Ayomide's Novels

Chapter 72 — Disciple of The Northern Gladiator Guild
...

The electric bell fell over Socrates, trapping his already dead body inside of it...

Yes... This is not a near-death experience just as you might have thought...

Socrates, the son of Trueblood, was already dead...

He had fallen unconscious since a while ago, and now every part of his system had shut down... His limbs, liver, kidney, brain, and even his heart were no longer pumping blood through his system...

He had fallen into the state of the parasympathetic nervous system, and every part of his body was pinned down by energy blades that caused him to be covered in a pool of blood...

But the human body is designed in such a beautiful way that one doesn't just die completely...

Take for instance a cockerel whose neck was slit with a knife... Even after being slit or rather decapitated, its body still struggled for a while, and if nothing is done to it, it will completely shut down...

That was the kind of situation Socrates was in, and if nothing was done to him, he'll die completely...

And that was why Mr. Brown used his treasure to make sure he killed Socrates completely...

Electric arcs surged out of the bell and concentrated into Socrates' body, descending directly onto his back...

The first arc came tearing through the blades as the five blades pinned into his back lit up brightly...

Another surge descended into his body as it was transmitted into the five blades, forming circular bolts that connected into the blade buried in his back...

Jerk—

The bolts penetrated into his system...

Jerk... Jerk...

SPARK—

Another rush of electric bolts descended, and all five blades were destroyed instantly, including his clothes, leaving his body exposed to the electric arcs...

BOLT—

Another terrifying bolt struck him, and this time it was absorbed directly by his body, flowing straight into his system...

His body je**ed upward...

Once... Twice...

BADUUM...

BADUUM...

His heart, which had stopped beating, resumed beating once more under the constant sparks of electricity...

The electric bell, upon sensing that its target hadn't been destroyed, hummed loudly as electric arcs descended from everywhere...

The crazy bolts struck Socrates from all directions as every arc of lightning jolted awake every part of his system...

His muscles, limbs, joints... They were all violently awakened as steam started rising from his body...

And then suddenly—

His eyes snapped open...

GASP—

He sucked in air before coughing violently as blood spilled out from his mouth...

A blinding light shone above him as he looked up to see terrifying bolts descending upon him when he blocked them with his arms...

The golden bracelets around his limbs were good conductors of electricity as the bolts were transmitted into the bracelets before spreading into every part of his body...

Socrates didn't say a word, nor could he speak, as bolts descended upon him from all corners, but his physique could withstand these terrifying arcs...

Socrates had absorbed an electric power core from a bot almost a year ago and had gained an Electric Steam Physique... So these electric arcs felt more like a tribulation for him...

"A perfect chance to evolve my physique..."

Socrates didn't resist nor did he fight back as he allowed the electric bolts to pour into him while steam started rising from every part of his body...

The heat was so intense that the combination of it and the destructive nature of the electric arcs melted the bracelets around his limbs...

Socrates didn't hesitate... He grabbed his left wrist with his right hand and forcefully removed the melted bracelet from his wrist before throwing it toward the electric bell...

BANG—

A loud impact struck the bell as even the electric arcs paused for a brief second... Its glow dimmed as a visible dent appeared on the treasure...

He pulled out the second one and flung it at the bell...

BANG—

The bell shook vigorously as cracks started appearing across its surface...

This was the weight Socrates had been carrying all this while...

A weight that could rival a boulder...

He did the same for the other two on his legs as it became easier to pull them off after they had been melted by the heat and electricity... Then he flung them toward the electric bell, which shattered instantly from just the weight of the bracelets Socrates had been carrying around...

SCATTER—

The debris flew everywhere as Socrates stepped out from within the destruction, orange electric bolts crackling wildly around his body while waves of heat rolled outward from him...

Steam rose continuously from his skin...

He was almost naked with what remained of his trousers barely enough to cover his private parts as he slowly opened his bright ocean-blue eyes, staring directly at the terrified Mr. Brown...

His body recognized this man instantly as his mind and body synchronized once more...

"Thank you for the gift..."

The words drifted calmly into Mr. Brown's ears, causing the man's mouth to slowly fall open in disbelief...

Not only had Socrates survived, but the aura he was exuding was now that of a Peak-Level Energy Condensation Realm expert...

Socrates had thanked the man for the gift... But what gift exactly? Was it for helping him remove the golden bracelets that had weighed him down all this while... Or for further evolving his physique?

"How... How did you manage to survive?" Mr. Brown asked in shock... Everything about Socrates simply wasn't making sense anymore...

"Let's just say..."

Socrates stepped forward...

And then he appeared directly before Mr. Brown...

He didn't run...

He didn't charge...

He simply took a single step and crossed a distance of ten meters within a fraction of a second, the ground beneath his feet exploding apart from the pressure...

And in that instant, his hand had already condensed into a fist...

"I got lucky..."

He concluded as the fist traveled toward Mr. Brown's face...

The Guild Leader couldn't move...

Couldn't dodge...

His pupils shrank violently as he stared helplessly at the incoming fist...

BOOOOM—!!!

It sounded like an explosion detonating inside the arena itself...

QUAKE—

QUAKE—

QUAKE—

BOOM! BOOM!!

The terrifying sound wave destroyed layers of air as even the windows of the arena shattered instantly under the pressure...

Cracks spread across the pillars and walls of the second and third floors while spectators screamed and rushed away from the raining debris...

The first floor became completely swallowed by dust as nobody could tell what was happening anymore...

People were only concerned about surviving the aftermath of the collision...

Only Judas remained seated calmly as though completely unaffected by the chaos...

The flying debris didn't even reach his direction...

But the moment the dust slowly cleared away, even his eyes widened in shock as he stared down toward the arena ground...

There was no arena floor anymore...

The entire ground had been completely destroyed, creating a massive crater nearly ten feet deep...

And at the bottom of that crater lay a man whose head had been completely shattered...

"What terrifying strength... Who in the world is he?" Judas muttered in genuine shock...

Not even one of his own punches could produce such an effect... Yet this youth's single strike had not only shattered a Peak Energy Condensation Realm cultivator but had also created a ten-foot-deep crater and cracked the entire building above...

Judas slowly lifted his gaze as he sensed several powerful presences awakening around the arena...

Their eyes were all fixed on Socrates, who stood silently before the massive crater with electric steam rolling off his body...

Some carried evil intentions...

Others stared with greed...

While some already wanted to recruit him into their faction...

Then suddenly—

A man appeared beside Socrates without warning...

No sound...

No pressure...

No movement...

He simply appeared there...

The man wore a sparkling white robe and had a calm expression on his face with both hands placed behind his back...

Socrates hadn't even noticed the man's presence until he was already beside him...

And the moment he recognized him, his eyes widened in shock...

It was the same white-robed man who had sent him into the Underworld...

"You seem to be having a nice time here, Young Socrates..." the white-robed man whispered softly into his ear...

'Elder Hestruin...'

The name lingered within Socrates' mind, but before he could even turn around—

THUD—

A straight jab landed against the side of his neck...

Socrates' pupils trembled violently before his entire body instantly went limp as darkness swallowed him once more...

The strike had been delivered with nothing but the side of Elder Hestruin's palm, yet Socrates didn't even have the time to react before he fell unconscious...

The terrifying electric arcs around his body faded instantly...

But before he could collapse onto the ground, Elder Hestruin casually grabbed him by the hair with one hand while waving his free hand lightly through the air...

The golden bracelets lying scattered on the ground immediately trembled before flying directly into his grip...

The spectators watched the scene with widened eyes...

Nobody dared to speak...

Nobody dared to interrupt...

Even the powerful presences hidden within the arena remained silent the moment the white-robed elder appeared...

Then without saying another word...

Elder Hestruin vanished exactly the same way he had appeared...

No footsteps...

No energy fluctuations...

No traces left behind...

He simply disappeared from sight while dragging the unconscious Socrates away with him...

The silence within the arena became heavier than before...

Only after several seconds did voices finally begin erupting across the floors once more...

"Who was that?"

"Did you feel his presence?"

"I couldn't even sense his cultivation..."

"That old man... He took Socrates away..."

Although many hadn't recognized the white-robed man himself...

A lot of people had recognized the insignia on his chest...

The insignia of the Northern Gladiator Guild...

Fear and shock instantly spread through the spectators...

"An Elder of the Northern Gladiator Guild..."

"For him to personally come and save Socrates..."

"Doesn't that mean..."

"That youth is a disciple of the Northern Gladiator Guild?"

The information spread wildly throughout the arena as people hurriedly contacted their superiors...

A terrifying new monster had just appeared within the Glacier Dungeon...

And that monster had a terrifying backer behind him...

Judas remained seated quietly as he slowly grabbed a cup of wine from the table before him...

"The Underworld will witness a new change..." he muttered with a slight frown as he raised the cup toward his lips...

But before the wine could even touch his mouth—

CRACK—

Tiny fractures suddenly spread across the surface of the cup...

Then it shattered instantly within his fingers...

Wine dripped slowly down his hand as the frown on Judas' face deepened even further...

'He just keeps spoiling everything...'

Chapter 71 — Mr. Brown's Treasure
..

Who is Socrates?

He's the son of Trueblood... A red-haired teenager who has trained his body beyond the limits of any human could...

How can he fight unconsciously?

Because his physique had reached the stage where his body doesn't need his mind to tell it what to do...

Is this the first time this is happening?

No!.. In the world created by the Goddess of Death, where Socrates had tasted death almost a thousand times and where Socrates had spent years breaking a boulder... He had experienced a total shutdown of his mind, yet his body kept on punching the boulder till he regained consciousness...

This is someone with ambition, someone with purpose...

And when Malena was about to kill him, his body reacted instinctively...

The Illusory Mirror Technique is a technique that affects the mind of the target, and since Socrates was moving without his mind controlling his body, it was only natural that he had fallen off the control of the technique...

Malena didn't realize that, and that was how she lost to the unconscious Socrates...

She couldn't redeem the glory of her guild, and then the Guild Leader himself had to step out and face the red-haired youth himself.

The moment Mr. Brown landed on the arena floor, he took a glance at Malena, and anger washed over him upon seeing the state his Vice Guild Leader was in.

Killing intent flashed in his eyes as he directed it toward Socrates, whose body turned instinctively in his direction...

His sixth sense had recognized a danger, and his body wouldn't rest until that danger had been eliminated...

So he moved... Rushing toward Mr. Brown with distorted steps...

The Guild Leader of the Brownhounds Guild waved his hand as he softly used his energy to push Malena's body out of the arena floor while Socrates continued staggering toward him.

"Rush, call the Boss... A grand battle is about to ensue..."

"Turn on the projection... This is a high-level battle..."

"Have you contacted Master?... This is a battle between rankers..."

Whispers and shouts filled the whole arena, but they were immensely focused as everyone watched out for the fight that was about to unfold. Frosty breaths drifted through the heated hall while torch flames flickered wildly against the stone walls.

"You dare humiliate our guild... I'll take you out in one move..." Mr. Brown declared as he widened his legs as if preparing for a stance before stretching out his hands and moving them in a pattern...

His energy gathered around him and followed the pattern of his hands before he stretched them out toward Socrates...

The wave of energy rushed out, turning into a giant hand as it grabbed Socrates' body and flung him into the sky... The hand condensed into a punch and rushed after the uncontrolled body in the air...

"Taste the wrath of my Energy Punch..." Mr. Brown cried out as the punch scattered through layers of air, the pressure causing tables across the arena to tremble. Just as it was about to reach the body, Socrates suddenly vanished from that direction, leaving behind a trail of heat.

STEAM BURST...

Orange electric arcs burst out of Socrates' body as he appeared before Mr. Brown in an instant, dodging the Energy Punch that later collided with the wall of the third floor, sending debris raining downward.

Mr. Brown reacted to the current situation instantly as his energy flared up, covering every part of his body. The moment Socrates threw a punch, he blocked it with both elbows which were brimming with energy, but he was still sent staggering five feet backward...

"He has gotten stronger... I can't hold back..." Mr. Brown pulled out a sword from his inventory bag and rushed toward Socrates... He didn't even get into range before swinging the sword as an energy slash tore out of it.

Socrates' body recognized the danger and instantly reacted to it... Moving forward while lowering his body to the ground, the energy slash passed over his head by mere inches, slicing apart strands of his red hair.

"You could block one... How about two?" Mr. Brown unleashed two energy strikes instantly toward Socrates' body that was closer to the ground...

As if Socrates was aware of this, he lifted his body upward as he leapt into the sky, dodging the attacks that cleaved into the ground with explosive force. Cracks spread across the black-bricked arena floor as dust and shattered stone burst upward.

"You dodge two... How about three?" Mr. Brown unleashed triple sword strikes into the air as Socrates weaved his body through two of them, the electric arcs in his body glowing faintly when the third strike hit him cleanly on the chest, sending him spiraling backward through the air...

The spectators gasped loudly as his body smashed through a wooden pillar before crashing against the floor.

"Your evolved sympathetic nervous system... I wonder how long it can last..." Mr. Brown scoffed as he raised his sword high into the air...

"Sword Energy Formation — Dozen Wave Attack!"

The moment he cried out those words, a white rune circular array materialized above Socrates...

And what came out of it were swords...

Not just one sword but a dozen glowing energy swords humming with terrifying force. Their sharp edges vibrated violently, causing the surrounding air to distort.

Socrates' body reacted instinctively as it activated the flight mode... It reacted to a danger it couldn't face head-on, so it chose to run, but the attack had already been initiated...

His body glowed with orange electric arcs as he moved instantly, dodging the energy swords that fell upon him by mere inches...

One pierced through the ground beside him.

Another shattered a section of the arena wall.

A third exploded against the ceiling, causing debris and snow dust to rain downward.

But they weren't just one or two... They were a dozen...

And while he was able to get past a few, the seventh one struck him in the leg, immobilizing him for some seconds...

But those seconds were all that was needed...

The remaining swords descended mercilessly upon him.

Another pierced his left leg...

The ninth stabbed into his back...

The tenth tore through his right hand...

The eleventh nailed down his left hand...

While the twelfth struck the back of his head, pinning him hard to the floor as the orange glow around his body died instantly, followed only by the dripping sound of blood...

Drip...

Drip...

Drip...

Socrates' body remained unmoving with six energy swords pinned into different parts of his body, blood slowly spreading beneath him across the cold black floor...

There was no scream nor shout... His mind had already shut down...

He lay there with his face pressed against the floor while Mr. Brown stood before him heavily breathing, steam escaping from his body.

"Is he dead?" the spectators asked themselves.

"What if he gets up again?"

"What if he turns into a real zombie this time around?"

Nobody acknowledged Mr. Brown as the victor yet... What they had witnessed before was beyond normal understanding, and they were expecting another miracle...

Even Mr. Brown himself couldn't tell whether Socrates was truly dead or not... His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I don't believe that nonsense Judas said one bit... Or is it those golden bracelets around his limbs that's keeping him alive? Are those his treasures?" A smile slowly formed on Mr. Brown's face.

"Then I'll take them away from him..."

Mr. Brown placed one hand behind his back as he searched through his inventory bag and pulled out a treasure from it...

"Count yourself lucky that you get to witness this heavenly treasure..." Mr. Brown declared as he softly threw the treasure into the air before clasping both palms together... He had already returned the sword back into the inventory bag.

He weaved a hand sign before pointing a finger toward the treasure hovering in the air... A stream of energy shot out from his fingertip and struck the treasure, causing it to hum softly as it expanded in midair...

"It's an electric bell..."

"No wonder Mr. Brown was confident in entering the top fifty... He has such a good treasure..."

"I wonder which dungeon he got this treasure from..."

"Mr. Brown is so lucky... With this treasure, he won't be afraid of the cold outside..."

"Wait... He's going to fry the red-haired youth to death..."

"This is overkill... Not only will the body of the red-haired youth not be recovered..."

"I'm sure his flesh will be charred into pieces..."

The spectators discussed among themselves as the electric bell enlarged and slowly descended toward Socrates' direction before covering him completely, the surface of the bell crackling violently with bolts of electricity...

SPARKS—

SPARKS—

ZHHRRR—

That was the sound that filled the arena as the treasure glowed brightly... Electric bolts danced wildly around it at a terrifying speed, illuminating the entire hall in blinding flashes of white and blue. The smell of burning air spread through the arena while the floor beneath the bell slowly blackened from the heat.

"Nothing will be left of his body but the golden bracelets... And those treasures will be mine..." Mr. Brown's smile widened as he stretched both palms toward the bell, increasing his energy output as the treasure glowed even crazier than before...

The entire area was illuminated with light for almost ten minutes before the radiance finally dimmed down and Mr. Brown staggered back slightly after exhausting a huge amount of energy...

"YAAAY!" The spectators erupted into cheers.

"I bet there's nothing left of his body..."

"Not even his clothes..."

"Not even a single piece of flesh..."

"Maybe his head didn't get fried..."

"So Mr. Brown won..."

"With this treasure... He's bound to go far..."

A loud laugh burst out from Mr. Brown as he spread out his arms victoriously while the entire crowd roared for him...

Then suddenly—

BANG!

A loud impact echoed from inside the electric bell.

The cheering stopped instantly.

Another bang followed immediately after.

BANG!

Everyone's gaze snapped toward the bell.

Then came the third impact... Louder than before.

BANG—!

CRACK—!

Tiny cracks suddenly appeared across the surface of the electric bell as everyone's eyes widened in shock...

The cracks weren't stagnant... They were spreading rapidly across the treasure like spiderwebs. Electric sparks burst wildly from the damaged sections while the bell trembled violently.

And then came the fourth bang...

BANG!!!

SCATTER—!

The electric bell exploded instantly into fragments. Pieces of the treasure flew across the arena as people hurriedly dodged out of the way while others kept their eyes locked onto whatever was emerging from within the smoke and sparks...

Lying on the ground were four golden bracelets...

And standing above them was a silhouette whose body crackled violently with orange electric bolts...

His eyelids slowly opened, revealing bright ocean-blue eyes staring directly at Mr. Brown, who was overwhelmed with shock...

The Guild Leader couldn't even move... Couldn't even blink...

He stared at the figure before him.

Bare chest...

Bare feet...

Charred trousers...

Limbs finally free from the restraints of the golden bracelets...

And a body overflowing with orange electric steam and lightning...

"Thank you for the gift..."

The words that came out from Socrates' mouth struck deep into Mr. Brown's mind...

And at that moment...

He realized that the worst mistake he had ever made was using an electric treasure against a man who had swallowed an electric power core...

..
Author's note:This is a book you've not witnessed anything like before.. Everything, every chapter is not random....do you see where this chapter connect to in Arc 1?? Why is it so?? Why didn't the electric bell destroy Socrates body? Someone said I'm not connecting with u guys... Ahh.. Dude, every chapter of this book is self explanatory... I make sure I explain every parts, every thing. Things that aren't supposed to be included in a book... I make sure I include them just to make sure you all understand this book... And the suspense, this isn't a romance book... What keeps us going is the thrill... The drive to watch how Socrates will overcome every situation.. Now let me tell you... From chapter 1 to this chapter... Have you like seen or witness a similar situation? That shows the growth of the character... What apply today might not work in the future.. Pls every reader.. Everyone should drop something.. Pls.....

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Ara Mi De, Mareitumetse Mokoma, Sandy Koker, Sena Star's, Sali Love, Yolanda Thwala, Joyfull Smile, Precious Chi, Oyindamoa Iremide, Ítz Brôwñell

ALL MEN ARE MORTAL

Chapter 70— The technique failed


Squelsh..

The sound of blade tearing into flesh filled the air as everyone opened their mouths in agape—including Malena..

They all saw it clearly... the scene that had just manifested before them...

Although the dagger stabbed through flesh, it wasn't the part of the body Malena intended...

The dagger, instead of plunging through the neck, met resistance midway as it plunged into a raised hand instead... The hilt rested against the flesh of the palm while the blade burst out from the other side, blood dripping steadily onto the black bricks below.

"How?" Malena asked in surprise as she glanced down at Socrates' body just to see that he was still unconscious..

Someone that was unconscious should be unable to move... How on earth was he able to raise his hand and stop the dagger?

Socrates' hand remained suspended in the air with the dagger plunged through it and his mind unconscious. He didn't know what was going on when Malena struck out with the second dagger, this time with much more force and precision...

But Socrates' left hand rose up, countering the dagger midair which plunged directly into it till the hilt rested against the palm..

'Or is he pretending to be unconscious?' she thought as she tried to pull away when she noticed she couldn't..

She shifted her gaze when she realized that Socrates' palm didn't just stop the dagger, but his fingers had also wrapped around her hands...

'His grip is strong.'

She tried to pull away but she couldn't, and in the next moment, she found her feet leaving the surface of the ground as her body was sent flying into the air before crashing hard onto the floor with her back. Dust and broken frost scattered from the impact.

Socrates rose up from the floor like a zombie...

His eyes closed... his posture erratic... as he used his teeth to remove both daggers from his hands before grabbing them...

The daggers Malena was using were only a little longer than kitchen knives... so wielding them was easy for Socrates, who turned around instantly, facing the place where Malena was while walking toward her direction...

Step..

Step..

His movements were not rhythmic as he staggered like a blind man toward Malena who was struggling to get on her feet...

"I can't sense any energy from him," one drunken man said to the other..

"What's happening? Is he faking it?"

"No... He's truly unconscious... I can't feel his pulse."

"Is this a technique? The Zombie Technique that allows one stay alive after death.."

"Don't be foolish. He wasn't dead, but unconscious... Maybe it's some kind of treasure."

"I'll love to have such a treasure to myself..."

"How will Malena fare now? She hit her head pretty hard on the floor..."

"I'm not sure she can get up anytime soon..."

The voices spread across the arena as the people speculated about the fight...

A frown was clearly seen on Mr. Brown's face while Judas' expression was covered by the fan which he placed before his mouth...

They were watching the scene of the unconscious Socrates walking like a zombie with two daggers in hand toward Malena...

"Is this some kind of treasure or technique? How can someone unconscious, whose mind has shut down, still be moving? Isn't this witchcraft or magic?"

"It's neither of those," Judas replied. "It's just the basic function of the human body."

"How?"

"Psychologists have analyzed that we have two types of nervous systems... The Central and the Peripheral... Under the Peripheral is the autonomic system which is subdivided into two—the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic nervous systems... These two systems are responsible for the human body's response to duress or rather danger... It activates the fight-or-flight mode... At that moment, it's either the body fights or runs..."

"Majority of humans, when in this situation, will succumb to the latter option... The heartbeat increases. Blood flow increases. Pupils become dilated. They'll be sweating and overall... they'll want nothing more than to flee from such a situation..."

"It isn't their fault... It's because the Sympathetic nervous system sends this stimulus into their cerebrum... But in turn, that's where the difference between a warrior and an ordinary human comes in..." Judas continued, his eyes calmly fixed on the staggering Socrates below.

"Once placed under duress, the Sympathetic nervous system recognizes the body system of a warrior and activates the fight mode and not the flight mode... Pumping adrenaline and epinephrine into the body... The muscle tone and energy increase while his alertness sharpens.... You know the reason why?" Judas asked, and Mr. Brown slowly shook his head...

"Because a warrior has trained his body beyond the limits of an ordinary human... which makes his five sense organs respond and react quickly to danger..."

"I understand you... We all have this Sympathetic nervous system that's capable of sending signals to our brain when placed under duress... But why is this the first time I'm seeing someone fight unconsciously...? Why have I never heard of someone's body moving without his mind controlling it?" Mr. Brown asked.

"Good question." Judas leaned slightly backward in his seat, his silver fan covering half his face once more. "Everything in this life has its stages. Everything in this life has its limits..."

"You haven't heard of the Sympathetic nervous system capable of this feat because you haven't seen anyone push their body up to the limit of that young man called Socrates..."

"That man has trained his body to a realm you can't fathom, to the extent that his Sympathetic nervous system has evolved..."

"It can evolve?" Mr. Brown's eyes widened faintly.

"Yes... And that evolution is known as the Warrior Instinct... which brings about the ability known as the Sixth Sense..."

"The Sixth Sense?? What's that about?"

"I've given you much information already... You should do research on your own..." Judas replied calmly. "Just know that with the Warrior Instinct, the body itself can react to danger without the mind controlling it... and all of this is as a result of the nervous system..."

Judas turned his attention back toward the stage below...

The unconscious Socrates was still staggering forward with the daggers in hand while Malena slowly pushed herself upward, blood trickling from the corner of her lips...

"Still... Malena won't lose..." A smile formed on Mr. Brown's face as he watched Socrates direct the dagger toward Malena's body...

She didn't move.

Nor hesitate.

Nor even think to.

Do you know the reason why?

It was because of the Illusory Mirror Technique...

Any attack directed toward her would be reflected back to the attacker...

So she sat there on the floor as she watched Socrates plunge the dagger toward her stomach...

Squelsh —

The sound of blade tearing through flesh echoed across the silent arena as everyone focused intensely on the scene...

They wanted to see what would happen...

Most were already aware of Malena's ability as they had faced her before...

They already had an inkling of what should happen...

But then...

The opposite happened.

Blood dripped out of Malena's stomach as she cried out in pain...

Socrates didn't even listen to her...

He couldn't even hear her...

As he plunged the other dagger into her upper chest, causing her scream to turn into a loud cry that echoed against the arena walls...

Before she could even breathe, his body turned around instinctively as he directed a spinning kick toward Malena's face...

BAM!

His foot landed heavily against her face, sending her body crashing back onto the floor with both daggers still plunged into her body...

Her body hadn't even fully connected to the floor when she fell unconscious, passing out instantly while the unconscious Socrates stood there unmoving...

The crowd was silent...

Nobody spoke.

Nobody said anything.

They all stared at each other with shock etched across their faces...

The only person that wasn't surprised was Judas as he slowly lowered his fan, revealing a part of his smiling face...

"Mr. Brown... Why—"

He hadn't even finished talking when Mr. Brown jumped down from the third floor and landed heavily on the first floor meters away from Socrates. The impact cracked the black bricks beneath his boots.

"What? The Guild Leader of the Brownhounds guild... Is he going to fight Socrates?" Kamira's heart shook from where she stood watching the whole exchange...

"Oh..." Judas exclaimed softly. "I wanted to ask you why the Illusory Mirror Technique failed to work on the Son of Trueblood... But I suppose I'll ask those watching me instead..."

He snickered lightly as he watched Mr. Brown stare angrily at Socrates whose body felt the killing intent and instinctively turned toward him...

The two faced each other...

A grand-level battle was about to break out...

.....

Tbc....
Now I'm imposing this question on all of you... Use your Ai, chatgpt or any browser..... Or use your own comprehension.. It's simple but tactical... It's not magic nor fantasy nor plot armor.. This is science...

Why didn't the Illusory Mirror Technique work on Socrates