Forged in Endless Defeat
KABOOM!
A calamity had befallen Death Valley.
The canyon, which had stood unyielding for over a century, was now shattered beyond recognition, reduced to a wretched ruin.
The culprit was the thunderous explosions echoing through the valley.
And the source of those blasts? Zeon and Dayton.
SHHH!
Dayton's sword cleaved through the air.
Its target: Zeon's neck.
In an instant, Zeon's body jerked backward as if yanked by an invisible string.
His posture remained ramrod straight as he retreated, his gaze locked unwaveringly on Clayon.
Clayon was aiming straight for his throat.
The moment he allowed even a sliver of space, his head would be gone.
Yet Zeon didn't lose his cool.
Splat!
Clayon grazed past Zeon's neck by a hair's breadth.
He hadn't even been directly slashed, but a long gash opened across his throat, blood spilling out.
At least it was just a skin wound—a small mercy.
A chilling sensation prickled from his neck, but Zeon didn't panic. He swung his hand.
Sand surged from the ground, lunging at Dayton.
The attacks writhed like living serpents as they hurtled toward him.
It was the evolved form of Sand Blaster: Viper.
A skill as deadly as a viper's strike—hence the name.
He had mastered this technique during his brutal clashes with Dayton.
Dozens of Vipers zeroed in on Dayton's vulnerabilities from every angle. But not a single one landed a hit.
They disintegrated against a faint barrier before even touching him.
It was the martial Awakener's defensive staple: aura shield.
The Vipers shattered and scattered against the aura shield, but Zeon felt no disappointment.
On the contrary, he was satisfied just to force Dayton to deploy his defensive measure.
That was how overwhelming Dayton was.
Over the past ten days, Zeon hadn't inflicted a single meaningful blow on him. Yet he hadn't despaired or crumbled.
No matter how many wounds he took, no matter how many brushes with death, he rose again to face Dayton.
And in that crucible, he had grown ferociously.
He was more tense than in any fight against monsters, desperately searching for ways to survive.
To endure against a monster like Dayton, he had no choice but to evolve in real time.
Impossible for ordinary people or other Awakeners—but possible for Zeon. No, Dayton had forced it to be possible.
He had driven Zeon to the brink, dragging every ounce of potential from him.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The Vipers hammered Dayton relentlessly.
He blocked with his aura shield, but each impact carried devastating force.
Even the mighty Dayton was being pushed back, step by grudging step.
The moment Dayton reached the spot Zeon desired, he snapped his fingers.
Snap!
GRRRR!
The sand beneath Dayton's feet whirled into motion at terrifying speed.
Sand Mixer activated.
"Hmph!"
But Dayton scoffed and slipped free with effortless grace.
That was when it happened.
Sand soldiers rose nearby, charging at Dayton.
One of Zeon's skills: Sand Soldiers.
And no fewer than six of them.
He could barely summon two before, but now their numbers had tripled.
The six Sand Soldiers attacked in unison.
While they held Dayton's attention, Zeon prepared Exion.
Exion seeped from his pores.
Enveloped in the fine sand, Zeon looked like a swirling black mist.
Clad in Exion, he charged straight at Dayton.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, Dayton's body skidded backward. But he parried with Clayon, unscathed.
Zeon hadn't expected him to take damage anyway.
KABOOM-KABOOM!
Vipers pounded Dayton without mercy, backed by Sand Soldiers. Then came Zeon's Exion-enhanced strikes, followed by Sand Mixer.
The onslaught gave him no quarter to breathe.
In seconds, his mana was depleted.
Zeon recovered using Elura's necklace, then unleashed everything again.
KABOOM!
The explosions crumbled the sandstone cliffs into rubble, a towering plume of red dust rising into the sky.
"Hah... hah!"
Zeon gasped for air, having poured out everything in that instant.
WHOOSH!
Dayton emerged through the crimson haze.
Not a scratch from Zeon's all-out barrage.
"Goddamn it!"
Zeon tried to evade with Sand Step, but Dayton gave him no room, barreling in.
CRASH!
"Gah!"
Zeon was smashed by Clayon and sent flying far away.
Exion had protected him from fatal injury, but the shock rattled his organs, leaving him gasping.
Dayton's second strike followed.
BOOM!
The impact felt like his body was disintegrating; he couldn't even scream.
Zeon slammed into the wall, tumbling down.
Dayton looked at him with pitiful disdain.
"How long you gonna lie there like a pussy? Enemies won't wait for you to get up, you bitch!"
"Urgh!"
"Get up. If you can breathe, you can stand."
"Fuck... you!"
Zeon hauled himself up with every shred of strength.
Blood streamed from his face and chest.
He'd survived, but the wounds were deep—days of treatment at least.
Dayton leveled Clayon at him.
"If you're gonna whine over scratches like that, crawl back to Neo Seoul right now."
"Who's whining? Take this!"
Zeon kicked off the wall, launching at Dayton.
Dayton grinned as Zeon charged, eyes flashing.
"Heh! That's more like it. Gotta have some grit to make smashing you fun."
He swung Clayon mercilessly, and Zeon cratered into the wall again.
The cycle repeated dozens of times.
＊＊＊
"Hoo..."
Zeon exhaled softly, eyes fixed ahead.
His body was a wreck.
His face was a bloody mess of cuts and gashes; wounds large and small covered him.
His robe hung in tatters like rags, his hair a wild, beastly tangle.
But the eyes peering through that mess burned with unshakeable depth.
Dayton stood at the focus of his gaze.
He had no idea how long they'd been here.
His prepared jerky was nearly gone—months, at least.
Zeon had fought Dayton endlessly, monotonously.
Every battle was defeat after defeat.
Shattered, shattered again, endlessly broken.
Not once had he landed a significant hit; just repeated losses.
Yet Zeon never gave up.
Landing a solid blow on Dayton's face would be the end of his wishes.
Until then, surrender was impossible.
Through these decisive battles, Zeon's skill had skyrocketed.
Fighting hundreds of monsters was easier than facing this one man.
Monsters had limits to their intelligence, no matter their strength. But Dayton's power had none.
Physical might, battle sense honed over a century of experience—they balanced perfectly, making him unstoppable.
Dayton attacked without mercy or quarter.
Partly to elevate Zeon's skill, but mostly to sharpen his own body and mind.
Right now, they were at their peak.
Sharp as a honed blade, tolerating no variables.
Dayton controlled not just himself, but his foe and the surroundings perfectly.
Dayton approached, dragging Clayon along the ground.
Just walking, yet an immense pressure emanated from him.
Meeting his eyes choked the breath, crushed the body.
"Hoo!"
Zeon exhaled again.
He had endured this hundreds, thousands of times.
Now, he knew instinctively how to escape the pressure.
Zeon relaxed every muscle.
Mind cold and clear.
Body loose, ready to react.
Chasing with eyes was too slow.
Air flow, colors, humidity, scents, heat—he sensed it all through his skin, reacting in real time.
Miss one detail, and he couldn't stand against Dayton.
The moment Zeon's nerves sharpened to their limit, the air grew frigid.
He's coming.
Zeon erected a sand barrier ahead.
BOOM!
The barrier shattered like paper, revealing Dayton. But Zeon wasn't surprised.
He had anticipated it.
The barrier bought a split-second delay.
As Dayton burst through, Zeon vanished into the sand.
Moving through sand was now as natural as breathing.
Even buried, he perceived the outside perfectly—the sand relayed everything.
Crunch!
Dayton's footsteps echoed.
Vipers activated.
Dozens of sand vipers struck at Dayton's body.
"Tricks..."
Dayton swung Clayon, decapitating the sand serpents in one go. Then he slammed it into the ground.
BOOM!
The sand erupted like a volcano, sand spewing skyward, exposing Zeon. But he stayed calm.
He had foreseen this.
Sand Soldiers rose around him.
Ten this time.
His skill had evolved during the fights, allowing ten at once.
The ten Sand Soldiers obeyed Zeon's real-time commands.
Directing so many strained his brain immensely.
Drip...
Nosebleed gushed; his vision went red.
The pressure burst capillaries in his eyes.
Dizziness hit, but Zeon refocused.
He raised both hands like a conductor.
Vipers launched again, sand blinding Dayton's view.
Meanwhile, Zeon's body lifted into the air.
Sand pillars surged upward, bearing him aloft.
From a hundred meters up, he surveyed the field.
Sand Soldiers crumbled, Vipers sliced apart.
Sand Mixer didn't even faze him.
But Zeon felt no despair.
He hadn't expected them to work.
They were decoys.
Hiss...
Black mist cloaked his body.
Exion deployed.
He concentrated the rippling Exion into his gauntleted right arm.
Dayton looked up.
Their eyes met in the sky, and Zeon muttered.
"Here I come, you old bastard!"
He dove from a hundred meters like a meteor.
Target: Dayton's face.
His Exion-clad right fist swung with full force.
KABOOOOOM!