Ken did not answer. He drew his lone sword in one calm, swift motion, went into stance, and charged Zerof without hesitation. As Ken closed in fast, Zerof raised his rock-like fist. With a precise, lightning move he struck Ken's sword hilt hard, a professional blow meant to stop the charge.
Ken's feet froze. A faint spark flickered in his gray eyes as he studied Zerof's hard face. He looked unmoving, like carved stone. Ken loosened his grip on the sword for a moment and pulled it back, stepping back in measured pace. The silence between them felt heavier than the strike itself.
Inside, Ken's mind ran cold:
'That wasn't a random hit… he knows exactly where to attack. This man is not just a big body… he's trained to read his opponent.'
Ken raised his sword slowly, every movement measuring distance and timing. He walked toward his opponent with a tight grip and a mind rearranging the plan. Zerof was not an ordinary enemy. His body, his steadiness, even the snake on his shoulder—everything screamed danger. But that was not Ken's main worry. A hidden feeling told him Zerof kept a card he hadn't shown yet.
'His first move was too clean… he didn't try to wound my blade, only pressed the hilt… a test? Or a warning?'
Ken's next step was slower, his blade tilted slightly downward.
'His eyes don't move much… he isn't tracking me, he's waiting. And his hand… very close to his pocket.'
'If he moves now, the strike will be instant. Not because he's fast… but because he prepared it from the start.'
Ken blinked once, as if clearing fog. Suddenly Zerof moved. He lunged like a hungry lion freed from its cage. With his right hand he pulled something small from his side pocket. It was a thin, shiny needle coated in dark liquid. There was no time to think.
When Zerof charged, Ken felt that split second when time freezes—the moment the hidden card is revealed. Five needles shot from Zerof's hand so fast the eye could scarcely see them. They flew in a slanted path toward Ken's chest and neck.
But Ken's body moved before his mind ordered it. He dropped fast and flicked his sword lightly. Three needles struck the blade and bounced off. The others veered and hit the stones behind him.
Ken spun half a turn to reset his footing. Nothing in him had changed except his gaze, now sharper as if it had finally read his opponent.
Zerof froze, then looked at Ken with the look only a true fighter gives when he finds a worthy rival. There was no anger or confusion on his face. There was something else. Something like approval.
He lifted his hand a little, revealing more needles between his fingers. Then, in his hoarse voice and without losing the challenge, he said,
"These needles… are made with Vala snake venom. It's a very rare snake. It attacks the nerves directly and paralyzes in seconds. In Valinor we use it in training, not to kill… but to find who deserves to live."
He lowered his arm and continued,
"And you… you avoided them as if you knew them beforehand. I haven't seen anyone deflect them that fast in a long time."
A faint glow began to leak from Ken's katana. A thin line of flame rose from the blade. It trembled, then steadied as if the sword finally exhaled. The air around him began to shimmer. A hidden heat slid across the feet of the spectators and made some step back without knowing why.
Zerof, readying for another round, paused. The snake on his shoulder moved its head for the first time, as if sensing something not quite human. Then Ken moved.
He charged forward fast, his blade burning through the air. On the first strike a curved flame burst from the edge and tore through the air toward Zerof at near-light speed.
Zerof stepped back, raising his gloved arm to block. But the flame split into three smaller fiery blades, each trying to hit from a different angle. Zerof blocked the first two. The third grazed his shoulder and left a burning mark on his leather armor.
"You're really interesting," Zerof said while his fingers slowly touched the cracked armor on his shoulder with curiosity, as if the wound from Ken's strike were not a threat but a new discovery about his rival.
Above them, the snake did not remain quiet. Its body convulsed and its dark venom began to drip from its fangs, running down its twisting body until the first drops hit the ground as if it could no longer stand being just a spectator.
Ken did not move. His eyes tracked every detail without blinking. He watched not only Zerof but the snake writhing.
"That snake does not move on its own… every move is measured. Zerof doesn't rely on it just as a weapon… he uses it as part of his strategy."
And amid all that analysis, Zerof vanished. No sound. No shadow. Nothing. He disappeared from Ken's sight completely. Then he reappeared—right in front of him. There was no time.
The snake leapt like an arrow from Zerof's neck and struck Ken's neck in a flash. It did not bite. It wrapped itself tightly around his throat, squeezing harder with each passing second. Ken's body jolted. He had not expected the move to happen that fast. He tried to swing his sword at it, but he could not raise it quickly enough from the pain.
Zerof's grip was quicker. He delivered a swift punch to Ken's hand. The sword hit the ground and spun through the air. Ken fell to his knee and his breaths began to come in ragged gasps. Air slipped away. He felt his throat swallowing stones. The snake's pressure was unbearable, but he did not cry out outwardly. Inside he thought:
'Damn… I didn't read that move… I didn't expect it. Focus. Flame. Bring out the flame… now.'
His shaking hand began to gather a faint glow. Meanwhile Akio stood staring. His eyes, wide with shock, no longer blinked. He seemed unaccustomed to such violence before him.
'He's choking… that boy is really choking… I must do something!!'
Akio suddenly surged forward toward the ring, but a guard grabbed him roughly.
"Stay where you are. Don't get involved."
Akio shouted with wide eyes,
"But he'll die!!"
The guard said nothing. He shoved Akio back with a light blow to the chest. It wasn't harmful, but it was enough to push him back and pin his feet to the ground. The boy stayed in place, staring with helpless eyes.
As for Ken… he collapsed to the ground. His body trembled, his fingers clawing at the dirt as if trying to grasp a shred of air. The snake coiled tighter around his neck, crushing as though it was breaking bone after bone. Veins swelled across his face. His skin color shifted. And the fire… still hadn't come.