm. Clang. The arrow shattered harmlessly against the metal. At that same instant another presence entered his range. The scarred commander.

Her sword flashed toward his ribs, but Vale calmly placed one hand against the flat of the blade, using it almost like a stepping stone as he vaulted cleanly over the slash. Twisting gracefully in midair, he brought his heel crashing downward in a vicious roundhouse kick. She barely managed to raise her forearm in time, yet the impact still sent her skidding several meters backward, her boots carving deep trenches across the arena floor.

The giant finally recovered as well, clutching his bleeding jaw while Vale landed lightly, or at least as lightly as his wounded leg allowed. The moment his weight settled onto the injured knee, pain surged upward through his body. He hissed quietly, his expression tightening for only the briefest instant before his gaze drifted toward the broken arrow still clutched inside his mechanical hand.

'Another one.' With a casual squeeze, the shaft snapped effortlessly between his fingers. His attention shifted toward the blonde archer. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Five arrows were already airborne. His eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Persistent." One hand drifted toward the hilt of his sword as his breathing slowed and his body lowered into a relaxed stance. Everything outside those five projectiles disappeared from his awareness. The arrows entered his reach, steel whispered through the air, and five clean flashes followed in rapid succession. Every projectile split neatly in half before falling harmlessly onto the arena floor. Vale's gaze settled on the archer. For the first time, her composure cracked.

Her eyes widened as her hand instinctively reached for another arrow.

'Now.' Vale stepped forward, A shadow swallowed him.

"Eat my hammer!" The giant had returned, blood still streaming from his shattered nose and split jaw as he swung with everything he had left. Vale blinked.

"Oh." He sounded almost apologetic.

"I forgot about you." By the time he realized the hammer had already entered striking range, it was too late to dodge. So he didn't. His metallic arm rose to meet the blow. The hammer slammed into the prosthetic with enough force to launch Vale across half the arena like a cannonball. The artificial limb trembled violently, gears grinding beneath the overwhelming strain, but it held. Still airborne, Vale twisted his body and drove his metal hand into the arena floor.

Stone exploded beneath his fingers as they carved a deep trench through solid rock, slowing his momentum until he finally ground to a stop. Without pausing, Vale sprinted again, heading straight for the archer.

'Take out the weakest link first.' She controlled the battlefield. Remove her, and the entire formation would collapse. He had barely crossed half the distance when the air shifted. His instincts screamed. Vale leaned backward just as a sword sliced less than an inch from his throat. The scarred commander flowed seamlessly into another strike without the slightest hesitation, her expression no longer calm. Frustration, confusion, and outright disbelief had replaced her earlier composure.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Their blades collided, steel ringing sharply across the arena.

"How did you become this strong in an instant?!" Vale smiled almost cheerfully.

"Oh." Their swords scraped together as he effortlessly redirected her blade.

"It's actually very simple." With a precise movement he knocked her weapon aside.

"I finally realized..." His grin widened.

"... just how inexperienced all of you are." The woman's face darkened with anger.

"So be it!" With surprising strength she knocked his sword upward, exposing his torso. At that exact moment the giant's hammer descended once more. Perfect coordination. Perfect timing. Vale sighed.

'Do they honestly never learn?' He pivoted only once. His sword described a single clean arc through the air. The hammer struck the arena floor. The giant screamed. For a heartbeat, no one understood why. Then his severed hand slid from the end of his wrist. Blood erupted from the stump as the colossal hammer toppled uselessly onto the stone beside it. The swordswoman attacked at the same instant, her remaining blade sweeping toward Vale's throat.

Without even looking, his metallic hand caught the weapon in mid-swing. The steel stopped dead. She strained to pull it free, but it refused to move. Vale stepped calmly inside her guard. His leg hooked behind hers. One sharp twist. She crashed onto her back. Before she could recover, his sword descended, piercing cleanly through her shoulder before burying itself deep into the arena floor beneath. She cried out as crimson spread rapidly across her blue uniform, leaving her completely pinned.

Silence settled across the arena. The giant knelt clutching the stump of his arm while the swordswoman writhed helplessly against the blade imprisoning her. Vale calmly released her weapon and looked between the two commanders with quiet curiosity, his breathing perfectly steady.

"Relax." His tone carried indifference.

"I only severed one hand and impaled your shoulder." He shrugged lightly.

"You'll live." The giant's face twisted with absolute fury.

"You call this living?!" Forcing himself back onto one knee, he glared through the pain while blood poured endlessly from what remained of his arm.

"You think I want to survive after losing to a criminal like you?!" Vale turned toward him, but before he could answer another arrow flashed toward his throat. Without so much as glancing at it, he caught the projectile between two fingers. Only then did he respond.

"I wasn't talking about your pride." The arrow snapped between his fingers.

"I was talking about your body." The giant ground his teeth together until blood seeped from his gums. With his remaining hand he lifted the hammer once more, while the swordswoman, breathing raggedly, tore Vale's blade free from her shoulder despite the agony it caused. Blood soaked the front of her uniform as she forced herself back onto her feet. Neither commander showed the slightest intention of surrendering. Vale quietly stepped backward, giving them room.

Then he simply waited, patient and almost polite, as though allowing them one final chance. Finally, the giant threw back his head.

"COME TO US!" His roar echoed beyond the arena walls. Three enormous shadows answered. The crowd looked skyward as massive creatures descended from the highest perches of the colosseum. The first resembled a drake cloaked in scales blacker than midnight, smoke drifting lazily between rows of razor-sharp teeth. The second was a towering tunnel wyvern, its elongated body protected by heavy armored plates built for burrowing through solid earth.

Above them circled the third, a Wind Guider whose immense wings carved elegant currents through the air with every beat. Vale recognized each species. His memories stirred.

'I know those.' He had never expected to encounter them here, much less serving Enforcer Commanders. The beasts landed before their respective masters, deep growls rumbling across the arena. The giant smiled viciously through bloodstained teeth.

"Prepare yourself, Lionheart!"

"Our companions enjoy playing with their prey before they finish the kill!" Vale studied the six opponents in silence. Then he tilted his head. A disappointed smile spread across his face.

"Oh." He scratched thoughtfully at his cheek while counting under his breath.

"Six against one..." He frowned with theatrical disappointment.

"I don't really like those odds." His finger tapped lightly against his chin before his eyes suddenly brightened.

"Oh." He clapped one fist into his open palm.

"I've got an idea." He inhaled slowly. The arena darkened. At first no one understood why. Then shadows began gathering around Vale's feet. They were not ordinary shadows. They writhed, shifted, and stretched upward like living tar, gradually taking the vague outline of a towering human figure many times larger than Vale himself. The temperature throughout the arena dropped noticeably. Even the beasts grew restless, while the commanders took a cautious step backward.

The living darkness continued to rise until it towered over Vale like a silent guardian. Its body never held one shape for more than a heartbeat before flowing into another. Then the shadow condensed. Bones emerged. Darkness solidified. An immense spear formed within the writhing silhouette, its pale skeletal shaft wrapped in endless black tendrils that never stopped moving. Vale reached upward. His fingers wrapped around the weapon. A familiar warmth answered his touch. He smiled.

"Ah..." Rolling the spear effortlessly through the air, he let out a quiet sigh of satisfaction.

"That's much better." The oppressive aura blanketing the arena intensified. The commanders stared in stunned silence while even the beasts lowered themselves, ancient instincts warning them that something far beyond their understanding now stood before them. Vale rested the butt of the spear gently against the stone. His smile remained calm.

"Now then..." His eyes met theirs.

"Shall we continue?"