Raiden found himself taking small but steady backward steps, his mind scrambling to piece together his cockiness while Bald casually advanced.
Bald dashed forward, launching a strike straight at Raiden’s chin. Raiden’s eyes snapped wide as he watched the fist hurtle toward him.
The strike hovered, fast enough to make the crowd’s eyes widen in amusement, but Raiden felt confused. To him, it seemed sluggish.
His smile stretched wide, teeth gritted in excitement. The moment he dodged, another strike followed. Then another. And another. Still not a scratch on Raiden.
"You may be strong, Bald," his whole body quivering with excitement, "but you are too slow!" He burst into laughter.
Bald’s irritation was clear as he began attacking even faster, but the increased speed only made his movements more laughable to Raiden.
But Raiden’s smile slowly faded as Bald switched tactics, constantly striking from his left side, targeting the broken arm. Raiden’s movements grew sluggish, teeth gritted in agony as each twist sent unbearable pain coursing through his hand. Yet his speed was still leagues above Bald’s.
This was a milestone for Raiden, even with the difficulty. He wanted to drain Bald’s mana completely, wear him down until he had nothing left—but with the pain shooting through his hand, it was only a matter of time before he made a mistake.
"You fucker," he muttered through his agony.
His reflexes stayed in sync with Bald’s strikes, avoiding each by a hair’s breadth while slowly adjusting his left arm behind his back. The moment his arm dropped to his waist, he leaned forward in agony. Bald smirked, seizing the opportunity. His strike shot directly at Raiden’s head, and in that instant, Raiden’s heart lurched.
It was as if time froze; he had little confidence he could survive such a strike. But in that critical moment, instinct took over. His mana zone activated, blue energy spreading across the field as he easily dodged to his right.
"You can use mana zone?" Bald gritted his teeth in irritation.
Raiden smirked, taking a few steps back. With his mana zone active, he could detect even the slightest movement in Bald’s body.
"Don’t tell me you can’t do it?"
Bald sneered, "Tsk... I can."
Raiden’s eyes lit up with amusement as he detected the red aura flickering around Bald’s form. He was lying.
Raiden’s grin widened. "Come on... do it then." He gestured for Bald to approach.
Bald’s pride flared at Raiden’s taunt. He dashed forward, launching strike after strike with barely a breath between them. But unlike before, it was as if Raiden could see his attacks coming before he even threw them.
Soon, Bald doubled over, gripping his knees as he panted. Raiden observed him taking cautious steps backward, attempting to disguise his retreat.
That alone made Raiden suppress a laugh, his body trembling with amusement. He glanced at the sweat running down his bare chest, then smiled dangerously as he began his own retreat, pretending not to notice Bald’s plan.
When Bald paused, Raiden mirrored him, drawing in his mana through controlled breathing and channeling it into his legs and fists.
If his hunch was right, Bald would have to deactivate his power. The metal layer covering him was like wearing a too-tight bodysuit that hampered his agility.
He narrowed his eyes, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. But Bald was hesitant, his dark eyes flickering between Raiden’s face and that unsettling smile.
But now, Raiden was confident in his victory. With such a glaring weakness in Bald’s power, patience was his only weapon. Bald would either collapse from overheating or deactivate his ability, creating the perfect opening.
Bald’s expression showed he understood this as well. He hadn’t anticipated Raiden’s speed. But the need to cool down was something he couldn’t escape.
Raiden watched Bald’s every move until he detected the change; beginning at his neck, the metal coating started to dissolve.
Raiden’s expression grew even more sinister as he instinctively read Bald’s plan, his eyes tracking the raised hand.
At that very moment, a tremendous gust tore through the barrier, cracking it partially. In the next heartbeat, Raiden’s hand had punched clean through Bald’s neck, warm blood spraying across his chest.
The crowd was shocked into silence, mouths hanging open as they watched Raiden standing before Bald. All they had witnessed was a massive explosion, and suddenly Bald was gasping his last.
Raiden trembled with suppressed laughter, euphoria flooding through him at his victory.
"How did you do that?" Bald whispered, blood trickling from his lips.
Raiden shrugged, his smile almost gentle. "Let’s just say I have exceptional mana control."
His eyes narrowed suddenly as he wrenched his hand free, completely destroying Bald’s throat. He let the metallic body drop to the floor, its impact ringing sharply through the shocked crowd.
Raiden’s teeth clenched as his legs erupted in searing pain, followed by a sharp jolt from his fist. Three of his fingers were broken.
He sighed, then smiled as the barrier finally crumbled around them. It wasn’t his best fight ever, that still went to Seth, but it was one where he’d fought blind, not knowing what to expect.
"My whole body’s wrecked," he muttered, dropping to the floor.
[MANA SOLIDIFICATION SUCCESSFUL]
[CURRENT STATUS: NUMBER 6: LEVEL-60 /100 XP.
DRAGON MANA POOL: 1090/ 5000
PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 385
SKILL PROFICIENCY: ACTIVE 2
—Linked Familiar: WHITE DRAGON
—Bond Type: Sealed Pact.
—Bond Type: Binding Oath.
—Bond Type: Binding Oath.
—Bond Type: Binding Oath.
—Bond Type: Devotion Pact.
—Heart of Dragon: 55%
—Moon Dragon’s Veins: 35%
As he lay there, Anya walked over and knelt beside him. "Using mana to enhance your speed that way could destroy your legs completely."
Raiden looked up at her with a tired grin.
She waited a moment, studying Raiden as she figured out the best way to move him without making his injuries worse. After scratching her head and sighing, she casually slung him over her shoulder.
Raiden’s body ached, but he was more surprised that Anya was actually helping him. He’d figured she was way too lazy for this.
"Rest up," Anya said. "Captain Snow will likely check on you later."
Raiden sneered. Now he faced the real challenge: his future.