2026-11-04 00:08:41
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CHAPTER 16
Julian had spent too much of his life believing that enduring pain was the same as being useful. He knew better now. But knowing better did not mean he could simply stop trying to protect people.He dragged one knee beneath himself. Then the other. His body shook as he struggled to rise.Across the arena, Aria cut down the final controlled gladiator's weapon and destroyed the crystal in his neck.The man collapsed.She looked toward Julian. He was still trying to stand. “Don't be stupid!” she shouted.Julian managed to lift his head. “I'll... try.”“That's not an answer!”He pushed against the floor again. This time, he reached one knee.The Arena Master watched him. For a moment, his expression changed. Then he smiled. “Still refusing to die?”Julian raised his eyes.The Arena Master pressed another button.A heavy metallic groan sounded beneath the arena floor.Aria turned. “What now?”The stone beneath their feet began to separate.A long crack appeared in the center of the arena.
CHAPTER 15
A gladiator had recovered his weapon and was charging toward Julian. His body moved before his thoughts caught up. He twisted his wrist.Gravity Inversion pulled the man's sword upward.The sudden force lifted the weapon out of his grip and sent it spinning toward the ceiling.The gladiator stumbled.Julian stepped forward and struck the black crystal with the side of his forearm. Pain exploded through his injured hand, but the crystal cracked.The man collapsed.Julian staggered backward. He could not afford many more uses of his abilities.Every movement was becoming harder. His hands were almost useless, and the golden mana inside him had thinned to a faint thread.He glanced toward the balcony.The Arena Master was no longer laughing. Instead, he was watching the fight with a look of growing frustration. “You should be dead!” he shouted.Julian wiped blood from his lower lip. “You keep saying that.”The Arena Master slammed his fist against the railing. “Activate the remaining tur
CHAPTER 14
Julian slowly lowered his hand. “All right.”She seemed surprised.Julian took a careful breath. “Then fight beside me.”Aria stared at him.He extended his injured hand, though he did not try to touch her.A thin thread of golden mana appeared between his fingers. It was weaker than the chain he had used to stabilize her Blood Valkyrie power. His reserves were too low to recreate that connection fully. But he did not need to. He only needed to give her enough energy to support the muscles in her sword arm.The golden thread reached her wrist.Aria flinched when the energy entered her body. It spread through her forearm, warming the exhausted muscles. The pain did not disappear, and her strength did not suddenly return. But the trembling in her sword hand eased.She looked down.“What did you do?”“Gave you a little mana.”“Why?”“So you can keep holding that sword.”Her eyes returned to his.There was no demand in his expression. No expectation that she owed him anything.He was si
CHAPTER 13
The order had barely left the unknown voice's mouth when the Arena Master lowered his communication crystal.For a moment, he simply stared at Julian.The laughter was gone. So was the smug confidence he had worn throughout the fight. What remained was something much less reassuring. Fear.“Kill him,” the Arena Master repeated, almost to himself. “Immediately.”Julian tried to straighten his back.Pain shot through both hands.The skin across his palms had been badly burned when he grabbed Aria's death collar. Some places were raw, while others had turned dark beneath the blood. His fingers trembled when he tried to close them.His mana was nearly gone. He could feel it inside his body, a faint warmth struggling to remain alive beneath the exhaustion. Even breathing required more effort than it should have.Aria stood beside him, one hand pressed against her neck.The collar was gone, but the skin beneath it remained red and swollen. Her legs shook from the battle, and her sword hung
CHAPTER 12
The black sphere cracked again.A wave of pressure struck his chest. He tasted blood and nearly lost his grip. Then the sphere collapsed.The remaining energy vanished.The collar dropped from his hands and struck the arena floor.For a moment, Julian heard nothing. He fell to one knee. His burned palms shook uncontrollably. His skin had peeled away in several places, exposing raw flesh beneath. His arms felt too heavy to lift. His Mana Core gave a weak pulse.Then another.It was almost empty."Julian?" Aria's voice sounded distant.He raised his head.She was still kneeling in front of him.The collar was gone. Her neck was marked by a red ring, but she was breathing. Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to recover. She was alive.Julian let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Good," he muttered.His vision blurred.Aria reached for him, but he raised one trembling hand."Careful."She stopped.His palms were a mess of burned flesh. Even the movement of his fingers
Chapter 11
Three seconds.The red runes on Aria's collar flashed.Julian tightened his grip.Pain tore through his palms. The metal was hotter than a blacksmith's furnace, and the burning runes seemed to dig into his flesh. Smoke curled between his fingers.He couldn't let go."Three seconds!" The Arena Master threw his head back and laughed. "You wanted to be a hero? Congratulations! You're about to die with your little slave!"Aria struggled against the collar. Her knees scraped across the arena floor as she tried to pull Julian's hands away. "LET GO!" she screamed. "You'll die!"Julian gritted his teeth. "You're making a lot of noise.""Are you insane?""Probably."The collar tightened. A red line of light spread from beneath it and disappeared into Aria's neck.She choked.Julian's expression changed. He could feel the magic gathering inside the device. It wasn't simply heating the metal. Something was building beneath the runes, growing stronger with every passing moment.He looked at Aria
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