What Belal meant by stepping in could only be guessed by a few people. But that was for later in the future.
Ting
Bailey and Trek went into a deadlock as Trek pressed his sword against Bailey's. However, Bailey didn't back down, she held onto her ground strongly.
"Come one, give up already. You know you will lose." Trek said with a smirk, trying to dwindle Bailey's hope.
But that didn't work on Bailey, as usual. She said to him, returning the smirk back to him. "If you focus on one specific thing, you will lose other stuff."
Trek was confused before he came to a realization, but it was already too late.
Bam!
Bailey kicked Trek's waist from the left, making him stumble to the side. Trek wasn't even able to groan in pain properly when Bailey came beside him and gave him a horizontal slash.
Trek clutched his waist with one hand and defined the attack with another.
Ting!
Trek's sword was pushed back, leaving him vulnerable before Bailey. How could Bailey miss this chance? She immediately went for a killing blow.
'This bitch! Doesn't she know killing is prohibited!?' Trek wondered in shock as he felt death flash before his eyes. But he couldn't die this easily, he had to do anything to keep himself alive.
Trek quickly kicked Bailey's right leg as she was about to pull her sword back for a swing.
Bailey lost her sense of balance and fell onto her right knee. Trek used this opportunity to move away from Bailey and let him recover.
They couldn't use any mana; they couldn't use that to recover. But their bodies were already in the realm of the supernatural, so they just had to relax their bodies properly and they would heal themselves.
Recovering himself, Trek finally exploded in anger. "How dare you try to kill me? You think people would not notice? You really do not respect the rule set by Lord Arash."
"Hmph," Bailey scoffed, refusing to elaborate on her goal. "You expect everyone to be like you? To mistakenly kill someone? I have learned to hold back my strength in time."
Trek's face darkened as Bailey brought up an old wound, which he hated the most. "I will let you know what you get from angering me."
"Oh, it looks like we have more to see."
"Let's go! Finally, a fight I can enjoy in a while."
"You're right. Without drama, it feels boring. I don't even care about losing the bet now."
"Hahaha, me neither."
"Uhhh…" Tanaka started sweating a little. "Brother Belal, should we stop them now? I feel like it might go out of control."
Belal immediately shook his head, denying Tanaka. "No, we can't. When two warriors are deep in a battle, especially when they are at each other's throats, we should never meddle in, or it might bring deep backlash."
Tanaka could just reluctantly accept the current situation and watch silently.
" [ Tigers Claw ]. " Trek appeared before and used a skill that imitated the swing of a wild tiger.
Due to mana usage being prohibited, the skill didn't bloom to its full potential, but it had some power in it, which gave Bailey headaches.
Bailey put her sword to the right and evaded to her right side, grazing past the attack.
Screech
But Trek's sword came into contact with Bailey's, as it rubbed down on it below, blowing sparks.
Bang!
Trek's attack finally landed on the ground, making a small explosive sound. The crowd saw one deep scar on the concrete stage and two light scars on both sides.
'I freaking hate this move so much.' Bailey cursed in her head. Because of the skill at sudden explosive speed and with great strength behind it, it was hard to defend and dodge.
However, Bailey didn't want to be outdone by him, as she also used a skill of her own. " [ Graceful Breeze ]. "
Bailey appeared behind Trek and slashed at his neck. Still using his skill, he quickly swung back, just to miss. He glanced to the side as he saw her showing up there.
Bailey swung her sword at Trek's neck. Trek's eyes contracted as he quickly stopped using his skill and put his sword forward to defend.
Ting!
Trek's body pushed back, and his feet slid across the stage. Trek thought with shock. 'What is that skill? I have never seen her use it before? Did she perhaps learn it just to defeat me?'
'No way in hell will I let that happen! I will stop her right here, right now!' Trek immediately went into a battle stance and said softly, " [ Sudden Strike ]. "
Bailey's eyes widened as she saw Trek vanish before her eyes. 'He is going for a killing blow, one single strike to defeat me. Then let me show him my resolve.'
Bailey calmed her mind and focused intensely on her surroundings. Then, at that moment, she caught something in her range. She swiftly swung her sword at it. " [ Graceful Breeze - Winding Blow ] "
TING!
Bailey's sword clashed against Trek's. As a result of their clash, strong winds blasted in all directions.
They again went into a deadlock. But this time, Bailey's feet dug into the stage, indicating the force of the blow as the skin on her hands ruptured, blood trickling down from them. Despite all that, strong determination could be seen in her eyes—the goal in her mind being to win.
However, Trek ignored all that, as he could see his victory. He had full faith in this strike, as this was the best skill in his arsenal. He arrogantly said this to Bailey with a smirk on her face. "Come on, give up already. You can't win. You might be on par with me in fighting skills, but you are weaker than me in strength. Also, do you know what is unfair in the rule set by the Lord? He might have banned the usage of mana but not items. The one who has the best weapon will win. Mine is a 2-Star sword, bought from the best weaponsmithing shop in the city. No way will you win that puny, 1-Star sword of yours."
Trek's eyes slanted as he felt the victory getting closer and closer. He whispered to her softly. "Also, don't worry; you will be mine one day even if you refuse. I will take you when Belal is no more. So give up, alr-"
Snap
Suddenly, Trek's sword snapped in half, widening his eyes in deep shock. "Wha-!"
He wasn't able to finish his sentence when Bailey's sword slashed into his chest, blowing him out of the stage.
The crowd went dead silent, witnessing this sudden turn of events, but that didn't last long as they had to express their excitement.
"What the hell just happened!?"
"You blind idiot! Didn't you see that Trek's sword broke and he lost?"
"I did see, it's just I was…"
"That was such an awesome fight. I felt Trek was bragging about his sword, but it broke just after he said it. That was too funny. Hahaha…"
"Serve that arrogant bastard right. Hahahah…."
"NO MY MONEY!!!!"
While some laughed and some cried, it eventually announced the end of the fight.
Bailey looked at her sword, which had a few chips here and there, but other than that, it looked still new.
Bailey could say the victory was only achievable because of this sword. Earlier, when they were in deadlock, Bailey noticed from close range how badly Trek's were chipped. It had many broken edges.
Taking this opportunity and Trek's self-indulgence in his speech, she somehow managed to scrape her sword to dig deep into the most broken edge. After she was done, with enough force, she was able to snap Trek's sword in half.
'I didn't expect this sword to be this good!' Bailey was amazed by the sharpness and durability of the sword.
But at that moment, she heard a shout coming in front of her. She looked up and saw Trek glaring at him like a raging beast. "You bitch! I will kill you!"
Trek walked forward with a giant wound on his chest that had blood flowing out of it constantly. Fortunately, he still had his armor, or he might have to pay his earnings to hire a healer.
The crowd dispersed, giving Trek space to walk. Bailey glared back at him, readying herself for a big battle. She didn't even care about the city guards arresting them for fighting here. She won't get peace of mind without beating the hell out of this guy who has always harassed her.
Trek had gained enough momentum after walking for a bit and was ready to jump in, but suddenly he felt a giant hand on his sword. He growled back with killing intent. "Who is it!?"
However, his courage died down when his eyes met the man behind him. A towering shadow that was oppressing him with its inhuman raw strength. But that vanished, and he was met with a carefree and kind smile. "Trek, calm down. We shouldn't fight among ourselves, or what might the Lord think of us?"
It was none other than Belal who was worried about Trek and Bailey after feeling the conflict escalating very fast.
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