Theo didn't want to hear anything from Laust, so he escaped to handle the bear.
Laust gripped his sword even tighter. He wanted to attack Theo right now but knew it might be the worst thing he could do.
He thought he could control his own emotion, but the treatment he got from his father and everyone else kept getting worse after that defeat.
'Will people keep looking down on me? When… When will I break free from this curse? If I can't even win against him, there won't be a shred of hope to overcome this curse of mine.' Laust began getting desperate as all the bad memories he had gotten from the past decade flashed in his eyes.
"No!" Laust gnashed his teeth and charged forward, trying to kill Hontar with everything he got. His sword started glowing as he made a fast sweep from the left.
Hontar blocked that attack but didn't push it away. Instead, Hontar took one big step to the front until his body and face were near Laust's. He then grabbed Laust's arm while smirking, "I got you!"
"Sh*t! I was careless." Laust tried to shake him off, but Hontar didn't budge.
Hontar even had time to glance at Makkal as if saying, "He and I are almost aligned, but I'm sure you can hit him, right?"
Makkal chuckled as he drew his bow, aiming at the slight opening to sever Laust's hand.
Laust also got a clear vision of Makkal's arrow and used his Elemental Shield, hoping it could hold the arrow for a split second so he could move away.
Hontar was happy with this since he might be able to kill Laust after that shot. Yet, someone entered his Awareness as he turned around at the same time as Makkal released the arrow.
'Theo? No weapon?' Hontar drew a gasp as he realized Theo only took care of the bear while his clone was basically free. He made them think he would focus on the bear first before helping Laust, but it turned out Theo was secretly manipulating the match.
In other words, Theo was the most dangerous man in this small room. Unfortunately, it was useless to realize it because he had locked Laust in a certain position, which meant he and Laust couldn't move at the same time.
When Theo arrived, he gave a slight push on Hontar's arm, forcing him to the side where the arrow would arrive.
'Instead of killing the easiest one, it seems our choice is wrong.' Hontar truly underestimated Theo as his shoulder got pierced by the arrow, sending his hand flying. The arrow continued on its path, but it lost a portion of its original strength and allowed Laust to block it completely.
Hontar clicked his tongue while Laust didn't feel happy that he blocked it.
After all, in his thought, there was only one thing. 'Theodore Griffith. Why are you there?'
In that instant, he realized that he was too angry at Theo, unlike the past him. In fact, he turned even worse than the past him who fought Theo even though his strength was far stronger than that time.
He remembered Theo's specialty and understood what was happening. His body trembled, not because of anger but fear. 'Did… Did he utilize my anger to his own advantage? Did he know I would be targeted and messed up and positioned himself accordingly?'
"Sh*t!" Makkal also came to the same conclusion and turned to Theo. "I need to eliminate him first."
He quickly drew another arrow and killed Clone Theo to give breathing room for Hontar. The latter still managed to wield his sword with one hand and with the current blood loss, he should be able to fight for another one or two minutes.
Theo smiled and hid behind the bear while maintaining eye contact with Laust to check his condition.
He summoned his clone again and went behind Laust, using the Magic Bullet again.
When Laust was about to clash with Hontar again, he sensed Clone Theo ready to release that attack before Makkal's arrow came.
At this moment, something Laust couldn't comprehend happened. He instinctively moved to the side and made way for Theo's Magic Bullet while looking at Hontar, asking himself. "Eh? Why did I move?"
Although he didn't admit it, His heart already understood that Theo was superior to him.
Yet, the Magic Bullets couldn't kill Hontar because the latter channeled all his power into the blade and created a wind burst that basically destroyed his Magic Bullets.
Makkal also released his arrow and destroyed Theo's clone.
Unfortunately for him, he missed Theo's real body and… Ellen.
Yeah, Ellen hadn't used any magic to support them the whole time to make them think she was supporting the two. And with a signal from Theo, she knew it was the right time to act.
"Ice Meteor." She created a ball—the size of three humans—and launched it to the bear.
Obviously, the bear caught the ice, so it didn't kill him, but Theo managed to escape from his pressure, moving toward Hontar with his spear.
Theo and Laust's eyes intertwined as Theo ordered with a menacing tone. "Follow me, Trash. We will kill Hontar right now."
Laust gulped down and went forward to match Theo's movement. With Hontar having only one hand, the battle should be decided pretty quickly. His hand was covered with sweat when he saw Theo's expression as if he was looking at his father, the one who scared him the most. It was the look of someone who didn't have any expectations from him.
"Oh, it seems I'm in a bind." Hontar glanced at them back and forth before smiling. "Just kidding."
"!!!" Theo widened his eyes and took a glimpse of someone in the corner of his vision.
However, as one would expect from a skilled archer, which was scouted by many, Makkal finally made his appearance by mystically arriving twenty feet away behind Hontar while drawing his bow.
For the first time in this match, Theo hesitated and felt a chill down his spine because he understood what kind of result if he killed Hontar at this moment. 'If I continue, that arrow might kill Laust or me. Although Laust is hateful, he still has his use… Should I risk it?'
While Theo contemplated in the one second he had, Makkal was releasing his killing intent, challenging them as if he said, "Come on. Make your decision already. Are you afraid of me? Why don't you kill Hontar? You don't dare, don't you?"