Chapter 116: Aramide II

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Aramide II

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....

The girl continued moving.

She never stayed in one place for more than a moment.

Every time Tolu tried to corner her, she changed direction.

Every time he tried to use the terrain, she simply took to the air.

Every time he attempted to conserve energy, she attacked.

A shallow cut here.

Another there.

Nothing dangerous.

Nothing that would force the referee to intervene.

Just enough to keep him reacting.

Minutes passed.

Tolu’s breathing grew heavier.

The girl was breathing harder too.

But the difference was obvious.

She was still moving freely.

Tolu was beginning to slow.

His hammer suddenly felt heavier.

His legs felt heavier.

Even his earth energy seemed more difficult to circulate.

He swung.

She dodged.

He swung again.

She dodged again.

The hammer crashed into empty ground.

Another miss.

The girl landed several meters away.

She smiled.

Tolu stared at her.

"You planned this from the beginning."

She raised one of her blades.

"Of course."

"You don’t intend to beat me directly."

"No."

She smiled.

"I intend to make you beat yourself."

The crowd erupted.

Tolu’s expression hardened.

He knew she was right.

He had already pushed his body to its limits.

He had relied on dungeon energy during his battle against the Inaara girl.

He had fought another extremely close match against the Ologunri Academy’s axe wielder.

And now this girl had chosen the exact kind of battle that punished everything he had already spent.

She rushed him again.

Tolu raised his hammer.

She changed direction halfway through.

He followed.

She changed direction again.

His hammer swung through empty air.

She struck his thigh.

Tolu stumbled.

She immediately retreated.

The crowd roared.

Tolu planted his foot.

His breathing was now noticeably heavier.

The girl circled him.

Wind curled around her body.

The VIPs watched carefully.

One of them finally spoke.

"He’s losing."

Another shook his head.

"Not yet."

"But she’s accomplishing exactly what she wanted."

"Yes."

Jide’s expression tightened.

He could see it too.

Tolu was being worn down.

And the girl had barely committed to a direct exchange.

She was fighting the battle she had planned.

A battle of endurance.

A battle of attrition.

A battle where every second favored her.

Tolu looked at the girl.

She stood lightly on the balls of her feet.

Ready to move again.

His chest rose and fell.

His arms were tired.

His legs were tired.

The arena seemed louder than before.

And for the first time since the competition began, Tolu felt something he hadn’t experienced in any of his previous fights.

He was running out of options.

The girl suddenly smiled.

Then the wind exploded around her.

She disappeared once more.

Tolu raised his hammer.

But his movements were slower now.

Much slower.

And when she appeared behind him again, he barely managed to turn in time.

Her blade stopped only inches from his neck.

She pulled it away.

Then kicked off the ground and disappeared into the wind.

Tolu remained standing.

Barely.

The crowd erupted.

The situation had changed.

The fighter who had defeated five opponents in succession was now being pushed toward the edge.

And everyone watching could see it.

For the first time in the competition...

Tolu looked like he might actually lose.

Tolu remained motionless for several seconds.

The hammer hung loosely in his hand.

His chest rose and fell heavily.

The wind continued to move around the battlefield, carrying dust across the cracked earth.

Across from him, the girl stood with her blades ready.

She was breathing hard as well, but there was still a clear difference between them.

She had gotten exactly what she wanted.

Tolu had been exhausted.

He had spent the entire fight chasing her, swinging his hammer, defending against her attacks, and constantly forcing his body to react to movements he could barely predict.

The crowd was already beginning to anticipate the end.

Tolu lowered his head.

Then he slowly straightened.

His back became completely upright.

His shoulders relaxed.

His grip around the hammer tightened.

He took a deep breath.

Then another.

The girl watched him carefully.

She expected another desperate attempt to catch her.

Instead, Tolu smiled.

"I was saving this for the final."

The girl’s expression changed.

Tolu lifted his eyes toward her.

"But it’ll be useless if I can’t reach the final to use it."

A murmur spread through the arena.

The VIPs leaned forward.

Jide’s eyes widened.

"What is he talking about?"

Tolu closed his eyes.

Inside his mind, he reached toward the familiar presence.

Heart.

The Dungeon Heart responded immediately.

I am here.

I’m using it.

There was a brief silence.

Then the Heart answered.

Understood.

Tolu felt it.

A connection opened deep within him.

For an instant, the battlefield disappeared from his awareness.

He could feel the dungeon.

The earth beneath it.

The energy flowing through its chambers.

The roots of the Solace Tree stretching beneath the ground.

And the enormous reserve of energy that had been accumulated within his dungeon.

The Heart released it.

Energy surged through the connection.

Tolu opened his eyes.

The change was immediate.

The exhausted expression vanished from his face.

His breathing became steady.

The fatigue in his muscles disappeared beneath a flood of fresh energy.

His aura erupted.

BOOM!

A violent pressure exploded outward from his body.

The wind surrounding the battlefield was pushed away.

Dust scattered.

The girl’s hair and clothes whipped backward.

The crowd fell silent.

Only moments ago, Tolu had been barely standing.

Now his presence felt as though he had not fought a single battle.

The girl stared at him.

"What...?"

Tolu slowly raised his hammer.

His voice carried across the arena.

"I still have plenty left."

The audience erupted.

The VIP section was completely still.

Even those who had understood that Tolu was hiding something hadn’t expected this.

One of the representatives stood.

"That energy..."

Another stared at Tolu.

"He was exhausted a moment ago."

"How did he recover so quickly?"

Nobody answered.

The girl didn’t wait for an explanation.

She immediately surrounded herself with wind.

Her body became lighter.

She disappeared.

Tolu’s eyes followed her.

This time—

He was faster.

The girl appeared at his left.

Tolu moved.

CLANG!

His hammer collided with her blade before she could complete the strike.

Her eyes widened.

Tolu stepped forward.

She retreated.

He followed.

She changed direction.

He changed with her.

She launched herself upward.

Tolu slammed one foot into the ground.

Earth erupted beneath him.

He launched himself upward.

The girl twisted in midair.

Tolu was already there.

She blocked his hammer.

The force sent her spinning backward.

She landed.

Tolu was already in front of her.

She swung.

He dodged.

She attacked again.

He blocked.

He countered.

She barely avoided the hammer.

The next exchange lasted only seconds.

But every movement was different from the battle before it.

The girl was still fast.

Still agile.

Still skilled.

But the enormous gap in physical pressure had suddenly disappeared.

Tolu wasn’t chasing her anymore.

He was forcing her to react.

She attempted to retreat.

Tolu closed the distance.

She tried to take to the air.

He intercepted her.

She changed direction.

He was already waiting.

Her eyes widened.

She realized what had happened.

The fighter she had spent the entire battle exhausting was gone.

In his place stood a completely refreshed Tolu.

She tried one final attack.

Wind exploded around her blades.

She lunged.

Tolu stepped forward.

His hammer swung.

She raised both blades.

CLANG!

The impact knocked them apart.

Tolu twisted his body.

One final movement.

The hammer stopped.

Just inches from her neck.

The entire arena went silent.

The girl froze.

The head of Tolu’s hammer hovered beside her throat.

Had he continued the motion, the fight would have ended very differently.

Tolu looked into her eyes.

She stared back.

Then slowly lowered her blades.

"I surrender."

The referee immediately raised his hand.

"The winner is Tolu!"

The arena exploded.

Tolu lowered his hammer.

The girl exhaled slowly.

She looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and admiration.

"You really were saving that."

Tolu nodded.

"For the final."

She gave a small laugh.

"Good thing you used it."

Tolu looked toward the arena.

The path to the final had opened.

But his secret had just become much harder to hide.

....

The two of them left the arena through the passage reserved for the remaining contestants.

The roar of the crowd gradually faded behind them, replaced by the quieter sounds of footsteps, distant voices, and attendants moving through the corridors.

For a few moments, neither of them said anything.

Then the girl glanced at Tolu.

"I really thought I had you."

Tolu looked at her.

"You almost did."

She laughed softly.

"Almost isn’t enough, apparently."

Tolu gave a small nod.

"No."

She smiled at that, then held out a hand.

"Aramide."

Tolu looked at her hand for a moment before shaking it.

"Tolu."

"I know."

She pulled her hand back with an amused expression.

"At this point, I think everyone in the capital knows."

Tolu didn’t answer.

Aramide continued walking beside him.

"I’m from Ilaro. It’s not nearly as big as the capital. Most of the people there are merchants, craftsmen, or farmers. My family owns a shop."

"What do you sell?"

"Mostly cloth, spices, medicinal ingredients, things like that. Nothing particularly exciting."

She paused.

"At least that’s what my father would say."

Tolu glanced at her.

"You don’t want to run the shop?"

"I do."

She shrugged.

"I just don’t want to do only that."

Tolu nodded.

"Sounds reasonable."

"My father actually wanted me to focus entirely on the family business. He says I’m good with numbers and negotiating."

"Are you?"

"Very."

She smiled proudly.

"I can make a grown merchant regret trying to cheat me."

Tolu gave a faint smile.

"I believe you."

Aramide seemed pleased by that.

"My cultivation started because of him, actually. When I was little, he thought it would be useful if I could protect myself whenever I traveled with the family."

"And then?"

"I liked it."

She spread her hands slightly.

"Then I got better. Then I started taking it seriously. Eventually my father stopped telling me to treat it as a hobby."

Tolu listened quietly.

"My mother encouraged me too. She thinks I should do whatever I’m capable of doing."

She sighed.

"My father still thinks I’ll eventually become tired of cultivation and return to the shop."

"Will you?"

"Probably not."

Tolu nodded.

"Then he’ll have to accept it."

Aramide laughed.

"That’s what I keep telling him."

They continued down the corridor.

"I have two younger siblings," she said. "My brother is twelve and my sister is eight. They’re probably somewhere in the crowd right now screaming themselves hoarse."

Tolu glanced at her.

"They came to watch?"

"Of course."

She grinned.

"My brother has been telling everyone for months that his sister is going to win the competition."

"Did he?"

"He did."

"And you?"

"I told him not to embarrass me."

Tolu’s expression barely changed.

"Did he listen?"

"Not even slightly."

She laughed again.

They reached a wider corridor where several contestants and attendants were moving in different directions.

"I’ve actually been to the capital a few times before," Aramide continued. "But every time I come here, I find something new."

"Like what?"

"The markets. The restaurants. The cultivation district. Artifact shops."

Her eyes brightened.

"Jewelry shops."

Tolu nodded slowly.

"And?"

"And cakes."

Tolu looked at her.

"Cakes?"

"Don’t judge me."

"I’m not."

"You were."

"I wasn’t."

"You were thinking it."

Tolu shook his head.

Aramide smiled.

"They make these cakes with honey and roasted nuts. They’re ridiculously good. I bought four yesterday."

"Four?"

"I ate one."

Tolu looked at her.

"And the other three?"

"That’s none of your business."

For the first time, Tolu laughed quietly.

Aramide smiled at him.

"There. You do know how to laugh."

Tolu’s smile faded back into his usual calm expression.

"I laugh."

"Occasionally."

They walked a little farther before reaching a point where the corridor divided.

Aramide slowed.

"I suppose this is where we separate."

Tolu nodded.

"Good luck tomorrow."

"You too."

She took a few steps before turning back.

"And don’t brag too much about beating me."

Tolu raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn’t planning to."

"Good."

She smiled.

"Because if you ever come to Ilaro, I’ll show you where to get those cakes."

Tolu nodded.

"I’ll remember."

Aramide gave him a small wave before turning and disappearing down the other corridor.

Tolu watched her leave for a moment before continuing toward the contestants’ area.

She had done most of the talking.

He hadn’t really needed to.

Aramide seemed perfectly comfortable filling the silence herself.