Despite buckling heavily, Darius somehow remains standing, his leg trembling violently.
"Clean hit! 9-3. Continue!" the referee declares.
Hearing this, Alex shows no hesitation. He refuses to risk anything now that the fight is nearing its conclusion. He casts his prepared Fire lvl 3, sending flames crashing into Darius.
Darius screams in pain as flames engulf his clothes, his Aura too depleted to shield him completely.
Taking advantage of the opening, Alex hurls his final Annihilation Grenade lvl 3 along with his remaining fake grenades.
Darius, summoning his remaining strength, unleashes another 360-degree shockwave, bouncing the grenades away. Alex braces himself, raising his [Shield of Pluto] and channeling his Aura to absorb the impact. Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
“Now!” Alex mutters as he activates Blizzard Sword lvl 3, propelling himself forward with another speed boost. He charges at Darius, who is still burning, visibly drained, and struggling to keep himself upright.
Alex slashes at Darius, but the floor master, showing incredible reflexes, blocks with his hammer, reducing the attack, to minor damage.
In desperation, Darius counters with a bare-fisted strike. Alex instinctively shifts his Aura with Ryu, focusing his defense to tank the impact. Despite his efforts, the punch lands with tremendous force, slamming into his chest.
Alex winces but grins through the pain. “It’s over!” he yells as he activates Toxic Breakthrough lvl 3, landing a devastating blow, piercing his claw deep into Dariu’s chest.
Alex darts back, confident that the fight is won. He glances at the referee, expecting the declaration of victory. Instead, the referee shakes his head, refusing to end the match.
Alex snarls inwardly, cursing as he notices Darius preparing another desperate hammer strike.
Alex thinks, dodging the hammer swing just in time.
“YOU WANNA PLAY IT THAT WAY, HUH? FINE! YOU’RE GOING DOWN!” Alex screams, his voice echoing through the arena, rattling the audience.
“What is happening?! Somehow, despite Alex landing a decisive hit, the fight continues! Will this be the turning point?” Mina yells, her voice frantic with excitement.
Fueled by rage, Alex begins casting spell after spell, using every drop of his remaining MP.
Blizzard lvl 3, Thunder lvl 3, Fire lvl 3, Blizzard lvl 3, Thunder lvl 3, Fire lvl 3
Darius staggers as each spell chips away at his defenses. His Aura shrinks with every hit until he finally collapses to his knees, the poison taking its toll as well.
Not taking any chances, Alex draws his [Mr. 5’s .44 Caliber 6-Shot Revolver] and unloads all six bullets into Darius’s chest and legs.
Alex deliberately avoids critical areas, showing restraint despite the chaos.
“STOP!!!!” the audience, and even Mina, scream in unison, fearing for Darius’s life.
Mina’s voice echoes through the arena: “WHAT IS THIS REFEREE DOING? As the moderator, I warn you—this fight is OVER!”
Finally, Darius collapses completely, unable to continue. The referee, visibly shaken, raises his hand and announces: “Critical hit and down. 12-3. Winner, Alex Kerber!”
“IT IS OVER! MEDICS, get him some help!” Mina screams.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this was too much for my poor heart to bear, but we have a new floor master! Alex Kerber, with what I can only describe as a decisive assault of what looks like real magic, has finally taken down the mighty floor master!”
Alex lifts his fist into the air and screams in joy!
[Secret Quest completed:
Mission: Beat Darius in a fight and become a floor master
Reward: [Chest (Purple)], 1 Stat point, [Shockwave Hammer]]
[Due to achieving the title of floor Master, you have gained worldwide recognition as a skilled martial artist, and your future interactions with the characters of this world will reflect this]
Alex thinks, seeing Darius, with his last strength, shoving his hammer toward him before finally losing consciousness.
Alex thinks, before slowly walking out of the arena, not in the mood or condition for an interview. But Mina sprints down and blocks his path.
“Wait a minute, Floor Master Alex! We need to do your victory interview. You won’t reject Mina, will you? This makes me cry—our new floor master doesn’t like Mina.”
The audience claps, laughs, and a few even boo.
Alex thinks, before sighing and saying, “Fine. Two minutes.”
“You are the brand-new floor master of Floor 237. How does it feel? Are you satisfied?”
Alex responds: “No. I feel I lost this battle. Darius is still clearly superior to me in almost everything. I think I only won because I took the time to devise a proper strategy instead of brute-forcing it like Darius. I’m slightly proud that Darius revealed a new ability just to fight me, but overall, I am still very weak. In a few years, that will change. You can be sure of that.”
“How boring! Why are you so humble now? Can you be any more fake? Mina doesn’t like fake men!”
Alex, for the first time in his life, feels a giant urge to outright slap the hell out of a woman but endures and responds: “Can’t you be serious for once? I am hurting all over, Darius is bound to spend months in the hospital, and you expect me to gloat? It was a hard battle.”
“Okay, last question: Are you prepared to apologize and compensate the audience who got hit by your shrapnel at the beginning of the fight?” Mina asks, her face feigning innocence and concern, but a slight evil smile betrays her true intent.
“Darius knocked that dangerous object into the crowd. It’s not my fault. Goodbye!”
“Wait a minute…” Mina starts, but Alex quickly walks out of the arena, scanning the audience and noticing a few familiar faces.
Kastro gives him a warm smile, Sua gives him a thumbs up, and Hisoka, standing at the very top of the stands, exudes a vile, nasty aura, his eyes fixed greedily on Alex.
Alex thinks, seriously freaked out as he quickens his pace and leaves the arena.