Lost Origins: SS Ranked Awakening-Chapter 146: Weights of the Heart

"Cough!"

Another mouthful of blood came out of Dain’s mouth as he struggled to understand what had just happened.

"Give up, Dain!"

Kieran said, using his other hand to lift Dain’s face by the chin, looking him straight in the eyes.

’Predator’s Gaze!’

Kieran’s eyes flashed, the golden shade that his opponent’s were accustomed to revealing itself and he felt the tremble go though Dain’s body.

Dain on the other hand was suppressing the terror that sought to take over his body the moment those gold rimmed eyes stared in to him, as if staring right into his soul.

Looking into Kieran’s eyes, Dain didn’t doubt for a second that he would kill him if he didn’t choose to give up on the fight.

How he came to that conclusion? He himself couldn’t tell. It was a huge hunch that clawed at the back of his mind, something within those cold, predatory eyes made him understand.

Kieran didn’t need to say it before he could think of it himself.

’How?’

Dain thought and let out another pained groan, feeling Kieran push his hand deeper into his body

"Now!"

Kieran whispered, while the audience who couldn’t see the scene well enough because of how close the two were, wondered what was happening.

Kieran no longer had the dark smile that had appeared on his face a second ago. Instead he was feeling livid at the fact that he had almost gone all out, breaking the promise he made to August. A measure that was put in place for his own safety.

’I should be able to end things quietly this way.’

Kieran thought, accepting this method as the most efficient.

He was careful in executing this attack, making sure to hit in a spot that wasn’t too fatal that Dain would loose his life instantly.

And he also made sure not to apply too much force. Just enough to make Dain think that he really would kill him. That and his ’Predator’s Gaze’ made him confident in his bluff.

He was trying to avoid as much attention as was possible in a situation like this, but killing Dain in a match that wasn’t a death match was going to gather all sorts of attention to him; from the recruits, to the camp officials and even the family of Dain.

The last thing he wanted to do was to get in a position like that, and he wasn’t even sure if his instructor who had proved to be reliable when it mattered the most could help if he got himself in trouble like that.

"Just give up. You’ve used up your momentum and I broke your pace just before you used your thrid step!"

Kieran pushed again, making Dain realize how far back things had gone wrong for him. He just hadn’t noticed, rather, he didn’t take Kieran seriously enough to pay attention to those details.

"I see!"

Back then Kieran had smiled at him and said clearly when he made him retreat, "Got you!".

Dain did indeed found it strange as he had manged to switch the situation again after a single move, so he brushed it to the side.

He had failed to take his opponent seriously, caught up in his pride and overconfidence, believing that no one under the top 30 could make him get serious, and yet that thought process that brought him to this state.

"Sigh!"

Dain sighed and Kieran’s expression turned sour, feeling Dain’s grip on his shoulder turn hard all of a sudden.

"You wouldn’t want to!"

Kieran’s voice was beyond freezing, as he tried in a last attempt to make Dain quit the fight while things hadn’t gotten ugly.

"You don’t get it, do you, commoner? Everything I’ve been doing, everything I’ve done so far. It’s all to please those guys, it’s what I’m made for. What would I become if I fail to to end this in style, even if I lost?"

Dain let out a bloody smile and Kieran glanced at the watching audience who were looking slightly confused at why they had been in that position for that long. It had been a few seconds after all.

Some of them though had sour expressions, already figuring out what was going on.

"Going out in style, huh? Fine!"

Kieran’s expression softened and Dain felt the change.

"Thank you!"

"Haaaa!"

He muttered before bursting out on a loud shout, pushing Kieran’s body away roughly.

"STEP ZERO!"

Blood flowed out from the edge of his mouth as he said those words, the mountain image behind him suddenly rushing back into him and once more his previously weakened aura busrt forth, instantly causing another part of the stage ti fall off.

The stone beneath his feet cracked and deepened, struggling to bare his weight, the weight of a mountain.

"He’s using it now?"

"Took him long enough!"

"This fight should be over now"

Some amongst the audience said, but another one of them spoke up in a solem tone. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Not so fast. Don’t you see it? The injury above his waist!"

"Besides, he is without momentum and has wasted a whole lot of energy. If not, he would have used Origin Step instead. This attack is barely at a fraction of what it could be in his peak form!"

The recruits words shut the others up as they all picked up on what he was trying to pass across.

"And who are you?"

They asked the strange face that hadn’t spoken up until now.

"Just a random narrator who’s schooling you. Not shut up and understand why Dain is looked upon favorably by those masters of yours!"

The recruit said and the rest despite feeling insulted, couldn’t risk missing the final strike.

"MOMENT STTTRRRIIKKKKEEE!"

Dain’s voice was so loud that some felt the need to shut their ears. Even from their viewing positions, they could feel the immense pressure coming from the stage.

The fact he was still standing, managing to weild such power in his injured state was impressive enough, even Kieran had no choice but to accept and give him his respect.

"Fine. Just this once should be okay!"

He muttered to himself and the gold in his eyes gleamed, before an even greater pressure encompassed the stage, breaking off whatever pieces where handing on until just a small platform remained where both combats stood on.

"W-w-wh‐what is this?"

One of those among the audience managed to speak in terror as he felt the suffocating aura washed over him, slithering around his neck making it hard to breath.

Dain’s pressure had been obliterated in an instant, and to the terror of those present, they could see small black streaks struggle to form as if wanting to reveal itself to the world.

’Manifestation?!!!’

Their eyes struggled slowly and turned to the source where they saw that thing that was the source of all this.

Kieran stood in the same posture, his hair having elongated to his shoulder, faint red streaks showing themselves at the root of his head.

Dark veins snaked across his visble arms, up to his neck before fading from what one could see.

His appearance wasn’t too different from when he had first awakened, the back dot on his head was almost unnoticeable, his dark claws tensed at his side as he got into a stance.

Dain was finally attacking.

He ignored the wound in his waist and twisted his upper body all the way back before swinging like and explosive sling shot.

’Does he want to kill me?’

Kieran thought, following the movement of the weapon.

Unlike everyone else, he could see the huge amount of momentum that had accumulated at the tip of the staff heading for him.

Dain had just pulled out a crazy move from nowhere.

Kieran strained his eyes, as he switched to the full Absolute insight, pushing the ability to the max trying to see past the immense bright light that was the momentum.

"Now!"

Kieran ignored the blood flowing from the sides of his eyes and moved, his body flashing rapidly as confronted Dain’s final strike.

CRACK!

"Heh!"

BOOM!! WOOSH!!

A distinct crack was heard by the two fighters just at the point of contact and Dain gave out a small sneer before a blinding light appread forcing the audience to look away as the shockwave hit their bodies, shattering the basic protection that had been set up prior to the fight.

"..."

The dust settled down rapidly and the audience looked on, their hearts beating rapidly within their chest wanting to know the final outcome.

’He is interesting!’

The recruit who had shut the others up previously smiled and silently made his way out while the others were distracted.

The dust finally settled and the scene they had been desperate to see finally revealed itself in front of them.

"..."

"..."

"Impossible!"

One of them breathed, breaking the silence that had befallen them all.

In front of them, on top of the rubles of what was previously the stage, Dain laid defeated, his arms looking severely disfigured as blood pooled out from his injuries.

In front of him was Kieran who stood, holding on to his staff which had broken into two.

’...’

Kieran glanced at his had which shook subtly and the figure of Dain who laid defeated at his feet, not knowing how exactly to feel.

What he had participated in as a way to cure his boredom had escalated, leaving him with a weight in his heart that he hadn’t expected.