Novel Full Chapter 272: Loser’s Bracket Winner - 3
Chapter 272: Loser’s Bracket Winner – 3
Chapter 272: Loser’s Bracket Winner – 3
“Are you an idiot?!” Lyra snapped sharply.
Uraan could see her clenched fist trembling. It wasn’t just anger—there was genuine fear in it. Combined with the near-death tension of the match, her emotions were clearly amplified.
“Who uses such lethal poison in competitions?!”
“What if Stormripper actually died?!” she shouted, her voice cracking at the end. Behind her, sensing its master’s agitation, the Raptor rose to its feet and fixed Uraan with a predatory glare.
Uraan instinctively raised both hands.
Damn… didn’t know she had such a vulnerable side…
He glanced around and noticed several curious eyes peering at them—healers and few staff members slowing down to listen. Clicking his tongue inwardly, he stepped forward, grabbed Lyra lightly by the shoulder, and pulled her a little aside to a quieter corner of the hall.
“Relax,” he said in a lowered voice, leaning closer so others wouldn’t overhear. “That’s just part of my beast’s skillset. And it was a weakened version of the poison—since it’s daytime. And trust me, I wouldn’t have allowed your beast to die.”
He spoke calmly.
“My beast can sense when something is actually about to die from its poison and can deactivate it. It’s originally a preying mechanism to catch prey alive, but still…” he explained quickly, making sure she understood that Stormripper had never truly been in fatal danger.
“Not to mention,” he added, “even a small amount of solar energy can naturally negate the poison’s effect. So you can be assured.”
Lyra’s breathing gradually steadied. The sharpness in her eyes dulled as logic overtook panic.
She realized she had overreacted.
Lyra’s expression softened.
Not to mention, Uraan was supposed to use his full strength in the fight, and he was also being considerate of her, so the audience doesn’t defame her, as well as keep their family reputation intact. Her mother was sure to be watching the match.
It was then that she became aware of something else.
Uraan was very close.
Close enough that his breath brushed faintly against her ear as he had been whispering to avoid exposing his beast’s secret. He didn’t owe her that explanation. Yet he had given it—just to ease her mind.
A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
“T-thank you…” she muttered.
Almost immediately, she stepped away and hurried back to Stormripper, brushing his neck to check his condition. The Raptor, now fully healed, still kept one wary eye on Uraan, muscles coiled as if ready to pounce should he try anything suspicious.
Uraan scratched his head awkwardly.
“Thank you…? For beating her? Masochist?” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head before turning to check on Midnight.
—
Soon, it would be decided who would face Tavian first.
Moments later, the announcement rang out.
Tavian Gridfall vs Dhalia Renner.
The winner of this match would fight Uraan. And after that, the victor would claim the Loser’s Bracket winner title and move onto next stage.
As soon as both students appeared on the arena ring, it was obvious who looked the happiest.
“Kekeke… Tavian!” Dhalia grinned widely, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Will you be able to defeat me after I summon my beast this time?”
“From what I remember,” she continued, cracking her knuckles, “you barely managed to win last time—even when my beast wasn’t out.”
Tavian merely smiled in response, calm and unreadable.
“Why do you think you’re the only one who kept your cards hidden?” he replied evenly.
The next moment, his staff vanished in a flicker of light as he shifted into a grounded martial stance—feet apart, knees slightly bent, arms relaxed but ready.
As he settled into position—
“Body Enchantment—Rhinoceros!”
His eyes sharpened as he activated the body array. A faint glow pulsed beneath the fabric over his arms. Upon closer observation, the silhouette of a rhinoceros shimmered briefly across them before fading into his skin.
His thighs and legs tensed.
“Body Enchantment—Falcon!”
A wing-shaped glow flared across his back.
“Are we really about to witness a Life Talent student engaging in close physical combat so confidently?!” the Host’s voice boomed with excitement. “Ladies and gentlemen! Brace yourselves—we are about to witness something epic!”
Tavian stopped at 2 enchantments, his breathing subtly heavier.
“Hmph! You cannot fight 2!” Dhalia declared, slamming her palm forward as mana flared.
The Boreal Shellbeast materialized beside her.
“GROOWWW!” it roared, icy vapor spilling from its maw as it charged straight at Tavian—
But—
SHEEEENNNGGG!!!
The hidden array formations suddenly lit up around the ring. Lines of light intersected, and an astral chain shot upward, wrapping around the beast’s limbs and torso, binding it mid-charge.
“W-what?! When did you cast your arrays?!” Dhalia demanded, eyes widening as she watched her Shellbeast struggle. And the chains even looked a whole lot strudier than before he fought him.
Wait… Didn’t he use these same strong chains on that Leo guy? How did he easily broke them?
“Array Engraving—Strength.”
Tavian’s voice sounded right beside her.
Her pupils contracted.
THAM!
A straight punch crashed into her face, enhanced by the Rhinoceros enchantment. She was flung backwards, skidding across the ground.
Yet the wild grin on her face never faded.
She twisted mid-air, dug her fingers into the soil, and forced herself to a halt. Frost began to gather around her fist, icy mist coiling upward as Tavian closed in again.
She launched an uppercut.
“Enchantment Falcon—Cancel. Enchantment—Buffalo!”
A bulky, horned silhouette shimmered across his chest.
THUD!
The icy uppercut struck squarely.
Instead of bones cracking, a solid, stone-like sound rang out. The Buffalo enchantment absorbed the impact—but in the next instant, the glowing buffalo form flickered violently and shattered like glass.
“Tsk. One hit and it’s gone for an hour…” Tavian muttered under his breath.
There was clearly a cooldown on each enchantment once broken.
“Enchantment—Falcon!”
A wing-shaped glow came back across his back.
Only if the enchantment shattered did the cooldown trigger. Voluntarily cancelling it didn’t count.
Unlike arrays that consumed mana, enchantments drained physical stamina. And it showed—only a short while into the fight, sweat began forming on Tavian’s brow, his breathing heavier.
The falcon on his back enhanced speed.
The rhinoceros on his arms amplified his strength.
The buffalo on his chest granted defence.
And there were still others he hadn’t revealed.
Suddenly, Tavian gritted his teeth and activated a 3rd enchantment.
“Enchantment—Panther!”
A sleek feline glow rippled over his legs this time, lean and coiled with speed. In the next instant, his movements became astonishingly fluid—his body bending, twisting, and weaving with extraordinary dexterity. Where he had previously needed to block some of Dhalia’s strikes, he now slipped between them effortlessly, as though dancing through a storm.
Then his movements changed.
They followed a pattern.
2 fists.
2 elbows.
2 knees.
2 shins.
And finally—
Unlike Muay Thai—
The head.
The Host’s eyes widened in realization.
“People! Like I said—we are about to witness something epic!” he roared. “Behold! One of the most deadly martial arts from the lost era—Lethwei!”