Chapter 304 -: 303 Victory?
There was complete silence throughout the arena. Moments ago, Kavin hadn’t even been able to land a single hit, yet now the entire battle had turned around.
Lyra, who had dominated him from the very beginning, was suddenly on the defensive.
Every movement she made appeared rushed, every dodge barely successful, and at times it seemed she couldn’t even see where the next attack was coming from.
The spectators could only watch in stunned disbelief as the seemingly one-sided battle transformed before their eyes into something none of them had imagined possible.
Kavin was moving... or at least, that was what everyone assumed. In truth, no one could actually see him move.
His speed had gone beyond the point where it became a blur.
One moment he would be avoiding an incoming spell, and in the very next instant he would already be beside Lyra, his fist or kick crashing into her before anyone could comprehend how he had crossed the distance.
It wasn’t teleportation, everyone could instinctively tell that much, but neither was it speed as they understood it.
It was as though he had simply ceased to exist at one location before inexplicably appearing at another, completely bypassing the journey in between.
"...What is even this spell?"
Magnus muttered beneath his breath, genuine astonishment flickering across his face.
Throughout the entire battle, he had remained composed, yet for the first time his calm demeanor had visibly cracked.
Beside him, Salena stared at the arena with wide eyes before turning toward him in excitement.
"What did he do, Uncle?" she asked, unable to hide the hope in her voice as she watched Kavin gain the upper hand for the first time since the match had begun.
Magnus didn’t answer immediately.
His sharp gaze remained fixed upon the arena, carefully following every exchange, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t track Kavin’s movements.
Was he simply moving too fast? No. Magnus rejected that conclusion almost instantly.
If it were merely overwhelming speed, then with his strength, he would at least be able to perceive a faint blur or the distortion left behind by rapid movement.
Instead, there was absolutely nothing. Kavin wasn’t outrunning their vision. It was as though he vanished from one point in space before reappearing at another without ever existing in between.
It resembled teleportation, yet Magnus could tell it wasn’t that either. There was no fluctuation of spatial mana, no distortion, nothing that resembled a spatial spell.
"Damn..." Magnus exhaled quietly, a smile he hadn’t noticed forming across his lips. "Just what did that brat create during those eight months?"
Salena noticed the expression on his face before speaking again, her voice carrying cautious optimism.
"Uncle... now that Sir Kavin is pushing her back... does that mean he’ll win?"
The smile on Magnus’ face slowly faded.
He gently shook his head.
"Lyra isn’t someone that easy to defeat," he replied, his voice noticeably heavier than before.
"She hasn’t even used her Domain yet. No one truly knows what it does except those who have experienced it firsthand. Even I struggled against it when I had already passed the Third Heavenly Trial and possessed a potent Domain of my own. If she decides to use it..." He paused for a brief moment before sighing softly. "...then it will be almost impossible for Kavin to win."
The color immediately drained from Salena’s face.
She turned back toward the arena, clasping her hands together as she silently prayed to her ancestors.
****
Back within the arena, Kavin continued his relentless assault, taking full advantage of Time Dilation while it remained active.
However, despite the overwhelming advantage the spell granted him, he had quickly discovered an unexpected limitation.
Every weapon he attempted to carry while his River of Time accelerated beyond the world’s natural flow shattered almost instantly.
Whether it was a sword, spear, or dagger summoned through Magic Arsenal, the moment it entered that accelerated state, the strain became too much for an ordinary weapon to withstand, causing it to crumble before he could even swing it.
Because of that, he had been forced to rely solely upon his own body.
Fortunately, his fists and kicks were more than enough.
Each strike landed with devastating force, gradually wearing Lyra down despite her desperate attempts to defend herself.
Yet every second Time Dilation remained active extracted an equally horrifying price.
By borrowing mana and pushing the consequences into the future through Event Horizon, he had already sacrificed nearly half a month’s worth of his future.
For the next fifteen days, his mana core would remain completely empty, unable to recover even a single drop of mana, while his body would repeatedly suffer the accumulated damage he had postponed throughout this battle.
Every fracture, every torn muscle, every shattered bone would return exactly as promised.
"It’s better if I end this now," Kavin murmured beneath his breath, his eyes remaining fixed on Lyra.
She was in a miserable state.
Her left hand hung limply at her side, the bones inside clearly broken. Her right wrist had twisted into an unnatural angle after repeatedly blocking his attacks.
Every breath she took was accompanied by violent coughing, faint traces of blood escaping her lips, making it painfully obvious that several of her ribs had already been broken.
Her once flawless face was now swollen, bruised, and stained crimson, barely recognizable beneath the countless injuries she had suffered.
Seeing her like that, Kavin could only smile sheepishly.
He hadn’t intended to push her this far.
Unfortunately, he no longer had the luxury of holding back.
All he needed to do now was finish the battle before she activated her Domain.
Allowing Time Dilation to fade, Kavin slowly walked toward her, every step filled with caution. He refused to lower his guard even for a moment.
With a thought, a sword materialized within his grasp. Although he could still force himself to accelerate his River of Time once again, he had no intention of doing so unless absolutely necessary.
He had already pushed both Event Horizon and his own body beyond what they were ever meant to endure.
If he continued abusing the spell, there was a very real possibility that his future self would never recover... or worse, that he would simply die before ever reaching that future.
Releasing a slow breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, Kavin raised the blade and pointed its tip directly toward Lyra’s kneeling figure.
The instant the sword settled upon her...
Lyra slowly lifted her head.
Blood trickled down the side of her face, mixing with the countless bruises that covered her pale skin.
Yet despite the injuries, despite the exhaustion weighing upon her body, her blue eyes remained unwavering as they met Kavin’s.
Within them, he saw disbelief.
He saw denial.
And beneath both...
An unyielding determination that refused to break.
"Give up," Kavin said, his calm voice echoing across the silent arena. "Or you’ll die."