Osric forced himself up.
Slowly.
His left arm barely responded.
Pain pulsed through his shoulder with every movement, sharp enough to make his vision blur again for a split second.
The arena remained silent.
No one cheered.
No one laughed.
They were waiting.
Waiting to see if he could even stand.
Across the pit—
Piers kept walking forward.
Calm.
Certain.
Like the outcome had already been decided.
"Kahahaha…"
"You're still alive?"
His grin widened further.
"Good."
"I hate when they die too quickly."
Osric steadied his breathing.
His right fist tightened.
His left arm hung lower now.
Not useless—
But slower.
Weaker.
Badly damaged.
'One hit.'
'That's all it took.'
Piers saw it too.
Of course he did.
His eyes stayed locked onto Osric's left side.
Predatory.
Watching weakness.
The crowd slowly started finding their voices again.
"…That shoulder's done."
"He can't keep fighting like that."
"He's dead."
Near the edge of the pit—
Garrick's jaw remained clenched.
'One clean hit almost crippled him.'
He knew Piers was monstrous.
But seeing it again after all this time still felt absurd.
'Can you really overcome this, kid?'
Not far away—
Alice's arms remained crossed tightly.
Her eyes never left Osric.
'Get up properly.'
'Don't lose focus now.'
Adam stayed silent.
But inwardly—
his expression had already changed.
'This is different from yesterday.'
Against Garrick—
Osric had been adapting.
Growing.
But against Piers—
it felt like survival.
Nothing more.
Piers suddenly accelerated again.
No warning.
No setup.
His massive body exploded forward with terrifying speed.
Osric moved immediately.
Barely.
A crushing hook tore past him—
Close enough that he felt the wind slam against his face.
He stepped away sharply.
Pain shot through his shoulder.
Too slow.
Piers' other hand lunged toward him instantly.
Another grab.
Osric twisted sideways—
But this time—
Piers' fingers caught part of his arm.
Just for a moment.
That alone nearly stopped him completely.
'Shit!'
Osric ripped himself free immediately, skin tearing under the grip.
Piers laughed louder.
"That's right!"
"Run!"
A stomp shook the pit again as he chased after him relentlessly.
Osric ducked another swing.
Then another.
Each one felt lethal.
Not because they were refined—
But because of the sheer force behind them.
One mistake.
One delayed reaction.
That was all it would take.
Osric countered suddenly.
A fast strike toward the eyes.
Piers flinched slightly—
More instinct than fear—
And Osric immediately followed with a brutal strike toward the throat.
"THUD!"
It landed cleanly.
The crowd reacted.
But Piers didn't stop.
Didn't choke.
Didn't retreat.
His grin only twisted further.
Then his forehead smashed forward violently.
Osric's instincts screamed.
He barely leaned back in time.
The headbutt grazed his face instead of crushing his nose completely.
Even then—
pain exploded through him.
His vision shook.
Piers' hand shot forward immediately after.
Too close.
Too fast.
Osric threw himself backward desperately.
The massive hand barely missed his throat.
He crashed hard against the stone floor again before rolling back to his feet immediately.
Breathing rougher now.
Faster.
Piers stopped advancing for the first time.
Only for a moment.
His grin slowly widened again.
"…You're slippery."
Osric said nothing.
His heart was pounding violently now.
His shoulder hurt.
His arms hurt.
Even his head was ringing.
And yet—
Piers barely looked damaged at all.
'…This monster.'
For the first time since entering the arena—
Osric realized something clearly.
If this continued normally—
he would lose.
The realization settled instantly.
Cold.
Clear.
Not fear.
Truth.
Piers started walking again.
Slow.
Relaxed.
Like he already knew the same thing.
"Kahahaha…"
"What happened to all that confidence?"
Osric steadied his breathing.
His mind moved rapidly.
Too durable.
Too strong.
Too oppressive up close.
Even his weak points weren't normal.
Throat strikes.
Jaw strikes.
Eyes.
Everything that should've slowed someone down—
barely mattered.
And meanwhile—
one clean hit from Piers nearly crippled him.
'Then I can't fight him normally.'
Piers suddenly accelerated again.
Osric moved immediately—
But this time—
he didn't retreat fully.
He stepped in.
Closer.
Piers' grin widened violently.
"That's it!"
A massive swing crashed toward Osric's head.
Osric ducked underneath it at the last possible second—
Then drove a brutal punch directly into Piers' liver.
"THUD!"
A real hit.
Heavy.
Compact.
Efficient.
Piers' body twitched slightly.
The crowd reacted instantly.
But Osric didn't stop.
Another strike.
Then another.
Rapid.
Tight.
All aimed at the same area.
Piers finally stepped back once.
Just once.
Osric saw it.
'It works.'
Not enough damage.
Not enough force.
But the body still reacted.
Even this monster had limits somewhere.
Piers' grin slowly faded.
Not anger this time.
Focus.
"…Heh."
His breathing deepened slightly.
Then—
he slammed forward again.
Not with punches.
With his entire body.
Osric's instincts screamed instantly.
Too late.
Piers crashed into him like a charging beast.
"BOOM!"
Osric's feet left the ground completely.
Pain exploded through his injured shoulder again as they hit the stone floor together.
The entire arena shook.
A roar erupted from the crowd.
"He's dead!"
Piers was already on top of him.
One massive hand pinning part of his body down.
The other arm pulling back.
Osric's eyes widened.
'MOVE!'
The fist came down like a hammer.
Osric twisted desperately.
"BOOM!"
Stone cracked beside his head.
Fragments exploded across his face.
Before Piers could pull back fully—
Osric drove his bandaged fingers straight toward his eye.
Not hesitation.
Not morality.
Survival.
Piers jerked backward instantly with a furious roar.
"RAAAAGH!"
Osric ripped himself free immediately and rolled away across the pit.
Breathing violently now.
His entire body screamed in pain.
But he was alive.
Across from him—
Piers slowly lowered his hand from his face.
His eye was red.
Watering slightly.
But intact.
The arena had gone silent again.
Not shocked anymore.
Disturbed.
Because now—
everyone understood.
This wasn't becoming a fight.
It was becoming something uglier.