Chương 150: A Belated Exchange

Marcel crept towards Warden at a snail's pace; he saw no openings except for the ones cleanly laid out by his opponent. He had fought monsters, people, and beasts alike, even the odd Dreamer during previous colosseum games; however, Warden befogged his thoughts. Was he an Aspirant? Or a Dreamer? Marcel didn't know for sure; Warden had no Dreamer aura, but his words cut through him like an impossibly sharp blade. Was it Will?

Will became obsolete the second any other source was learned; it was pointless, fickle, and dwarfed by magics and other sources. He was afraid to look away from the statuesque knight; he dreaded every moment as he waited for the man in front of him to move. It was a feeling similar to dispatching a still spider hanging above you; they lay still, and at any moment they could burst forth with explosive speed. Was this the web? Was he already caught within it?

Marcel swiftly twitched his eye down and up; the enormous distance that he had felt travelling, the long span of time since he began shimmying, was nothing. He realized he had barely even moved a meter from his starting position. He winced, clenching his teeth and preparing to run, but accidentally lurched forward as his foot got caught in a divot he had unknowingly made while inching towards his opponent. His vision faltered from Warden, and when he steadied himself, a shade was cast over him.

Marcel slowly craned his head up, seemingly breaking his neck and having to lean backwards to see Warden's helm, where nothing looked back. His mind may have been addled by Warden's instantaneous approach, but his experienced body struck out with the pommel of his longsword using all of his superhuman might. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Crick The ivory knight's carapace shattered where the pommel had struck; cracks ran through his armor, and the spot that was struck began to fall apart, revealing… slick, skinless meat? Marcel's eye twitched at the sight, then his vision went black.

June clutched an exposed portion of his carapace; the gentle breeze against his revealed flesh burned like mint and water. If anyone got close enough to take a whiff of his shell, it would smell like fresh beef being cooked. Without a Dreamer aura, June continued to sizzle within his shell; the scent of cooked meat was simply him being slow-cooked within his carapace.

While June didn't mind spilling his guts, literally and figuratively, he had a feeling that it would be best to keep his Dreamer status and flesh-shaping abilities hidden from the public eye; the last thing he wanted was someone putting two and two together and approaching him in his private time. The shell also provided the benefit of anonymity, letting him act more honestly in some situations.

June had closed the distance to him within a moment, but had gotten too close to act without harming Marcel; even if it was a friendly spar, hurting another without a reason didn't sit well with him. However, the moment Marcel struck him and had nearly revealed June's innards to the limelight, June's body moved on its own. A simple slap was delivered; he had nearly imbued Will into his body, but with a quick correction, he had stopped the flow from fully activating.

Unfortunately, the initial burst of speed had remained; paired with his natural constitution and the heft of his shell, his arm slammed into Marcel's side, folding him like a lawn chair and violently throwing him twenty feet back with a loud crack. The shell's arm shattered on contact, sending brittle debris into Marcel's side like a shotgun. The man seemingly flew through the air in slow motion, and June began running to catch him before the collision.

However, to the onlookers, it looked like Warden was going in for the kill.