Mona felt his body grow weaker by the minute. However, he refused to stop channeling Aura into Reithar, Mithal and Aeron. They were at a critical juncture, and if they succeeded, all of them would be able to avoid elimination.

Mona could tell that they had the initial disadvantage. All of their foes were Aura Mortal Level 10, while Reithar and the others were Aura Mortals Level 9. The one level gap may seem simple, but it added a great deal of stress.

On the other hand, all four of them were using the Primal Fold Technique to channel Aura, giving them the advantage in speed of Aura regeneration. After all, a Lord ranked technique, no matter if it is incomplete or of the weakest form, will always defeat the speed of the best Mortal ranked technique.

Thus, the biggest factor in their bouts were not their Aura levels or their Aura regeneration, but rather the skills of their techniques. Reithar was using the Finite Arrows Art, a Mortal rank Art at the peak Mortal rank. His battle was troublesome, but he only lacked the chance of one strike to defeat his enemy.

Mithal was using his endurance ability instead, waiting for his enemy's stamina to run out to defeat him. From the speed of the opponents' punches, it was only a matter of time before he was wiped out.

Aeron was having the most trouble. Although the Primal Fold Technique not only regenerated Aura but also healed the body, Aeron could feel that old bruises were being replaced by newer ones given by his foe. He lacked agility to dodge, and only he could persevere to hide his weak points and land a strike. Perhaps when Mithal and Reithar were done, they could help Aeron.

While Mona was trying to catch his breath, he noticed that the other Arena fighters all stopped with their bouts. Instead, they started at him with sinister smiles, chuckling and jeering at him as he struggled to breathe. Why are they doing this?

Mona heard Reithar shout, but he wasn't able to tell what he said. From his exhaustion, he couldn't make out what Reithar said. All he could do was trust his sight, and even that had a limit. From the direction they're cheering, is there someone behind me?

As Mona began to turn around, he noticed the speedily approaching Heigler, and several bodies laying unconscious in the distance. He knocked out his team? Mona began to focus, his breathing steadily returning to normal. Up to this point, he had emptied the majority of his Aura Core. Being an Aura Mortal Level 6, he only had a third of his Aura left.

"Aurum child, time to fall!" Heigler kept his hands rigid and flat, his Dagger Art completely activated. As an Aura Mortal level 8, he felt that overtaking Mona would be a breeze. So what if he was a Lord ranked Technique? He's on the brink of collapse. All he needs is a little...push.

Heigler was just 20 feet away from Mona, continuing to accelerate. His Aura Technique may have been lacking, but his skill over his Dagger Art was at the peak completion of Mortal rank. Few Aura Mortals training in the same Art would be able to outdo him.

Mona could feel his breathing gradually calm down, although only for the moment. He didn't know how long this sense of stability would last. Charging Aura, he refilled his Aura reserves with the Primal Fold Technique as well as strengthened his body. His sense of hearing became clear once again.

Heigler was just 5 feet away, his hands ready to unleash strikes. Plastered on his face was a malevolent smile, his eyes full of excitement. He enjoyed every minute of chasing after his prey.

Mona steadied his body, feeling the Aura from the Primal Fold Technique return his Aura reserves to half full and his body to its optimal state. Weariness no longer lingered in his eyes. The only trace of exhaustion left was the thin layer of sweat that covered his skin.

"Fall!" Heigler had made his way towards Mona, the Dagger Art being presented. Heigler's hands were sheathed in a dark blue Aura, visible and filled with its owner's wickedness. The Dagger Art made his hand akin to small yet sharp blade, ripping through the air towards Mona's left side.

I have to time it right, then I can overtake him. Mona watched the approaching right hand, waiting for the critical moment. His legs were prepared to sidestep, his breathing unnoticeable. The hours he trained with Mithal, although no less than a day, had taught him something crucial. Evasion could be key to survival.

Heigler didn't see Mona move a single inch. Yes! Be filled with fear, and fall for me, Aurum child. Fall. His hand was a few inches from Mona's side, ready to stab into his body with the Aura veil.

Now. Mona sidestepped to the right, his body pumping with adrenaline. With a single movement, he sidestepped three feet, showcasing the grand ability of the Primal Fold Technique.

Body Strengthening Arts came in various forms from those that concentrated on a specific skill such as agility or jumping ability, to those that covered the body overall. The Primal Fold Technique was Lord ranked, and the bonuses it gave to the body were quite impressive.

Hence, when Heigler was still in joy, he didn't notice Mona's rapid movement. His hand struck out at a retreating figure, missing but half a foot.

"What?" Heigler stood in a puddle of Mona's hard work, his hand outstretched. His body was in an irregular figure as he stared at where Mona once was. Where did he go? Heigler stood upright, looking for Mona. As he turned his head left, he felt shock. How did he go all the way there?

When he attacked Mona, he thought that the frail noble was frozen with shock, unable to move. Who knew this was wrong? The young noble wasn't scared at all, he was only faking his fear to time to evade his Dagger strike.

Gryfor looked at Mona, his gaze not revealing his thoughts. Does he have two treasures on him? One that allows Aura training beyond a Mortal Curse, the other for evasion? Gryfor understood Mona had the Lord ranked technique, but the timing of the frail noble was akin to his own. Could he really admit that a young frail noble that hasn't trained Aura for as many years as him had bested him in evasion skill?

I must get his Lifeblood. I must. Gryfor was searching for the perfect moment to apprehend Mona Aurum for his blood. With it, he could advance far higher than by natural means. His desire for the child's Lifeblood only grew as he watched this battle royale.

Heigler looked at Mona, his sight frigid. He couldn't believe that a frail noble had caused him so much shame on the Arena mat. The crowds that were originally supporting him were now whispering about his inability to deal with Mona.

Heigler decided to stop playing around. His two hands were cloaked in his dark blue Aura, the Dagger Art activated for both. He made his way to Mona, his speed far greater than before. He didn't plan on showing mercy.

Mona continued using the Primal Fold Technique, his Aura recovered to about 70% of his maximum. As he saw Heigler coming at him full force, Mona prepared to use his Aura to move quickly. Mona's Aura covered his body rapidly, a milky white color glowing from him.

Heigler approached with his two hands, his left jabbing towards Mona's right side. His gaze flickered with viciousness as he aimed just below Mona's ribs.

Mona took a step back with the Primal Fold Technique, his body traveling a total of two feet. This did not stop Heigler as he came with his right hand, striking for Mona's left arm.

Mona shifted once again, his body reappearing three feet to the right. This went on several times, each exchange involving Heigler's failed attempt at striking Mona.

"Stay still! Do you think you can run forever?" Heigler's face was ugly. He tried attacking Mona almost 20 different times, each with the frail boy leaving Heigler to attack air. It only added to his rage. His emotions affected his Aura, making it darker and more wicked.

Aeron looked at Mona with worry. His body continued to be strike by his foe, the opponent hoping for Aeron to fall. I need to be unpredictable. Aeron struck at his enemy with his left hand through the Primal Fold Technique. He knew he was taking a risk, but to help Mona he had to defeat his enemy.

Reithar and Mithal followed in suit, taking actions that seemed more unpredictable. Unable to gauge reactions, the three different fighters had trouble resolving their predicaments. Under the attacks of Reithar and the others, all of other fighters had trouble continuing on.

Mona and Heigler kept going with their game, dodging and weaving between the fights of the other three. Heigler's rage continued to grow. I can't believe it has been 100 strikes, and I haven't attacked him. When will he run out of Aura?

Mona kept his attention on Heigler, balancing his movements to avoid Heigler and not bumping into the other three fights. He didn't want to involve his friends with battling two enemies at once.

He's getting faster. Mona noticed that every time he dodge Heigler, he seemed to be inching closer and closer.

I need to quicken my pace. Mona began to quicken his speed, trying to balance out the steadily nearing Heigler. If Heigler was barely able to see Mona before, he was not even able to track him down now.

This only made the enraged Heigler more furious. His anger was fueling his burst of speed as he tried to regain his tiny advantage.

The crowd continued to watch the entire situation. Reithar and the Varlier brothers were each slowly reducing their enemies' stamina. Mona and Heigler dashed around the triad of fighters, ever accelerating.

Aeron was able to land a strike on his enemy, causing the foe to wince in pain. The bruise on the opponent's arm caused him to wince in pain. Following was another strike on his other arm. The pain was quite great, but bearable as Aeron was soon counterattacked.

Heigler began to inch closer to Mona once more. His technique may have lacked against the Primal Fold Technique in terms of body strengthening, but he was gradually getting used to Mona's almost robotic movements.

Mona hadn't trained for long with Mithal, hence his performance was rather easy to tell. Heigler was able to predict every time Mona would move and then reach his destination a bit faster than him. Over time, it wouldn't be odd to say Heigler would catch Mona.

Knowing that Heigler was improving, Mona decided to go with defense. He abruptly stopped moving around the Arena, stopping at his position from the beginning. The Aura he channeled glowed like the full moon at night, tranquil and peaceful.

Heigler felt his anger lessen as he began to charge at Mona. Maybe his Aura is running out?

A Dagger jab came at Mona's stomach, almost where his Aura Core was. He concentrated all of his Aura to the area and his left hand, planning on blocking the upcoming blow.

Heigler feinted an attack at Mona's navel region and struck with his other hand at Mona's other side. A wound developed on his right side, blood flowing through and staining his clothing. The cut wasn't deep thanks to the Primal Fold Technique. In a few moments, the cut formed a scar, a sign of his body healing.

Heigler began to trade blows with Mona, his jabs against Mona's defense. The speed of their exchanges only grew.

At first the crowd could see their hand movements, but eventually all they could see was blurs. Aysen felt a bit of amazement at their attacks. Is this really the mortal with the Mortal Curse?

Ardor felt a tinge of regret. Why didn't I interrogate that Jaspen further? I could have had such a Technique! Excelling Gryfor would be easy. He felt a bit of anger grow in his heart as he saw Jaspen smile at Mona's bout.

Heigler continued to rain down Dagger attacks, targeting Mona's torso and body. Many of his strikes were blocked, but a few made it pass his defense and caused minimal wounds. His displeasure was only growing. If it wasn't for that Lord rank Technique, he would have died.

Mona was gradually getting used to battling Heigler. Fewer blows were making it pass his defenses. Although a good deal of his stamina had been exhausted, he didn't fell he would faint anytime soon thanks to the Primal Fold.

Heigler could only find joy in that Mona remained on defense. His constant attacks were forcing the frail figure to do so. However, he understood that his strikes were gradually reducing his energy. He looked at Mithal and back at Mona. Don't tell me he will be like that guy?

Mithal was beginning to eke out an advantage with his enemy. Although many of his attacks had not caught this slippery combatant, one of his strikes did, forcing his opponent to fight with his remaining good arm. The opponent was enraged that an Aura Mortal one level below him had injured him to such an extent.

The arm seemed to be fine, but in reality it was not so. Many of the bones inside were either broken by the impact or the aftermath. Veins were badly mangled within, and the opponent could not feel his fingers. All he could do is control his upper arm to hold the bloody limb behind his back and fight with a single hand and his feet.

A few among the crowd on the Arena mat thought about intervening with the others, but feared retaliation from Gryfor. Although they had all heard the rules, they couldn't guarantee that Gryfor wouldn't act if Mona Aurum was targeted, or if the three people fighting Mona's group was assaulted instead.

The sun was bursting high in the sky, sweat falling from all people watching the battle royale. Puddles of sweat occurred around the participants, signs of their struggle.

Heigler didn't believe that Mona Aurum would last this long, even with the Lord ranked Technique. This mortal was able to fight on par with him, a man that trained in Aura perhaps all his life. Inwardly he couldn't help but envy the frail figure in front of him.

Mona was taking deep breaths, his muscles all trying to help him through. Time to switch to offense. Mona waited till he blocked the next Dagger strike. Then his fist struck out, targeting Heigler's arm to his surprise.

Not good. Heigler tried to dodge the blow, but the momentum from his earlier struck slowed his speed. Mona Aurum's attack landed, causing him severe pain.

The sound of a bone cracking in two could be heard as Heigler's left arm was attacked. Blood came out from within, his skin ripped and scratched. The attack of the Primal Fold had damaged his nerves within, and this arm Heigler could no longer control. The pain coursed through his spine, stopping his movements.

"Ahhh..." Heigler clutched his destroyed arm, hanging solely by his skin. Without the proper medicine, such an injury would become permanent. He thought about retreating from the match and getting healed through Doctor Aysen's aid, but his rage was boundless. I have to injure both his arms for this assault. Otherwise, I won't be satisfied. Anger flickered in his eyes.

The Dagger Art Heigler had channeled before was nothing more than the embodiment of Aura. For any Aura practitioner, using an Art allowed the user to first carry a trace of the Art in their attacks. Thus, Heigler attacked Mona only with the embodiment of Aura. The Dagger Arts came with their own attacks.

Heigler was trying to be cautious to not use the written attacks of the Dagger Art. Not only did he feel striking Mona with such a skill would be overkill, it was an easy way to exhaust his own Aura. Arts needed considerable amounts of Aura, and thanks to Heigler's many exchanges, he didn't have much left.

But he didn't care. He had to get back face from Mona Aurum and secure his position in the top 100 survivors. No one on the Arena wanted to become an eternal slave to do someone else's bidding.

Heigler's lips spoke various lines of his Art, the Aura in his hand melding and forming.

"With each slash, reap a life. With each stab, reap a soul..." Heigler continued to chant the verses needed to activate the first skill of the Dagger Art. Around him, his dark blue Aura grew dark and heavy, all of it concentrating in his remaining arm.

The Aura coagulated and condensed into a vague shape. It grew in detail until finally forming an edge. The edge became a blade, the blade became a six inch dagger made of Heigler's Aura, dark and cruel. The edge of the blade gave off the feeling of sharpness, as if it killed many people in the process of testing its strength.

Heigler gripped the blade, infusing more Aura into it. The blade began to glow, creating a dark blue Aura of death. Those on the Arena began to back up, trying to put some distance between them and Mona's battle.

Upon seeing the blade, Reithar couldn't help but worry. He fought harder, faster in hopes of helping Mona survive Heigler's strike. From the look of that dagger, Reithar could tell it was very dangerous indeed.

Mona looked at Heigler as he charged Aura into the dagger. The blade greedily ate all the Aura it was given, giving off a ghastly blue light.

"Dagger Art: Blade of Evisceration." Heigler spoke weakly, seemingly tired. He had charged all of his Aura into this Blade of Evisceration attack. Exhaustion flooded his body, and if he didn't use the Blade of Evisceration quickly, it would dissipate along with his goal.

Heigler dashed towards Mona, his hand clenched around the Blade. A crazed expression covered his face as he sprinted, Mona feeling a sense of danger. He began to solidify his Aura all over his body, his Aura Core releasing waves after waves of Aura.

Heigler's blade grew increasingly frightening as he neared Mona, almost like it sensed its master's feelings and felt the need to satisfy them. The horrifying pressure the blade gave off reached Reithar and the others, stopping their attacks.

The three fellows that were fighting them had backed off. Not only were Mithal and the other two able to hold their ground, Mithal along with Aeron and Reithar had the advantage in their bouts near the end. With Heigler preparing to attack, the three fighters had the perfect moment to retreat without seeming like cowards.

Reithar and the others watched their enemies quickly surrender and leave the Arena mat. Behind him by about 20 feet, Mona was channeling his Aura to the maximum, preparing to take Heigler's blow.

Mithal tried to dash for Mona, but something was wrong. As Mithal entered the core of the Blade's pressure, his speed decreased to a crawl. He wouldn't be able to reach Mona. Mithal's pained expression told Aeron and Reithar that the region he stood was the furthest he could go.

Heigler was only 15 feet away from Mona, happiness flickering in his eyes. In one strike, I can defeat this Aurum child. Then the others will be my only problem. The Blade of Evisceration seemed to reflect its owner's joy as its ghastly aura grew more fatal.

The approaching Heigler gave Mona all the more reason to focus. He looked at Heigler with a resolute expression. I can do this. The milky white Aura that covered his body merged into his hand, and disappeared.

Mona looked at his hand, his thoughts flickering. A trace of fear entered his mind. Where did it go? Where did it all go? Heigler was on his way, and his left hand had consumed all his Aura. A strange feeling came off of Mona's skin.

Turning his hand, on the back of his palm, Mona could see a mark appear. He recognized this mark. It was much more vivid, more different than before. On his skin two circles rose, one smaller circle set in the larger one. Four smaller circles arranged themselves between the two circles, as far apart from one another as possible. This tattoo glowed like the moon, the center circle filled with various runes.

The tattoo glowed and glistened, rising and falling in brightness with a steady rhythm like the ocean tide. Up above the clouds began to grow in size, as if following the mark of the tattoo. The sun was barely visible from a crack among the clouds.

In Mona's palm, a translucent red fire appeared. Shocked, Mona watched as the red flame covered his entire body, replacing the milky white Aura with that of a crimson red. A sense of unbelievable strength filled Mona as Heigler appeared, unaffected by the Aura change.

The Blade of Evisceration was stabbed straight at Mona's sternum, the blade held by Heigler in a reverse hold. Heigler put all his strength into stabbing Mona with the dagger, hoping for him to at least faint from injury.

Sadly, that did not occur. As the Blade tried to break through the crimson wall of Aura, it cracked like ice in front of a fire, bits and pieces falling to the floor. Heigler fell to the ground in front of Mona, unconscious from losing all his strength. The Blade bits on the ground began to change form, disappearing as wisps of Aura.

Mona felt his heartbeat pound heavily at his chest when the blade approached, only for it to subside. He felt lightheaded, but forced himself to stay awake. The crimson Aura that surrounded his body gathered back to Mona's hand.

The original crimson flame had several shades of white mixed within, as if it lost a part of its energy through protecting Mona. It entered Mona's body again, the tattoo on the back of his left palm fading from view as it had returned. An intense feeling of weakness swept over Mona as he fell to his feet.

Just what, what was that? Mona's body was on the verge of collapse. He used his consciousness to look into the Bubble, and finally realized. The Aurum Ring was the source of that flame. In the gem of the ring, a flame of red and white floated, radiating heat. I was right...it was...Aura...

Mona felt his body was ready to faint as Mithal and the others made their way to him. The others watched Mona's eyes flicker, his body ready to give. He was tired, without much energy left in his body to kneel, let alone stay awake.

"Mona, talk to me." Reithar tried to keep Mona conscious, using the Primal Fold Technique to fill Aura into Mona, but to no avail. Mona wasn't just tired from fighting. A dark yet empty feeling permeated into every one of his cells. It was the feeling he had every time he advanced, only greater.

Heigler didn't move at all, his body unconscious on the floor. His injury started to worsen as no energy was left in his body. Mithal and the others watched as his Aura Core collapsed to level 7 just to keep him alive.

That's why you don't use Arts. Mithal had long ago learned the Varlier Family's book on their signature Lancing Arts. He memorized all the verses, all the lines to all of the attacks those Arts can allow one to use.

The problem? One had to be at least a Warrior to use them. Arts can only be used to their full effect by Warriors. It was forbidden for Mortals to use an attack found in an Art. Heigler was lucky; even with his injuries, he only lost a single recoverable level of Aura. The worst that could happen is one returns to being a mortal after feeling intense pain as one's Aura forced its way out of one's body.

Gryfor looked at Mona Aurum, a flash of greed filled his eyes. That treasure of flame, that tattoo on his left hand. These heirlooms of the Aurum family. His Lord ranked Lifeblood. To defeat the Emperor, they must be mine!

Gryfor rose up from his seat, his great war axe revealed to the crowd. "Mona Aurum. As the Warden of Darkthorn Prison, you are sentenced to imprisonment for intentionally injuring your fellow captive. Guards, leave no way for anyone to leave." Gryfor smiled demonically at the grim faces of Mona's friends.

His chance to rise to the summit of the Alberdan Empire had come at last.