Vais hastily drew his dagger and tried to strike….
But before his blade could reach, a blindingly fast kick from Henry slammed into his stomach.
「Gahha!!?」
The blow hurled Vais backward into a tree, crashing against it with a violent impact.
The tree collapsed from the force.
Vais could barely breathe.
Gritting through the pain, he forced himself to his feet and tried to recover his stance.
But Henry was already upon him, moving with such speed that it defied the eye.
An overhead heel kick came down.
Vais rolled to the side just in time and countered, stabbing at Henry’s side with his dagger.
It was a flawless counterattack.
However,
「Too slow.」
「!?」
Henry sidestepped the stab with ease and drove a punch straight into Vais’s side.
His movement was so fluid that Vais couldn’t even begin to react.
The fist connected with Vais’s ribs.
「Guh…!」
His face twisted in agony.
Then another blow struck his cheek.
Then one more to the gut.
「Ggh… gahh!!?」
Each strike carried devastating power.
Even a single punch was enough to nearly knock Vais out.
Vais thought to himself.
(How… how is this so one-sided!?)
Watching Henry during the tournament, he had believed they were close enough in skill that a real fight could go either way.
He thought their abilities weren’t too far apart.
But now, he understood just how naïve he’d been.
And then, Henry moved to finish him.
But,
Rena intervened.
Leaping down from the trees, she slashed at Henry in an attempt to rescue Vais.
But Henry sensed her approach.
In a flash, he jumped and performed a backflip, landing a kick directly on Rena mid-air.
「Kuhha!!?」
Rena was sent flying, crashing into a nearby boulder.
The rock cracked under the impact, and Rena collapsed to the ground.
She wasn’t unconscious, but the damage was severe, she couldn’t stand.
(He’s… too strong…)
Vais shuddered.
Henry’s combat ability was beyond imagination.
Power, speed, technique, he was overwhelming in every aspect, on a completely different level.
No one Vais had fought in the past even came close to this.
Now, he understood clearly.
He had no chance of winning.
(Damn it…!)
Vais trembled at the creeping certainty of death.
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