Chapter 549 - 548:And the winner is ?.?.?

Chapter 549: Chapter 548:And the winner is ?.?.?

Half of Keith’s body had changed, covered in black scales that pulsed like a beating heart as magma flowed beneath them.

His aura was still at Early Rank 0, only now it carried a chaotic feeling.

The left side of his body, from his face down to his left foot, was covered in those scales as Keith spoke.

"Can we begin properly?" Keith asked.

The Reaper stepped forward as his Low Rank 0 aura pressed down on everyone.

One after another, the crowd fell to their knees.

Whether they were rich merchants or nobles by birth, they all knelt before him, including all the Arena Masters.

Only three people were unaffected.

Two of them were the Young Miss and Devon, as a shield covered them both.

The last was Keith, who simply grinned.

Then the two clashed.

Vriinnnn...

A long screeching sound echoed through the arena as, for a brief moment, black and white collided, producing a blinding flash that illuminated the surroundings.

Then a shockwave followed as a thunderous roar reverberated throughout the arena.

Boom!

Ding!

Scratch!!

The two clashed relentlessly.

Even though Keith was one level below him, he and the Reaper seemed to possess equal power as they smashed against one another.

Boom!

They collided again, each taking a step back.

The Reaper gritted his teeth.

At first, he had thought this fight would merely be interesting.

After all, he had remained undefeated and had beaten everyone.

He couldn’t lose...

At least not if he wanted to achieve his revenge.

But now he knew this "Devil" had changed everything.

Something that had started with him holding the advantage had turned into this.

Without a doubt, this kid wasn’t a pure human.

Perhaps he was a hybrid between a human and another race.

But what race?

The Reaper had no idea.

Yet this half-transformed Keith could already match him physically.

The Reaper couldn’t imagine what Keith’s full transformation would be like.

And right now...

He didn’t want to.

"I won’t lose," the Reaper muttered as his eyes rolled back slightly.

He forced his body to stop himself from falling backward.

At the same time, Keith, his back bent, looked at the Reaper with a grin.

"Again."

"Again."

"Ag...ain."

Keith muttered as he slowly dragged himself upright.

Then—

Bang!

Boom!

The two punched forward simultaneously.

Their fists slammed into each other’s jaws.

It felt as though they had struck indestructible walls.

Both gritted their teeth as they turned their faces toward one another.

Then another punch followed.

One giant.

One small.

Yet together, they generated enough force to make the mountain they stood upon begin to crumble.

Bang!!!!!

Then Keith and the Reaper grabbed hold of each other.

Both planted their feet firmly into the ground as the arena sank by more than a meter.

Massive trenches formed while some sections of the arena dropped lower than the rest.

Up in the private room, the Young Miss watched through the glass as she spoke.

"At this rate..."

"Who do you think will win?" she asked.

Devon stepped beside her.

"Hard to say."

"At this point, neither of them has the upper hand."

"It all depends on who has more grit and stronger will," Devon replied.

"I see," the Young Miss answered.

Meanwhile, below...

The two finally began to bleed.

Cuts appeared across their faces, and their skin split apart.

Everyone knew Keith—the Devil—could regenerate.

But no one knew...

The Reaper could as well.

Very soon, their blood littered the arena as their blows grew weaker.

Their bodies became slower, and their regeneration became more limited with each passing round as the crowd gradually grew numb to the gruesome scene.

The two no longer used their weapons.

Only flesh against flesh.

Fist against fist.

The manly way.

Their bodies shattered under the immense force of every punch they threw.

One by one, the crowd felt their blood boil.

Soon, cheers erupted.

Half of the arena cheered for the Devil.

The other half cheered for the Reaper.

"Devil!"

"Devil!"

"Reaper!"

"Reaper!"

Both Keith and the Reaper seemed to be infected by the crowd’s excitement as their strength suddenly surged, and they charged at each other again and again.

After every clash, the protective dome shattered, and a new one instantly formed to shield the crowd as they roared in excitement.

By now, both Keith’s and the Reaper’s wounds had stopped healing.

Their bodies grew slower.

Finally, they dealt life-threatening injuries to one another.

Keith’s guts were ripped out, while the Reaper’s chest was pierced through.

The two finally stopped.

Then they both fell backward as the crowd fell silent.

The announcer gulped as he looked at the two men who had given everything they had and thrown the entire arena into chaos.

Neither of them had stopped fighting despite their injuries.

They had only stopped because they could no longer move their bodies.

At that moment, Keith and the Reaper both reverted to their human forms as they breathed deeply.

Their lungs filled with blood, causing them to choke.

"My first loss..."

Keith couldn’t help but mutter.

His long undefeated streak had finally come to an end.

Maybe it was a draw because the Reaper couldn’t move either.

But to Keith, anything that didn’t end with him being declared the winner was a loss.

"I guess it was enough..."

Keith couldn’t help but think with a smile on his face.

This final battle was one in which he had given everything.

The power behind every punch carried their beliefs.

Every kick contained their goals.

They had charged at one another knowing they might die in that battle.

At that moment, Keith could barely remain conscious.

His eyelids grew heavier...

And heavier...

Finally, just as he was about to succumb to the darkness—

"Son..."

"You can’t give up yet."

"Get up..."

"Win..."

"I’m still waiting for you."

A deep, ancient voice echoed through his mind as the two crimson eyes within the flames appeared once more.

At the said time, the announcer spoke

"It seems that, for the first time, the arena will witness a match ending in a draw."

"Both fighters are down, and—"

"Wait..."

"The Devil is getting up!"

"Even with his guts hanging out, he’s still moving!"

Keith picked up his scythe as he stood over the Reaper.

"Cough... cough..."

The Reaper looked at the human standing before him.

Despite suffering injuries that would have killed any normal person, Keith still held his scythe high.

"I gue... ss..."

"This... is... the end..."

The Reaper couldn’t help but think.

Then...

The scythe fell.

And he lost consciousness.