Chương 340: Greatest student in Existence

The archer stared at Vale in utter disbelief, her composure cracking. For several long moments she searched his face for some hint that he was joking, but none came. Eventually her jaw tightened, and her grip around the bow stiffened.

"You really think," she said quietly, "that if accepting your offer had ever been an option... this fight would've gone this far? We might act like we're eager to kill you, but don't kid yourself. None of us are here by our own choice." Vale raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth lifting ever so slightly.

"Oh... hmm." He rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully before letting out a weary sigh.

"So it is Wolf. Who am I kidding?" He shook his head.

"It's always Wolf." The instant those words left his mouth, instinct screamed. A massive fist tore through the air from directly behind him, but Vale casually stepped backward with a single foot, allowing the enormous punch to whistle harmlessly past his face.

"You know," he remarked without even looking over his shoulder, "striking an unsuspecting teenager isn't exactly manly." The giant's face twisted with rage, but before he could throw another punch, two blood-covered arms suddenly wrapped around Vale's torso from behind, locking him in place with surprising strength.

'Eugh... I shouldn't have let my guard down.' The scarred woman held him tightly despite the blood still pouring from the wound in her shoulder. Every breath came ragged and uneven, yet her grip never weakened.

"Now!" she shouted. The giant answered, drawing back his remaining fist until every muscle along his arm bulged with strain. Vale merely sighed.

"Sorry..." His heel crashed down onto the woman's foot with enough force to crack bone before he threw his head backward, his skull colliding with her nose in a sickening crunch.

"... but I don't stay still." She stumbled away clutching her face, and that single opening was all Vale required. The giant's fist thundered toward him, but Vale slipped beneath it, his body rotating around the attack as though dancing through flowing water. A heartbeat later his own fist shot upward. CRACK. The uppercut landed squarely beneath the man's jaw. His eyes rolled back as his massive body toppled sideways like a felled tree before crashing unconscious against the fractured arena floor.

Vale exhaled quietly before turning back toward the remaining commander.

"Alright." A small smile settled beneath his relaxed expression.

"One on one." He lowered himself into a loose stance, making no move to draw either blade or summon his armor. No spear. No Shadow Armor. Just empty hands. The archer hesitated, glancing toward the unconscious bodies of her comrades before silently nodding. She slung her bow across her back with deliberate movements and settled into a martial stance of her own. Vale studied her carefully.

'Interesting... Flowing Fist.'

'Her posture is disciplined. Every movement naturally transitions into the next without interruption. Her balance is nearly perfect... and judging from that footwork, she's reached an advanced level.' Every step resembled the quiet current of a river. No motion was wasted, no muscle tensed unnecessarily. She glided across the arena instead of walking. Then she exploded forward. Her leading foot rose before crashing downward toward Vale's shoulder like an axe.

Rather than blocking the strike, Vale simply redirected it with the slightest movement of his hand, allowing her own momentum to carry her forward. His opposite fist darted toward her face. She tilted her head just enough for it to whistle past her cheek before immediately catching his wrist and pulling him toward herself. Her knee rocketed upward. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"Impressive," Vale admitted as his free hand intercepted the strike before it reached his ribs, "... but not that impressive." His hips shifted. His legs swept beneath hers with perfect timing, and using nothing but leverage and her own momentum, he effortlessly flipped her over his shoulder. She twisted through the air before landing heavily on her stomach.

Before she could recover, Vale was already sitting comfortably on her back, pinning both wrists behind her with one hand while resting the other lazily atop his knee. His expression remained almost apologetic.

"So..." He tilted his head slightly.

"Do you yield?" On the opposite side of the arena, Shade found himself standing alone against the remaining two beasts. Both ranked among the strongest Category Three monsters ever recorded within the Tower. Under normal circumstances, Shade would have approached opponents of that caliber cautiously. But after watching his master dismantle three Enforcer Commanders almost effortlessly... Failure was no longer acceptable.

'What kind of servant would I be... if I allowed my master to outshine me so completely?' The wyvern suddenly shattered the chains restraining its jaws. Its throat ignited before a torrent of blazing fire erupted outward, swallowing the battlefield in a spiraling inferno. Shade didn't retreat. His body dissolved into living darkness, slipping beneath the flames themselves before reforming directly beneath the wyvern. His fist shot upward.

The punch slammed into the creature's lower jaw, snapping its mouth shut before launching the enormous beast high into the sky. The wyvern tumbled helplessly through the air while Shade merely shrugged. Before he could continue, an enormous shadow descended overhead. The dark drake's claw crashed toward him with enough force to shake the arena, throwing dust and shattered stone high into the air. The beast stared downward expectantly. Silence followed. Then blood erupted.

A violent spray of crimson burst upward from beneath its own claw, and the drake recoiled with a roar of pain. Deep cuts now covered the limb, black scales split apart by something impossibly sharp. It limped backward several steps before glaring into the settling dust cloud. Slowly, the haze dispersed. A towering figure stood motionless within it, an immense onyx greatsword resting across one shoulder, nearly larger than Shade himself. Only two glowing ruby eyes pierced the lingering mist.

The drake's growl weakened. Its predatory confidence vanished. Instinct recognized what reason could not. This was not prey. This was something that stood far higher in the hierarchy of monsters. Its head slowly lowered. Moments later, the wyvern landed heavily beside it before lowering itself as well. The beasts had surrendered. Shade had won.

"LIONHEART HAS WON THE MATCH!" The announcer's voice echoed throughout the colosseum, and the crowd erupted into deafening celebration. Thousands leapt to their feet, roaring Vale's title until the very walls trembled beneath the noise. Vale calmly sheathed both obsidian blades before sliding the remaining dagger back into its pouch. A small, satisfied smile crossed his face. Finally... It was over. Then the announcer froze.

"... Uh..." The arena gradually fell silent as a parchment was hurried into his trembling hands.

"You... you can't be serious..." He swallowed hard before continuing.

"Ladies and gentlemen... Lionheart, formally identified as Vale Lionheart, has been selected to lead a special expedition beyond the known regions of the Tower." His voice grew noticeably quieter.

"May the Creator guide him." Silence. Then outrage exploded throughout the stadium.

"What?!"

"He just earned his freedom!"

"You're seriously sending him out already?!"

"Let the kid rest!" Boos spread across every section of the colosseum. Meanwhile, Vale simply laughed beneath his breath.

'Couldn't kill me... so now you're sending me somewhere else to die. Classic Wolf.' He rubbed his aching temple. The flood of ancient memories still pounded relentlessly against his mind.

'Whatever this expedition is... it's probably another death trap.'

'I need sleep before I think about any of this.' A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"... Would you mind getting off my back?" Vale blinked before glancing downward.

"Oh." The archer was still pinned beneath him.

"Right..." He stood and offered her a hand.

"Sorry about that." She regarded the offered hand with open disdain before slapping it aside and climbing to her feet under her own strength. For several long moments neither spoke. Instead, both looked toward the unconscious giant. More specifically... Toward the severed hand lying several meters away.

"... Seems that's the end of his career," she murmured. Only then did the reality truly strike Vale. His expression slowly changed. This wasn't Kealix's domain. This wasn't the endless world of trials where shattered bones knitted together and severed limbs returned moments later. This... Was reality. The man would never naturally regain that hand. Vale stared silently at his own fingers as disgust slowly crept across his face.

"... Goddammit." He pressed a hand against his forehead.

"How could I forget..." Without another word he turned and walked toward the arena's inner corridors. The celebration continued somewhere far above. Down within the quiet stone passageways, only silence remained. Vale slid down against a cold wall before releasing a long, exhausted sigh. Shade stood nearby with the same unreadable ruby eyes, silently watching over him as he tried to organize the impossible flood of memories filling his mind. Thousands of years.

Thousands upon thousands of identical training sessions. Countless battles. Lessons. Failures. Victories. Entire lifetimes compressed into a single human brain. Eventually he looked sideways toward the shadow.

"... Uh..." He scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"I called you Shade... right?" Shade simply stared. His expression slowly shifted into complete disbelief. Vale laughed weakly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry. Several thousand years of memories all arriving at once are... kind of messing with my head." Shade's ruby eyes widened before rolling so dramatically that the gesture almost looked theatrical. Without another word, his body dissolved into darkness before reforming into the familiar spear. Vale caught it.

"I'll take that as a yes." He rested the weapon across his shoulder, but even as he did, another memory surfaced. Kealix. Not merely the chained man. His master. Then came Silfur. The other Sages. They had all met Kealix. But none of it made sense. Vale didn't even know where Kealix's domain existed. He had no idea how anyone could reach it. So how... How had they? His exhausted smile slowly disappeared.

"... Just how the hell did they get there?"