Chapter 210: Second Match (1)

Jayden had barely stepped onto the arena floor when Vesper’s attention settled on him.

Of all the Sentinels Corwin could have chosen for the second round, it had to be this bastard.

Vesper had only just finished dealing with Luther, and the foul stench from the previous fight still lingered in his nose. His eyes were still slightly red, and his chest rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath. Nevertheless, the moment he saw the familiar face standing across from him, an old memory resurfaced.

On his first day at the academy, Jayden had challenged him without even bothering to check his rank. Back then, Jayden had assumed that someone who looked harmless and had been assigned to a lower class would be easy to bully. Unfortunately for him, that assumption had earned him a beating he had never quite managed to forget.

Vesper had broken his nose that day.

And judging by the way Jayden’s face twisted the moment their gazes met, he hadn’t forgotten it either.

Jayden’s gaze traveled over Vesper’s disheveled appearance before settling on the red rims of his eyes. A mocking smile spread across his face as he began moving his mouth, clearly trying to provoke him.

Vesper couldn’t hear a word.

The earplugs Aisha had given him were still firmly in place, which meant all of Jayden’s insults were going to waste. He couldn’t hear his opponent’s voice, but he recognized that familiar expression anywhere.

It was the same arrogant look Jayden had worn the day they’d first fought.

Vesper grinned.

He had no idea what Jayden was saying, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t come up with something to say himself.

"Hey, Jayden!" he called out, making sure the audience could hear him. "How’s your butt these days? Is it still sore from the last time you challenged someone without knowing what you were getting yourself into?"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Jayden’s face immediately turned red.

He had apparently been in the middle of delivering a lengthy insult when Vesper’s words reached him. Whatever he had intended to say was forgotten as his hands curled into fists and his composure crumbled.

Vesper laughed.

He had struck a nerve.

"What are you laughing at, you bastard?" Jayden roared, his voice carrying through the arena.

Vesper couldn’t hear him, of course. He merely watched Jayden’s mouth move, took in his furious expression, and decided that whatever he was saying probably wasn’t worth listening to anyway.

He pointed at his own ear, then deliberately shook his head.

The gesture only made Jayden angrier.

Aisha had been right to give him those earplugs.

The announcer’s signal rang through the arena, marking the start of the second match, but Jayden had already lost what little restraint he had left. He unleashed his Sentinel power, and the air around him shuddered as a surge of psychic energy spread across the stage.

Vesper didn’t retreat.

He planted his feet firmly against the combat alloy and waited for Jayden to make the first move.

The moment Jayden lunged, Vesper met him head-on.

Their fists collided.

The impact echoed through the arena, forcing Jayden to adjust his footing as Vesper’s raw strength pushed against him. He had expected Vesper to rely on the same straightforward approach he’d used in the previous match, but the force behind each strike was far greater than he’d anticipated.

Vesper swung again, forcing Jayden to raise his arm to block.

The impact jolted Jayden’s entire arm, sending a sharp ache through his shoulder.

Jayden clicked his tongue and immediately retaliated, directing his psychic energy toward Vesper’s side before twisting into another attack. Vesper dodged the worst of it and drove his knee toward Jayden’s abdomen, but his opponent managed to turn aside and strike him across the ribs.

The two separated briefly.

Jayden was breathing harder now.

Vesper, on the other hand, remained surprisingly steady despite the exhaustion from his previous match. His temper might have gotten him into trouble in the past, but his physical strength had never been something anyone could afford to dismiss. Thanks to his father’s half-Outerworlder bloodline, he possessed an extraordinary physique and raw power that even other high-ranking Sentinels sometimes struggled to match.

Jayden had experienced that firsthand.

And he hated it.

"You think you’re so strong just because you got lucky the first time?" Jayden shouted, his expression twisting as he charged forward again.

Vesper couldn’t hear him.

He saw Jayden coming and raised his fists to meet the attack.

Their bodies collided, and the next exchange grew even more intense. Vesper struck with enough force to rattle Jayden’s guard, while his opponent relied on his Sentinel ability to amplify his attacks and create openings.

For a while, neither gained a decisive advantage.

Then Jayden suddenly leaped backward.

Vesper was about to pursue him when something struck the floor between them.

A thick cloud of smoke erupted across the stage.

Within seconds, the battlefield disappeared behind a dense gray haze.

Vesper stopped.

His first thought was that Jayden had used a spiritual beast’s ability similar to Luther’s Fumeclaw. He immediately covered his nose, his body still remembering the revolting stench that had nearly made him vomit earlier.

But this time, there was no disgusting odor.

Only smoke.

Vesper’s brows drew together.

So it was a smokescreen.

He couldn’t see where Jayden had gone, and the smoke was spreading too quickly for him to rely on his eyes alone. Listening was out of the question with the earplugs still in place, while the stench from the previous fight had left him struggling to make use of his enhanced sense of smell.

The longer he waited, the greater his disadvantage would become.

Vesper clicked his tongue.

He had already won one match without using his Sentinel ability. He’d wanted to conserve his strength and prove he could defeat his opponents through physical combat alone, but there was no point stubbornly sticking to that plan now that Jayden had changed the conditions of the fight.

If he couldn’t see, he couldn’t fight properly.

His muscles tightened as he gathered psychic energy around his body, then released it in a violent burst.

A powerful wave of pressure swept outward.

The smoke began to scatter.

For a brief moment, the entire battlefield trembled beneath the force of his released energy. The edges of the gray cloud tore apart, revealing patches of metallic flooring beneath.

Vesper prepared to follow up with another attack.

Then he spotted Jayden.

His opponent was already within striking distance.

Before Vesper could fully register his position, Jayden moved, and something metallic flashed beneath the sleeve of his uniform.

A dark gauntlet covered his hand.

Vesper’s attention caught on it for barely a fraction of a second.

Then Jayden struck.

The punch landed squarely against Vesper’s torso.

For an instant, it felt like an ordinary strike, and Vesper barely registered it.

Then the dark gauntlet on Jayden’s hand activated.

A violent burst of condensed psychic energy erupted from the weapon at point-blank range. The blast struck Vesper before he could brace himself, hurling him backward as pain tore through his entire body.

His vision turned white.