The crack of wood against wood rang through the training yard as Leon deflected Karr's brutal strike. His palms burned from the impact, arms trembling with the force behind it.
Karr grinned, a savage glint in his eyes.
"You're still standing? Good. I hate easy kills."
Leon said nothing. His instincts screamed at him to move, to fight, and the system whispered alongside it, feeding his body with tiny surges of energy.
[Combat Link Active]
[Selene's Bond Boost: +10% Reaction Speed | +5% Physical Resilience]
Karr launched forward again, faster this time. His staff swung low, aiming for Leon's knees.
Leon barely twisted out of the way, the tip brushing the edge of his boot. Too close.
"You're sloppy," Karr sneered, stepping in with a brutal shoulder-check.
Leon stumbled back, gasping, but somehow stayed on his feet.
'Think, Leon. Think!'
Karr was stronger, faster, and experienced. There was no way he could match him head-on.
But maybe… maybe he didn't have to.
Leon tightened his grip on the staff. Instead of retreating again, he lunged—straight into Karr's attack.
The older user's eyes widened in surprise for a half-second.
Leon ducked low, letting Karr's wild swing pass over his head. Before Karr could recover, Leon slammed the butt of his staff into Karr's ribs.
Thud.
Karr grunted and stumbled back two steps, more surprised than hurt.
[Critical Hit: Unprotected Flank]
[Minor Damage Dealt.]
Leon's chest heaved with exertion, but a grim smile tugged at his lips.
'I can hurt him.'
Karr's grin twisted into something nastier.
"No more games."
He slammed his staff into the ground—and the tattoos on his arms flared bright red.
[Skill Activated: Domination Surge]
[Temporary Boost: Strength +20% | Resistance +10%]
Leon's system flashed a warning.
[Alert: Hostile Power Spike Detected.]
[Suggestion: Defensive Maneuvers Recommended.]
Leon barely had time to register the warning before Karr was on him.
The next hit was a blur of motion. Leon managed to block—but the sheer force hurled him backward.
He slammed into the training yard wall, the air whooshing out of his lungs.
Pain flared across his back, but somewhere deep inside, something else flared too — something hotter, sharper.
[Emergency Sync Triggered.]
[Bond Boost: Selene's Passive "Crimson Resilience" Activated.]
[+15% Pain Resistance for 30 seconds.]
Leon forced himself upright, coughing.
Across the yard, Karr paced like a predator, staff spinning lazily in his hand.
"You're tougher than you look," Karr said. "But it won't save you."
Leon wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, heart pounding.
'No more running. No more hesitation.'
Selene's voice echoed in his mind, low and velvety:
"Trust the bond. Feel it. Let it guide you."
Leon closed his eyes just for a heartbeat—feeling the warmth of the system, the pulse of his connection with Selene and then opened them, a new sharpness in his gaze.
When Karr charged again, Leon didn't retreat.
He stepped in.
The world slowed around Leon.
Every beat of his heart pulsed in his ears, syncing with the faint glow from the bond mark over his chest.
The connection to Selene thrummed stronger now warmer, deeper flooding him with clarity.
Karr's staff came whistling toward his side.
Leon didn't try to block it fully.
Instead, he angled his own weapon, letting Karr's strike glance off, and twisted under the larger man's guard.
'Karr's open!'
Leon drove the end of his staff up into Karr's exposed armpit hard.
Thud!
Karr roared, staggering, momentarily dropping his guard.
Leon didn't hesitate.
He pivoted, shifting his weight, and swept Karr's legs out from under him.
Karr hit the ground with a grunt, dust exploding up around them.
[Critical Hit: Mobility Disrupted]
[Host Advantage: Temporary Upper Hand Established.]
Karr snarled, trying to scramble up, but Leon was already moving.
He slammed the staff's tip into Karr's wrist, knocking the weapon from his hand.
Clatter.
The wooden staff bounced across the courtyard stones, useless now.
Leon planted his boot firmly on Karr's chest, pinning him.
The system chimed:
[Victory Condition Achieved.]
[Opponent Subdued: Karr.]
[Options: (1) Absorb Minor System Fragment | (2) Leave Opponent Broken.]
Leon stood over him, chest heaving, eyes locked on Karr's.
The older man glared up at him, hatred burning hot but there was fear there too now.
Real fear.
"You lose," Leon said quietly.
He thought for a moment then mentally selected:
> (1) Absorb Minor System Fragment.
A ripple of energy burst from Karr's mark and into Leon's hand.
It felt like drinking fire—painful, exhilarating, right.
[System Fragment Acquired: Minor Boost – Physical Resilience +1.]
Leon staggered slightly as the sensation faded, feeling heavier, stronger.
Karr lay gasping beneath him, utterly defeated.
From across the yard, Aria clapped slowly, stepping out from the shadows.
"Well done," she said, smirking. "You didn't just survive... you won."
Leon straightened, heart pounding from more than just the fight.
He looked at his hands, feeling the lingering heat of the bond, of the system alive within him.
He had faced a stronger enemy and come out on top.
For the first time since waking into this strange new world,
Leon realized something.
He could thrive here.