--- [Leon’s perspective]

  These rules are so strange…

  We take turns attacking the other person without being able to defend…?

  This is so far removed from anything even remotely relevant to being a hunter; he has got to be doing it purely for his own entertainment.

  But whatever, I’ll do anything as long as I can win.

  And besides, these rules probably favor me anyways.

  Her specialty lets her summon a giant hammer; that’s it.

  Sure, it’ll increase her power, but nowhere near as much as my specialty will increase mine.

  If she could make a spear or a knife or anything like that, then it would have been an entirely different story.

  Since I can’t dodge or block, I’m forced to let her hit me.

  If she pierced my heart, it would be over in an instant.

  Since she can’t do that however, she has to resort to blunt attacks, which I’m just simply better at.

  But even then, I can’t afford to get cocky.

  Not this time.

  Everything I’ve ever done has all been for this moment…

  The chance to become a royal guard has finally come.

  Molly is a fellow Reaper, and she probably wants to become a royal guard just as desperately as I do.

  She’s not dumb; she knows I have the advantage here.

  But she will still do everything she can to win, so if I slip up for even a moment, I could lose it all in a moment.

  “Go on then, hit me!” – Molly

  We were all healed after the previous round, so my specialty currently isn’t active.

  I could bite my tongue or cheek to cause myself some damage, but I don’t think it’s worth it.

  I doubt I’ll be able to beat her with a single hit anyways.

  At least not with only some minor injuries.

  I’ll instead just work with whatever damage she deals to me.

  That means my first attack will be relatively weak, but I can’t hurt myself when I know I’m not allowed to defend against her attacks no matter how dangerous.

  Hopefully, the power boost I get from her first attack is enough to let me finish the match with my next.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  I clench my fists and take a step back.

  I take one last breath before stepping forward and slamming my fist into her chest as hard as I can.

  She plants her feet firmly on the ground and grits her teeth.

  Despite giving it my all, she completely absorbed the impact of the blow…

  I knew it wouldn’t be enough to finish her off, but it barely even hurt her…

  She’s so much better than me at BDM…!

  I did the very thing I swore I wouldn’t…

  I underestimated her!

  She summons her hammer and wields it with both hands.

  We may not be allowed to use charged attacks directly, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do other things to increase our power output.

  She starts spinning around, accelerating like crazy.

  Taking advantage of that speed, she can produce an attack significantly stronger than normal.

  She intends to take me out with her first attack…!

  I need to brace for impact, or I’m done for!

  I plant my feet firmly, grit my teeth, flex every muscle in my body, and try to make myself as small as possible; anything to help reduce the impact even the tiniest bit.

  Finally, she hits her maximum velocity…

  She extends her hammer just enough for it to hit me directly in the chest with all the power she has built up.

  It sends me flying backwards into the ropes as I hear my ribs shatter from the impact.

  I bounce back to the middle of the ring, and fall down on my knees while coughing up blood.

  “Leon is down! You have ten seconds to get back up!” – Host

  He starts counting down from ten, but I can barely make out what he’s saying due to the loud ringing in my ears.

  She never showed this kind of power in the earlier rounds…

  She must have been holding back…

  “Six! Five! Four!” – Host

  I try to stand up, but my knees give out and I fall back down.

  I can feel the pieces of shattered rib rubbing against my organs every time I move, and the spikes of pain are almost unbearable.

  As I look down, I see that my chest is literally caved in; the shape of the hammerhead is imprinted on my body…

  Holy shit, this isn’t good…

  I can’t take another hit like that…

  But…!

  The power, oh the power!

  This next punch will be the strongest one I’ve ever thrown!

  “Three! Two! O-” – Host

  Just as he’s about to finish counting, I force myself to stand up, momentarily pushing through the pain.

  Sooner or later, I will collapse, so I can’t afford to take my time.

  As soon as I get back up, I shove my fist forward.

  The immense power from my specialty makes my arm pass right through her just as easily as the air in front of her.

  As I pull it back, it leaves behind a large hole in her chest.

  She’s bleeding profusely, and a significant portion of her right lung has been destroyed.

  I wi-!

  Instead of giving up, she immediately swings her hammer at me!

  No windup.

  I try to brace myself, but the damage I’ve taken is simply too great for me to be able to.

  Right at the moment of impact, I let my body go completely limp, allowing the force to distribute evenly across it.

  She yet again slings me into the ropes, and I fall to the ground.

  “Ooh, this is getting intense! Ten!” – Host

  If I can just get up, I win.

  She’ll bleed out in a few seconds, but she might be able to hold on long enough for the countdown to be over, which would disqualify me and give her the win.

  “Nine! Eight! Seven!” – Host

  After every other round, and every other game, he has made sure healers heal us.

  I bet the same is true here.

  That means as long as she can hold on for a few more seconds, she still has a chance to not only survive, but also win the whole thing.

  I can’t let that happen!

  I let out a labored yell as I desperately try to force myself back on my feet.

  “Six! Five!” – Host

  I keep slipping, I keep falling, but I keep trying.

  “Four! Three!” – Host

  Finally, one foot is stable.

  “Two!” – Host

  I won’t be able to stand up normally in time…!

  With both hands, I shove the ground, pushing myself into the air.

  As I fall down, I straighten my legs, and land directly on them.

  I’m standing!

  “Molly, are you good to continue?” – Host

  “…” – Molly

  She isn’t answering…

  She’s unconscious.

  I won!

  “Healers!” – Host

  They rush in and immediately start treating her injuries, but it’s all for nothing…

  “She’s already dead…” – Healer

  “I see… Well then, treat the boy instead.” – Host

  She died standing up, giving it her all until the very end.

  I didn’t know her very well, but as a fellow Reaper and royal guard candidate, I’m proud of her.

  Unfortunately for her, I was the better Reaper.