"His Highness is moving with such fluidity and speed that it seems as if he is anticipating Eric's every move before he even makes it. It's really awe-aspiring!" Vikhilk said.

"I hope he wins and overcome the shameless suppression of the Frostweavers," Annika said, looking at Evan with adoration.

...

'Why can't I hit him?!'

With each passing moment, Eric grew more and more frustrated. His attacks were met with nothing but air, and Evan seemed to be dodging them effortlessly as if they were nothing more than a mere annoyance. He didn't know that with a measly 25 points in agility, he could never catch up to Evan, who had 43 points in Agility and above 40 points in dexterity.

"Is dodging all you know?!" Eric cursed.

"Too easy!" Evan tauntingly exclaimed to piss him off.

Eric glared at him, his face contorted with rage. "I'll show you what's easy!" he snarled, lunging forward with a wild punch. Evan sidestepped effortlessly, and Eric stumbled past him, his fist hitting nothing but air.

Eric was desperately trying to regain his balance, but before he could even take a breath, Evan's foot came crashing down on his rear end with incredible force.

Bam!

Eric was sent hurtling through the air, completely knocked off his feet by the brutal impact. His body hit the ground hard with a dull thud, and he struggled to get back up, wincing in pain as he rubbed his sore behind.

Evan stood behind him, a smug grin on his face.

"That's what you get for messing with me," Evan taunted Eric in a voice dripping with contempt.

Eric glared up at him, anger bubbling inside him.

"I am done holding back," Eric said as he pulled out his magic weapon and, at the same time, focused all his soul energy on his soul plate.

In an instant, his body was surrounded by a blinding light as his form began to shift and twist. His skin became covered in a layer of shimmering silver armor, each piece intricately crafted with countless joints that allowed him to move without any hindrance to his speed and agility.

The transformation had been completed before anything could be done to stop it. The armor hummed with power as if eager to be put to the test.

"I almost died of boredom there," Evan said, yawning. "If you are done transforming, come at me. I don't have all day to teach you manners."

"You still think you can beat me? Don't make me laugh!" Eric taunted, his voice muffled by the helmet of his armor. "I'm a living weapon now, and you're nothing but a punching bag!"

Whoosh!

Eric charged forward, swinging his mace with all his might. Evan sidestepped the attack and landed a quick jab to Eric's stomach.

"Ugh!"

Eric grunted in pain but quickly recovered and swung again, this time aiming for Evan's head.

Evan ducked and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow. "You're too slow," he taunted Eric. "Let me show you how it's done."

He launched into a series of quick strikes, aiming for the joints in Eric's armor.

With each hit, he chipped away at the defenses until finally, with a swift kick, he sent Eric's mace flying from his grasp. The mace flew out of the arena, landing on the grass field in the distance.

Eric was stunned.

"How...how did you do that?" he stammered.

How could he be so easily disarmed?!

Evan smiled, "I noticed that your grip on the mace was too tight. By attacking the joints in your armor, I forced you to use more strength to compensate, which made you grip the mace more tightly. Your movements became evident as a result. This made it easier for me to anticipate when you would make a mistake, and I capitalized on that opening to disarm you. It was a small detail, but it made all the difference."

The eyes of the onlookers widened to the size of saucers as they realized what had just occurred. They had thought that Eric was unbeatable, but Evan had found a weakness and exploited it with masterful precision. It was a move that only a true battle genius could pull off, and Evan had just proven himself to be one!

"Without a weapon, what would he use to fight His Highness?"

"His fist?!"

"Don't make me laugh. He is like a child in front of His Highness. His fist would never connect!"

"Eric has lost this match!"

"So it seems."

The crowd's murmurs pissed Eric. "Shut up!" he exclaimed, and the onlookers closed their mouths.

"What are you being angry at them for? They are only speaking the truth," Evan said. "You're ending up as my servant today."

"This fight is far from over!"

Eric growled like a beast and lunged forward, his fists flying. Evan sidestepped each attack with ease, landing precise blows to Eric's exposed areas. Eric staggered backwards, blood dripping from his nose and trickling out of his mouth.

"I'll...I'll defeat you!" Eric roared.

Evan looked at Eric in the same way a generous man would look at a pitiful and wounded puppy. "No, you won't," Evan said calmly. "You've lost, and you know it."

"It doesn't end until one of us is down!" Eric exclaimed as he charged at Evan one last time, throwing a fist at him.

"Foolish till the very end." Evan sighed as he gathered a portion of his strength in a single point, focusing his ice-type soul energy into his fist. He launched a devastating punch that collided with Eric's attack head-on.

Eric felt a shockwave of force ripple through his body as he was sent flying across the arena, his momentum completely halted by Evan's powerful strike.

Thud!

He hit the ground hard but still struggled to get back up. However, the pain coursing through his body was too much. And he collapsed to the ground, his legs giving up beneath him.

Eric lay sprawled on the ground, panting and defeated. "H-How...how could I have lost?" he muttered while wheezing and coughing.

"You lost because you underestimated me. You thought you could achieve glory by humiliating me, but you didn't realize the extent of my abilities," Evan retorted.

Eric felt Evan's words cut deep, a searing pain spreading through his body as he spat out a mouthful of blood and crumpled to the ground.

The darkness crept in, and Eric's eyes fluttered shut. He had lost consciousness.