Aaron was catching a few concerned and disgusted, sideways glances. But he had no choice. There was less than fifteen minutes remaining, and he needed to eat as much and as fast as he could, which made for a rather unpleasant sight, even for his standards. But he didn’t care; he needed to store as much energy as he could before his fight with Mo’han.

  Mo’han, on the other hand, was taking the opportunity to say his goodbyes. He had finished their first bout in a relatively decent stage, and while he had taken damage, he had been able to recover relatively quickly on his own.

  “Okay, that should do,” Aaron said, rubbing his belly and forcing down one last shrunken serving. “Alright, big fella. Let’s do this!”

  “Big fella? You’re one to speak. But as you wish, A-ran. And in case this fight drags on until the end of the trials, I want you to know that it has been a pleasure meeting all of you!”

  “Yeah, what he said,” Aaron smiled as his gaze swept across the small crowd. “With any luck, we’ll have a minute or two for words after this duel,” he added with a wink.

  “Okay, let’s get this done,” Mo’han said and took to his corner of the arena. “And A-ran, if we don’t get a chance to speak again, you’ve become like a brother to me. I can’t wait to see how far you’ve come when we meet again. And I pray for those who make enemies with you.”

  “Couldn’t have said it better myself, big guy. To reunions in the multiverse,” he replied, raising a fist as he lowered into a fighting stance.

  With a shared nod of acknowledgement, the fight was on.

  Aaron didn’t really change too much. He was perfecting his style every time they clashed, not reinventing it. However, this time, he had a novel idea on how to find that elusive opening he needed.

  The two rushed forward and met with a frantic clash, and explosions and fists flying all over the place. He dodged and countered as he waited for his opportunity, one he had seen through the threads of fate.

  He dragged Mo’han’s attacks out, looking to unbalance and overwhelm him. It was this early engagement where he had his chance. While the asura was still warming up, and saving his best for last.

  He planned his attack many, many steps in advance, and when he was ready, he sprung his trap.

  It was hidden behind a dizzying array of feints and probing strikes. He wanted to confuse the big guy, using a combination chain, only to follow it by hiding in the shadows, then reappearing at Mo’han’s flank and peppering him with spectral punches.

  The string of attacks was huge and all over the place, designed to confuse, and difficult for anyone to follow. And it was all a setup for just one moment. A complex maze of attacks, all to create a single opening, he had spotted several seconds into the future when looking through fate.

  Without pausing for even a second, as he continued to throw attacks, he activated [ Spirit Hands ] and dipped into his scabbard. Mo’han was strong, even managing to unlock some kind of aether ability, but that alone didn’t grant him the ability to see spirits as Aaron did, and the same went for his spirit hand. The invisible ghostly hand dipped into the spatial container, slipped out a shrunken dish, and hid it within itself.

  This was no easy task, though. Aaron's concentration was split between fighting Mo’han and using his spirit hand, but it was more than that. It required energy to not just hold something in the ghostly hand, but additional aether to conceal it within its grasp.

  With his ace up his sleeve, he desperately held onto his focus and closed in on his prey. If his concentration lapsed for even one second, the ghostly hand could drop what it held, or it might become visible.

  His mind training had set him up for this very moment. Without splitting his focus as he could, this would have been impossible. And as he closed in on Mo’han, he unleashed a devastating series of high-powered attacks, further increasing the difficulty of what he was doing and draining his adipose reserves.

  But it had to look real. His attacks needed to be powered up enough for Mo’han to take them seriously and avoid them accordingly. Otherwise, his plan would fail.

  It was a costly deception, but it worked, and he moved within inches of his target, and then in the blink of an eye, his spirit hand shot forward, and flew straight into Mo’han’s mouth as he gasped for air mid-engagement.

  In an instant, the asura’s face reddened, and he recoiled from battle. But whatever pain he had felt, it was short-lived. The revolution of having to eat the food quickly passed, and his features bent into a bad expression.

  Aaron had used a dish on Mo’han that he had discovered some time back. It was strong, providing a decent buff to all Stats and fueling the user with an intense berserker rage. However, since the effects only lasted for two minutes, he hadn’t found much use for it. His style was more designed around endurance and outlasting his opponents, and as such, he hadn’t had any desire to use a dish that would give him a rather big, yet short outburst of power.

  But that seemed perfect for this. He had less than fifteen minutes, and he needed to feed Mo’han something that would wear out quickly and set in with the aftereffects.

  But seeing the way Mo’han’s brow bent, his muscles rippled, and a sheen over red that came over him, concerned him. Not only that, but he could sense his energy overflowing as if it were about to explode.

  Oh shit. I might have messed up.

  Aaron was worried, but then again, he only needed to survive for a couple of minutes. The dish had the aftereffect of death, though it wouldn’t actually kill Mo’han. The Aftereffects listed on a dish’s description were only accurate for an ordinary person with perfectly average stats and no Skills or Traits to help them resist. Mo’han was about as far from average as possible, so death was not on the table for him, but it would still be quite debilitating. It had been a while since he made it, but he remembered it being a bit more foul than his usual dishes, using the colons of a few different animals.

  Aaron felt a pang of guilt at forcing the asura to eat something like that, but the guilt only lasted a split second before the huge asura blitzed forward, surrounded by angry flames.

  Suddenly, Aaron wasn’t so sure about his plan. Surviving this, even for two minutes, would be no easy task.

  In an instant, Mo’han flashed before him, and three fists slammed into his chest in unison, too fast for his eyes to even see. The attack sent Aaron flying, but before he even hit the wall, Mo’han blinked above him and slammed into him with a downward punch that sent him crashing down.

  It all happened so fast, and Aaron’s mind couldn’t even keep pace. And before he even hit the ground, Mo’han was once more beneath him, and six fists came flying up, bashing into his back and sending him hurtling up into the air again.

  The speed, power, and ferocity of Mo’han’s attack were tremendous, and Aaron died three times before he was able to break free from the ridiculous rampage. Using a combination of [ Spectral Rush ] and his cape to hide in the shadows, he managed to interrupt the seemingly never-ending combination of strikes. Then, he appeared and landed a [ Soul Shattering Strike ] as Mo’han came in for the kill again.

  His attack mightn’t have done any real damage against the enraged asura, but it did mess with his energy just enough to stagger Mo’han and give him a second or two of reprieve, which he used to create distance and eat.

  But the infuriated asura wasn’t far behind, blowing up the arena as Aaron was forced to repetitively use [ Spectral Rush ] just to stay alive.

  As he escaped another flurry of attacks and ran for his life, Mo’han raised his hands above his head, and a ball of molten power resembling a sun crackled into existence above him.

  Flames lashed across the impressive Skill’s surface, and Aaron got the impression that if Mo’han got the chance to use this world-breaking Skill, nothing within the arena would survive. Nothing besides Mo’han, anyway.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  As the asura brought his hands down and aimed the terrifying fireball at him, Aaron was forced to use [ Equal and Opposite ], draining the last of his energy reserves as he countered the Skill before it incinerated him.

  Nonetheless, the massive use of energy put him in a dangerous position, and he desperately needed to kite Mo’han as he recovered.

  Flashing across the arena, he tried to hide in the shadows for a second, but Mo’han relentlessly chased him down, only breaking from melee to repetitively fire explosive fireballs at him.

  Eating whatever he could, Aaron dodged the endless attacks with [ Spectral Rush ], causing the fireballs to pass straight through him, and taking only a little damage in the process.

  He realized how lucky he was that he had increased Vitality and Fortitude as much as he had. Without those Stats being what they were, he likely would have died when using [ Spectral Rush ] to send Mo’han fireballs passing through him.

  Still, the Skill was eating up his meagre amount of remaining mana, which would have completely run dry if he wasn’t sneaking in a bite of food here and there.

  But even though he was dragged to the edge, he somehow managed to just barely survive. And nonetheless, as several seconds went by, Mo'han's endless stream of attacks managed to catch Aaron once more, killing him again and dragging his aether dangerously low.

  However, the absurd outpour of energy actually forced Mo’han to stop for a second. It seemed there was an added bonus to the dish he had picked that he hadn’t considered. The berserker rage provided by the dish had sent Mo’han into an uncontrolled fury, and that had led him to drain a stupid amount of energy, even by his own standards.

  This wouldn’t have mattered in most fights. Against anyone else, the stupid number of powerful attacks he used would have resulted in his opponent’s death, but Aaron wasn’t anyone else. He was ridiculously hard to put down, and now Mo’han was panting and heaving as he tried to recover a little energy.

  But it was only a short reprieve from the deadly rage, and the moment Mo’han recovered a little energy, he flew into another attack.

  It was absolute desperation. Aaron had to use every trick and skill he had, as well as read fate to kite the destructive monster bearing down on him as he skirted the edge of the arena.

  He was still in an impossibly difficult situation, but he could see his chance. If Mo’han kept draining ridiculous amounts of energy as he was, maybe he would be able to turn the tide as he had hoped.

  Once more, Aaron bounced out of melee range, and Mo’han formed a fireball, but just as he was about to fire it at him, the asura staggered forward, disrupting his Skill, and clutching at his chest.

  Finally, the aftereffects!

  Mo’han grunted and frowned, and the fiery sheen that had covered him dissipated. But he didn’t remain bent over for long and straightened with a grunt.

  Oookay, well, it certainly didn’t kill him.

  He was a little disappointed, if he was completely honest. Mo’han was standing straight and didn’t appear to have taken too much damage from the aftereffects. However, it was obvious that he was still very drained, and there could be little doubt that he had taken some damage.

  This was it. The opportunity he had hoped for, and he would need to act fast to capitalize on it.

  Shoving the last of the food in his hand down his throat, Aaron rushed forward, using [ Spectral Rush ] as Mo’han attempted to break his charge with an attack.

  In an instant, he was within range, and his fists flew out to meet the asura with deadly accuracy, breaking into a combo chain that rattled his massive frame. Disrupting and damaging what little energy he had left, his strikes continued to blast away at him, and after a second, sent the asura stumbling backward as he struggled with the overwhelming number of attacks coming at him.

  But this was Mo’han Khan, and even with his reserves drained, his body weakened, and having eaten strikes that would have ended other lives many times over, he wasn’t done.

  Roaring, a flickering light began to brighten from within Mo’han, and within less than a second, an explosion erupted outward, sending Aaron’s charcoal remains shooting across the arena, and slamming into the forcefield that surrounded it.

  “Ooww. Okay, that fucking sucked,” Aaron groaned as he got to his feet.

  As life poured back into his body, he felt his aether drained down to nothing, but Mo’han had been forced to dig deep for that attack. He was on the ropes, and time was ticking. Aaron knew that this might be his last chance to press his attack, and so, despite having no backup, he rushed forward into the fray.

  This was his last chance. His final opportunity to exploit Mo’han’s weakened state and clutch a victory, or die trying and fail the quest.

  He came to Mo’han with everything he had. A [ Soul Shattering Strike ] led into a deadly combination, and as his opponent was backstepping against the pressure, he unleashed the attack again, and again, draining everything he had.

  He felt his cells hunger for energy. His body drained down to an emaciated and diminished version of himself, but he willed it on. He gritted his teeth and drew on everything he had: Energy organs, [ Reverse Cycle Faux Core ], and pure stubbornness to fuel his attacks. And not for a second did he stop punching. Again, and again, and again.

  And while his normal punches wouldn’t have done damage to Mo’han under normal circumstances, these weren’t normal circumstances. The asura had been drained of all his energy, with his energy organs offline, and his defenses all broken down. Not only that, but he was also in a weakened state thanks to the aftereffects, and this accumulation of debuffs had finally broken the indestructible asura down.

  “Just. Fucking. Die. Already!” Aaron grunted as he continued to swing.

  The asura was bloodied and bruised, beaten down and pummeled to the point that Aaron’s body itself was breaking against Mo’han’s skin, but finally, as Aaron felt himself about to fall apart, the asura gasped his last breath.

  “Ha… haha… did I actually do it?”

  He fell to his knees, shaking his head. What an incredible challenge Mo’han had been.

  Several seconds later, Mo’han respawned in the hallway. He was a little woozy, but despite Aaron’s underhanded tactics, he smiled as Aaron walked out from the arena, the rest in tow, and their gazes.

  “You… you actually beat me, A-ran. I’m… I’m not sure what to think.”

  “Sorry about the… You know.”

  “No,” Mo’han shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m well aware of how you fight. It’s in your blood. The level gap… the power difference. Incredible. It’s not how I would have fought, but it’s amazing nonetheless. Besides, it’s not like I let you get away with such an underhanded trick. You used your Skills and found an opening. You deserve this win as much as any.”

  “Thanks.”

  The others crowded around, congratulating and embracing them both.

  Quest Completed! Defeat Mo’han Khan

  Quest Rewards: Yendal’s Token [ Common ], Nexus Tournament Entry Ticket [ Unique ]

  Experience rewarded for completing a quest!

  [ Empty-Handed Energy Monk ] has LEVELED UP!

  43 → 44

  Aaron had hoped to see Yendal once more when completing the quest, but as the notifications faded, he accepted that it wasn’t happening.

  Oh well, I’m sure she’ll show up at some point.

  The ticket and the ordinary-looking token appeared, and Aaron quickly snatched them up and threw them into his scabbard. He hadn’t had time to inspect the rewards. He had a couple of minutes left to spend with the friends he’d made during his time in the trials, and he wasn’t going to waste it.

  Talia and Elmira came in for hugs, whilst Voidrin muttered about his clones, and how he would have handled Mo’han.

  “I still can’t believe you actually beat Mo’han,” Talia said. “That was amazing.”

  “Well, I kinda did. That said, I’m pretty sure there’s no way that trick would work a second time.”

  “So? You did it! I know you have that stubborn drive of yours, but you actually beat Mo’han! Besides, most fights don’t happen a second time. The fact that you can win at all against someone that strong is huge.”

  “Yeah…” Aaron scratched at the back of his head. “But a second chance was the only reason I won.”

  “It’s never good enough for this guy, is it?” Elmira said.

  “You two bastards are scary,” Mal shook his head, and his boys nodded along in agreement.

  Aaron glanced across at Mo’han, who was being congratulated, and they shared a knowing nod. Both had gained more respect for one another than they already had. He already knew Mo’han was incredibly strong, but experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely.

  “Well, I don’t care. I’m happy for you. I’m sure you’ll be more than a challenge for the monsters threatening our camp. Lucky, I got this!” Talia said, pulling the Waypoint from her spatial container as the final countdown began. “Wait…”

  “What is it?” Aaron asked, seeing her eyes widen.

  “Shit!” she exclaimed.

  She rummaged in her spatial container for a few seconds, eventually pulling out a wooden compass that looked straight out of a pirate movie.

  “Take this! Quick!”

  “What is it?” asked Aaron, grabbing it.

  “One of my trial rewards, but you can check it for yourself,” she said. “I just read the waypoint description again. It says it can summon people who survived my Tutorial, so—”

  Aaron didn’t hear the rest of her sentence because at that moment, suddenly, the lights went out, and he found himself in complete darkness.

  Please stand by, calculating trial performance and rewards…

  Patreon!