The tension in the arena was suffocating. The bandit audience, once roaring with cheers and jeers, now sat in stunned silence, eyes locked on the battle between Kaiser and Navid. Sparks flew as Kaiser's twin shadow blades clashed against Navid's dagger, each strike faster than the last. Navid barely kept up, his years of experience the only thing keeping him from being overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught.
Kaiser flickered between his two shadow blades with unnatural speed, warping unpredictably mid-air, appearing and disappearing in a blur of black mist. Every time Navid attempted a counter, Alzalel's massive spectral claws swiped at him, forcing him to dodge at the last second. It was a relentless storm of attacks from all angles, a chaotic dance of death that threatened to consume Navid completely.
"Not bad, old man," Kaiser taunted, flickering behind Navid in an instant, shadow blade slicing toward his spine. "But not good enough."
Navid spun just in time, parrying with his marked dagger. Sparks flashed as their weapons met, the force behind Kaiser's strike forcing Navid to slide back. He exhaled sharply, sweat dripping down his brow. His time manipulation had helped him react just in time, but he couldn't keep using it so recklessly.
Kaiser smirked. "Your movements are slowing." He flickered again, vanishing and reappearing mid-air above Navid. With both shadow blades raised high, he descended like a reaper ready to deliver the final blow.
Navid's instincts shoots out. He barely had a second.
He activated time manipulation.
The world slowed.
1.5 seconds felt like an eternity. He twisted his body, barely avoiding Kaiser's deadly descent, the twin blades slicing through the empty space where his head had been moments ago. Using the last fraction of his slowed time, he repositioned his dagger, aiming a precise strike toward Kaiser's ribs.
Time resumed.
Navid's dagger shot forward—but Alzalel's massive claw intercepted it at the last second. The force sent Navid staggering back, the impact numbing his arm. Kaiser landed effortlessly, his grin widening.
"Almost," Kaiser said. "But not quite."
Navid exhaled. He was running out of stamina. He had only one choice left.
Closing his eyes for a split second, he activated his second Hand of God ability.
King's Presence.
A deep, oppressive aura exploded outward, filling the arena in an instant. The atmosphere thickened, a crushing force radiating from Navid's very being. It wasn't just intimidation—it was pure, undeniable dominance. A pressure so intense that the weaker bandits in the audience collapsed instantly, unconscious. Even the stronger ones could only watch in frozen awe, their bodies unwilling to move.
Kaiser's breath hitched. His muscles tensed, his movements sluggish. His flickering slowed, his reactions dulled.
Navid stepped forward, his voice low but commanding. "You've got talent, kid. But talent alone doesn't win wars."
Before Kaiser could react, Navid moved.
Faster than before. Faster than Kaiser could track.
A fist drove into Kaiser's gut, launching him backward. He gasped, his vision blurring from the sheer force of the attack. He hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop as pain surged through his body.
Navid stood tall, eyes glowing with the weight of his power. "Now," he said. "Let's see if you can still stand."
Kaiser gritted his teeth as an overwhelming force pressed against him. His movements, now felt sluggish. It was as if an invisible weight bore down on his shoulders, draining his momentum.
King's Presence.
Navid smirked, his sharp eyes gleaming under the dim arena lights. "How do you like the Assassin King's Presence?" he taunted, slowly advancing. "You are still far from what I can do!"
Kaiser tried to flicker to his shadow blade, but even before he could move, Navid's gaze locked onto him. A chilling aura radiated outward, his very will pressing against Kaiser like a tidal wave. His body refused to move.
Alzalel lunged, its ethereal claws slashing toward Navid's side. But with a mere glance, the entity froze mid-strike. The contracted spirit flinched, its form wavering as if an instinctual fear had gripped it. Kaiser's eyes widened. Even Alzalel is affected!
Navid chuckled darkly. "You don't get it, do you? This is not some mere pressure—it's dominance. You may have talent, but experience and willpower decide the battle."
Kaiser staggered back as Navid closed the distance. The veteran assassin moved like a ghost, effortlessly weaving through the remnants of Kaiser's defenses. Every strike of his dagger came with brutal precision, slicing shallow wounds across Kaiser's arms and torso.
"Tsk!" Kaiser clicked his tongue in frustration, gripping both his shadow blades. He had to think—fast. He couldn't keep up with King's Presence in this state, not when both him and Alzalel were being suppressed.
He needed a way to break free.
Navid's stance shifted—he was preparing the next decisive strike. Kaiser knew it was now or never. If he hesitated for even a second longer, the fight would be over.
Summoning every ounce of willpower, he forced himself to act. There had to be a way past this overwhelming presence.
With a flick of his wrist, he threw one of his shadow blades—but not at Navid. Instead, it soared high into the air, vanishing into the darkness above the arena. Navid's eyes briefly flickered toward it, a split second of curiosity—
And that was all Kaiser needed.
With a final burst of energy, he activated Phantom Flicker.
In an instant, he vanished from his spot, only to reappear in mid-air, above Navid. He was not aware of a shadow blade was thrown right above him.
Navid's instincts screamed danger, but even with his reflexes, adjusting to an aerial attack took precious milliseconds. Kaiser twisted his body mid-fall, both blades gleaming as he brought them down in a deadly cross-slash.
Navid barely managed to raise his dagger in time, blocking one of the strikes, but the second shadow blade found its mark. A deep gash tore across his shoulder, forcing him to stumble backward.
Kaiser landed with a low crouch, panting heavily but smirking. "You talk too much."
Navid growled, gripping his wounded shoulder. The pressure of King's Presence was still there, but for the first time in this battle—
Kaiser had found a way to fight back.
Kaiser's blade struck true.
Navid staggered back, his dark tunic now marred with crimson. A deep wound carved in his shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers as he clutched at the injury. His breathing hitched, his composed demeanor flickering.
Then, a storm of fury erupted from him.
Navid's King's Presence surged outward with erratic intensity, no longer controlled but wild and suffocating. The very air trembled, an unseen pressure crashing down on the arena like a tidal wave. The bandit audience watching from the stands gasped, some weaker ones even collapsing under the sheer force of it.
Kaiser felt it immediately. His knees buckled slightly, and for the first time in this battle, he felt true terror grip his heart.
Navid's eyes burned with a dangerous fire. His voice was a growl of raw rage. "You dare wound me, boy? How do you like the Assassin King's Presence now?! You're still far from what I can do!"
Kaiser knew he couldn't fight this head-on, not in his current state. His only option was to move—fast. Without hesitation, he flickered away, using his Phantom Flicker to teleport between his shadow blades, desperately putting distance between himself and the rampaging Navid.
But Navid wasn't letting him escape.
With a sharp inhale, Navid activated his Time Manipulation, freezing reality for 1.5 seconds.
In that brief instant, he closed the gap. When time resumed, Kaiser barely registered Navid's blurred form appearing right before him—too late.
A dagger plunged deep into his side. Pain exploded through Kaiser's body, his breath leaving him in a ragged gasp. His vision wavered, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to retaliate, swinging one of his shadow blades toward Navid's neck.
Navid was faster.
He parried the attack with ease, spun, and drove his elbow straight into Kaiser's face with bone-crushing force.
Kaiser's world spun. His feet left the ground as he was sent flying backward, his body crashing onto the cold, hard ground of the arena.
Darkness crept at the edges of his vision. He struggled to move, to summon his strength, but his body refused. Blood pooled beneath him, his breaths ragged and shallow.
Navid loomed over him, he felt the victorious predator.