Chapter 89: A Madman’s Blood
The arena, which had just fallen into uneasy silence after Ethan’s defeat, now erupted in an entirely different kind of noise.
"Dexter... Dexter’s actually stepping in?!"
"No way, he’s insane! He’d fight even if it kills him!"
"He’s not just insane, he’s a demonic prodigy. The twin-axe demon..."
Excited whispers rippled through the stands, and the crowd leaned forward in anticipation. Every spectator knew that name.
Dexter F. Orwald.
A man who had never once surrendered, no matter the state of his body. He was the kind of lunatic who would break his own bones just to swing harder, and somehow still win.
And now... he was against Gray.
"GRAY VIREUX!!" Dexter roared, his voice booming across the arena.
He grinned so wide it nearly split his face. "Don’t you dare escape again, I’ve been waiting to taste that madness of the old genius up close!"
The crowd exploded, torn between fear and excitement.
Gray tilted his head slightly, his rapier resting loosely against his shoulder. His eyes narrowed, studying the man who walked toward him like a beast finally let off its leash.
"I probably can’t escape this time, huh?" Gray muttered with a faint smirk.
"This should be... fun."
Dexter slammed one axe head into the stone floor with a sharp CRACK, sending shards flying, then pointed the other directly at Gray.
"You broke Ethan like a toy. Good," he said, laughing breathlessly.
"But me? I’m not like him. I don’t break. I don’t stop. And when I fight..." His grin widened as he tapped a finger to his temple.
"...I see nothing but stillness."
The word sent a shiver through the audience.
"Stillness..." someone whispered.
"His unique ability..."
Gray’s eyebrow rose slightly, but he said nothing, choosing instead to let Dexter’s theatrics wash over him.
The referee’s arm cut through the air.
"BEGIN!"
Dexter moved first.
Not like Ethan. Not flashy, not predictable.
He lunged low, axes sweeping in perfect arcs, every strike aimed to cleave through Gray’s body in one motion.
The sheer weight of each blow made the arena floor groan, sparks flying when steel met steel.
Gray twisted, sidestepped, and deflected with his rapier.
But then...
FWOOSH!
One of Dexter’s axes left his hand, spinning through the air. Gray dodged easily, ready to counter...
Fwip!
...when the axe curved in midair.
"...What?"
The blade whistled unnaturally, as though invisible hands had redirected it, curving back toward his neck.
For a split second, Gray’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t seen it or predicted it, after all, he still needed to fight against Dexter for a while for his skill to activate.
The crowd screamed in excitement, but unfortunately to them...
"Huff!"
Gray ducked just in time, feeling the blade slice the air so close it brushed strands of his hair. The axe spun once, then snapped perfectly back into Dexter’s waiting hand.
The battle maniac’s grin stretched wider.
"Stillness," Dexter said, his voice almost reverent.
"The world moves. But my axes don’t have to."
Gray’s smirk faded, replaced by something sharper.
"Oh..." He licked his lips, black eyes glowing faintly.
"So that’s how it is."
WHOOSH!
Before Gray could properly think, the left axe left Dexter’s hand, spinning toward Gray’s ribs.
Gray ducked, his rapier flicking out, only for his blade to slice empty air.
The axe didn’t fly in a straight line. It curved mid-spin, like a hawk correcting its dive, veering toward his shoulder.
"Che—!" Gray twisted hard, barely avoiding it as it sliced his coat sleeve.
The weapon spun once more, then reversed its path as though tethered by invisible chains, snapping back into Dexter’s hand.
The crowd roared.
"That’s his Stillness! He controls the path of his weapons!"
"No... it’s not just control," another voice gasped. "The axes ignore momentum, like the world stops for them!"
Gray’s eyes narrowed.
’Stillness’.
An ability that let Dexter "pause" the natural trajectory of his axes, arrest their motion mid-spin, mid-flight, and then redirect them as though reality itself had been edited.
That explained the unnatural curves, the sudden reversals.
And Dexter wasn’t relying solely on his axes either.
He fought with everything.
A knee shot upward, grazing Gray’s ribs.
A boot lashed out, forcing Gray to roll aside.
Then an axe slammed down like thunder, cracking stone where Gray had just been.
Clang!
Clang, clang!
Their weapons screamed, rapier meeting axe, sparks erupting in blinding showers. Gray’s arms trembled with the weight as Dexter’s raw strength was leagues above Ethan’s.
But even as his body screamed, his eyes grew sharper.
After all, his [Combat Intuition] was slowly activating, and soon...
"Huh?!" Dexter’s eyes widened as Gray perfectly evaded his curved axe.
Every dodge slowly became smoother.
Every parry struck closer to the perfect angle.
And then... he finally saw thin, delayed trajectories lines, although his skill was not fully activated, it would already help him a lot.
The faint twitch of Dexter’s wrist just before releasing an axe. The subtle tightening of his shoulder when preparing a feint.
’I see it now,’ Gray thought, lips curling.
’Your Stillness doesn’t make you untouchable... it just makes you predictable in a new way.’
He slid back, putting distance between them. His boots dug deep into the arena floor. Then, without warning, he stomped.
CRACK!
The stone shattered underfoot, jagged fissures spreading like spiderwebs. Fragments of rock scattered outward, rolling across the battlefield.
The crowd blinked in confusion.
Even Dexter froze for a moment, one eyebrow raised.
"What the hell are you doing...?"
Gray didn’t answer.
He crouched slightly, his rapier dangling at his side.
With a slow wave of his hand, the scattered fragments trembled, then spread wider, rolling into position as though guided by an unseen will.
Gasps echoed in the stands.
"He’s... spreading rocks?"
"Is he insane? What’s that even going to do against Dexter?!"
But Gray’s smile widened, a faint glint in his eyes.
The pieces were in place.
With those fragments as anchors, he could finally use his [Swap] ability.
But unfortunately, his Combat Intuition still wasn’t active...
Still, Gray straightened himself, tapping the tip of his rapier once against the ground.
Slowly, his grin widened, but then, Dexter shot towards him, both axes flashing in opposite arcs.
One swept low toward Gray’s legs, the other came down overhead like a guillotine.
Gray sidestepped, twisting his body just enough to avoid the low cut.
Clang!
His rapier shot up, meeting the descending axe. Sparks lit his face as he shoved it aside, only for Dexter’s knee to slam into his gut.
THUD!
"Ghh—!" Gray staggered back, coughing blood.
Dexter’s laugh exploded through the arena.
"YES! Bleed for me!" He spun, bringing his heel around in a savage kick aimed at Gray’s temple.
Gray dropped low, the boot whistling past his head. His rapier flicked up in response, cutting across Dexter’s thigh, spraying blood.
"Ghhk—hah! Beautiful!" Dexter’s grin widened as though pain only fed him.
He hurled one axe like a comet. Gray ducked, then his black eyes widened. The axe curved in midair, arcing back toward his spine.
Of course, Gray had predicted it.
WHOOSH!
His body blurred, swapping places with a small stone fragment near Dexter’s feet. In an instant, he reappeared, crouched at Dexter’s flank, rapier stabbing straight at his ribs.
Dexter twisted just in time, his other axe intercepting the thrust. The weapon’s edge bit into Gray’s shoulder in the same motion, splitting flesh.
"Kh—damn...!"
Gray hissed, blood soaking his coat, but he didn’t falter. He slammed his forehead forward, smashing it against Dexter’s nose.
CRACK!
Blood sprayed across both their faces.
Dexter reeled back, but instead of retreating, he threw his head back and laughed. His amber eyes gleamed with raw madness.
"YES! THAT’S IT! HIT ME HARDER!"
Gray’s grin twisted wider, his gaze glimmering like a predator’s.
"You’re fucking insane."
"I’M ALIVE!" Dexter roared, swinging both axes in a vicious cross slash.
Gray swapped again, his form blurring to the opposite side of the arena. The axes slammed together with a thunderous boom, shattering stone and kicking up dust.
But Dexter didn’t pause; he bent his knees and launched forward, spinning like a whirlwind, both axes ripping through the air in a deadly cyclone.
Gray stepped in, his rapier deflecting one blade, his elbow smashing into Dexter’s jaw mid-spin.
BAM!
Dexter’s head snapped to the side, teeth clattering, but his axe still carved a line across Gray’s thigh.
"ARGHHH—!" Gray hissed.
"YESSS!" Dexter bellowed, his laughter breaking into a scream.
He swung again, a brutal overhead chop.
Gray swapped positions with another fragment, appearing at Dexter’s blind spot, his rapier flashing upward.
It sliced across Dexter’s arm, tearing muscle, forcing him to drop one axe.
"FUCK!" Dexter screamed, his blood pouring down. But instead of faltering, he lunged bare-fisted, slamming a punch into Gray’s jaw.
THUD!
Gray’s head whipped sideways, blood flying from his mouth. He staggered, but twisted mid-step, his boot kicking into Dexter’s ribs.
CRACK!
Dexter coughed blood, stumbling, but his eyes only blazed brighter.
"HAAAHHH—MORE!!"
CLANG!
They clashed again, no room for breath.
Each strike was answered with another.
The sound of steel, fists, and bone colliding echoed like thunder, drowning out the gasps of the crowd.
Both men bled freely, their breaths harsh, sweat and blood dripping onto the cracked stone.
But then...
SPLURT!
Gray’s vision changed as his rapier stabbed into Dexter’s shoulder.
"HARGH!"
His lips slowly curved up into the same devilish grin he always loved to wear.
"Finally...," he muttered.
The skill [Combat Intuition]... had finally been fully activated.