The Curtain Falls

Time ticked away amidst the intense offense and defense.

The anxiety in Nathan's heart and the sharp pain in his body grew in tandem.

He could clearly feel that the force he had forcibly stimulated within his body was rapidly fading, replaced by a wave of weakness rising from the depths of his bones.

The backlash of the secret technique was already clear. If this dragged on any longer, the outcome would not be him slaying the youth before him, but rather becoming a dead soul under the other's sword.

His gaze suddenly became as ferocious as a lone wolf driven into a corner; he knew he could not wait any longer.

This was already his final gamble!

“Hah—!”

Nathan suddenly let out a roar mixed with unwillingness and fury. The layer of bloody red light around his body, which had already grown somewhat dim, suddenly flared up, as if burning away his very last bit of life potential. The light was blinding, casting an eerie crimson glow over the surrounding blades of grass.

Stamping his feet violently against the ground, his figure shot forward like a bolt of bloody lightning tearing through the air, charging toward Matthew!

Wherever his blade pointed, his killing intent materialized, seeming to slice even the wind in two.

He's going all out! Matthew's heart instantly turned ice-cold, but he had long anticipated this.

Without a moment's hesitation, his Spirit gathered rapidly onto his finger like flowing water, and the long-prepared 【Oath Ring】 suddenly lit up!

Almost simultaneously, a sudden wisp of gray mist, completely out of place with the energy on the field, rose out of thin air in front of Matthew. In an instant, it condensed into a thin, translucent shield.

Nathan's pupils contracted violently. Alarm bells rang frantically in his mind as a strong sense of foreboding gripped him.

He couldn't help but glance out of the corner of his eye at Matthew's short, black hair. Confirming it was indeed black, his heart filled with even greater astonishment.

However, the arrow had left the bow, and the blade had already been swung. His next three strikes would exhaust all of his remaining strength and stamina; there was no room left to turn back.

Retreat?

To take even a single step back would mean exhaustion, leaving him at the mercy of his opponent!

A look of near-madness flashed in his eyes as he suppressed all his shock and doubt. His blade momentum did not decrease but rather intensified, and his blood-red scimitar slashed viciously onto the gray shield!

“Clang!”

The impact was as dull as a tolling bell. The recoil traveled back along the blade, numbing the webbing of his hand.

He was startled, not expecting this shield formed of thin mist to be so powerful.

But immediately after, a crisp crack echoed, and the invisible barrier shattered.

Yet, the youth before him seemed to have anticipated this. Almost the exact instant the barrier shattered, the longsword in his hand swept out in a sharp parry.

Nathan was not surprised; instead, the corners of his mouth curled upward:

“To be able to block one of my strikes... it's already quite remarkable for you to be able to use something like this once.”

Without halting his momentum, his second strike slashed down again from an even more tricky angle—

“Clang!”

Unexpectedly, another similar solid sensation met his blade. The defensive strength was almost identical to the first, once again halting his blade's momentum.

Nathan's pupils contracted slightly, a flash of astonishment crossing his face:

“Another one?”

Just like before, Matthew immediately raised his sword to block.

Before Nathan could think further, the backlash of the secret technique surged within him like a tide, and intense pain instantly enveloped his limbs.

Gritting his teeth against the excruciating pain, he unleashed his third strike with all his might!

The last hope in his heart was that this final blow would completely shatter Matthew's bizarre defense—

That seemingly thin yet incredibly resilient film of light had already blocked his full-strength slashes twice.

In his eyes, a defensive measure of this level could not possibly be deployed three times in a row. Especially since his opponent was not a noble, how could he possess a treasure capable of three consecutive activations? It was utterly preposterous!

“This strike... will break it!” Nathan gritted his teeth, the bloody red light on his blade surging wildly, almost draining his very last ounce of strength.

However—

“Clang!”

As his blade descended, it was once again firmly blocked by that cold, clear glow.

The sensation was no different from the previous two times; the rebounding force even left his wrist throbbing with numbness.

Nathan's pupils dilated suddenly, the grin on his face freezing completely. He couldn't help but let out a shocked cry:

“How is this possible... There's another one?!”

His gaze fell upon Matthew's face. The youth's eyes were as calm as still water. Although Nathan's cry had reached his ears clearly, Matthew was naturally cautious and did not let his guard down over a single word.

He feared it might be a trick from the seasoned bandit leader.

Lifting his wrist, he met the opponent with his sword once more.

“Clang!”

Blade and sword clashed, producing a crisp ring that lacked any remaining power.

The moment they clashed, Matthew realized from the weak force transmitted through the blade:

“He really is at the end of his rope...”

No longer hesitating, he pushed off with his feet, his body lunging forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Dawn swept upward from below, its cold sword light flashing like a sudden burst of moonlight, precisely slicing toward Nathan's wrist as his left hand gripped the hilt—

“Slash!”

With a soft sound of tearing flesh, Nathan's left hand was severed at the wrist. The scimitar, along with his severed hand, clattered to the ground.

Nathan didn't even have the time to let out a cry of pain before his remaining strength seemed to be completely drained by this strike.

His legs gave out, and he collapsed backward onto the ground.

Blood gushed from his severed wrist, quickly staining the dry grass beneath him red. A warm, metallic scent wafted across the silent grassland.

In the distance, the setting sun was as red as blood. Nearby, the wind swept across the wasteland, bending the grass low with soft rustling sounds, as if writing the final footnote to this life-and-death struggle.

Matthew stood with his sword, its tip pointing diagonally toward the ground. Looking at Nathan lying motionless on the ground, his eyes held no ripples, only an indifferent calm.

Yet, a wave of emotion surged in his heart:

The Oath Ring... is truly extraordinary.

If those three layers of shields hadn't consecutively blocked Nathan's three desperate strikes after burning his blood and qi, even if he had won, he would have certainly paid a heavy price. There might have even been unpredictable variables. The old bandit's final counterattack was indeed perilous.

Once his thoughts settled, he stepped forward, slowly walking toward the collapsed Nathan.

Blood continued to flow from Nathan's severed wrist, and his breath was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind. He was clearly on the verge of total exhaustion and blood loss.

Matthew did not want him to die just yet. Regarding "Dawn," the clues that might be connected to his background, and even why he had fought to the death without hesitating to use a secret technique... there were too many questions that could only be answered by this old bandit.

He stopped beside Nathan, looking down to inspect his paper-pale face and unfocused eyes.

...

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