Once again, Orion woke at the Site of Grace.
This time, there was no dramatic gasp, no stunned silence. The moment sensation returned, he shouted.
"—DAMN IT."
"I was so close... so fucking close. I just had him. That bastard just didn't give me a single chance to attack him." He complained, recalling the unending onslaught from that headless bastard.
The curse tore out of him raw and loud, echoing across the empty stone. He slammed a fist into the ground, the impact stinging his knuckles as if the world itself dared him to hit harder. His chest rose and fell in sharp breaths, irritation simmering just beneath the surface.
Marika didn't say anything. She had seen this kind of frustrated outrage from him enough that she had gotten used to it. He usually got back to his hacking and killing in a few minutes.
'Beheaded. 'Again.'' He sighed, rubbing his neck like he still felt that attack.
"Who is he? If he's that strong, then how come I didn't remember him from any movie, game, or show?" He grumbled. If only he knew his weakness, then it would have been easy.
Sigh...
Orion rolled onto his back and stared at the dim ceiling above the Grace, jaw clenched. For a long moment, he said nothing. Just rested, getting ready to challenge the dark knight again.
"I did everything right," he muttered. "Dodged clean. Managed stamina. Landed a hit with holy infusion. Parried once, even."
He sat up slowly, rubbing his face with both hands.
"And still got my ass handed to me."
'SO... what I'm missing?'
There was no denying it anymore. This wasn't about damage numbers or build choices or having the right incantation equipped. Beldia wasn't some mindless monster to be exploited. He wasn't a puzzle boss with a single trick to abuse.
"This might be my first real test of skill, where just dodging away on time wouldn't cut it..." he muttered with a sigh.
He knew for a long time that he'll face this issue sooner or later. His lack of proper fighting skills, especially against humanoid bosses like knights and soldiers, was a problem.
He just didn't expect this problem would surface to bite his ass this quick. It's been just a week since he came to Orario. Does this place really expect him to learn martial arts in that time?
He helplessly fell back down to the ground with irritation.
Marika stood nearby, arms folded, golden eyes watching him in silence. She did not interrupt his thoughts at first. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm, measured—almost gentle.
[You lack refinement]
"I know..." He grunted.
[Your instincts are sharp. Your timing, admirable. But your blade… it is crude]
Orion let out a slow breath. "Yeah. I know."
Everything he knew about fighting came from surviving the dungeon—hacking, slashing, reacting. Against beasts and mindless monsters...
Against Beldia, those things wouldn't work.
The Dark Knight read him like an open book. Every dodge. Every angle. Every desperate swing. Beldia wasn't just stronger—he was better.
Orion pushed himself to his feet, stretching his sore shoulders as if his body hadn't just been cut down moments ago.
"Fine... if that headless bastard is just better than me, then I'll just learn from him." he said.
Marika regarded him quietly.
[You should leave it for now. Stay your hand, and wait]
[Go forth and learn the art of the sword from one who truly understands it, and only then return to face the adversary you seek to defeat]
Orion shook his head.
"No. If I walk away now, I'll just create a wall for me, and the longer I spend, the bigger the wall will become. Whether I win or lose, I have to challenge the knight again. As for learning, as I just said, I can learn from him. During fights, like some fucking anime protagonist."
He looked toward the direction of the Dark Knight's arena, eyes narrowing.
[That is, without doubt, the most ridiculous notion I have yet heard escape your lips]
Marika just shook her head with disbelief. What was her Tarnished thinking, learning the enemy's techniques mid-fight? Could she call it overconfidence or madness?
She wished to argue, but she knew he wouldn't listen. Especially right after he came up with the ridiculous idea.
Sighing, she could only shake her head.
Orion knew what was going on inside his goddess' head. It was ridiculous and foolish. However, he believed he could do it with Animus Ignis with him.
He felt that skill boosting him before, against Nomu, against Rick, and all the enemies he faced so far. He had learned things so fast that it baffled Marika. So it made sense that that skill would help him learn swordsmanship against that headless knight as well.
If it doesn't work the first time, then he just has to do it again, and again, and again. Until he learns it.
The idea was insane. He knew that. Challenging a master swordsman over and over, fully aware he would die—repeatedly—just to steal fragments of skill.
But he had no teacher. No dojo. No manual.
Only a knight who would kill him without mercy.
Orion exhaled, rolled his neck once, and stepped away from the Site of Grace.
"Alright, let's start..." He stood up and got ready.
He entered Beldia's arena and died in under 10 minutes. Same way, same style. A feint he didn't recognize. A delayed swing that caught his guard open. Clean execution.
Round two.
He lasted longer. Dodged better. Tried to mimic Beldia's stance. That cost him dearly.
Still died.
Round three.
He parried too early. Beldia adjusted mid-strike and crushed his ribs. He panicked and tried to heal, a mistake. Once again, his head rolled.
Round four.
The repeated challenges annoyed Beldia. Turns out even bosses weren't always ready to fight you if you came every ten minutes. So he sent only an undead army against him and then later killed him when he was tired.
Round five.
The bastard actually set up a trap for him this time. The moment he arrived, the undead soldiers were already surrounding him.
'Motherf****'
Back at the Grace, Orion collapsed onto the stone, laughing breathlessly. "Did you see that, he totally cheated that one."
Marika said nothing. She just rolled her eyes.
Round seven.
Orion didn't enter immediately, expecting them to think that he gave up and remove those traps, and then surprise them. He began conserving movement, matching Beldia's pace instead of fleeing from it.
First time where he was actually matching up with Beldia's movements, and the knight seemed a bit taken by it.
Round ten.
Water... that was the bastard's weakness. It happened when he dropped his flask and he dodged it like he saw the demon king himself. So he tried real water from his inventory, and yes, it worked.
He's afraid of water.
Round fourteen.
Alright, water definitely works but not enough. At this rate, I'll die of thirst before I clear the boss...
Round twenty.
His dodges became smaller. Cleaner. Less desperate. He could feel it, he was getting there. However, he just felt a momentary loss of vision during the fight and died. He felt his body wasn't working as he wanted. Something's going on...
Round twenty-five.
Beldia nicked him—and for the first time, Orion retaliated instantly instead of retreating.
Death came seconds later, when suddenly he lost all power from his body and collapsed.
Reviving, Orion no longer cursed when he revived.
He simply stood, adjusted his grip, and walked back in.
"Again," he muttered.
[NO....you will rest. Don't you feel it? This is eating away at your willpower and soul. You need rest, and you need to stop...]
Marika shouted, couldn't stop anymore at the fool's actions. Dying 25 times in a row so fast. Is this a game for him?
For the first time, she felt really mad at how the man treated his own life.
"But I can..."
[You shall do nothing of the sort. You'll now rest and then go back. THAT'S FINAL]
She nearly shouted at the end...
Orion tensed.
His body learned even when his mind failed. Muscle memory etched itself deeper with every death. Timing sharpened. Distance became instinct. Fear dulled, replaced by focus.
However, with that came extreme mental load, weakening of his spirit and soul, like someone had taken away all the power from his body. If his skills were improving, he felt his power was draining.
"Okay... fine. I'll take rest for now." He sighed, knowing that she was right. He died the last three tries from losing consciousness, if anything. He really needed rest.
Let's call it a day.
xXx
A/N : Those who have played Souls like game, those will understand this feeling. There is always that one boss who keep killing you again and again. No matter how many time you fight it, it just leaves you with fustration.
And overcoming that boss becomes an obsession. Man, I have wasted too many hours fighting against random Elden Ring bosses.
I didn't felt like explaining all the rounds, that would have taken few chapters, which would have been boring.
Also another small tad bit about this not exactly being like a game, here if he die too many times, it will affect him.
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