Chapter 369 (2/2)

He wasn't much taller than me, but he was athletic, very much unlike me Where I had pale, stick-thin ar, but his were stout and tree trunks His uniforray, and he wore a black mask with scarlet runes painted on it "Not fair!" someone shouted froht next to the Bloodrock Acadee boy—if he even was a boy, and not ahis head "How'd you get so lucky, Adi? I didn't know little kids could compete in this event"

His classhter and cheered fornow beneath his blackthat I didn't catch, then a heavy gong announced the beginning of the fight

My opponent didn't even adopt a for toward me With a casual air, he threw a forward kick atkicked in I stepped to the side and forhile ai his foot out frorunt, his legs going in opposite directions, but I had already reversed ,solidly with my opponent's temple

He collapsed sideways,back in his skull

And it was over Pairs of students were still fighting all aroundand shouted out my victory above the din, then instructeduntil all matches had finished The stunned boy shi+fted so I paused to offer hiled to right hi down the steps to the dirt of the cohts without really seeing them, not quite sure yet what had even happened

"Luckyhis arht He was as tall as Remy but beefy as Portrel His eyes were a dark, bloody red behind hiswithmy best not to look as scared as I felt—any joy at otten—I tried to watch Mayla, butabout the big, angry ogre glaring at oing to jump on me like a wild animal

Several minutes passed by in a daze before I was instructed to return to the staging area with Mayla, Laurel, and Reuilt, I realized I hadn't even seen if Mayla won

By the way she was grinning, though, I thought she had "I ht!" she said excitedly as alked side by side "Like, I blinked and it was over What happened?"

"He won!" Yannick shouted, ju out to us, followed by Marcus Before I kneas happening, I was sitting on their shoulders being bounced around as they began to chant, "Seth! Seth! Seth! Seth!"

I had to duck to avoid knockingarea, which was in an uproar

"hell of a move!" someone shouted

"Fastest victory yet," someone else said, and it went on like this for ame

I wished I could have takenand I had a hard tihts ju cheered for back to the fight—which now felt like a half-remembered dream—to the Bloodrock boy's threat

Professor Grey caught aveto welcoain

When the first round of battles was over and everyone had fought, only Deacon, Reer in the second round, but with only half of the coht was definitely when Laurel let out a squeal of panic as she narrowlyher opponent's knee in theon her ohich of course was roans and embarrassed silence from the rest of the class But she wasn't the only student to go down in the second round; Sloane, Pascal, and Brion all joined her pretty soon after

As ht was as cool as the firstit wasn't I was irl from some acade like ere at a forht actually took the longest, and only ended when I

Still, I was glad not to have drawn the big ogre fro eleven

I groaned, feeling slightly sick as he hopped up onto the platfor like a co

"Mayla, blood Fairweather versus Gregor, blood Volkunruh," the official announced, his voice lost in a tangle of others, and then the gong sounded

Gregor thundered across the ring and took a huge backhand swipe at Mayla She rolled beneath it and kicked out at the back of his knee, but he pivoted with frightening speed and

attempted to stomp on her She only barely tossed herself out of the way, but it had been a trap Pushi+ng off using the leg he had sto her When his knee connected with her chest, Mayla was lifted off her feet and thrown through the air My own chest and stomach contracted like I was the one who'd been kicked, but ht was over, and he couldn't have hurt her too badly

I choked on this thought when hisbody to a halt and bringing it crashi+ng back down onto the platfor "Hey!" I shouted, htly It seeor had every intention of hurting Mayla, not just beating her, but the official refereeing their fight didn't react Mayla was dazed on the floor and didn't even try to block or dodge when Gregor's boot sla platform Somehow, she used the momentum of the roll to push up to her feet, but she was too winded to attack back effectively

Inside, I was begging her to just forfeit, but I couldn't even bring myself to shout, only to watch in horrified fascination as Gregor slapped aside her defenses and grabbed her by the throat Mayla was lifted up off the ground until she was eye to eye with hior paused there, Mayla's hands wrapped around his wrist, scrabbling feebly to free herself

"What the hell is that guy doing?" Marcus spat

"Oh, shi+t," someone else cursed, and I realized ht instead and hadn't seen what happened

"He's going to—"

Gregor turned toward our staging area, grinning beneath hisram into Mayla's stomach, the sound of it audible even froain, then let her drop Bile rose up in the back of my throat as she curled in on herself, obviously still conscious but badly hurt

I wanted to rush out and help, or to punch Gregor in his big, stupid face, but instead I just stood there while assistants Briar and Aphene went out and helped Mayla back to the staging area I stood aside while they laid her on one of the couches and checked for broken ribs I didn't say anything even after they'd rubbed her doith pain-relieving ointment and wrapped her in half-frozen towels

It wasn't until the professor ca to sit by her feet and the end of the couch

"You alive?" he asked

Mayla's response was muffled from beneath a towel

The professor htness around his eyes and the corner of his mouth My hands balled into fists, which the professor ry, Seth?"

"Yes," I said, my voice raw

"Good Use that" Then he hts ended

"He's so good at pep talks, isn't he?" I said

Mayla chuckled, then groaned frorumbled, her words barely discernible "Butdon't leave, okay?"

There was an aard fluttering in ht here You just rest"

I don't know if it was fate, or luck, or perhaps just that the event organizers had a cruel sense of hu opposite "Gregor, blood Volkunruh"

When I saw the giant Striker fro eleven from the other direction, the bottom fell out of my stomach I suddenly wanted to scream at the official that I forfeit and flee

But I was afraid to even do that

There was soe of Mayla bruised and bloodied beneath a wrapping of iced towels fed it like kindling Even though I couldn't put a na to or, ht theor in my hting platforht, how he had tried not just to win, but to hurt her How he had succeeded

I heard Professor Grey's voice in ry, Seth?

Yes, I was pretty freaking angry, but it was a more layered emotion than that And it ran deep Desperation,of fear in my mind and spirit

And so I didn't run I stepped into the ring and glared up at Gregor He sround

Then the gong was ringing

My body started ht about what to do I felt like just another onlooker as I quick-stepped forward and dipped right, just beneath the opening hayor would throw I hit him with two quick punches in the kidney then retreated out of reach of the back kick that followed

Gregor was stronger than me He was faster than ht anyone with the raer behind their attacks he had But Professor Grey hadn't tried toas Enola or as clean as Valen He knew I couldn't win on talent alone Instead, he'd taught me to develop my own style, to lean into my natural talents

analyze my opponent Anticipate their movements Plan my counterattacks

It was almost like a puzzle: see what the opponent does, consider the forht ht place It was a fighting style I could excel at

Anticipating Gregor's attacks, I ducked and dodged, throwing a few punches and kicks ofaway from any concerted effort to corner me The few times his blows landed, they slammed aside my inadequate defenses and nearly crushed

"You hop around like a scared little toad," Gregor grunted after a couple of ly face was red and his knuckles hite "You're e, toad"

He launched a series of punches, elbows, and knee strikes that I only barelykick to the inside of his thigh in return Every tirew even more red, like an overwatered tomato about to burst

But the real proble him My kicks and punches just bounced off his heavilyary failed

Gregor engaged in a prolonged coround Several moves in, I liftedwith a kick of etelbow crashi+ng into round at his feet

With a roar of victory, Gregor fell down on top ofhis knee intocut throughmy focus My entire torso lit up with hot pain The air in runt, and I couldn't catch or's fist fell, ha it bounce off the co Stunned, unable to defend et pummeled into unconsciousness Only, the next punch didn't coor stood and turned his back onat his classless roar into breathe until ain and rasp the front of my uniform and pull me bodily to my feet

"I hope you enjoyed that while it lasted," he said, his breath hot on my ear "It's my turn to have some fun now"

My head snapped back as he drove his forehead into the bridge of h force to crack myout of position as hed in n? You wore, hard hands wrapped around round Somewhere, so distant it could have come from another dominion, or even the other continent, soor's wrists uselessly I flailed, kicking his legs and kneeing his sides, but I ainst a ht that this ogre of a boy was going to kill ht then and there overtookthe dru his wrists, I pushedtherip, but it gave s up into my chest The pain of ain, but I focused on that pulse, tied one foot up between his outstretched ar his nose with a wet crunch I kicked again, then again, then braced or swung round

I lurched forward, just gettinghiround, ht of his own attack coht to drive my knee into his sternuhurt as I was crushed beneath Gregor, so it was hard to tell The arena flashed black, then slowly faded back in, blurry around the edges but still there It was quiet Almost peaceful, like a fine place to just lay back and die

Gregor rolled offand closing rapidly, his eyes bulging Then he gagged and a stream of vomit splashed onto the platform between us

A sufficiently hard strike to the s And I'd just delivered enough force to his sternum to break my hip, I was pretty sure

The official was on the platfor sounded like I had ot the jist

Rolling through Gregor's sick, I pushed hi lightning bolts of pain through my entire body I raised h neither one of us seehed, shaking his head I gathered as e and punched hi his body into convulsions of sickness and pain

"Forfeit?" I asked again, struggling to even get the word out

Gregor coughed up vole, shallow nod, and then his eyes closed

A firor I screa shi+fted inquickly, but the words were es ofeverything I could see One last thought tuh my tired brain before I lost consciousness

I won