Clang!
Viktor moved first, his massive cursed greatsword cleaving through the air with terrifying force. The shockwave split the ground apart. Grid nimbly sidestepped, avoiding the direct strike.
'Fast for a giant knight!'
Grid retaliated immediately with Pagma's Sword Dance: Link — his sword becoming a blur of strikes.
— Ching! Ching! Ching! Ching!
Each blow slammed into Viktor's heavy armor, sparks flying, but the damage was shallow.
[Viktor received 1,200 damage!] [Viktor received 1,100 damage!] [Viktor received 950 damage!]
'As expected, crazy defense!' Grid frowned slightly.
Viktor responded by raising his greatsword and bringing it down in a brutal overhead slash.
BOOM!
Grid crossed Failure in front of him to block, the impact forcing him back several meters.
[You received 7,200 damage!]
Normally, Viktor's Death Pressure skill would debuff his enemies by slowing them.
But Grid, being a Legend, was completely unaffected.
[Legend status negates all abnormal conditions.]
'Hah, nice try.'
Viktor didn't stop. He stabbed again with precision, forcing Grid to twist aside and retaliate with:
Pagma's Sword Dance: Transcended Wave!
A brilliant blue energy wave erupted forward.
Kuwaaaang!
It exploded against Viktor's chest.
[Viktor received 18,500 damage!] [Viktor's posture is slightly broken.]
The Death Guardian stumbled backward.
Viktor's eyes gleamed with dark power. He opened his mouth and let out a chilling Cursed Battlecry — supposed to weaken defense by 15% for anyone nearby.
A dark aura spread across the arena.
Yet, again—
[Legend status negates all abnormal conditions.]
Grid smirked. 'Too bad. I'm not so easy.'
WHOOSH!
Viktor used a sudden charge skill to appear behind Grid.
Grid reacted instantly — the Divine Shield Holy-Guard barrier flickered to life, absorbing part of the blow.
[You received 4,500 damage!] [Durability of Divine Shield decreased by 12 points.]
Tch!
Grid gritted his teeth and activated another skill:
Pagma's Sword Dance: Linked Kill!
One heavy strike—two strikes—three—
Each was sharper and heavier.
[Viktor received 11,000 damage!] [Viktor received 15,000 damage!] [Viktor received 17,500 damage!]
The final blow split Viktor's armor. A deep crack ran across his chestplate.
'Now!'
Grid drove Failure into the gap with full strength.
Puchiik!
[Viktor received 38,000 critical damage!] [Viktor is in a "Broken Core" state. All stats decreased by 20%.]
Viktor staggered, the dark aura around him flickering violently.
But the Death Guardian was not finished. He roared and entered his Final Berserk Mode, sacrificing defense for a burst of attack power.
The ground trembled under his rage-fueled movements.
Grid wiped the sweat off his brow.
'If even one hit connects now, it's over. But—'
'I'm still a Legend.'
Michael watched from the arena's VIP seat, chin resting on his hand.
"Good... Good. If you can't handle even this much, you're unworthy," he murmured to himself, smiling faintly.
Meanwhile, Jishuka, Lauel, Faker, Pon, and Vantner sat tensely in the stands.
"This guy... Michael really gave us a monster to face," Jishuka muttered, tightening her grip on her bow.
"But Grid will win," Faker said calmly, eyes never leaving the battle.
It was a correct guess.
Even though Viktor was over level 300, his stats and equipment still fell short compared to Grid, who despite being only level 250+, had stats nearing 350+ level player.
With his legendary-quality equipment, Grid was indeed a difficult opponent to deal with.
BOOM!
Viktor, in his berserk state, swung his cursed greatsword like a storm. Each attack left deep scars in the ground.
Grid danced around them, barely dodging or blocking with Failure and his Ideal Dagger.
Still—
[You received 6,800 damage!]
[You received 5,300 damage!]
[You received 7,000 damage!]
Grid's health plummeted fast. His body felt heavy and sluggish under the pressure of Viktor's rage.
'Damn it! At this rate, I'll die first!'
He couldn't waste time anymore. Gritting his teeth, Grid activated one of his final trump cards—
Quick Movements!
His agility shot up.
FLASH!
Grid appeared behind Viktor in a blink, slashing with Linked Sword Dance!
[Viktor received 14,200 damage!]
[Viktor received 16,000 damage!]
Viktor twisted unnaturally, trying to counterattack, but Grid wasn't done yet.
He threw his Ideal Dagger into the gap he had made in Viktor's armor.
It plunged deep into Viktor's exposed core!
CRACK!
[Viktor received 42,000 critical damage!]
The Death Guardian shuddered. The dark energy around him began to violently collapse.
[Final Core Destruction! Viktor is unable to maintain form.]
With one last roar, Viktor's body exploded into black smoke and vanished from the arena.
[Victory!]
Grid fell to one knee, gasping.
[Warning! Your health is below 20%. Immediate recovery recommended!]
Sweat poured down his forehead. His body was covered in wounds and scratches.
His health had dropped by over 80%.
Still, the important thing was—
'I won.'
He raised his head to look at Michael, who was smiling lightly in the VIP area.
From the stands, Lauel and Jishuka stood up, clapping lightly.
"As expected of Grid," Lauel said, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Still, he needs healing fast," Pon muttered as he waved over Vantner, who was carrying healing potions.
"I hope you guys haven't forgotten—the match isn't over yet," Michael said just as Vantner was about to give a healing potion to Grid.
"Huh?" Vantner exclaimed, confused, as Jishuka frowned.
"Are you seriously resorting to cheating?" she asked coldly.
"As they say, the bigger they are, the dumber they get," Michael laughed lightly as he looked at Jishuka.
"What are you looking at, pervert?" She said angrily hearing him as her face flushed red.
Jishuka glared, but Michael continued calmly, "The match was between me and Grid. Viktor was just my summon. I even gave him a handicap by not fighting together with my summon. Yet you say I'm cheating?" he shrugged. "Use your brain."
Hearing that, Faker, Lauel, and even Pon looked serious.
"You're... right," Lauel admitted quietly, stepping back and signaling the others to stand down.
'We can't make an enemy out of him casually,' Lauel thought grimly, feeling the weight of Michael's presence.
Still, they kept their guards up. Michael might be right, but none of them trusted him fully.
"Let's proceed. But as a gentleman, I'll allow you to use a healing potion. At least this way, you won't say I beat you because you were weakened," Michael said with a slight smirk.
He then snapped his fingers — and Death Guardian Viktor reappeared, now fully regenerated to 50% health thanks to his passive abilities.
But Michael made it clear:
He himself would step in and fight Grid directly from now on.
Grid quickly drank a high-grade healing potion, feeling his health restore.
[Your health has recovered to full!]
He turned his gaze toward Michael, his grip tightening around Failure.
Meanwhile, Viktor stood quietly behind Michael, not moving unless ordered.
The real battle was about to begin.