Both men charged again.
No elegance remained.
No polished image.
No measured noble showcase.
Arden Vale came forward with split lip, dust in his hair, and anger finally visible in the tightness of his jaw.
Sun came forward bleeding from three places, breathing badly, and smiling like a man who had found home terrain.
They collided in the center of the arena.
Fist met forearm.
Knee met thigh.
Shoulder met chest.
Neither man gave space.
The crowd roared with the delighted confusion of people who had paid to see grace and received violence instead.
Arden struck first cleanly.
Short punch to Sun's liver.
White pain flashed through his body.
Sun folded halfway.
Arden followed with an elbow for the temple—
Sun caught him around the waist and drove forward like a stubborn bull.
They crashed into the bronze ring boundary together.
Metal rang.
Arden hissed.
Sun grinned through pain.
"You hate this."
"I hate your methods."
"That's affection."
Arden headbutted him.
Stars exploded in Sun's vision.
"Message unclear."
They broke apart.
Arden recovered faster.
Of course he did.
He spun and landed a sharp kick into Sun's injured ribs.
Sun staggered sideways, nearly dropping to one knee.
The crowd sensed momentum and surged louder.
House Vale banners rose again.
Rhea cupped her hands and screamed:
"Hit him emotionally, Sun!"
Brin shouted:
"Or physically! Both score!"
Nyra said nothing.
She stood at the railing, eyes locked on him so hard it felt like a hand between his shoulder blades.
Stay up.
He could hear it without words.
So he did.
Arden advanced with cleaner strikes now.
He had adapted quickly.
Using less pride.
More efficiency.
Bad news.
A jab snapped Sun's head back.
A low kick deadened his calf.
Then Arden feinted high and swept low.
Sun hit the sand hard.
Gasps rolled through the arena.
Arden stood over him, chest rising, blood at the corner of his mouth.
"You force ugliness well," he said.
Sun spat dust.
"You compliment during murder strangely."
Arden offered a hand.
The arena murmured in surprise.
Sun stared at it.
"What is this?"
"Respect," Arden said.
"And if I take it?"
"I punch you immediately."
Sun barked a laugh and slapped the hand away as he rose himself.
"Now that feels honest."
Something in Arden's face softened.
Just a little.
Two men who disliked each other were beginning to understand one another.
Dangerous development.
The next exchange was faster than thought.
Arden reclaimed one dropped short sword from the sand.
Sun snatched up his runed blade.
Steel sang again.
Arden attacked with one weapon now—more direct, less decorative.
Sun met him blade to blade.
Clang.
Turn.
Clang.
Riposte.
Clang.
Arden cut Sun's sleeve.
Sun sliced Arden's shoulder.
First real blood from the noble favorite.
The crowd detonated.
Arden looked down at the line of red, then back up.
"Good."
Sun blinked.
"You're enjoying this."
"So are you."
Annoying accurate man.
High above, Samira leaned toward Varen.
"Can he win?"
Varen sipped tea.
"Yes."
A pause.
"Can he lose?"
"Yes."
She stared.
"That was useless."
"I remain consistent."
Nyra never looked away.
Her fingers had dug crescent marks into the wooden rail.
Brin noticed.
"You care loudly for someone quiet."
Nyra didn't answer.
Brin smirked.
"Thought so."
Back below, fatigue became the third fighter.
Sun's legs felt heavy.
Arden's breathing had roughened too.
Both slower.
Both hurting.
Both stubborn.
Arden lunged with a straight thrust.
Sun parried wide.
Too wide.
Arden stepped inside and slammed shoulder-first into Sun's chest.
Sun flew backward, heels skidding.
One more step and he'd cross the bronze boundary.
Ring-out loss.
The crowd rose screaming.
Arden came in to finish.
Sun saw it.
No time for technique.
No room for retreat.
So he did the least noble thing possible.
He threw the cheap charm bracelet from his wrist into Arden's face.
Arden instinctively flinched.
One heartbeat only.
Enough.
Sun surged forward with Wolf Step.
Blur.
He reappeared at Arden's flank and drove a palm strike into the noble's ribs.
Then hooked Arden's ankle and turned.
Arden crashed onto his back inches from the boundary line.
The stadium became thunder.
Sun pointed at the bracelet lying beside Arden.
"Blessed item."
Rhea collapsed laughing.
Nyra covered her mouth too late.
Even Samira smiled openly.
Arden stared at the sky for one second.
Then laughed helplessly.
"You weaponized jewelry."
"I improvise under pressure."
"You are a disgrace."
"Winning disgrace."
Arden rolled up fast and attacked again.
No pause now.
No speeches.
They traded blows in a blur.
Sun's lip split deeper.
Arden's eye swelled.
Sun's ribs screamed.
Arden's shoulder slowed.
Then both struck at once.
Sun's fist caught Arden's jaw.
Arden's hilt smashed Sun's cheek.
They staggered apart, nearly falling.
The referee stepped closer, tense.
One decisive exchange remained.
The crowd knew it.
So did they.
Arden spat blood into the sand.
"If I lose," he said quietly, "my family calls it a stain."
Sun wiped his mouth.
"If I lose, people say yesterday was luck."
Arden nodded once.
"So we're both irritated."
"Deeply."
For the first time, they smiled together.
Then charged.
To be continued...