The humid morning air cracked with the sound of rapid clashes like gunshots. The crowd could only watch in awe, barely understanding what was happening. The light of the sun crept over the Novice village until it reached them.

Faust fought like a rhino. Nothing moved him back, pain didn’t phase him, and he hit like a truck. Each of his blows shook the air. Each move, twist, and kick felt so violent that people wondered how his body didn’t break under the pressure.

And even then, there was a method to the aggression that most wouldn’t see.

How he timed Drekar’s moves to make blows inescapable. The casual way his orthodox blocks and counters always saved him in sticky spots.

Most people would never see the serpent under the suit of violence and madness that Faust wore.

But Drekar did.

He paced himself and never presumed to have Faust on the ropes. He was like mist, impossible to touch but always near.

He was aggressively in Faust’s space, almost to an unwise degree. But Drekar managed it well. His attacks sought his most vulnerable points and came so unexpectedly Faust couldn’t capitalize on them.

He was so adamant on staying on the offensive for that very reason, because he couldn’t guess what was even coming.

Drekar’s pale skin never rippled when his muscles tensed. His huge dark eyes wandered around the field, never landing on where Drekar intended to strike next.

And he was strong, too.

Stronger than any other player here. A true monster that Faust could test his strength against.

A heavy bang shook the ground and they both shot back, stopping just a few feet from the borders of the ring drawn on the ground.

The two watched each other with opposing expressions. Faust smiled and bounced on his feet as he circled Drekar, whose dark look would make babies cry.

Drekar moved in first, with a knife stab with his bare fingers at Faust’s shoulder. Some kind of nerve strike, Faust did not want touching him.

He slipped past the strike and tried to grab Drekar’s hand and pull him off balance while throwing a knee at Drekar’s midsection. It landed cleanly, but even in defeat, Drekar wins.

He mitigated the damage by twisting his body, then his hand jabbing Faust’s shoulder hard. A piercing pain lanced over his bones.

Faust grunted and staggered back, trying to raise his arm. It was numb and shaking. That wasn’t good at all.

"You look a bit worried," Drekar said. "Don’t worry, our fight has just begun."

◇◇◇

Many people were attracted by the battle between two high-level players. Parties of players wandered over with their drinks and merriment. The more agile ones climbed the roofs of the buildings around the small square.

Soon the square was packed to the brim, with people just balancing on the edge of the ring, jumping back when the fight got too close.

"It’s like watching bullfights."

"How high does your agility have to be for you to move like that?!"

"WAIT! That’s Red God! Let me stream this. I really need viewers."

"Who is he fighting? That motherfucker is huge."

Among the crowd were five people pushing to the front. With his ridiculous strength, William was able to just pick people up and put them aside. Some complained, a few people even threw punches.

But they were like a soft wind against a fortress wall. And that strength extended to his friends behind him.

Darren and Tim pushed through the crowd with wicked smiles, sticking out their elbows and getting into quick fights.

Some people gave William dirty looks, but he ignored them. So many other people were fighting and this place was overcrowded. Besides, he wanted to see which boneheads were fighting.

Liora was right behind him, too, her warm, slender fingers wrapped around his. Anytime someone bumped her, he had to give the person a good shove.

Finally, he got to the front. One of the people reared back, shouting excitedly as they remarked how close the fight got to them. But then they stepped on his shoe.

A few punches later, all the other sheep gave William and his friends the gap they needed.

But as the fight came into view, William froze, his eyes narrowing in anger.

Faust.

He fought like a demon possessed. Far stronger than anyone without a System or Schema. William hadn’t forgotten how Faust deceived him, pretending he had neither so William would be unprepared when they fought.

In his anger, William didn’t think to understand how Faust was cheating, and let the bastard get an easy win.

But now Faust seemed to be on the ropes, losing to a giant of a man that moved far too smoothly to be human. It felt like he was watching a 3-D animation. People that big shouldn’t be able to move like that.

"We should have a word with that punk after this fight," Darren suggested, smiling wickedly.

’He’ll be weaker after the fight,’ William thought to himself. ’Not that I need that to beat him.’

"Yeah, yeah," William said, reaffirming himself and answering Darren at the same time. He was stronger now. And the skill his Patron gifted him would allow him to bypass Faust’s cheat defense Schema.

Liora squeezed his hand tighter, drawing his attention. "No, not in this crowd. That bitch, Nirvana, could be stalking around. I can’t believe he’s with her after everything I said..."

Fiery hatred bubbled in William’s belly as he saw the look on Liora’s face. He didn’t want her to think or even talk about Faust anymore.

"I want to beat his ass in front of everyone," William countered, hoping Liora wouldn’t protect him.

"We can just stream when we catch him off guard. Let’s be through with this. No matter how many slimes and weak monsters he farmed to get to rank one of the level leaderboard, he’s still a level above us."

That wasn’t a defense, but it wasn’t hostile enough for William. He let go of her hand and crossed his arms in annoyance.

Liora rolled her eyes and watched the match closely. A furious, possessive light burned in her blue eyes.

◇◇◇ 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The sounds of the cheering were almost deafening now. The sun fell on them in full, making the sweat glisten on his skin and his hair burn with crimson light.

Drekar had taken his other arm in the process of the fight. The nerve strikes made Faust’s shoulders ache and tremble as his arms flopped by his sides.

Drekar approached him with his hands down and a cold look on his face. "Don’t worry, we all lose sometimes. That’s what being a player is."

"Vi and I broke worlds together. We mounted invasions from the heavens, falling from the sky like meteors. Thousands of soldiers called her captain. The greatest warrior of our generation called her a genius.... We used to be great."

His expression had drifted into distant memories. A wistful smile curled his lips. He looked so pitiful despite his great stature.

Finally, he sighed. "But even the greatest things must come to an end."