Moon’s eyes were bloodshot and blurry, and the damage was reaching a dangerous point. He closed his eyes tightly while trying his hardest to pull the helmet off, aiming to reduce their exposure to the Echo’s radiance.
He kept yanking it, tilting it while pulling.
Moon had no idea what universal armor was; he had no way of knowing it was a single, whole unit that could not be split up.
The only way was to either break through it or destroy it, but he currently lacked the means for either.
Suddenly, with a loud "Graaah!", Dara’s arm shot back, aiming for Moon behind him.
Moon’s eyes opened wide instantly. He let go of the helmet and grabbed the arm instead.
The Echo coating the arm was intensifying, rapidly destroying Moon’s hands as they held onto it.
Moon ignored the familiar pain, relying on his very high and still evolving tolerance. He kept one foot on the back of Dara’s knee, raised his other bare foot, and planted it firmly on the fixed helmet.
Moon decided to test the range of motion the armor offered. If the parts wouldn’t come off, there had to be other benefits.
Since the beginning, Dara had been moving more smoothly and less restrictively than everyone else. Moon felt that Dara’s armor acted more like a second skin than any other set he had seen.
Thus, he yanked the shoulder backward.
Dara and Moon roared at each other.
One tried his best to avoid getting his shoulder broken, while the other fought through the searing damage to the hands holding the arm, alongside the constant damage from the dome-like radiance.
"AAAARGGGGGGGHHHH!"
In that instant, Dara changed his strategy, or so it seemed.
The radiance on his arm diminished; his body suddenly didn’t seem to have a single trace of Echo.
Instead, the dome’s radiance started intensifying gradually.
"Ugh," Moon grunted, closing his eyes even tighter.
Dara took advantage of that moment and used his right arm to attack Moon with his elbow.
Moon took the hits without moving; he bore them without budging.
Yet, Dara didn’t give up.
He tried to use his free leg to force his body up from the disadvantageous position.
Stomp~
Stomp~
Moon, without letting go of the arm, secured his foot on Dara’s head while rapidly stomping the back of his knee, forcing him to lose momentum every time he tried to push himself up.
Dara tried to fall to his right side, yet Moon didn’t let him.
Moon held onto the arm. Whenever Dara tried to force his body to one side, Moon leaned to the other with a quick yank, denying him any chance to break free.
The armor was flexible at the joints, but it was still steel. It supported Dara’s body in his current position.
It was a slight disadvantage when considering all the benefits it offered.
Who would have thought a universal armor user would face someone like Moon, someone who brawled instead of fighting in the manner commonly known within the Tower.
CRACK~
"AUUUUUUUGGGHHHH!" Dara cried.
Moon finally managed to snap his shoulder backward. "You cowardly bastard."
Huff~
Huff~
"How dare you look down on me?" Moon breathed heavily. "Hiding under steel."
Huff~
Huff~
Moon was still holding tightly to the arm, securing it. Suddenly...
Moon’s fingers shot for the small openings of the eyes on the helmet, yet...
Clang~
Clang~
His nails tapped against something hard.
They didn’t go through; his fingers slid over something that felt like glass, but it refused to break under pressure.
Dara took advantage of that moment and forced his body up. "I’LL KILL YOU!"
Realizing his mistake, Moon let go of the broken arm entirely and instead wrapped both of his arms around Dara’s neck.
The audience didn’t say a word; everyone went silent and watched closely.
Some couldn’t even stay seated, standing involuntarily, not daring to breathe too loudly.
The skirmish round that should have been a test of combat mastery was rapidly turning into a battle for existence.
One was using everything he owned: the resources of his clan, his Echo mastery, a long heritage, and a seemingly indestructible armor.
The other looked scrawny and wore nothing but pants, possessing neither Echo nor a weapon. He fought raw, relying solely on combat mastery and his own body.
Moon had stepped willingly into a disadvantageous position to fight many, aiming to prove he could live well as a free man and carve out a place for himself in this foreign, unforgiving world.
He wanted to prove that being a free man was enough, that he was strong enough to stand tall on his own without serving a master.
Only one of the two would walk out of this ring intact; even if both survived, the loser would never escape the shadow of this day.
While Moon held onto Dara’s neck, Dara didn’t hold back.
His elbows shot toward Moon’s smaller frame, but he couldn’t reach him. Realizing it wouldn’t work, Dara instead tried to punch Moon in the face.
But Moon was dangling. Once again, Moon felt that the armor’s range of motion made absolutely no sense for something forged of steel.
"Flexible joints?" Moon suddenly exclaimed, striking upon an idea.
Moon rested his foot on Dara’s left hip, where the broken arm was dangling, securing a slight foothold before locking both his arms around Dara’s head.
Realizing what was happening in an instant, Dara tried to pry Moon’s arms away. His Echo returned to his lone right arm as he yanked at the grip.
Moon was prepared for it. His left foot was secured, and so...
Thud~
Moon kicked the space between the back and hip joints with his free foot.
One of Moon’s arms was locked around the upper forehead section of Dara’s helmet, while the other gripped the lower chin guard.
Moon yanked the head along with the neck.
Locking his feet onto his foothold, Moon unrhythmically channeled force from one foot to the other to wrench Dara’s neck once more.
Time after time, Dara tried to catch Moon’s kicking foot, and before long...
He finally caught it.
"GET OFF ME!" he roared, pulling Moon’s leg and digging into his flesh with the tips of his gauntlet.
Moon knew this was a one-time chance, and he didn’t want to waste it.
Instead, to generate force without a proper foothold, Moon did the unthinkable.
He headbutted the back of the helmet with everything he had.
Cling~
Cling~
One time after another, until his forehead tore open and his face was covered in blood. Yet, Dara’s neck still refused to snap.
He knew exactly why that was the case...
He didn’t have a secure foothold, and the armor was supporting Moon’s weight vertically.
Dara wasn’t doing well himself, though. Inside the armor, Moon could hear his breathing, heavy and unsteady.
He was also hurt, though not as badly as Moon, who had a torn leg, a body rapidly seared by Echo radiance, and hair falling from his scalp.
Moon kept his eyes shut the entire time, relying solely on the physical feedback of Dara’s movements to estimate his next move.
A new move came, one Moon didn’t expect.
Dara suddenly jumped backward, throwing his weight, his armor, and his body onto Moon, using him as a cushion for the fall.
...
Character Profile
Dara
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 90 kg (without armor)
Skin: Light / Rigid
Facial Features: Broad face, heavy jaw, thick brows, small eyes (often narrowed in rage), scarred knuckles. Straight, narrow nose bridge.
Hair: Dark brown, cropped short
Build: Broad-shouldered, thick-chested, powerful-looking arms
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