Season 1 Episode 41: The Halls Have Eyes

Nathan spun around in an instant and swept his left forearm up, intercepting Claude's Invisible Sword Technique before it could meet its intended target.

BOOM!

A storm of an overwhelming pressure of vibration resonated outwards, creating a tornado that danced frenziedly in the air as Nathan ruthlessly slammed onto the ground, his inner organs trembling violently from the impact.

Inclining his head, Nathan Archer gazed at Claude with difficulty. His left arm was bleeding out, but he didn't seem to be concerned at all.

'His left arm is..' Claude's eyes narrowed as he looked at the young man who was his opponent. Although injuries could be treated using healing potions, it wasn't allowed in the middle of a fight. Which was why most participants would choose to concede once they are too injured.

However, from the look of Nathan's face, Claude was sure that he wasn't planning on giving up.

Such a bizarre scene caused the eyes of everyone present to narrow, as great shock painted their faces. 

Zoom!

Nathan moved first. Claude was expecting a more cautious approach after what had just happened, but he appears to have misjudged him. Or maybe Nathan realized that prolonging the battle would be disadvantageous with a broken limb and decided to go all out. Or maybe he isn't thinking straight. Who knows? But Claude didn't care about the reasons. Nor did he have the time.

Nathan was fast. He was fast before, but he was even faster now. By the time Claude planted his feet and utilised his Invisible Sword Technique with all his momentum cocking backwards, Nathan had already arrived within range.

'Shit!' Claude knew he had messed up. He hadn't expected Nathan to have been holding back in terms of speed like he did. Especially after he had taken a beating from Claude. 

The only way to defend against a sword attack like the Invisible Sword Technique is to get there early, before the swing had even started, when it would still be weak and slow. Perfect time to strike!

Nathan raised his palm forward as a terrifying palm strike unleashed from it, rumbling as it zoomed through the air, projecting a sense of tyranny. 

Right at the nick of time, Claude arched his upper body to the left and spun around, as the palm strike zoomed past his neck, lightly grazing him on his ear, causing it to bleed.

Nathan's eyes widened in surprise. Claude was able to evade such an attack at a close range? Who the hell was this young man?

"Did he seriously just evade a close range Palm Strike by… leaning? Is he… Is he a monster or something?" a Dark Chariot Faction disciple, who was watching the battle said in shock.

The several disciples in the surroundings who were currently spectating this battle were shocked by what was happening on the platform. 

However, Nathan had no time to be shocked. Claude, who had successfully evaded the Palm Strike, was now able to utilize his Invisible Sword Technique to its maximum ability.

Whoosh!

A burst of light flooded the area, emitting an intense and resplendent sword light as a silver sword materialized in his palms, and he swung it right at Nathan's injured left arm.

Nathan tried to utilize his footwork technique to escape, but he still hadn't recovered from the quick sprint he did to use the palm strike from before, meaning he was still in forward motion. Too late to evade the attack, the sword caught his left arm and the impact caused violent energy waves to be swept across the sky, and the powerful shockwaves caused everyone's hearts to tremble.

After the collision, both men stood still on the same spot, but after a few seconds, Nathan dropped to his knees, and then flopped forward on his face.

Shock suffused the eyes of the spectators, before erupting into loud cheers. They had already declared Dayton Palmer as the Champion of the tournament, and as a result, wasn't expecting anything spectacular from the other participants. But the battle that concluded in front of their eyes just now was different. 

Claude slowly walked out from the platform and was immediately greeted by a smiling Senior Beldon, who seemed to have been waiting for him to exit the stage.

"I did tell you to be careful, didn't I?" Senior Beldon studied Claude a bit before speaking.

"I was careful," Claude smiled back faintly and replied as he shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the main hall, followed by Senior Beldon right behind him.

"I wouldn't say that after watching his last move," Senior Beldon said with a light chuckle, and Claude couldn't find a way to retort back. After all, he was right. In that last moment, he did in fact subconsciously underestimate his opponent, and he almost paid the price for it.

'I have to be careful,' Claude said to himself. This was the martial world, where you simply can't afford to make a mistake.

"By the way," Suddenly, Claude glanced at Senior Beldon and said, "How did you know that my opponent would be… let's say 'special'?" 

Senior Beldon looked at Claude and simply smiled in response. 

"You really can't say anything, huh?" Claude said, as he realized that Senior Beldon wasn't going to be answering his question. He then looked around the main hall for a few seconds, before adding, "You know, once this tournament is over, you're going to have to explain everything."

"I know," Senior Beldon chuckled heartily as he moved closer to Claude and whispered, "And I will. Until then, be patient my junior, for there are eyes everywhere!"