71 Humiliation

This was his only choice. He had a stark feeling that, if he had jumped off, that would've meant he'd reduce his chances of landing even a single blow on Kiyoshi to an absolute zero. He couldn't afford to let his chances get any lower, so without a moment's hesitation, he kept throwing himself towards the explosions.

After rapidly approaching, he thought as quickly as he could. He didn't know if it would work, but…

He jumped on top of the explosions.

Stomach first, dived into the detonations like water. With an ear-piercing boom, the force shot him several meters into the air. At the angle the explosion blew him away, his body was launched in almost the exact opposite direction the blasts were traveling in.

"Nyaaaaghhh!!" His torso became riddled with cuts and burns, and his clothes tore up even more. His body left a long line of smoke as he headed straight for the ring.

Just below him, there was nothing but dirt and grass. Kiyoshi's attack had completely decimated anything it made contact with. That attack was meant to just force Nakayama off the ring.

With a thud, Nakayama landed back on the ring with several severe grunts. He finally got to his knees, breathing heavily. To what should have been no surprise, his shirt was on fire in a couple of places, but he patted them out quickly.

"Tenacious, aren't you?"

Nakayama caught his breath. He looked up. Standing there was Kiyoshi Lionheart. Nakayama had probably never been more intimidated by a man in his life. It was probably because he could end his life in but a mere moment if the rules of the duel said he could. Despite this nervousness, Nakayama, struggling, returned to his feet and stared Kiyoshi in the eyes right back. Because of how tall he was, Nakayama had to look up to even see his face.

"Ondo Ochiru," said Nakayama, closing his eyes. This caught Kiyoshi off guard. Just then, a bluish, cool aura surrounded Nakayama's body.

"Ondo Ochiru?" Kiyoshi repeated, seemingly out of confusion. "The temperature fall spell? Of what use could that be to you in your current situation."

Nakayama smirked, still not opening his eyes. "I got a little warm, so I'm cooling off."

"..."

When Nakayama opened his eyes, his smile vanished. The face he saw before himself was not pleased in the slightest. It was contorted with major hints of fury and dissatisfaction towards his words.

Kiyoshi grabbed Nakayama by the collar before he knew it and lifted him off the ground

"Ah…! D'aaaaghhh!"

In that same motion, Kiyoshi slammed Nakayama to the ground, causing the boy to scream in pain.

Somehow, Nakayama could hear Kiyomi yell his name.

"Allow me to remind you of your situation, then," said Kiyoshi harshly, not letting go of Nakayama's collar. He then picked him up again, tossed him into the air, and punched him in the gut.

Nakayama's tongue stuck itself out of his mouth without warning. The shock his torso had just received sent him into shock for a moment while knocking the breath out of him.

Schoom! Nakayama's body, struggling to breathe, shot back dozens of meters. He didn't even hit the ground. At this rate, he'd just be sent off the ring once again at the speed he was going.

"You are weak. You don't possess the luxury of relaxation amid a fight."

Even though Nakayama was still traveling through the air, he heard Kiyoshi.

That was because Kiyoshi, with his great speed, had gotten behind the breathless level 1. He grabbed Nakayama by the back of his shirt, threw him upwards again, and proceeded to launch what seemed to be dozens of punches all over his body.

"Aaaaggghhhhh!!! Aaaagghh!!!"

It felt like his body was being torn apart. They were only punches, but they felt like katanas dipped in poison ripping through his flesh. He could hardly think anymore, the intense pain of being struck repeatedly clouding his thoughts. He was sure that his bones were shattering and his muscles tearing.

Kiyoshi slammed Nakayama into the ground stomach-first. He said nothing, he didn't even grunt when he attacked the boy. He simply delivered his punishment.

Nakayama was cheek-down on the ring, and his head was just before Kiyoshi. But a moment later, Lionheart stomped on Nakayama's head and left his foot there as if the boy was nothing more than a footrest.

Nakayama let out another agonized yelp. He wanted to take Kiyoshi's foot off his head, but his body wouldn't respond to him. He was in too much shock. Was he paralyzed?

"Don't pass out just yet, brat," said Kiyoshi in a low, unempathetic tone. He moved the level 1's head around like a rock with his foot. As Nakayama continued to grunt, he couldn't help but think to himself in frustration.

"D-damn it…! I just…need…one or two blows to land…! Then, I can level up! I know the difference between us is huge, but I should at least be able to touch him once…!"

"Cease your frustrations," Kiyoshi demanded after hearing Nakayama's livid grunts. "It is due to your own naiveté that you are experiencing such fury."

Kiyoshi's voice was somewhat monotone, but it was still riddled with disgust. It was as though he despised Nakayama. "You are too hopeful. Having the mere thought that you could somehow leach experience off of me is sickening. What a disgrace you are."

"Tch…!"

"Do you understand why you aren't able to touch me, impotent? It is because so long as this blasted system of Edgar Brauss' stays intact, there are no shortcuts to power. A level 1 such as yourself cannot simply hope and challenge someone of my caliber in the efforts of attaining their power. You disrespect me with your dreams. I will admit, however…that there is one thing I cannot seem to shake off."

Kiyoshi rested his arm on his knee. "You remind me of my former self. A hopeless child with an aspiration bigger than himself. I weave these words due only to that fact, so listen well: I spent my early freshman days as a mere level 20, my desire for strength had begun even before my life as a magic fighter. I longed for absolute power, I despised my reputation as a poor, lower-class nobody who could accomplish nothing due to his own lack of privilege."