Chapter 211: Second Match (2)

Vesper’s muscles seized as the blast tore through his defenses. His body jerked violently, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as the overwhelming force ripped through him.

The sensation was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It wasn’t simply the pain of a broken bone or an ordinary weapon wound. The sheer force of the psychic blast overwhelmed his body before he could even comprehend what had happened.

Jayden had chosen his moment carefully.

Vesper had just released a tremendous amount of psychic energy to disperse the smoke, leaving him committed to the attack. As soon as Vesper stepped within striking distance, Jayden activated the gauntlet and unleashed its entire stored reserve in a single explosive discharge.

There was no time to dodge.

Vesper tried to step backward, but his legs refused to respond.

Another wave of pain tore through him. Blood welled at the corner of his mouth and trickled down his chin.

His eyes widened.

What the hell—

He couldn’t finish the thought.

His knees buckled.

Jayden stepped away just as Vesper crashed onto the combat alloy.

The impact sent a cloud of dust rising around his body.

The gauntlet flickered one last time before falling silent. Its internal components fused under the strain of the discharge, and the stored-energy chamber burned out completely. What remained on Jayden’s hand looked like nothing more than an ordinary gauntlet.

For several seconds, Jayden stood still, staring down at Vesper’s motionless body.

Then he lowered his hand.

The smoke continued to swirl across the stage.

The crowd had fallen silent.

No one had expected the second match to end so quickly, especially after watching Vesper defeat Luther in the first round. Moments earlier, the A-rank Sentinel had been standing his ground and trading blows with Jayden, even forcing his opponent to resort to a smokescreen.

Now, he was lying on the floor.

Kane was the first to react.

"Vesper!"

He shot to his feet and gripped the barrier in front of him, straining to see through the thick cloud of dust. Sabel was already beside him, her face pale as she stared at the stage.

"What happened? He was standing a moment ago!"

Neither of them could make sense of what they’d just witnessed.

The barrier separating the waiting area from the arena had muffled the sounds of the battle, but they’d been watching the entire time. They had seen Vesper unleash his ability to scatter the smoke, followed by Jayden rushing toward him.

After that, everything had happened too quickly.

The announcer’s voice rang through the arena.

"T-the winner of the second round is Jayden!"

The crowd erupted.

Cheers and excited chatter spread through the stands, while those who had bet on Corwin’s team began celebrating their apparent victory.

Kane and Sabel heard none of it.

Their attention remained fixed on the stage.

As the dust settled, a motionless figure gradually came into view.

Vesper lay sprawled across the floor, his uniform stained with blood and his body covered in bruises and open wounds. His face was swollen, and blood from his mouth had spread across his chin. One arm lay at an awkward angle beside him, while his chest rose and fell with barely perceptible breaths.

For a moment, Aisha couldn’t move.

She had been looking at her terminal when the commotion began. The sudden change in the audience’s reaction made her look up, and the sight of the dust-covered stage immediately drew her attention away from Nykos’s reply.

She had watched Vesper fight moments earlier. Although his first match had exhausted him, he’d still been able to stand and walk on his own. His injuries from the previous round had been minor, and she’d expected him to be more than capable of fighting another opponent.

But this wasn’t an ordinary defeat.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

The barrier separating the waiting area from the stage began to open as the match ended.

Aisha was already moving before it had fully lowered.

She rushed toward Vesper, with Kane and Sabel close behind. The moment they reached him, all three dropped to their knees.

"Vesper!"

Sabel’s hands hovered over his body, unsure where she could touch him without causing further harm. Her face had gone completely pale as she took in the blood and the unnatural angle of his arm.

Kane was just as shaken.

He reached for Vesper’s neck to check his pulse, then leaned closer when he realized how shallow his breathing was.

"He’s breathing," Kane said, but the relief in his voice quickly gave way to fear. "Barely. We need a medic!"

Aisha crouched beside them.

She didn’t touch Vesper immediately. Instead, she examined him carefully, searching for the source of the damage while keeping her expression under control.

The more she saw, the colder her gaze became.

His injuries were severe, but that wasn’t what frightened her most.

Something was wrong with the way his psychic energy moved through his body.

She could sense an abnormal disturbance beneath the surface, a violent residue left behind by the overwhelming blast. His breathing was weak, and his body wasn’t responding properly as the foreign energy continued to dissipate through his system.

Vesper wasn’t simply unconscious.

He had suffered devastating injuries from an attack Jayden shouldn’t have been capable of producing.

Aisha had seen people suffer terrible injuries before, but the lingering traces of high-level Sentinel energy made this case different. The blast had carried far more power than Jayden’s rank should have allowed, and whatever had happened had clearly overwhelmed Vesper’s defenses.

She couldn’t determine the full extent of the damage without proper medical equipment, but one thing was obvious: he needed immediate treatment.

Aisha’s fingers slowly curled into her palm.

The murderous intent in her eyes grew stronger.

"Get medical assistance," she ordered, her voice low and cold.

Sabel immediately pushed herself to her feet and turned toward the entrance where the medical team was waiting.

"I’ll get them!"

Kane caught her wrist before she could run.

"Stay here. You have to fight in the third round."

Sabel stared at him in disbelief.

"What are you talking about? Look at him!"

"I know!" Kane snapped, his voice cracking. He forced himself to take a breath before continuing. "But if we all leave, we’ll forfeit the match. Get someone to stay with Vesper. I’ll bring the medics here."

He didn’t wait for her answer.

Kane ran toward the medical station, shouting for assistance as he disappeared into the crowd.

Sabel remained beside Vesper, her hands trembling with anger and fear.

Aisha stayed crouched near her classmate, watching the rise and fall of his chest. She could hear his faint, uneven breathing, and each time it faltered, her fingers tightened.

She wasn’t going to let him die here.

Not after he’d fought so hard to prove himself.

Jayden was still standing several meters away when he noticed the three of them gathered around Vesper.

A smug expression spread across his face.

"What’s wrong? Didn’t you expect him to lose?"

Sabel turned toward him.

For a moment, she couldn’t believe the nerve of this bastard.

Vesper was lying unconscious on the floor, covered in blood, and Jayden was acting as though he’d merely won an ordinary training match.

"You—"

She took a step toward him, but Jayden only laughed.

"What’s with that expression? He’s an A-rank Sentinel, isn’t he? Everyone kept talking about how strong he was, so I thought he’d put up more of a fight." He lifted his gauntleted hand and flexed his fingers. "Turns out his rank isn’t worth much after all."

Sabel’s anger surged until she could barely contain it.

Aisha, however, had noticed something else.

Her eyes had settled on the dark gauntlet around Jayden’s hand.