System's POV

Chapter 1412: Fated Battle [Part 3]

Sparks flew as their two weapons clashed with each other.

Thirteen’s dagger scraped the staff’s body, creating sparks as he pushed forward with his momentum.

The Half-Elf understood that he would not be able to use his weapon at the moment, so he didn’t hesitate to let go and used his palm to push Thirteen’s wrist away to deflect his attack.

Suddenly, William felt something hit the side of his face, pushing him to the side.

Thirteen had made an impossible move that no one had seen coming.

While the Half-Elf was focused on the clash between their weapons, the teenage boy twisted sharply at the waist.

His left foot stayed planted on the ground, acting as support, while his body rotated at whip-like speed.

His right leg shot upward in a tight arc, unleashing one of the most devastating attacks that could only be done by someone who had practiced it many times in the past.

A high hook kick.

That was the attack that Thirteen had unleashed at point-blank range.

The crisp sound of the black-leather shoes hitting William’s cheek made his wives wince at the same time.

Without missing a beat, Thirteen connected his attack with an elbow strike, targeting William’s ribs.

A groan escaped the Half-Elf’s lips because it had been a while since he had felt this kind of pain in battle.

But Thirteen was not finished yet.

He understood that he wouldn’t get a second chance at dealing sufficient damage to the Half-Elf who had lost his momentum.

Thirteen only used the most effective methods in battle.

It didn’t matter if he needed to hurt himself in the process. All was good as long as he dealt more serious damage than what he’d suffer.

After the elbow strike, he moved closer to the Half-Elf, who was a head taller than him.

The elbow strike to the ribs had made William bend his body a bit, which was enough for Thirteen to unleash his third strike.

A headbutt, or to be more precise, a nosebutt.

Thirteen hammered his head on the Half-Elf’s nose, making sure that it would break from the impact.

A gasp of shock and anxiety rose from the audience stand. Even the Half-Elf’s wives, who were supporting Zion earlier, couldn’t help but be shocked at the teenage boy’s brutality.

An ordinary teenager wouldn’t be able to pull such moves so easily. Even if they did, it would require an uncanny amount of skill to land such hits in quick succession against one of the strongest warriors in the world of Hestia.

William staggered back, more from shock than actual pain. His eyes momentarily lost sight of his opponent, and the sharp scent of blood filled the air.

But Thirteen wasn’t done. Not even close.

Thirteen was already in motion to unleash another devastating strike against his opponent.

He unleashed a spinning high hook kick against the Half-Elf, who realized his plan too late.

William barely raised his arm to defend against the attack, but Thirteen’s foot was faster.

The high hook kick collided with the Half-Elf’s temple.

William’s world suddenly turned white the moment this attack connected. This was the first time he had received such a deadly combination that was meant not to incapacitate him but to actually end his life.

Thirteen wasn’t joking.

He didn’t come to the arena to play.

He was fighting with his life on the line.

Just as the Half-Elf was knocked off to the side due to the impact of Thirteen’s devastating strike, those with sharp eyes in the audience saw red.

Blood could be seen flowing down on Zion’s nose and William’s lips.

Thirteen was able to unleash these nearly impossible moves by flawlessly calculating everything inside of his head.

Although he had grown stronger than before, his opponent was nothing to scoff at.

He didn’t dare to hold back, so he went all out from the start.

Calculating everything from the way the Half-Elf’s muscles moved, his posture, his gaze, to his steps.

Every little detail was processed with lightning fast efficiency, allowing Thirteen to formulate the perfect situation in which he could land the deadly combination blows that would end the battle in his favor.

Gritting his teeth, Zion lunged at the Half-Elf who was still dazed from his previous blow to the head.

But just as he was about to connect another punch to his opponent’s body, William planted his right hand on the ground and did a back kick, which Thirteen barely blocked at the last second.

The teenage boy skidded a few meters away, completely cutting his momentum.

"You sure know how to throw punches... and kicks," William wiped the blood from the corner of his lips.

However, blood also streamed down his nose and temple. This was proof that Thirteen dealt considerable damage to him—something he’d like to blame on his careless mistake.

"Alright. Time for round two," William said before raising his hand.

One of the spears hovering above the arena pierced the ground in front of him.

The Half-Elf picked held the handle of the spear, and his mood changed completely. Pure killing intent oozed out of his body.

Earlier, he only planned to give Zion a beating.

But now, he wanted to skewer him and poke his body with holes.

Thirteen wiped the blood that was streaming down his nose with the back of his right hand.

"Earlier, I asked you why did the Half-Elf cross the road," Thirteen said calmly. "The answer is he crossed the road in order to attend my wedding with Stella."

"I’ll kill you," William said icily. "Flash Step."

With a single step, the Half-Elf disappeared from where he stood.

Although his strength degraded, his skills were very much intact. There was no rule banning skills in the Trial of Valhalla, so he decided to go all out and teach the annoying bastard a lesson.

Thirteen didn’t move from where he stood.

Suddenly, the sound of weapons clashing against each other reverberated in the arena.

Sparks scattered in the surroundings as Thirteen’s dagger deflected the tip of William’s spear to the side.

However, the Half-Elf was very serious this time around.

Although the spear was deflected, he was already chanting a spell with his lips and unleashed it at point-blank range.

"Boom Burst!"

A powerful shockwave erupted between Thirteen and William, which sent the teenage boy flying.

Stella felt a lump on her throat when she saw Zion being blown away by one of his father’s spells.

But just as the teenage boy was about to crash on the ground, he managed to regain his balance mid-air.

Zion landed with both feet on the ground, skidding a few meters away.

Blood seeped at the corner of his lips, but his gaze remained calm.

A moment later, countless Fire Bullets flew in his direction. Clearly, William had no intention of giving his opponent some breathing time as payback for the injuries he received earlier.