Vale looked at Eskar with an expression that could only be described as battle-hungry.
His punch landed squarely against Eskar's face.
The impact cracked through the clearing like a gunshot. Eskar's body was launched backward, his feet leaving the ground as he sailed through the air before crashing several meters away. He hit hard, landing on his knees before rolling across the grass and snow, carving a shallow trail through the white surface.
The crowd went completely silent.
No cheers, no gasps, just stunned stillness. Several expressions shifted, eyes widening, bodies leaning forward. Whatever curiosity had existed before sharpened into something darker, something intent. This was no longer a spar.
Eskar remained kneeling for a moment, eyes wide, but not unfocused. Not shaken.
Vale watched him closely, his expression cold and unflinching.
'I hope that was enough to wake you up.'
Slowly, Eskar reached up and touched his nose. His fingers came away slick with blood. It streamed freely now, running down his face before dripping onto the pristine snow beneath him. Red bloomed against white, spreading outward in stark contrast.
Eskar stared at the blood pooled in his palm.
For a moment, his eyes widened.
Then he laughed.
It was a low, breathy chuckle, filled with something unsettling.
He rose to his feet, tilted his head back, and blew sharply, sending blood spraying from his nose. Wiping his face with the back of his hand, he dropped back into a stance.
But it wasn't the same stance as before.
His posture was looser now. His movements less restrained. There was a tension in him that hadn't been there earlier, coiled, restless, eager.
Vale noticed immediately.
A slow smirk spread across his face.
"Ready to continue?" Vale asked.
Eskar chuckled again. When he lifted his head, his expression had changed completely. A wide, feral grin stretched across his face, eyes bright and unrestrained as he adjusted his footing.
This, this was finally worthy of the fight.
Vale shifted his stance as well, lowering his center of gravity, careful not to be thrown off balance.
Eskar moved first.
He surged forward in a blur, closing the distance in an instant. Vale raised his guard and blocked the first punch, but Eskar adapted immediately. He grabbed Vale's arm and wrenched it aside, opening a path for his other fist.
Vale reacted fast, catching the accelerating hand just before it reached his face.
For a brief moment, they were locked together, muscles straining, forearms grinding against each other.
Even.
Only for a heartbeat.
Vale grinned, and slammed his head forward.
The impact rang out violently. Eskar's eyes squeezed shut as disorientation washed over him.
"That's it," Eskar growled. "Rules are off."
The next second, pain exploded in Vale's stomach.
Eskar's leg drove into him with brutal force, sending Vale stumbling backward. He fought to keep his footing, breath knocked from his lungs, but before he could recover, Eskar was already on him.
A heavy punch smashed into Vale's jaw.
His head snapped downward just as Eskar's knee rocketed upward toward his face.
Vale didn't hesitate.
He brought his arms up, shielding his head, and used the momentum of the kick to propel himself upright instead of away. As he rose, he smirked, and reached out.
His fingers tangled in Eskar's hair.
Vale yanked Eskar's head downward while driving his knee upward at the same time.
Impact.
Eskar staggered, but reacted instantly. He grabbed Vale's knee, muscles bulging as he hauled Vale off the ground.
Vale's eyes widened as his feet left the earth.
With a guttural growl, Eskar hurled him sideways.
Vale crashed into a nearby tree, his back slamming against the trunk. Pain tore through him as he let out a sharp groan, eyes closing instinctively.
A mistake.
Eskar didn't hesitate.
Vale forced his eyes open just in time to narrowly avoid a punch that smashed into the tree instead. The trunk splintered violently.
Vale heard bone crack.
Eskar didn't react however.
He was smiling.
A twisted, predatory grin aimed straight at Vale.
Vale stared at him, wide-eyed, then returned a nervous grin of his own.
'Good. You've finally decided to fight just for the sake of fighting.'
Vale raised his guard.
Eskar threw another punch, but it never landed. Instead, it sailed over Vale's head and grabbed him by the hair, fingers digging in painfully.
Vale was yanked forward.
Eskar's fist crashed into his face.
Vale staggered back, blood flooding his mouth. He spat it into the snow, chest heaving.
Eskar wiped his own blood away, rolling his shoulders as if loosening up.
They faced each other again, both battered, both grinning like beasts.
"Thanks," Eskar said suddenly.
Then he rushed forward.
"I really needed this."
His kick slammed into Vale's side.
Vale groaned but caught Eskar's leg, twisting hard and hurling him away. Eskar rolled through the snow three times before stopping on one knee.
Vale was already moving.
He rushed in and swung a kick toward Eskar's face.
Eskar deflected it and rose, driving a vicious uppercut into Vale's lower jaw.
Vale tasted blood again.
Snarling, he dropped his weight and swung wide, landing a heavy punch against Eskar's face.
Eskar didn't stagger.
He rose with the motion, deflecting the follow-up strike, stepping inside Vale's guard,
And drove his knee straight into Vale's chest.
Vale coughed violently, dark blood splattering against the snow.
Chimera shifted nearby, her body tensing protectively, eyes sharp and watchful, but she did not intervene. Whether because Vale's life was not truly in danger or because she trusted him to finish what he had started, Vale couldn't tell. Not that he had time to think about it.
As soon as he drew breath again, Eskar was already moving.
A punch came down from above, fast and merciless.
Vale snapped his arm up, catching Eskar's strike at the wrist and yanking him forward. Using Eskar's own momentum, Vale twisted his torso and drove a brutal punch straight into Eskar's face.
The hit landed cleanly.
Eskar took it without staggering.
He merely turned his head slightly, blood spraying from his mouth, and looked back at Vale with a wicked, almost delighted expression.
Vale returned the stare, teeth stained red, and his breath ragged.
For a brief, wordless moment, they understood each other perfectly.
Then they moved at the same time.
Both threw punches, direct, unguarded, aimed straight for each other's faces.
Their fists collided midair.
The impact was catastrophic.
A sharp, sickening crack rang out as bone shattered against bone. Pain exploded through Vale's arm, forcing him backward with a hoarse cry as his hand went numb.
But Eskar didn't hesitate.
Ignoring the agony, he lunged forward and smashed his broken fist into Vale's face.
Vale hit the ground hard, vision swimming.
Eskar staggered back a step, his own pain finally catching up to him, but Vale was already forcing himself upright, only for Eskar to stomp down viciously where Vale's head had been a heartbeat earlier.
Vale rolled aside just in time.
Eskar's foot crushed into the snow, sending powder flying.
Vale scrambled back several meters, dragging air into his lungs, his chest heaving. He straightened slowly, wiping blood from his mouth as he fixed his gaze on Eskar.
Eskar wasn't in much better shape.
Blood soaked his face. His fists hung uselessly at his sides, swollen and broken, fingers trembling with barely restrained pain. His breathing was heavy, uneven.
Vale glanced down at himself and let out a weak, breathless chuckle.
'Yeah… I look just as bad.'
Both of them knew it.
The next exchange would be the last.
Either one of them would fall, or one of them would give up.
Vale lifted his head and grinned deeply at Eskar. Eskar returned the look, baring his teeth in a savage smile of his own.
Then, slowly, those grins faded.
Their expressions hardened.
Every trace of amusement vanished, replaced by pure focus. No theatrics. No recklessness. Just intent.
Vale's thoughts sharpened.
Then he realized it.
One advantage.
He looked down briefly at his metallic arm.
Eskar's hands were shattered. Completely useless now.
That left only one real weapon.
Vale adjusted his footing, lowering his stance and preparing his arm.
In that same instant, Eskar moved.
Vale's eyes narrowed as he focused, muscles tensing, but just before Eskar reached him, Eskar stopped.
Twisted.
His body pivoted sharply as he extended his leg fully, faster than Vale anticipated, aiming straight upward.
Vale reacted too late.
Eskar's foot struck Vale's chin with a resonant crack.
The force launched Vale backward.
He slammed onto his back, his breath exploding from his lungs as the sky spun above him. Snow crunched beneath him as he laid there, staring upward, his chest rising and falling in heavy, labored breaths.
Silence finally settled as Vale exhaled slowly.
"…I lost," he muttered.