Chương 339: Offer of a lifetime

Drago stood in absolute silence upon the private balcony overlooking the colosseum, his weathered hands resting against the stone railing as his sharp gaze followed every movement below. The roaring crowd faded into little more than distant noise, drowned out by the rhythm of steel, shattered stone, and the calm precision of the young warrior fighting beneath him. His expression was... peculiar.

There was no surprise in his eyes, no confusion at Vale's sudden transformation in demeanor, technique, or even personality. If anything, the old scholar looked quietly fascinated, as though he had expected something like this all along.

"So..." he murmured beneath his breath, the corners of his mouth lifting ever so slightly.

"This is who you were before those memories disappeared." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as Vale effortlessly danced around the commanders, every movement efficient, economical, and refined.

"I suppose I should have expected as much." Drago's fingers lightly tapped the stone railing.

"When I first learned of your supposed gift, I thought it was... underwhelming. Hardly impressive compared to the abilities wielded by monsters and commanders." He chuckled softly to himself.

"I spent months wondering how Kealix's trials could possibly have taught you to master something so ordinary." His smile broadened.

"But that wasn't his goal at all." His eyes gleamed with understanding as the realization settled into place.

"He never intended to teach you your gift. He taught you how to fight without relying on it." The conclusion amused him far more than it probably should have.

"How very like him." Far below, Vale lazily sidestepped another attack, his movements so relaxed they bordered on disrespectful. Drago watched him in silence for several moments before letting out a quiet breath.

"Your power was never meant to make you stronger," he murmured.

"It was meant to become a tool in the hands of someone who already was." His gaze continued tracking every exchange with careful precision, studying each movement with the practiced eye of someone who understood exactly what he was seeing.

"At this level..." he muttered thoughtfully.

"Even I would struggle against you." He paused before adding quietly,"... For a time." His smile gradually faded into something much more solemn.

"But I would still win." There was no arrogance in the statement.

"Even without our abilities... I would destroy you." His eyes drifted away from the arena for only a moment.

"... Because that is my nature." The words lingered in the quiet air far longer than they should have. Without warning, old memories surfaced from depths he had spent centuries trying to bury. A crimson sky stretched overhead while the smell of ash filled the air. Screams echoed through a burning city as flames devoured everything they touched, and he could still remember looking down to find his own hands stained red. That cursed day. The day everything changed.

The day he became trapped inside this twisted tower, condemned to spend centuries surrounded by books while the world continued without him. His grip tightened around the stone railing until his knuckles whitened.

"... Enough." BANG! The heavy balcony doors burst open with enough force to shake the surrounding walls, shattering the solemn atmosphere.

"DRAGOOOO!" The old man didn't even flinch.

"Old friend!" Siegfried called as he strode onto the balcony with his usual boundless enthusiasm, waving cheerfully despite the short distance between them.

"How are you doing today?" The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Drago sighed without bothering to turn around.

"Peacefully."

"Ah." Siegfried grinned.

"So I've ruined that already."

"You have." Instead of apologizing, the brown-haired man laughed even harder before leaning casually against the railing beside him to look down into the arena.

"I've got to say..." he whistled.

"Your son is doing remarkably well." Drago rolled his eyes.

"Of course you'd know." Siegfried blinked with exaggerated innocence.

"Know what?"

"The adoption papers."

"The ink isn't even dry yet." His grin somehow widened further.

"I have eyes everywhere."

"No," Drago corrected flatly.

"You have spies everywhere."

"That too." The two men fell quiet again, watching Vale weave effortlessly through attacks that only minutes earlier had nearly killed him. The contrast was impossible to ignore. Siegfried folded his arms.

"You know..." he said after a moment, "he reminds me of someone." Drago raised an eyebrow.

"... My younger self?"

"The version of you before your ability awakened." Drago turned his head slightly.

"You believe his power is incomplete?"

"I don't believe it." Siegfried's smile became almost predatory as his eyes remained fixed on Vale.

"I'm nearly certain."

"Whatever that boy truly is... he isn't ordinary."

"I don't think any of this is his real gift." Drago remained silent. Siegfried chuckled softly.

"He reminds me of us."

"Before we understood what we really were." His expression gradually softened.

"If he survives today..."

"... the world is going to remember his name." Down in the arena, Vale casually circled the lone remaining commander, his boots scraping lightly across fractured stone as he kept his weight balanced over the balls of his feet. For just a moment, his attention drifted toward the towering figure of Shade. The living shadow currently had both enormous beasts completely occupied on its own. Vale cupped a hand around his mouth.

"Hey, Shade!" The shadow glanced over one shoulder while effortlessly catching the drake's snapping jaws with a single arm.

"You think you can handle those two for a little longer?" Vale called with an apologetic grin.

"I've still got a terrible headache from all those memories rushing back, and I'd rather not overwork myself." Shade slowly turned his featureless face toward him. Then, with unmistakable annoyance, he rolled his ruby eyes. The drake lunged again. Without the slightest urgency, Shade planted one foot and drove an heavy punch directly into the beast's skull. The creature collapsed onto the arena floor with a thunderous crash before the shadow casually raised a lazy thumbs-up. Vale laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes." Another arrow sliced through the air, but without even looking, Vale leaned slightly to one side and allowed it to whisper harmlessly past his cheek. He looked back toward the archer.

"... That wasn't very polite." The woman remained silent. Her expression never changed. Another roar echoed throughout the arena as the wyvern descended from above, its maw glowing with gathering flame as it prepared to engulf him. Before it could fire, thick chains of darkness erupted from the ground and wrapped tightly around its jaws. The beast struggled violently, but it never reached Vale.

Shade simply yanked the wyvern backward through the air before slamming it headfirst into the arena floor with enough force to shake the entire colosseum. Vale smiled faintly.

"As I was saying..." He clasped his hands behind his back.

"How about we make a deal?" The archer finally spoke.

"... Go on."

"I've already defeated your allies."

"They're alive."

"They'll stay that way." A warm smile appeared.

"So surrender."

"Admit defeat."

"And I won't add you to the pile." The woman studied him for several long seconds before letting out a dry laugh.

"... What a terrible offer."

"If we surrender..."

"Wolf will execute us himself." Another arrow flew toward him. Vale casually sliced it in half without interrupting his slow, relaxed stride.

"I see."

"I'll keep that in mind." His hand slipped into one of the pouches across his chest, retrieving a single throwing dagger. With an effortless flick of his wrist, the blade vanished, screaming toward the archer's shoulder. Just before it struck, a violent gust of wind slammed into it and knocked it harmlessly aside. Vale clicked his tongue.

"... Annoying." His gaze shifted upward toward the circling Wind Guider. The great bird shrieked triumphantly while its immense wings carved powerful currents through the sky. Wind Guiders. Unlike most creatures, they possessed abilities many mistook for magic, yet their gift had nothing to do with spells. Their enormous wings generated pressure so overwhelming that they could sculpt the battlefield's air itself, guiding storms as naturally as breathing. Impressive. But ultimately... Predictable.

Another arrow flew. This one traveled far faster, accelerated by the manipulated winds surrounding it. Vale didn't dodge. He simply reached out. His fingers closed around the shaft before redirecting its momentum with nothing more than a subtle twist of his wrist. The arrow curved sharply upward. Straight toward the Wind Guider. The beast screeched as a powerful gust erupted from its wings, shredding the projectile into splinters before it could connect. Vale was already moving. His knees bent.

One fist settled calmly at his waist. His breathing slowed until the entire arena seemed to fall silent around him. For months he had practiced this technique without ever knowing its true name. Kealix had. The Chained Man had spoken those words with unmistakable pride every single time he demonstrated it. Vale smiled.

"... Lion's Claw." His fist exploded forward. The air itself fractured as a compressed shockwave roared across the arena like an invisible predator. The Wind Guider answered with a hurricane-force blast of its own, and the two currents collided in a deafening explosion that echoed across the colosseum. Dust erupted skyward. The audience shielded their faces against the violent pressure. But the shockwave tore straight through the beast's defenses.

The Wind Guider shrieked as it spiraled helplessly from the sky before crashing into the arena floor hard enough to leave a crater beneath its broken body. Vale exhaled slowly.

"It should survive." He turned back toward the lone archer, now completely isolated, and a relaxed smile returned to his face.

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

"Any wiggle room for my offer now?"