The Number One pt. 2

"What happened?" That seems to be the question that everyone wanted to know the answer to. I sheathed my swords.

"It's simple, Don. You've reached your limit." I answered his query. Don looked bewildered, almost out of it.

"By now, you're probably have pain in your nape and feeling a little dizzy. Well, that's the normal reaction." Don looked at me in confusion and surprise.

"H-how did you know?"

I smiled at him. "Valsalva phenomenon."

"What?"

"It's a phenomenon that happens when you perform high intensity workouts while holding your breath. It increases your intrathoracic pressure, thus making you hypertensive. Seeing as your body is completely covered in armor, I'd say you're about to pop." I supplied. Don's eyes widened in realization.

As he crumbled to his knees, the medics came rushing in to try and stabilize his condition. Seeing the man down, the referee announced my win. And the crowd cheered my name as another challenger fell at my feet.

"Now, who's next?"

The dozens of challengers that came after the fight were nowhere near as good as the match with Don. So, I finished them with my signature move—the chop. As I continued to rule the arena and be the last one standing, the crowd's hype started to plateau.

Until finally, I had my last challenger. And, to my surprise, it was Alva. He had volunteered.

As I faced the teen, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Your dislike for me is quite baffling. But, what is a baby chick like you doing on my battleground?" I roused.

"You'll eat those words."

"Oh, I shall. With bacon on the side too." I attempted to jest. But, this only served to add fuel to the fire in Alva's eyes.

I spared a glance at the sidelines, where Dustan quietly watched this all transpire. His calm expression made me wonder what is going through his mind.

"Begin!" The referee yelled.

Immediately, Alva was at my side. His foot was drawn back for a kick. He must've thought he had the element of surprise. However, I parried his attack and purposely hit his shin with my sheathed saber.

Alva flinched. But, much to my surprise he continued his attacks in one swift movement. Twisting his body to three sixty, he gained enough momentum to his kick. I was amazed.

He even used the same leg, which should be throbbing in pain after I hit his shin. I guess he was holding back yesterday. I smiled in anticipation.

"You really are good at this."

Alva didn't pay no mind to my words, continuing his onslaught of attacks. And, with every hit, I noticed that he was gaining more strength. Or rather, he was gaining more momentum.

I see. His fighting style is something that relies on momentum. He twists his body, hits, then uses the recoil to gain more momentum as he twists again. He's like a yo-yo, only his spin can go through four directions.

Alva's fighting sense seemed to be getting sharper too as he continues his barrage of attacks. And, from the way he controls his breathing, it seems he is aware of his body's need for oxygen.

To think someone like him would be a noble's son. The kid seemed more like a natural-born fighter. However, he is quite heated. He's the type to lose his temper, quite quickly.

I wonder if he'll be able to reach a new stage of maturity if he simply lets go of his raging emotions. As I pondered over this, I continued to dodge and parry his attacks without much effort.

"ARGH!!" He yelled, obviously ticked by my indifference to his attacks.

"You really think you can defeat me?" I asked him as I flipped him over my shoulder.

"Don't talk to me!" Alva growled. Crouching on all fours, he lunged at me whilst twisting his body—almost like a projectile. He grazed my waist, all through the layers of bandage. I gasped, putting my hand over the rip. The padding on my waist went loose so I had to keep my arm there.

I didn't expect him to aim for that. In that moment of vulnerability, Alva went for the finishing shot. He did a half-spinning kick, aiming for my torso.

However, he didn't take into consideration that although I like to fight with speed, I can also fight power with power. As he delivered his attack, I caught his ankle. I pulled on his ankle, catching him unbalanced, then used his own technique to finish the match.

I spun and kicked his chin in a well executed high-kick.

Alva's head was thrown back from the force. Then, he slumped into a defeated pile on the floor. I could only hope I didn't end up killing my new disciple on his second day with me.

"Yet again, Kari Faust has taken down 30 challengers without a rest, protecting his title as undefeated!" The crowd went wild, chanting my name as the referee announced my win.

Phew. I'm actually beat. The medics came and immediately attended to Alva.

"Take care of him." I instructed. It would be bad if I add to Adelredus' criminal offense by killing the son of a noble.

To escape the usual shenanigans after a match, I pretended to be hurt. I clutched my side and grimaced once in a while to fake the injury. As soon as I was out of sight, I quickly went to my room and took off my shirt.

Wow.

I didn't even realize that even the padding was caught up in Alva's attack. Looking at the deformed padding, I couldn't help but smirk. Finally, some worthy kids have joined my frock.

I can't wait to see how much they'll grow. But first, I have to take care of this. After all, I still had the victory party with the VIPs later on.

As I completely took off the bandages on my chest, I took new ones and started re-wrapping my entire torso. I made sure to use one of my spare paddings to hide the curvature of my waists and to make my figure more masculine.

"... Master?"

I jumped in surprise. I turned to look at the door, opening.

My heart stopped.