Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

After the audience had some time to calm down during the break, the next fight began. 𝔣𝔯𝔢𝔢𝔴𝔢𝖇𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔢𝔩.𝖈𝔬𝖒

“After the slightly shocking interruption, we will now proceed with the sixth fight. On the left side, we have Bercy, the Beast, and on the right Byron, from the Boulder Guild!” Umi Kaldrops introduced the two. Following the usual routine, the announcer had the participants ready up before starting the match.

Bercy immediately charged at Byron, turning into the massive wolf lady of Chat's dreams. in a matter of milliseconds Unlike in the last fight, the Chosen of Skrymir didn't hide himself but chose the direct confrontation with his halberd.

Claw and halberd met in midair. The shock wave of their collision blew away dust and debris on the arena floor. Blocking her hands with the handle of the halberd, they were locked in a contest of strength.

“Ho? You dare to block my strike so directly,” she snarled amused, putting in more force.

“How else would I get you so readily to touch my hard shaft?” Byron answered with a cheeky grin, shocking the audience. Byron seemed like the silent type. Were they wrong all along!?

“Huhu, but isn't your hard shaft a little bendy, my hero?” she laughed, as the spear shaft started bending under the pressure of her paws.

“It has been a long time since a woman bent my shaft like this. Do you have any plans tonight?” the chosen asked mischievous. The more unorthodox part of the chat was furious. Byron was openly flirting with their furry goddess. The rising star of the Boulder Guild was quickly becoming a public enemy.

Bercy snarled, exposing her rows of pearly white, but it didn't sound threatening.

“I don't have plans tonight, but you will have to prove that your shaft is worth my time, and can do more than just soften in my hands!” she laughed, kicking Byron in the stomach. Surprised, Byron flew across the arena.

“Your Byron is quite the character,” Gallwell joked, sitting beside Brock on the stands.

“I guess? I didn't know he had these kinds of preferences...” the guild master answered a little embarrassed.

“Don't blame him too much. It's not like he is alone in his...desires,” the leader of Gamma's Resistance said with a laugh.

“So you like it rough, I'm already looking forward to tonight,” Byron said excitedly, down in the arena. Gallwell's face fell a little.

“Maybe you should have a talk with him, not to be too open in public..” he added onto his previous statement.

Recovering from the kick, Byron matched the wolf-lady strike for strike in physical combat. A barrage of thrusts had her hurriedly evade his attacks with subtle movement, showing that she was not just strong but also agile.

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“Hey, hey now. We just met, aren't you a little over-eager? You can't just thrust your spear into a girl on your first date~” she chuckled, grabbing Byron's shaft, and stopping the attack. A violent aura surrounded her claws as she punched forward, aiming for his heart.

Let go of his halberd with his left hand, his palm met her in mid-air. The sound echoing in the stadium was like breaking icebergs or shattering stones. Their palms pressed against each other, and Byron interlaced his fingers with hers.

“Then how about holding hands first? And if you still want my heart later, I will gladly offer it to you,” he answered her with a grin, that was answered with an animalistic sneer of her.

“Charmer,” she chuckled and her claw grasped his hand, her claws penetrating the back of his hand. Grabbing his hand and weapon, she pulled him in, her maw wide open to bite his head right off. He let go of his halberd and used the momentum of the pull and roll past her. Pulling her arm with him, he bent it on her back, shredding the back of his hand in the process.

“Whoa, I know I'm a treat, but please be more gentle,” he grunted in her ear, holding her arm in an arm hold. Seeing him press his body against her back and whispering in her ears, earned him another slew of curses from Bercy's simps.

“You look so sweet, I couldn't help myself,” she exclaimed, using his own halberd to stab backward, aiming for his left kidney. Hurriedly, Byron shoved her forward, slipped by the halberd tip and blade, and wrestled it away from her back-turned hand. Bercy used the shove to roll over once and face him again.

Now they were back to square one, except for the adventurer's hand profusely bleeding from the claws and his subsequent attempt to force her into an arm hold. The blood kept flowing in an almost continuous stream, quickly making a puddle at his feed, as they stared at each other. Bercy sensually licked his blood from her claws and gave him a toothy grin.

“You should know that you will bleed out in a few minutes. You can't beat me until then, give up.” Bercy said seriously. Byron knew. He had gotten the message of the bleeding status the moment her claws ripped through his skin. Byron could barely feel the hand and the bleeding cost him 2% health every second. He had nothing to treat the curse-like status effect, which left him with barely 30 seconds.

“I know, however, I can't lose this match before you agree to go out with me!” he brandished his halberd again, this time it was accompanied by a tremendous force, putting weight to the atmosphere itself. The arena cracked as he stepped forward, attacking with a last mighty strike.

Bercy's eyes widened as she felt a smidgen of fear and awe in her heart. This strike felt like it had the weight of mountains behind it. All her senses screamed danger as her body moved on muscle memory and instinct. Moving as if her body had lost all weight and rigidity, she evaded the terrifying attack by a hair's breadth.

Everything seemed to slow down as Adrenaline pumped through her veins. The glinting blade passed by her snout and she saw a mountain range reflected on the axe head and peak of the weapon. Then the world sped up again. She used her current position to kick the shaft of the halberd, disarming Byron once again.

With a turn and a pounce, she smacked him to the ground. Sitting atop him, she held him down. Byron's eyes, widened in surprise had only her figure in their focus, as the wolf lady bent over him. Her hot breath hit his face.

Sitting atop his hips, Bercy suddenly felt something unprecedented. Byron's “love” reared its ugly head, giving her a not-unpleasant surprise. The man's health was quickly running out, so she bent forward to whisper in his ears so that the golem's eyes couldn't record it.

“Fine, let's meet tonight. Let's see how much further your “skills” can take you.”

Hearing her gentle whisper in his ears, telling him of the fulfillment of his wish, Byron slipped into the embrace of death without regrets.

...

Mina grasped his hand gently. Seth interlocked their fingers gently.

“This reminded me of us,” she said gently, leaning her head on his shoulder. Seth leaned his head against hers, nodding slowly. Would Byron be able to end up as happy as he and Mina and Fin? The blacksmith doubted it, but he wished the two the best of luck.

Still, there was a small doubt in his mind. What was wrong with his people? Most of the fights so far had been silent matches, only the combatants from Urth had a tendency to flirt with their opponents. Seeing the chat... he decided not to dwell on it for his own calm of mind.

After this weirdly heartwarming match to the death, it was finally time for one of their acquaintances to enter the stage again. Caleb the Dragon Knight was going to fight Simplicity, the barbarian who had gotten a bye for the first round.

Although he decided not to dwell on it, it would have calmed him, if Caleb also tried to flirt with the huge lady, that had another cult following among the audience.