At the edge of the martial ring, Aaron stared blankly at this utterly absurd spectacle.
Every single one of Zack's kicks and punches cut through empty air.
"Whoa?!"
He must have overextended his step. Tripped by Kai Heinemann's sweeping foot, Zack spun through the air several times before slamming back-first onto the stone. Scrambling to his feet in an instant, he charged relentlessly once more, yet Kai avoided each blow with the barest shift in his center of gravity.
Was that anticipation? Surely, it had to be. Aaron could conceive of nothing else.
Kai was likely reading Zack's facial expressions, the direction of his gaze, the subtlest flex of every muscle throughout his body, and every other scrap of information to perceive and react to his movements before they happened. He had elevated the art of anticipation to the level of precognition itself.
"Ah..."
A raspy gasp of admiration escaped Aaron's lips.
Yes. The predictive eye was the most fundamental skill for a martial artist, yet simultaneously the ultimate secret technique underlying all martial arts. In a sense, it was the ideal pinnacle that martial artists like Aaron spent their entire lives pursuing. Every practitioner, Aaron included, honed their craft day in and day out, dreaming of reaching it just once before they died. What Kai Heinemann was displaying right before his eyes was a supreme realm that existed only in fairy tales to men like him.
"That is truly..."
Before he realized it, tears were spilling from his eyes. He had never imagined he would live long enough to witness it for himself.
Zack unleashed a right roundhouse kick aimed square at Kai Heinemann's head, but Kai slipped it as effortlessly as breathing. Spinning his body like a top in midair, Zack planted his right palm on the ground and whipped around with a kick packed with immense centrifugal force. The shockwave bursting from his foot tore the stone floor of the martial ring to shreds, but Kai was already behind him.
"Guaaagh!!"
Letting out a beast-like roar, Zack tried to push off the ground and create some distance, but Kai kicked him upward, sending him spinning through the air again and again until he crashed near the edge of the ring.
Staggering, Zack pushed himself back up. On his face was neither frustration nor bewilderment—only pure, ecstatic joy at being able to challenge an absolute powerhouse he could never hope to match.
"Am I... jealous?"
Yes. Aaron was undeniably envious of Zack. To trade blows with a being residing in the realm of the War God—that was a warrior's supreme honor and lifelong dream. Knowing that it wasn't him in the ring right now drove Aaron mad with envy.
"Damn it all."
Welcoming that War God into Cayen style swordsmanship? Ridiculous. That would be like an assistant instructor taking on an apprenticeship under someone picking up a blade for the very first time. Nothing could be more absurd.
Nearly an hour had already passed. Yet judging by the look in his eyes, Zack had no intention of stopping. Nor would the War God disregard such unyielding spirit. He would surely indulge Zack until the bitter end, until the man couldn't lift so much as a single finger.
"I have no right to stop them."
This duel was Zack's deepest yearning. Aaron couldn't bring himself to cut it short. He would simply watch it through to the end.
Just as Aaron sat cross-legged upon the martial ring, the movement of two young men running down the passageway caught the corner of his eye.
Dragging along several tournament committee members who desperately tried to restrain them, the pair forced their way toward the martial ring. Just as Aaron rose to remove the tactless intruders, both men suddenly dropped to their knees and prostrated themselves on the floor.
"Kai Heinemann! The city of Balse is in terrible danger! Please! You have to save us!!"
The blond man pressed his forehead hard against the ground, his voice cracking in a desperate shriek.
For the first time, Kai Heinemann pulled his gaze away from Zack and looked toward the pair at the edge of the ring.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Zack also halted his assault and crossed his arms, waiting to see what was happening.
"What happened? Tell me everything."
Kai Heinemann's question came in a calm, quiet voice.