Chapter 289: Argh

Chapter 289: Argh

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Left chest, right chest, liver—Leo found himself being thrown back.

THAM!

A side kick to the stomach—Leo’s flying direction changed mid-air.

GROOOMMM!

Three magic circles flared as chains erupted and caught Leo before he could crash, then once again hurled him toward Leon.

Leo brought his aura-infused hand up to block the strike, but Leon didn’t punch him from the front—he appeared behind him and struck, only increasing the momentum at which Leo was flung.

Leo waved his hand as a wall of vines erupted to block his path, but Leon was once again behind him.

"Fucke—!"

DHOOOM!

Leo was punched straight through the vine wall. The force of the impact cracked nearly 50 meters of the ground in front of him.

Once again, Leon appeared—but this time, Leo was prepared. An earthen wall rose between them, prompting Leon to punch into it.

When both were face-to-face, their charged fists collided—

BOOOOM!

Another shockwave blasted out, rocking the entire arena.

The audience watched with bated breath; this was by far the most intense match they had witnessed. No flashy skills—just pure physical prowess and an indestructible training doll.

"Are we really watching a match between freshers?! This is history! What amazing strength!" the host couldn’t stop himself from marvelling. Some strikes were strong enough to injure even him, and the combined force of their clashes could seriously hurt him.

"Eerrgh..." Lily growled through clenched teeth.

Lily gripped the armrest of her chair so hard that it shattered under her fingers. Naturally, the top 10 students around her created distance. She was currently the strongest in her room, and nobody wanted to be within her range.

But just then, something snapped in Leo.

He raised his hand, and the circular area around him trembled. Thick walls of vines burst out, rising and coiling. Leon had no choice but to halt his assault and step back. The vines shot up nearly 20 meters, lifting Leo along with them.

Standing upright, he looked down on Leon as his wounds and bruises closed automatically. All of his armor had been shattered, but his clothes remained intact, made of special fabric.

There was even a deep 5-way claw mark across his chest, which slowly closed as Leo used [Nature’s Heal].

"The amount of mana that you must have used on healing must be insane," Leon said with a smirk, assuming Leo was focusing entirely on healing, not realizing that he was regenerating passively through his trait.

"Bastard... time to teach your pitiful ass a lesson," Leo said as he vanished.

[Umbral Rift Pounce]

Leon frowned.

"This is not normal stealth..." he muttered, scanning his surroundings as he failed to sense Leo. His heightened lion senses could normally pinpoint someone in stealth, but whatever Leo used—it was different.

Leon’s pupils contracted as he jumped forward, only to see a violet-flamed dagger snap into existence and vanish just as quickly.

Once again, he felt it—but when he tried to dodge, his legs were suddenly bound by a vine.

He raised his arm as the arm guard lit up in violet flames, and a shallow cut appeared beneath it.

That was followed by an unexpected punch to his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"That’s how it feels, bastard!" Leo’s voice echoed, but he remained unseen.

Leon dragged himself to a halt before ripping away the arm guard that was burning him. But the cut still refused to close.

He felt it again. This time, he activated [Lion’s Heart], his mind sharpening instantly. With his movement technique still enhancing his speed, Leon dodged a dagger strike aimed at his abdomen.

Somehow, he felt that Leo was going easy on him—he wasn’t targeting vital areas. And Leon knew why. His healing was slow. If Leo’s dagger struck a vital point and made him bleed, the bleeding wouldn’t stop until he died. Especially when healing skills were ineffective on him.

Leon didn’t feel right about it, but he couldn’t do anything. He would really die.

Once again, he sensed the incoming attack and slashed toward that direction. White claws collided with a dense stone dagger—

Crack!

The claws snapped under the sheer pressure behind the strike. But Leon’s attack wasn’t weak either—the dagger slipped from Leo’s hand and clattered to the ground. Leon seized the opportunity and threw a punch toward the invisible figure.

Two fists collided, and the arena shook once again.

This time, Leon didn’t allow Leo to slip away. He launched a rapid barrage of punches, which Leo met head-on with his own.

"Uh... HUH?! Are we seeing this right!? Leon is using another lost era martial art—Muay Thai! And what’s this? It’s actually a hybrid between boxing and Muay Thai! People! This hybrid was impossible in the lost era, but due to enhanced human capabilities, as you can see—it is completely possible now!"

At that moment, both Brant and Tarun focused on one thing.

"He is also using martial arts...?" Brant muttered, confusion evident in his voice.

He could see that Leo was trying his best to hide it, but his habits made him slip at times—something Brant and Tarun’s keen eyes didn’t miss.

"Brant, you bastard! Didn’t you say he is from the outskirts? How does he know martial arts?" Tarun transmitted, pausing as he carefully observed Leo’s movements.

"Is it... Krav Maga...?" Tarun said slowly.

"Wait... are the movements coming inherently? I mean, Krav Maga can be mistaken..." he added, just as Leo suddenly caught Leon in a headlock.

By now, the match had gone on for more than 20 minutes, and it seemed like it was finally nearing its end.

Leon clawed at Leo’s arm with his broken claws, digging into the flesh. Leo winced, his grip loosening, and the headlock broke.

Leo tried to create distance, but Leon caught him. In the next moment, Leo was the one trapped in a headlock.

They rolled across the ground, gritting their teeth, neither willing to let go.

Leon pressed harder, reinforcing his grip with aura. He used [Critical Strike] to maintain pressure, tightening his hold around Leo’s neck, cutting off his oxygen.

Leo struggled, trying to pry the arm away, mimicking Leon’s all skills. But he went a step further—activating [Thermal Pulse], heating his palms until they seared Leon’s skin.

"ARGGHHH!!" Leon roared in pain, but he refused to release his hold.

Leo was just about to activate [Mist Shroud] for a 30% stat boost when he felt something. At the same moment, Leon felt a sharp ringing in his head.

"FUCK!!!" Leon cursed in frustration. The Soul Fusion duration had come to its limit.