Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

Chapter 259: Chapter: 258 Arrogence can get you killed.[2]

"AH...FUCK!!"

Kavin snarled as pain exploded through his body. Every breath sent a sharp ache through his chest, while his broken arm throbbed so violently that it felt detached from the rest of him.

The impact of Donaven’s punch had shaken him down to his bones, and for several seconds he could barely gather his thoughts. Blood ran into his eyes, blurring his vision and painting the world in shades of red.

Slowly, he forced his eyes open.

The arena around him swam in and out of focus. His ears still rang from the collision, but as his senses gradually returned, he noticed something strange.

The deafening cheers that had filled the Grand Arena only moments ago had almost disappeared. Thousands of spectators were staring at him in stunned silence.

Some looked shocked while others looked horrified, many simply looked defeated.

Three seconds had already passed.

Not long ago, countless people had been rushing toward betting stalls and throwing money at the possibility of Kavin crushing Donaven within a few seconds.

Now the same people were watching him half-buried in a shattered wall after being overwhelmed by a single punch.

The referee hurried toward him and inspected his condition with a serious expression.

"Will you surrender?" he asked.

It was a reasonable question. Kavin’s arm was hanging uselessly at his side, blood covered half his face, and cracks spread across the stone behind him from the force of the collision.

Unfortunately, Kavin wasn’t feeling particularly reasonable.

Planting his feet against the broken stone, he pushed himself upright. Fragments of rock fell from his shoulders as he stepped out of the crater and back onto the arena floor.

The movement sent another wave of pain through his ribs, but he ignored it and wiped the blood from his eyes.

Then he spat.

A mouthful of blood landed on the arena floor as his gaze locked onto Donaven.

The giant stood in the center of the battlefield with a grin so wide that Kavin immediately wanted to punch him in the face.

"Weren’t you going to defeat me in one second?"

Donaven called out loudly enough for most of the arena to hear. His grin widened further as laughter began spreading through sections of the crowd.

"What happened? From where I’m standing, it looks like you’re the one who almost lost in a second."

Kavin’s eye twitched.

His gaze drifted toward his left arm, the sight made his expression darken.

The arm was bent at an unnatural angle, and the skin around the injury had already begun turning blue. He attempted to move his fingers but nothing happened.

He tried again but the arm remained completely limp.

The impact had damaged more than just the bones. Judging by the complete lack of response, the nerves had likely suffered severe damage as well.

"Fuck..."

The curse escaped through clenched teeth. That arm wasn’t going to be useful for the rest of this battle.

Taking a slow breath, Kavin summoned his wakizashi.

Space rippled slightly before the familiar weapon appeared in his remaining hand. The sight of the blade helped clear his thoughts.

He was injured, bleeding, and currently missing the use of one arm, but the fight itself wasn’t over....not even close.

The moment his stance settled, Kavin exploded forward.

The arena floor cracked beneath his feet as he crossed the distance between them. His speed drew gasps from the audience, and before many spectators could even react, he was already in front of Donaven.

The wakizashi flashed toward the giant’s neck, the strike was swift, precise, and aimed directly at a vital point, yet the blade met nothing.

Kavin’s eyes widened in shock.

Donaven had vanished.

There had been no visible dodge, no attempt to block, and no movement that Kavin could track.

One moment the giant had been standing there, and the next he had dissolved into countless particles of light.

An instant later those same particles gathered beside him. Donaven reappeared on Kavin’s right with his fist already moving.

The attack came so quickly that Kavin barely registered it. His instincts immediately erupted with warning.

The first punch had already shown him what would happen if one of those fists connected cleanly. Taking another hit to the head was not an option.

Without thinking, Kavin dropped his body lower.

The giant’s fist swept over him.

Even though the attack missed, the pressure generated by it still washed across his face.

Several strands of hair blackened and curled from the friction, and the faint smell of burning drifted through the air as the punch passed overhead.

The moment the attack missed, Kavin countered.

Twisting his body, he drove the pommel of the wakizashi toward Donaven’s right clavicle. He wasn’t aiming for a fatal injury this time.

Breaking the giant’s shoulder would be enough. Restricting the movement of those monstrous arms would immediately reduce the danger of every future exchange.

The weapon descended but just before impact, Donaven dissolved into light again.

The attack struck empty air again.

Kavin immediately abandoned the follow-up and retreated several steps.

A cold feeling crept into his chest.

The giant wasn’t merely fast. There was something unusual about the way he moved.

Before Kavin could think further, particles of light gathered above him.

His eyes widened as Donaven appeared directly overhead. The giant clasped both hands together and brought them down toward Kavin’s skull with enough force to crush stone.

There was no room to dodge nor was there any room to retreat. The attack had already begun descending.

"Mire of Time! One point five times slower!" The words rushed from Kavin’s mouth so quickly that they nearly blurred together.

The spell activated immediately.

A strange ripple spread through the air around Donaven, and the giant’s movements noticeably slowed.

The change wasn’t dramatic, but it was enough. For the first time since the fight began, surprise appeared on Donaven’s face.

Kavin seized the opportunity without hesitation.

Launching himself upward, he wrapped his legs around Donaven’s neck and locked himself in place. At the same time, he drove the wakizashi toward the giant’s throat, attempting to capitalize on the brief opening created by the spell.

The attack should have landed, Donaven was already committed to his downward strike, and the sudden slowdown had clearly disrupted his timing.

Yet just before the blade connected, the giant dissolved into particles of light and disappeared from Kavin’s grasp once again.

The sudden loss of support ruined Kavin’s balance.

Unable to maintain his hold, he dropped awkwardly onto the arena floor and immediately rolled away before climbing back to his feet.

Several meters ahead, particles of light gathered together.

Donaven reappeared. This time, however, Kavin paid far less attention to the giant’s grin than he did to everything else.

The confusion was obvious, the amazement was obvious too. Neither expression concerned him. What caught Kavin’s attention was something much smaller.

Something Donaven was clearly trying to hide, the giant’s breathing wasn’t quite as steady as before. His shoulders carried a slight tension that hadn’t been present at the start of the battle.

Even the timing of those strange disappearances felt just a little less natural than before. Each observation by itself meant very little.

Together, however, they painted a completely different picture. Kavin stared at him for several seconds as the pieces slowly fell into place.

The repeated transformations into light. The refusal to trade blows directly despite possessing overwhelming physical strength.

The subtle signs of strain appearing every time he used that ability.

A grin gradually spread across Kavin’s bloodied face.

The pain throughout his body remained as intense as ever, and his broken arm certainly wasn’t going to repair itself anytime soon, but his thoughts were finally beginning to clear.

He understood...

’So that’s how it is, huh?’