Chapter 88

I am sitting on the crest of a small hill, staring at a tomb stone, I can vaguely make out words on it but I can’t read them through my tear blurred vision. The person buried here is someone important to me, but I don’t know who exactly, was it a mother? A lover? A friend? I don’t know, I can’t remember that much.

When I wake up I am crying softly, it’s been a while since I’ve had a dream of my past life. I sit there silently for a while, contemplating my previous life and everything I have managed to piece together of it during this life. I know that my younger years were peaceful; I grew up on a farm. Some tragedy happened, it’s not too clear what but I believe it had to do with my parents being murdered. I then somehow became that world’s equivalent to a hero, obviously with different rules but the same premise of a creature losing something in exchange for the ability to grow quickly is still there. And up through the memories I have seen so far I slaughtered my way through something, I don’t know what or why, but I did.

After several minutes I get up, I can’t spend all day trying to piece together memories from another world entirely. I head towards the makeshift command room, where I find Johanna sitting in a meditative pose.

“I took your advice.” Johanna

“You started cultivation?” Jack

“Yeah, and I’m good at it, really good. I did what takes the average person months in an afternoon.” Johanna

“Of course you did, you’re a genius after all. The only way I have managed to stay ahead of you in recent years was by working myself to the bone, sometimes literally.” Jack

“It seems you’ve managed to find your talent as well.” Johanna

“Yeah, it seems I was born to be a mage, I’ve only gotten good at fighting though hard work and suicidal tendencies.” Jack

“I’d love a rematch; I’ve grown much stronger recently. I don’t think you can affect me as heavily with your mind-fuck magic now.” Johanna

“Soul magic, the mind is only one part of it. But I digress. I would love a rematch; I believe there is a coliseum in this city.” Jack

She gets up with an unnatural grace that I would be hard pressed to mimic.

“Let’s go then.” Johanna

It doesn’t take long as the keep is very close to the coliseum, as we pass many soldiers stop to salute us, several heading in the same direction. Seems not even a hostile takeover can prevent the people from seeking violent entertainment.

Upon our arrival we see a fight between two human gladiators’ conclusion, with one of them being decapitated, followed by screams of approval from the audience. We make our way to the person overseeing today’s events and explain to him what we want to do; the local man says that he would love to facilitate a fight between the two of us, as long as we can promise a spectacle.

Minutes later we are standing at opposite ends of the arena, with the announcer describing what is about to unfold to the audience.

As soon as the beginning of the fight is announced we both dash forward, clashing in the center of the arena. Our initial clash consists of light blows while we size each other up, neither of us are going all out yet.

I blink away and drop a soulstone into my pocket so I can absorb it in case I need more energy. To my surprise Johanna vanishes, appearing behind me a moment latter leveling her dagger at my heart. I twist out of the way, swinging my short sword at her neck in the same motion. She ducks and teleports away. We meet each other’s eyes from across the arena, at this point we are seriously trying to kill each other, anything less would be disrespectful.

We move towards each other, clashing in the center again, every blow designed to maim and kill. She backhands my right arm, sending a wave of KI through it, weakening it while I begin to suppress her soul. I find an unprecedented level of difficulty with interfering with her soul, seems her cultivation is countering it somehow.

Deflecting a blow to the head with my short sword I light her on fire using mana, only for it to be put out just as quickly. I avoid a stab to the chest only to be hit with a dagger in my right forearm, I twist the arm to disarm her of the dagger, but in the process the bones snap. I blink away and seal my bones together with some healing magic and begin to strengthen it with my soul, however in my moment of distraction she teleports in front of me and punches my chest, sending that same KI through my body, shattering several ribs and making me cough up blood. I manage to chop halfway into her left wrist, her body is much more durable than before.

The open wound on her wrist ignites for a moment before sealing shut; she probably used some cultivation spell to cauterize it. I deflect a dagger with my sword before punching her in the shoulder, enhancing my strength with my soul. i feel the shoulder crack slightly before I move my leg out of the way of an incoming dagger, a shallow cut forming along my thigh.

Johanna teleports away, leaving behind a small round object, which promptly explodes in my face, blinding me temporarily. Relying on my soul for detection I pull out two potions, both made by uncle, a healing potion and a strengthening potion. Within moments I am feeling the effects, my ribs stitch themselves together, my right arm fully patches itself up and my internal organs recover from the minor damage. I trade out my short sword for a mace and my vision recovers enough to dodge a flying dagger, aimed at my gut.

I blink towards her, swinging my mace towards her right arm, attempting to shatter the bones. She manages to get her arm out of the way, but a quick change of direction on my part crushes her hand, making her drop her dagger, while I am unbalanced she strikes my left shoulder with her fist, using her KI to shatter it.

My left arm falls limp while my right swings the heavy club towards her shins, missing the left and shattering the right, this throws me off balance again. She lashes out with a short sword that appears in her hand and cuts clean through my shattered shoulder, letting it fall to the floor. She appears to struggle under the strain on her left leg for a moment, before she stitches it together with KI, which obviously taxes her.

Grinning I use some fire to cauterize the stump. Now that I no longer need to focus on reinforcing my right arm I reach out with my soul and try to squeeze Johanna, with puts constant strain on both of us.

She bridges the short gap between us, noticeably slower, and swings her sword at my side. I step back and the blade cuts through my shirt and leaves a shallow cut across my abdomen, but it hurts much more than it should, and her blade cuts through it too easily. Seems like she’s started infusing her weapons with KI, or at least more KI.

she moves to strike me again and I try to block, only for it to turn out to be a feint. While I recover she teleports behind me and cuts the tendons in my knees with a burst of power, thoroughly draining her. I fall on my knees and she rests her short sword’s blade on my right shoulder.

“I concede” Jack

End chapter 88