I think everyone was beyond shocked at the sight of Malo using magic.

  As for me, I didn’t even have the time to decide how I felt.

  No, really, I didn’t. Because the moment I realized Adam hadn’t stopped the fight, I was already ducking, barely avoiding a straight from Malo.

  I couldn’t process it then, but something about that punch left me with a strange feeling.

  I leaned back just in time as a wild hook came tearing from his left.

  Wait a ho-

  I shifted to the side to avoid it, but then I saw it, his lead foot digging hard into the ground. His hips twisted, his entire frame shifting as he morphed the hook into a sudden, vicious uppercut, aimed perfectly to catch me in my falling posture.

  Boxing.

  I crossed my arms in a shaky guard, throwing up another barrier, but the impact still sent me flying.

  I hit the ground, sliding across the arena floor, and—

  LOOK OUT!

  I tore my guard away just in time to see Malo in the air above me, right fist pulled back, another straight ready to crash down while I was still grounded.

  With every ounce of will left, I forced my body into a desperate roll backward, barely dodging his strike.

  The entire crowd gasped in unison as his fist slammed into the arena, leaving behind a huge crater and many fractures that spread out.

  I’m surprised that’s all it did.

  The Arena itself is enchanted and reinforced with magic, a necessity since it has been the fighting ground for many battles such as this.

  And yet he can still do all of that? Body strengthening magic has got to get nerfed. If I get hit by something like that, I’ll probably have a hole in my-

  I turned to Sys.

  What? Do I have something on my face?

  “WHY ISN’T THE QUEST OVER YET?! AND WHY IS HE USING BODY STRENGTHENING MAGIC?”

  Sys grew two arms and crossed them.

  Heh, Beric, do you really think that this was going to be that easy? This is the big leagues now. You can’t seriously expect to win all of your fights that easily.

  “You were the one who celebrated first. You even said I won!”

  Sys’ arms disappeared.

  I don’t know what you’re talking about.

  Before I could continue, I had to dodge yet another straight and hook combo from Malo, but this time, it was even faster.

  “This too! How is he boxing?! He shouldn’t even know about it!”

  Sys shadow boxed near me while I was doing my best dodging just to live.

  This world is behind in a lot of areas compared to Earth, but it’s exactly that. It’s less advanced than Earth, which means, while it might not be at the same level, it still has similarities.

  You’ve seen that in many cases.

  I didn’t answer. Instead, I raised my sticks, trying to form another guard against his relentless flurry of punches, but each strike shattered it piece by piece, breaking me down faster than I could rebuild.

  They might have held up well against a slow, heavy weapon like the axe, but not this. Malo’s enhanced speed closed the distance in an instant, his quick, precise hand-to-hand attacks making my sticks feel almost useless in my grip.

  “What is this?!” Gabno then turned to Jain. “Jain, what exactly are we watching here? What sort of fighting style is Malo using?! Is this-” Gabno swallowed. "His Form?"

  Jain smiled proudly. “It’s something that I’ve had him working on for quite a while. Since his real talent is his physique, I wanted him to master a Form without his weapons, a style that relied purely on his strength and endurance. An aggressive, durable, but agile enough Form that can counter opponents like Beric.” He leaned forward. “I call it brawling.”

  Forms. From what Elder Alric said, that's the umbrella term for fighting styles in this world. In this case, Malo's Form is him combining boxing and body strengthening magic. It's a lethal combo.

  Still, what kind of name is that?

  I winced as a brutal straight smashed into my guard, knocking the sticks clean out of my hands. They clattered far away across the arena floor, leaving me exposed.

  Yikes. Okay, you don’t have those sticks anymore, but you still have a chance. Let’s see, weaknesses to boxing are its range, its vulnerability to its legs, its huge reliance on footwork-

  I didn’t get to hear the rest of it since Malo began striking with quick jabs with his left while slowly advancing towards me.

  With those sticks, I’d be able to hold him off for a bit, but they’re not exactly within my grasp.

  I continued to back up while avoiding all of his jabs.

  .........Wait, is this seriously all I can do?

  I dashed back when Malo tried to sneak in a right. I somehow still saw it coming.

  Malo then backed off as he recomposed himself.

  I raised my stance.

  Malo himself stepped back.

  Fine with me. I need a moment to think of how I can-

  Wait. He’s the one taking a break.

  I looked closer.

  He was panting heavily as his legs trembled.

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  He’s not used to this.

  Exerting both mana and stamina together, channeling it into body-strengthening magic and into this Form. Of course. He’s never needed to before. He’s not conditioned for it yet. That’s why he’s tired.

  I might actually have a shot.

  But only if I move before he gets used to it.

  Charging in, I made a feeble attempt at a punch.

  He didn’t fall for it. He kept his guard tight as he prepared for a counter.

  It’s too obvious, isn’t it?

  Leaning forward, I planted my right hand on the ground, using it as leverage to spin sideways, my heel whipping toward the side of his head.

  It was an unconventional strike, one capable of fooling most.

  But Malo wasn’t “most.” After my earlier tricks, he had grown accustomed to my unorthodox style. He shifted low, raising his guard just enough to block the kick cleanly.

  If it had really been a kick.

  I pulled back at the last second, turning the motion into a full spin, and let the momentum carry into a straight punch, one that drove right toward his exposed liver.

  “You’ve gotten slower, Beric.”

  My heart sank as he lifted a knee to intercept.

  A check.

  I was wrong. I had assumed it was just boxing. But he, or maybe Jain, had already accounted for boxing’s weakness. He had learned to defend his lower body.

  Pain shot through my knuckles as they slammed into his knee. Before I could recoil, that same leg lashed out, the raised knee transforming into a spear that drove into my ribs and ripped the air from my lungs.

  I need to form a barrier—

  But before I could commit, Malo leaned in, his elbow crashing up into my chin.

  My vision blurred, the world nearly blacking out in an instant.

  I staggered, raising my hands in a desperate guard. Heat seared through me as his straight buried itself into my liver, leaving me doubled over, choking on shallow breaths.

  As I fell to the ground, Malo took advantage by grabbing my right arm. Using both of his legs to keep me in place, he put me into an armbar lock.

  His Form wasn't just boxing. It was MMA style.

  My joints screamed in pain. I contributed to those screams.

  I have to recover. I need to take control of the pace again. I have to calm down and control my breathing so that I can-

  “Did I expect too much?”

  I lifted my head toward Malo.

  His expression was somber, almost pitying.

  “I guess you’re still too young.”

  He let go.

  I was too tired to even get back up.

  Then, he raised a fist.

  "I hope, in the future, you will be stronger."

  I could only watch.

  This is it in true form.

  A genius.

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Malo was disappointed.

  He had thought this was it. The fight he had been waiting for was supposed to be here.

  He had seen something in Beric. A strong will to win. Skills and abilities that showed Beric had every reason to believe in himself.

  It had intrigued Malo. He wondered if with all of this, would Beric truly be strong enough to contend?

  He was also curious about this strong will to win that drove Beric to fight him.

  Why did he wish to win so badly?

  When Malo had fallen, teetering on the edge of defeat, he realized something. Here was Beric, giving his all, defying not just Malo’s reputation, but also the doubts of the crowd, of everyone. Beric had chosen to stand up.

  Was it na?veté? Sheer courage? Or something else entirely?

  Was Beric truly different?

  That was why Malo decided to go all out. To fight without holding back, not for the crowd, not merely for honor, but to understand. To understand why Beric fought.

  They had both trained to fight. But why here, why now?

  What was the purpose of their meeting?

  ……...Was it her?

  Yet, even as Malo searched for meaning, disappointment crept in. He saw those same eyes in Beric.

  The eyes filled wish despair.

  It saddened him.

  He had gotten carried away. Why had he needed to go full power? Couldn’t he have enjoyed it while holding back?

  Malo sighed deeply.

  This power of his never was a gift.

  And he was done pretending like it was.

  “It looks like this isn’t the fight after all." he thought.

  He raised his fist. “It was fun while it lasted, truly, but all fights must come to an end.”

  Malo then swung, hoping that Beric wouldn’t try to fight back. At least, Malo wanted to end it here. He hoped that if he didn’t destroy him too badly, then perhaps, Beric would still retain enough confidence in himself to ask for a rematch in the future.

  It was a dumb hope, but it was the only thing that he could ask for in this world.

  “You really can’t do anything without me.”

  Both Malo and I were taken aback when a sudden voice rang out, and before I could react, a shield of wood and vines appeared, forming instantly in front of me and stopping Malo’s punch cold.

  Malo’s eyes widened. I was momentarily startled too, until I saw the familiar green Sprite smiling back at me, recalling the shield with a simple flick of her hand.

  “You were this close to losing, and you didn’t even think of summoning me,” she said in a mocking manner, though her smile revealed that she was just messing with me.

  How was she here?

  “If you’re wondering how I’m here, it’s because I exited your soul of my own accord.”

  She can do that?

  As long as the situation calls for it.

  “Is that…....a spirit?” Malo asked, still catching his breath from the shock.

  “WHAT AM I SEEING HERE?!” Gabno suddenly bellowed into his horn. “It appears that this truly is a match to remember! Not only have we witnessed Malo’s true power as he ruthlessly destroyed Beric with his new Form, but now even a spirit has appeared to defend Beric! Could this spirit be a friend of his? A summon, perhaps?!”

  The crowd mirrored Gabno’s shock, their reactions a mix of fear, awe, and disbelief at Sprite’s sudden appearance.

  Cedric and Merilda pressed Elder Alric for answers, but he only shrugged. Elder Liora gave the same vague response when Volk asked her. Only Elder Walden truly knew the full truth.

  As for Beric’s family: Merrol gasped in shock, Lucian gripped his hands tightly, Arthur opened his mouth so wide that Elaine swore she saw something fly in, and she herself nervously bit her fingernail.

  In the special viewing stands, reactions varied just as wildly: Roland laughed out loud in surprise and pride, Elara covered her mouth in delighted astonishment, Selene cheered quietly, and the brother studied the scene intently.

  It was clear. Everyone was at least surprised.

  But no one was more surprised than Beric himself.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Huh?” Sprite looked almost offended. “I just saved your life, and that’s how you thank me?”

  How did she even know—

  “Even if I’m inside your soul, I can still tell what’s happening outside and to you. Well, I’m not exactly there, but it’s like combining all my senses into a condensed form. That’s why I can kind of tell what you’re thinking right now.”

  Soul bonding.

  “Anyway,” she turned to Malo, “Get back up. This fight isn’t over.” She tried to put on a brave face, but the slight tremble in her figure revealed her true feelings. “Though, I can’t blame you too much for almost losing. This human’s way too strong.”

  Before I could reply, Sprite waved a hand as vines began to seep through the cracks in the ground, tangling Malo and trapping him.

  Malo tried to break free, but the vines had a tight grip on him.

  “Hey, Beric?”

  Sprite didn’t turn to me.

  “Being in your soul and being connected to you for a while now, along with what you told me that night, I’ve been subject to some of your thoughts and feelings.”

  Oh.

  She turned to me with an understanding smile. “That’s why, until you can pull yourself back, I’ll stall for you. Until you can fight again, I’ll hold off Malo.”

  Her attention was brought back to Malo when he managed to tear off the vines with his sheer strength.

  “What a strong human!” Sprite murmured with a not too confident grin.

  I watched as Sprite moved around in the air, zooming in between Malo’s limbs and blind spots, forming vines everywhere she went to further contain him. Malo grasped everywhere he had seen her, but he only caught wind as he broke free once more.

  She’s doing good.

  She’s different now. If it was the past Sprite all those years ago, she wouldn’t even have the confidence to appear in front of any humans, let alone in a match that was viewed by hundreds of spectators.

  Or maybe, she still feels shy, and she’s just……...doing it for-

  Why? Why are you even doing this?

  Isn’t it over?