BXBX NOVEL Chapter 73: Brutal Beatdown
This was the lineup for the semi-finals.
Cole gave his best effort but still lost to Wendy. However, he had no regrets; securing his spot in the tournament was enough. He would be content as long as he could pummel the faces of the bastards in the Amstrong Duchy.
The next match was between Nox and Nyx, another fight that had everyone talking. Nyx\'s impressive performance against Wendy, a Royal Academy student, made many believe that the twins possessed similar strength.
"Hmmm, just because your stamina is low doesn\'t mean I\'ll take it easy on you," Nox commented as his dagger appeared in his hands.
"As much as I\'d like to slap that stupid face of yours, I\'ll have to forfeit the match," Nyx spoke with a sigh and started to leave the platform, leaving Nox and the crowd stunned.
"Wait... why?" Nox hurriedly called out. He didn\'t like the fact that Serena had forfeited before; he didn\'t want the same thing to happen with Nyx because he wanted to test the latter\'s strength.
One of the main reasons for this tournament was to demonstrate his strength and show the people of his barony that he was someone reliable. But if everyone continued forfeiting, how would he prove that? Some might even think they were doing it out of pity because they didn\'t want him to feel sad.
"Why?" Nyx paused in her track and turned to her brother. "Because I want you to beat that Wendy girl. Even if I fight you and win, I\'ll still lose against Wendy. I\'m just not ready; I need more training and practice. I\'ll probably learn more skills from Mom."
"But you... You have a good chance of beating her, and I don\'t want to ruin that for you. If you want to prove to everyone that you\'re strong, then beat Wendy. Show her the might of being a Cromwell," Nyx said and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Nox standing there as he thought about what she\'d said.
Indeed, Nyx was right. She had overwhelmed all her opponents but was ultimately defeated by Wendy, proving Wendy to be the true dark horse of the tournament.
The only way to remove any doubt from the minds of the spectators was for him to beat Wendy. That way, everyone could see he didn\'t get into the finals by luck.
Hans, the referee, sighed and announced the forfeit, eliciting mixed reactions from the spectators. Though they loved Nox, they disliked the development and preferred he earn his victories rather than have them handed to him on a silver platter.
Their only hope was that Wendy would not forfeit, because if she did, they\'d be more pissed off than they were.
As for the organizers, they were helpless. They couldn\'t force the kids to fight against their will as there was no rule that restricted one from forfeiting.
As Nyx went to sit beside her mother, Aina checked her stats.
[Nyx - LV2]
[MP: 40%/100%]
[HP: 50%/100%]
Aina\'s eyes widened in concern as she saw Nyx\'s stats. "Nyx, your MP and HP are still low from the previous match. You made the right choice there. With MP like this, you wouldn\'t be able to use Holy Speed again."
"I know, Mom. That\'s one of the reasons I forfeited. Also, I don\'t want to hold him back."
"Aww, you\'re so selfless." Aina smiled and stroked her daughter\'s head.
"Who said I\'m selfless?" Nyx\'s face morphed into a frown. "A part of me still wants Wendy to smash his stupid face to the groun--ouch." Aina suddenly pinched Nyx\'s cheeks, interrupting her.
"Look, the fight is about to begin. Be like that panda and cheer for your brother."
The air was filled with anticipation as Nox and Wendy faced off on the platform, their eyes locked in a fierce stare. Nox, his dagger glinting in the light, cracked his neck. Meanwhile, Wendy, her sword at the ready, displayed a warm smile.
"My mom told me so many things about you," Wendy said to Nox.
"Good things or bad things?" Nox asked.
Wendy chuckled. "Good things, actually. I want to thank you for always checking up on my mom and doing the chores for her."
"That\'s not a problem. Aunty Celine heals everyone in the barony for free; it\'s the least I can do. Now can we focus on the fight? I hope you won\'t go easy on me just because of that."
"I felt your sister\'s strength. I heard you\'re even stronger, so I\'m not planning to go easy on you."
The crowd held its collective breath as Hans shouted, "Begin!"
Immediately, Nox exploded into motion, his dagger flashing through the air. Wendy raised her sword to block, but Nox\'s speed and power sent her stumbling back a bit.
"Huh?" Wendy was slightly taken aback. She didn\'t expect Nox\'s aggressiveness just now. She was level 10 while Nox was 5, yet his speed seemed to surpass hers. With her stats, her agility was definitely higher than his, so how?
\'Is it a movement technique, or are these twins just monsters? The others weren\'t like that.\' Wendy was puzzled as she held her sword tighter, a fierce light flashing on the blade.
Unbeknownst to Wendy, Nox\'s speed was due to his genetic enhancements and the effects of Shadow Oblivion, which had strengthened all his bones.
\'Honestly, I could finish this fight much quicker if I used Phantom Cloak, but for one, I want to test my dagger skills against a fellow human.\'
He had only fought against beasts seriously; he had never fought seriously with a human.
"It seems you don\'t look like a gentleman," Wendy said after regaining her footing. She held the sword tightly with both hands.
"I can\'t afford to be a gentleman in the middle of a fight, can I?" Nox charged in once again, his dagger slicing through the air with deadly precision.
Wendy quickly raised her sword and managed to block the strike, but soon saw a round shield materialize in Nox\'s grasp. The black-haired boy didn\'t hesitate and slammed the shield into her face.
BANG!
"Damnit!" Because she held the sword with both hands, there was no way to deflect the shield. It smashed into her face, sending her stumbling through the arena. She had to stop herself by stabbing her sword into the platform. As she struggled to stand up, Nox was upon her with a crushing punch to the face, causing saliva to fly out of her mouth.
"This is brutal." This was the thought of all the spectators as they watched the fight. The match had been going on for some minutes now, but Wendy had yet to land even a single hit.