In an instant after putting on the gauntlets he had brought out of the rift Bovin's aura had changed.

No longer was he a frightened little boy but a fighter first class.

A man who had been fighting for years, a rugged veteran, someone who knew what they were doing but in the end his face betrayed him.

He was still scared, now even more so.

His fighting style was that of a hand-to-hand brawler.

With very fast and strong but elegant and efficient movements he rushed at me.

There was only one person I could compare these skills to.

Jarant, a stone troll, who was not only the strongest physical person I had known of but also the best hand-to-hand fighter.

Only once I fought him, in a friendly sparring match, no equipment, no skills.

And I will never forget that experience.

He, too, was fast and strong, though Bovin compared to him was lacking a sort of refineness.

At first, I could do nothing but dodge by a hair's breadth. I could manage but this sudden turn had surprised me.

But even after getting used to it, there was not much I could do and every hit that I did pull through was easily deflected by the new armor he had put on.

Without stopping his barrage of swings he, with what felt like almost an unwillingness to do so, activated a few skills.

"[Master of the Unarmed], [Hammer and Tongs], [Asura], [Double Strike], [Strength], [Knuckle Lore], [Strong Strike], [Hidden Dragon], [Pressure Point], [Natural Talent]."

After each cast, it was harder and harder to avoid the strikes that came but thanks to [Avert Rule] I handle it, even if unconsciously.

Where did he get these skills from?

It must have something to do with that annoying woman in the crowd.

I laughed while continuing to dodge and block.

I had to thank her.

A thanks for this interesting challenge.

I bided my time until an opening revealed itself but that was unnecessary.

After another minute Bovin dropped the gauntlets completely and jumped back to where he had lain down the other items and picked up the tome.

With another flash of light, his armor had changed to robes.

In these moments I decided to take action.

Using [Mortal Draw] the distance between us shrank in an instant but in the tiniest moment before my blade connected with him, I was frozen completely, in the striking position.

"What has happened?" I struggled with all my might but to no avail.

"I don't know," he answered, just as confused as I was, "Ashe! What happened?" He asked the woman in the crowd.

"TURN-BASED, BABY!" She answered as if we should have known what that would mean, "DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. THIS IS GONNA BE OVER SOON. I DON'T WANT TO TURN THIS INTO A REAL TOURNAMENT ARC. SO THIS IS GONNA BE THE LAST CHAPTER, MAYBE, IN THIS PLACE. NOT SO SURE BUT WE GOTTA END IT WITH A BANG!

HERE THE RULES FOR YOU KIRITO," I thought she meant to refer to me, "OPEN UP YOUR MENU, YOU GOT ACTION POINTS."

Even though I could not move my body I could open my skill menus without any hindrance.

I had exactly fourteen of these so-called 'Action points'.

"THEY SCALE WITH DEX. EVERY SKILL, AUTO-ATTACK, OR MOVEMENT COSTS ONE, I THINK. TO BE HONEST THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I USE THE SKILL AND I DIDN'T READ THE DESCRIPTION THAT THOROUGHLY. BOVIN'S GOT THE HIGHER INITIATIVE SO HE CAN START FIRST."

"Brother, how many 'points' do you have available?" I asked, it was getting harder and harder to move my mouth.

"A hundred thirty-two."

"Wha-?"

He had to be joking.

The first action was taken.

[Color Code: Shocking Pink]

He touched my hair with his finger and it turned from its dark brown to an eye grading pink.

I could hear Ashe laughing hysterically.

He took his second action.

[Silent Cast]

Then a third.

[-----------]

There was tension but then nothing.

I didn't feel any different, nothing seemed different and there was no reaction from the crowd, expect for one person.

"WHAT?!" Ashe yelled down, "THIS GUY CLEARLY ISN'T A TEN OUTTA TEN. WHY DIDN'T [Handsomefy!] DO ANYTHING?"

I smirked, "Jealous perhaps?"

"SHUT UP."

[Oil Splash]

From the tome thick dark fluid came bursting out and the whole of the arena was covered in it, Bovin and I included.

The magical barrier between the battlefield and the audience made sure that nothing touched them.

[Fire Immunity]

[One with the Flame]

Bovin ignited and everything did so with him.

But even though I was aflame I felt no pain. I had nothing to negate fire damage with.

I wanted to say something but couldn't, this time I could not move my mouth.

Bovin cast another spell on me.

[Free Speech]

I could imagine what that skill would do.

Though I could not look up to the woman I could still yell out to her, "could you explain this 'turn-based' ability more in detail?"

"DAMAGE IS CALCULATED AFTER A TURN HAS ENDED."

She was angry and I had a feeling that she was the one controlling my brother.

"AND FUCK YOU," she added.

[Unfulfillment]

Bovin began casting.

“THE ONLY THING IT DOES IS 1 DAMAGE.”

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After 122 cast his turn had almost finished.

It was neither as fun for Bovin or me as it was to Ashe.

He used his last two points to change into another set of equipment and to pick up the strange lute that was on the ground next to him that was still covered in burning oil.

And when it finally was my turn every single cast of that damned spell hit me at once.

It threw me to the ground and a burning sensation began but only once.

I could stand but had lost almost half of all of my health. Most of the damage came from the burning, the other spell was just an annoyance.

"Bovin," I said through shallow breaths, "after I am finished with you I will strike down that damned woman."

I held up both of my swords to begin.

[One with the Spirits]

Both my blades began glowing with energy they drew from the surroundings.

[Red Break]

My swords crashed down on the ground right before Bovin and decimated everything that was at a ninety-degree angle in front of me.

Or that is what it should have done.

The ground and the coliseum wall in the direction I had cast [Red Break] were torn up but Bovin was not, there was not a scratch on him or his equipment.

I was out of breath and I didn't know what to do.

I took a step forwards and slash out as often as I could until it was the end of my turn.

Then it was his again, I dreaded to think what would happen next.

But I realized that I could move freely again when I realized that the fire was eating up my clothing rapidly.

The only place to turn was behind Bovin, where the fire and oil has been cleared through [Red Break].

I dashed there while throwing off my coat and laid on the ground and closed my eyes.

At first, I felt the weakest I had ever been but then there was a warmth, like light flowing through me.

When I looked at Bovin he was playing a song on the lute, I couldn't make out the sounds but I knew that it was refreshing my spirit.

The oil and fire started to disappear into nothing.

I only had a moment to try to decipher the music further because there was an uproar in the crowd the next moment.

Ashe first went through the magical barrier that was in place, which should have been impossible, not even the strongest of spells should have gone through it, then jumped down into the battlegrounds.

She walked over to me and reached out a hand.

I refused to take it.

"Still got your pride, eh?" She said turning around, walking to the place where the rest of the items from the rift had lain.

"Broken," she commented, "sadly not all were fire-resistant. Man, I really wanted to use that bow."

"Release my brother," I demanded from her, "he is not here out of his own will. That much I could gather."

"No shit, when'd you realize? When he was flailing around like a marionette?" She said mockingly. "Hey, you wanna fight me for him?"

I wanted to say yes but after all I had seen my confidence was shaken.

"Up, up, my man. I have an idea," she said to me while walking over to Bovin.

She took the lute out of his hands and he fell on the ground like someone had cut his strings, "Thanks, Bo. I think you handled yourself very beautifully."

He had a coughing fit but seemed to be okay.

She put the lute and placed it into another rift in the air then picked me up with one hand and dusted me off, "now, you know what a duel is, right? Course you do, everyone does. I want one attacked from each of us, with a sword because that seems to be your proficiency, you can use both of yours. Is that all right with you?"

I was speechless.

"Here, I'll even buff you."

[Limit Breaker] [Bloodlust] [A Bit Berserk] [A Bit Berserk] [Sharpest Edge] [The Might of Blessings]

"Oh, lemme try something out."

"Please, gods, no," Bovin mumbled.

"I got a skill called [Copycat: Strength], it lets me copy the magnitude of a buff to another and I can put that on you."

"And what is so special about that skill?"

"You don't know the strongest buff I have on myself."

[Copycat] [Buff X] [Swordsman]

"So? You want more."

"No, no. I'm fine," I answered while staggering up, "how strong was that 'buff'?"

"Oh, about twelve quinquinquagintillion times."

"That is not a real number."

"Trust me it is," she assured me.

I looked at Bovin who was still on the ground, "will you truly let him go if I win?"

"Sure. I'm a man- uh, woman of my word."

We each took a few steps back.

I unsheathed both of my swords and as I looked on [Storm's Rage] it wasn't damaged in any way anymore.

Had the healing song that my brother played also mended the sword?

I looked at Ashe from a distance, she was still unarmed, "will you not be taking out a weapon?"

"Nope," she shrugged.

There were no more words.

This was the moment

Everything I had I poured into one spell.

[Core Breakdown]