Slave of Fignters "Champion of the Black Star Part One

The gong rang, and Edmond immediately raised his guard. Cassandra wasted no time, launching her first assault.

With the first two slashes of her left claws, she aimed to rip open Edmond's stomach, but he managed to evade them by pulling his abdomen back. However, her right hand swept upward in a vicious uppercut, and its claws still tore across his chin.

Edmond tried to counter with a left hook aimed at her face. Cassandra effortlessly bent backward into a flexible bridge, then snapped her legs upward like a spring, kicking him squarely under the jaw before landing gracefully on all fours.

The impact threw Edmond's head back, and Cassandra instantly seized the opportunity. She darted toward his legs and, with a swift slash of her claws, severed the tendon in his left foot.

Edmond staggered and began to limp. The wound was deep, blood pouring from it, threatening not only blood loss but also a serious loss of speed.

Watching the fight take a turn for the worse, Tork muttered,

"That's it... With an injury like that, Edmond won't be able to move properly anymore."

Emali shouted from the sidelines,

"Use your Power Impulse!"

"He's as thick-headed as an Alvaz Mountain Obut," Squid growled through clenched teeth. "He'll keep smashing himself against a cliff until either he breaks... or the cliff does. He won't use his greatest advantage until he's pushed himself to the absolute limit."

Meanwhile, Cassandra continued carving into Edmond's body with her claws. He blocked as many strikes as he could, forcing his forearms to take the punishment instead. Every slash burned intensely, leaving behind deep cuts that stung with every movement.

Then Cassandra delivered a wide diagonal slash from above with her right hand, aiming for his legs.

Edmond reacted instantly. He hopped slightly to his left, ending up on Cassandra's right side. He was about to bring his fist crashing down onto her head when, from the corner of his eye, he spotted the razor-sharp spike at the end of her tail hurtling toward his neck.

The spike pierced the skin of his throat and was about to drive deep inside, but Edmond managed to grab her tail the instant its tip broke through his skin, stopping it before it could sink any farther.

He yanked the spike free from his neck and gave Cassandra's tail a violent pull. She hissed in pain and spun around, claws ready to tear him apart.

But Edmond swung both arms upward, lifting her completely off the ground. Holding her by the tail, he spun her around himself like the arm of a carousel.

Seeing this, Avalar exclaimed into the microphone,

"Unbelievable! After enduring so many of Cassandra's attacks, Edmond isn't even slowing down-if anything, he looks full of energy! No one has ever humiliated Cassandra like this!"

Edmond spun faster and faster with Cassandra dangling from her tail, then came to a sudden stop and hurled her straight into the arena's energy barrier.

She slammed into the crimson force field with tremendous force, making it ripple from the impact.

But Edmond wasn't finished.

He charged forward, intending to drive his knee into Cassandra's temple.

She reacted instantly.

Dropping onto all fours, she slipped around him, thrust her hips toward him, and lashed out with her spiked tail, driving its barb straight into his anus.

The unexpected attack made Edmond's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.

He reached for her tail, intending to pull it free himself, but Cassandra kindly yanked her spiked tail out of him first.

"Well... that's it," Squid sighed. "Not only did she punch a hole in him... she poisoned him too."

Edmond staggered away from Cassandra, clutching his backside as he walked unevenly across the ring. At the same time, every wound her claws had inflicted began bleeding heavily.

Yet he was still standing.

To the spectators, Cassandra was clearly winning-and she believed so herself.

What truly astonished her, however, was Edmond's endurance.

Normally, a single sting from her tail was enough to paralyze an opponent's muscles. Three stings at most.

But Edmond had taken one directly to the neck-a strike that should have paralyzed his cervical spine and robbed him of control over his entire body.

Instead...

He kept moving.

He hadn't even slowed down.

Not even with a severed tendon in his foot.

The second venomous strike to Edmond's backside, loaded with a heavy dose of poison, should not merely have paralyzed him-it should have killed him outright. Yet Edmond was still standing. The only noticeable change was that the bleeding had become even worse.

Edmond remembered when he had turned fourteen. The overseers of the forest territory had begun releasing dangerous beasts to make the children's struggle for survival even harsher. He had fought those creatures countless times and had nearly died from blood loss or venom on more than one occasion. This fight reminded him of those days.

Cassandra lunged again, unleashing another flurry of claw strikes. Edmond dodged and deflected each attack until she suddenly changed her approach.

Once again, Cassandra swung her right claws downward in a wide overhead slash, but this time it was only a feint. She pulled her arm back at the last instant and spun into a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at his head.

Edmond reacted instantly. Leaning his head back to evade the kick, he managed to grab her tail and yank it hard.

Cassandra was thrown backward onto him. Edmond caught her around the waist and executed a powerful German suplex.

Her head slammed into the hard mats with tremendous force.

The entire arena gasped.

Surely no one could get back up after a throw like that.

But Cassandra not only remained conscious-she seemed completely fine. She broke free of his grip, sprang onto her hands, spun around, and lashed out with a series of powerful kicks that knocked Edmond away.

Edmond rolled with the impact to absorb the force. But the moment he tried to stand, Cassandra instantly appeared behind him and struck three times with her stinger.

One stab pierced his left buttock.

The second drove into the back of his right knee.

The third struck his spine.

Edmond spun toward Cassandra, trying to attack once more, but the instant he took a step, his body staggered. His vision blurred, and he dropped to one knee.

"That's it," Tork said with a sorrowful sigh. "She's injected him with venom several times already. It's a miracle he's still conscious."

"It's a miracle he's even alive," Emali added. "There's already a lethal amount of poison in his body. Anyone else would've been dead long ago."

Squid watched Edmond sink onto his second knee with a heavy expression.

"This is the price of recklessness," he said. "It will become the hardest and most painful lesson of his life... if he survives."

Meanwhile, Cassandra walked over to Edmond.

She crouched beside him, grabbed him by the chin, lifted his head, and said,

"Hmm... you're impressive. Usually one sting is enough to stop an opponent from resisting. In rare cases, it takes two or three. But you kept fighting even after being stabbed over and over. I like that."

Through the roar of the crowd, individual shouts could be heard:

"Cassandra, break his neck!"

"Finish him!"

"Kill him!"

Avalar commented,

"It looks like Cassandra has decided to toy with her prey. Could this be the end of Edmond's fighting career?"

Still speaking, Cassandra slowly traced one sharp claw along his neck as she circled around behind him.

"Only one fighter has ever resisted my venomous stinger-and he did it twice. You did well too. You're only the second person to endure my venom. Someday, you might even defeat me..."

She came to a stop behind Edmond, drew her arm back, and declared,

"Which is exactly why I'm going to kill you!"

Tork couldn't bear watching any longer.

"Why isn't the referee starting the count? Edmond can't fight anymore! What's the referee waiting for?"

"Edmond is still on his feet," Squid replied. "He's on his knees, but he's still upright, so the fight continues. A fighter only loses if they surrender or stay down for a full ten-second count."

Cassandra was just about to strike when her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

She instinctively leaped backward, landing on all fours with her back arched like a frightened cat.

Avalar reacted immediately.

"Whoa! Cassandra, what's wrong? Why did she back away?"

Cassandra herself didn't understand what had happened. Her body had moved entirely on instinct, as if Edmond had suddenly become a mortal threat.

But Edmond was still kneeling.

In her own mind, Cassandra cursed herself for being a coward. Why had she jumped back? He was completely exposed.

And yet every instinct in her body screamed that she was in danger.

Steeling herself, Cassandra forced those instincts aside and charged at Edmond anyway.

The moment she stepped within striking distance, blood suddenly burst from Edmond's wounds like fountains.

As if driven by enormous internal pressure, it sprayed straight into Cassandra's eyes.

She instantly jumped back, wiped the blood from her face, and looked toward Edmond again.

For a split second, she saw a blood-soaked fist hurtling straight toward her face.

It was the last thing she saw before she was launched into the arena's energy barrier.

The entire crowd leaped to its feet.

Even Avalar was left speechless.

The Edmond standing in the arena was no longer the same man.

His muscles had swollen dramatically, thick veins pulsed beneath his skin, and blood poured from his wounds like rivers.

He stood upright, breathing heavily, his eyes locked onto Cassandra.

Meanwhile, Cassandra sat slumped against the energy barrier.

Edmond's punch had completely disfigured her face.

It looked as though it had been crushed inward. One eye was bulging from its socket, and her front teeth had been knocked out.

She was already unconscious.

One section of the arena's energy barrier deactivated, allowing the referee to enter.

After examining Cassandra, he stood up, walked over to Edmond, raised his hand high, and declared him the winner.

The crowd erupted.

Some spectators cheered Edmond's incredible comeback, while others cursed him, ripping off T-shirts printed with Cassandra's image in frustration.

Still trying to process what had just happened, Avalar spoke into the microphone.

"This... this is nothing short of a miracle! Just seconds ago, Edmond was on the verge of defeat, and then everything changed in an instant. He clearly hadn't intended to reveal his trump card in the very first match, but Cassandra forced his hand."

Squid, Tork, and Emali stood frozen in shock as they watched the blood-covered Edmond slowly walk toward them.

With every step, his body gradually returned to normal.

The heavy bleeding slowed, though his wounds were still dripping blood.

When he reached Squid, Edmond smirked.

"So... you were worried about me. See? I wiped the floor with her."

"You wiped the floor with her?" Squid replied, glaring at him. "Look at yourself. Will you even be able to fight in the next match? At this rate, you'll end up in a grave long before you ever become stronger."

"Oh, what would you know?" Edmond dismissed him. "You're a clothing salesman, and you're trying to teach me how to fight? Give me a break. Go through what I've been through first, then you can lecture me."

As Edmond turned toward the corridor, he suddenly felt dizzy.

His vision blurred behind a white haze.

He staggered from side to side.

After taking five unsteady steps, he collapsed face-first onto the floor.

The spectators immediately burst into excited chatter.

From the front rows came mocking shouts:

"Serves you right, you drugged-up bastard!"

"Not feeling so tough now, are you?"

Emali rushed to Edmond's unconscious body.

She immediately realized that the poison, combined with the massive blood loss, had finally pushed his body beyond its limit.

She shouted desperately,

"Medic! We need a doctor! Someone, bring a stretcher!"

A medical robot quickly arrived.

It was white with red markings and carried an anti-gravity medical stretcher powered by an energy field.

The robot carefully lifted Edmond onto the floating bed and carried him away from the arena.

Avalar continued his commentary.

"Oh... could this be the end for Edmond? I was hoping for a miracle-that he might actually be immune to poison-but it seems that's not the case. Well then, if Edmond doesn't regain consciousness in time for his next fight, he'll forfeit the match automatically. It would be a real shame to lose such a remarkable fighter."

-------------------

Edmond lay in the medical ward, covered in tubes through which medicine flowed into his body while other lines continuously circulated his blood.

Squid stood beside the bed, looking at the unconscious Edmond, realizing that the path Edmond had chosen was filled with risks that could easily cost him his life. Edmond was far too confident, largely because he had never faced truly powerful opponents. That was why he believed he was one of the strongest. He possessed plenty of combat experience, but almost none against opponents who were his equal-or stronger. The only exception had been the master who trained him.

After a long moment of thought, Squid turned around and left.

When he returned to the waiting room, he walked over and sat down on the couch where Tork and Emali were already waiting.

"How is he?" Tork asked anxiously. "Is he going to be okay?"

With a weary sigh, Squid replied,

"He'll live."

The relief on both Tork's and Emali's faces was immediate.

Squid continued,

"Even the doctors were shocked. He received a lethal dose of venom-enough to kill someone, or at best leave them permanently paralyzed. But not only has Edmond's body resisted paralysis, it's actually adapting to the toxin and developing immunity."

Emali looked at him in amazement.

"That's incredible. I'd guess it's because Edmond was poisoned so many times while surviving in the wild forest. His body must have built up a resistance to natural poisons and toxins."

Tork shook his head slightly.

"I'm not sure I'd call it complete resistance. More likely, he's developed immunity to naturally occurring poisons. Artificially engineered toxins are probably a different story."

"There's just one problem," Squid added. "For his body to develop that immunity, he'll have to remain in a temporary paralytic coma. No one knows when he'll wake up. On top of that, he's lost a tremendous amount of blood and will be extremely weak. Even if he regains consciousness... will he be able to fight?"

"I doubt it," Tork answered.

"So do I," Squid agreed.

After saying that, he picked up the remote for the holographic display mounted on the wall and switched it on.

"Well then, let's see what's happening in the arena."

The holographic screen flickered to life, displaying a live broadcast of the ongoing fight between Podluben and Blurken.

On the screen, the smaller Bixars karate fighter was trapped against the energy barrier, while the massive silver-scaled Stahlpod had dropped onto all fours. Like a charging bull, he scraped the mat with one hind leg, preparing to launch himself forward.

A split second later, the Stahlpod exploded into motion, charging straight at Blurken with his horns lowered.