BANG!
August's body crashed against the far wall. It wasn't a sight that anyone wanted to see.
Blood shot out of his mouth, spraying into the air. That was something people were used to seeing. The real brutality was elsewhere.
The sheer force at which August hit the wall was enough to flatten a normal person.
His blood splattered all over it as his back was torn to shreds.
As he fell to the ground and collapsed on his knees, a wave of gasps dawned on the crowd.
August had been doing so well in this tournament that they'd forgotten what his actual strength level was.
He was able to fight against some of the weaker 4th class beings, but at this time, August was the only 3rd class participating at all.
After all, while the restrictions allowed anyone under 100 to participate, no sane person would send their weaker geniuses to compete.
There were people nearing the age limit who had been training for decades. They'd accumulated power that a mere teenager could never match, which practically meant that only those with the talent to reach the same level faster could properly compete.
Someone like Eris, despite being in her late twenties, qualified as this type of person.
Someone like August, on the other hand, was a real underdog.
Nobody expected him to win when they looked at things practically.
But, after seeing him fight for his place in this competition, they couldn't help but root for him.
That impact was terrifying.
It didn't just knock the wind and blood out of him, it shook his brain around and made him woozy.
The entire world was spinning, but August could still see the elephantine beast charging at him once again.
'Is this the end?'
It wasn't August's thought, but that of everyone watching him.
They couldn't see a way for him to get out of this situation, even with his knowledge of the labyrinth.
August didn't think the same.
His state was worse for wear. He knew better than anyone just how much his body was impacted by that strike.
However, he had a plan that he needed to follow, and he wouldn't stop until he'd completed it.
A grin spread across his face.
His blood boiled.
Death. He could feel it.
August wasn't like his father. He didn't get a rush out of being on the edge of death. He didn't chase the high that came with battle.
Still, when he found himself in that position, every bone in his body rebelled.
Every single cell that made up the organism known as August Void revolted, refusing to give up.
He stood up, wobbling slightly as he stared at the elephant.
'My mana still works.'
The activation of his energy hadn't been inhibited in the slightest.
'Then…'
August dashed out.
His speed was far slower than before, but he turned the ground to ice to help him move.
The elephantine beast just barely missed him, but the winds that followed it still pushed him away.
August looked behind him and smiled.
'Good. This is the way.'
He just needed to get that thing to the inner ring.
Eris was probably hoping for more of a show, but he wasn't going to give her what she wanted.
The beast was mindless. Corralling it wasn't an issue at all.
Since it was seeing red, it was attacking without a second thought.
It turned around when it realized that August had escaped and sent another slew of beam attacks rushing towards him.
This time, August was prepared for their power.
He summoned another wall of white water.
Recognizing the wall as the very thing that let it hit him before, the beast charged again, refusing to use the full capability of its energy-based attacks.
August couldn't stand its strength.
When it charged through that water wall, it would kill him once and for all.
Or so it thought.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Its steps rocked the entire arena once again.
It crashed through the white water nearly at the same time as its energy did, but when it got to the other side…
…it realized that August was already gone.
It was too late.
Instead of trying to block or disperse the energy beams, August had gone prone to the ground and expended a large portion of his mana.
He didn't create a thin layer of ice as he'd done before. That would just shatter under the beast's weight. August used the underground reservoir to destroy all of the earth between it and him, and when it reached the surface and created a river in the space that was left, he froze it solid.
What the elephantine beast found on the other side of the white water was a surface that had no traction, a surface that could support its entire weight without a problem.
And despite its massive strength, it did the same thing that a regular animal would have done.
It slipped.
The beast lost its grip on the ground and slid across the ice, panicking as it tried to stabilize itself.
It was already something of a miracle that the beast managed to keep itself upright, but, it couldn't stop its momentum in time.
It slid and slid and slid. August was already gone, but there was indeed someone in its path.
'That little bastard…'
Eris clicked her tongue.
The beast was gaining momentum with every second.
There was a massive elephant crashingstraight towards her.
It happened in a way that nobody had expected, but August managed to trick the beast into sliding straight back into the inner ring.
And, because she'd already made a promise, Eris was forced to accept that she'd have to take the beast's aggro again.
August was already gone, far away from the beast's perceptive radius.
He limped as fast as he could and made it to the sixth terminal.
All he needed to do was solve it.
He needed to solve it and cross the finish. Only then could he pass out.
As his left leg flailed around, as blood dripped from his back and created a river, as his wounds became worse and worse, this motivation was the only thing that kept him going.
This win…
The crowd now understood just how badly he wanted it.
His determination was infectious.
Valerie felt her blood rush as herowndesire to win grew to mimic his.
She looked at Mikael, who was already falling to her advantages, with cold eyes.
Valerie was already rushing their battle, using cheap tricks to wear him down.
But now that August had shown something like that, she wasn't going to keep doing the same thing.
Mikael needed to go down now because she needed to get to August as soon as possible to support him.
It was an opportunity for Valerie to show the crowd exactly what she had as well.
Just…it was unfortunate for Mikael.
He was trying his hardest, but the remaining enemies were all the banes of his existence.
No matter what he tried, he couldn't gain an advantage against any of them.
His power wasn't enough to overcome them, and his skill was being equally matched by theirs.
Unlike some of the other geniuses who'd participated in the labyrinth challenge, Mikaelreallydid deserve to be here.
Unfortunately, hereallywas going to be manhandled and thrown away.
That was the tragic future that had been written for him in the books of fate.
And there was nothing he could do to change it.
BANG!
August's body crashed against the far wall. It wasn't a sight that anyone wanted to see.
Blood shot out of his mouth, spraying into the air. That was something people were used to seeing. The real brutality was elsewhere.
The sheer force at which August hit the wall was enough to flatten a normal person.
His blood splattered all over it as his back was torn to shreds.
As he fell to the ground and collapsed on his knees, a wave of gasps dawned on the crowd.
August had been doing so well in this tournament that they'd forgotten what his actual strength level was.
He was able to fight against some of the weaker 4th class beings, but at this time, August was the only 3rd class participating at all.
After all, while the restrictions allowed anyone under 100 to participate, no sane person would send their weaker geniuses to compete.
There were people nearing the age limit who had been training for decades. They'd accumulated power that a mere teenager could never match, which practically meant that only those with the talent to reach the same level faster could properly compete.
Someone like Eris, despite being in her late twenties, qualified as this type of person.
Someone like August, on the other hand, was a real underdog.
Nobody expected him to win when they looked at things practically.
But, after seeing him fight for his place in this competition, they couldn't help but root for him.
That impact was terrifying.
It didn't just knock the wind and blood out of him, it shook his brain around and made him woozy.
The entire world was spinning, but August could still see the elephantine beast charging at him once again.
'Is this the end?'
It wasn't August's thought, but that of everyone watching him.
They couldn't see a way for him to get out of this situation, even with his knowledge of the labyrinth.
August didn't think the same.
His state was worse for wear. He knew better than anyone just how much his body was impacted by that strike.
However, he had a plan that he needed to follow, and he wouldn't stop until he'd completed it.
A grin spread across his face.
His blood boiled.
Death. He could feel it.
August wasn't like his father. He didn't get a rush out of being on the edge of death. He didn't chase the high that came with battle.
Still, when he found himself in that position, every bone in his body rebelled.
Every single cell that made up the organism known as August Void revolted, refusing to give up.
He stood up, wobbling slightly as he stared at the elephant.
'My mana still works.'
The activation of his energy hadn't been inhibited in the slightest.
'Then…'
August dashed out.
His speed was far slower than before, but he turned the ground to ice to help him move.
The elephantine beast just barely missed him, but the winds that followed it still pushed him away.
August looked behind him and smiled.
'Good. This is the way.'
He just needed to get that thing to the inner ring.
Eris was probably hoping for more of a show, but he wasn't going to give her what she wanted.
The beast was mindless. Corralling it wasn't an issue at all.
Since it was seeing red, it was attacking without a second thought.
It turned around when it realized that August had escaped and sent another slew of beam attacks rushing towards him.
This time, August was prepared for their power.
He summoned another wall of white water.
Recognizing the wall as the very thing that let it hit him before, the beast charged again, refusing to use the full capability of its energy-based attacks.
August couldn't stand its strength.
When it charged through that water wall, it would kill him once and for all.
Or so it thought.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Its steps rocked the entire arena once again.
It crashed through the white water nearly at the same time as its energy did, but when it got to the other side…
…it realized that August was already gone.
It was too late.
Instead of trying to block or disperse the energy beams, August had gone prone to the ground and expended a large portion of his mana.
He didn't create a thin layer of ice as he'd done before. That would just shatter under the beast's weight. August used the underground reservoir to destroy all of the earth between it and him, and when it reached the surface and created a river in the space that was left, he froze it solid.
What the elephantine beast found on the other side of the white water was a surface that had no traction, a surface that could support its entire weight without a problem.
And despite its massive strength, it did the same thing that a regular animal would have done.
It slipped.
The beast lost its grip on the ground and slid across the ice, panicking as it tried to stabilize itself.
It was already something of a miracle that the beast managed to keep itself upright, but, it couldn't stop its momentum in time.
It slid and slid and slid. August was already gone, but there was indeed someone in its path.
'That little bastard…'
Eris clicked her tongue.
The beast was gaining momentum with every second.
There was a massive elephant crashingstraight towards her.
It happened in a way that nobody had expected, but August managed to trick the beast into sliding straight back into the inner ring.
And, because she'd already made a promise, Eris was forced to accept that she'd have to take the beast's aggro again.
August was already gone, far away from the beast's perceptive radius.
He limped as fast as he could and made it to the sixth terminal.
All he needed to do was solve it.
He needed to solve it and cross the finish. Only then could he pass out.
As his left leg flailed around, as blood dripped from his back and created a river, as his wounds became worse and worse, this motivation was the only thing that kept him going.
This win…
The crowd now understood just how badly he wanted it.
His determination was infectious.
Valerie felt her blood rush as herowndesire to win grew to mimic his.
She looked at Mikael, who was already falling to her advantages, with cold eyes.
Valerie was already rushing their battle, using cheap tricks to wear him down.
But now that August had shown something like that, she wasn't going to keep doing the same thing.
Mikael needed to go down now because she needed to get to August as soon as possible to support him.
It was an opportunity for Valerie to show the crowd exactly what she had as well.
Just…it was unfortunate for Mikael.
He was trying his hardest, but the remaining enemies were all the banes of his existence.
No matter what he tried, he couldn't gain an advantage against any of them.
His power wasn't enough to overcome them, and his skill was being equally matched by theirs.
Unlike some of the other geniuses who'd participated in the labyrinth challenge, Mikaelreallydid deserve to be here.
Unfortunately, hereallywas going to be manhandled and thrown away.
That was the tragic future that had been written for him in the books of fate.
And there was nothing he could do to change it.
