After rising from Taufik''s attack, Kratos rose again with a more burning spirit than before. Taufik''s taunt did not discourage him but only made his desire to win even greater.


    Kratos continued his attacks, each attack he made connected to the next one, and each attack was deadly; his Twin des continued to head toward Taufik with a chain that could extend at will, not giving Taufik a chance to counterattack, and he could only defend.


    The battle direction might have been on Kratos'' side if only every attack of his that contained great power hit its target, but like a dancer, Taufik avoided every attack from Kratos without difficulty and with little effort, his body moved like the wind, and avoided Kratos'' attacks just a millimeter before Kratos'' attacks hit him. But on the contrary, every attack by Taufik always hits Kratos, which eventually causes Kratos'' wounds to pile up.


    It was a sight that was amazing even for the Gods who were watching the duel, even now, even though their eyes saw it directly, their brains still couldn''t ept that someone could do such a move, besides Taufik, the Gods also acknowledged Kratos'' tenacity, if it were them, they weren''t sure that they could survive and even attack relentlessly like Kratos did even with the injuries he suffered.


    The battle continued, and the once beautiful arena was now in chaos; the ground split and scorched as Taufik and Kratos shed. The dust began to settle from the previous exchange, revealing Kratos lying in a crater, this is the second time.


    Perhaps due to the umted wounds, Kratos breathed heavily; his Twin desy embedded in the dirt beside him, their chains coiled like dormant serpents, but Kratos''s hands stubbornly still held the handle tightly.


    Taufik stood tall, unharmed while looking towards Kratos; his katana shimmered ominously in the dim light, its edge glowing faintly with the power of his SwordMagic- Earth Form technique.


    "You are resilient, Kratos"


    Taufik said softly, which strangely sounded loud to Kratos even amidst the cheers of the audience.


    "But resilience is not enough to defeat me; how much more will you suffer before you ept you''re weak?"


    Hearing that, Kratos gritted his teeth, his bloodied hands wing at the dirt as he forced himself to rise. Amidst the loud cheers of the crowd, Kratos caught the voices of his Brothers and Sisters, asking him to surrender. Even Nike, the Goddess of Victory herself asked Kratos to surrender, but his spirit remained unbroken. The chains of the Twin des rattled as he gripped his twin de handles tightly, lifting them once more and ready for another attack.


    Seeing this, the gods watching cheered wildly.


    ".. I have faced gods and monsters and alwayse out as a winner"


    Kratos growled, his voice a deep.


    "... And This Time, It Won''t Be Any Different!!!"


    With a roar, Kratosunched himself forward, his feet skimming the ground as he slid toward Taufik with Unbelievable Speed ??for someone who was quite badly injured.


    The Twin des spun in his hands, their chains extending like snakes striking at their prey. Sparks flew as the des carved through the air, creating arcs of fiery destruction.


    Taufik''s eyes narrowed, his grip on the katana steady. He moved with a dancer''s grace, his feet gliding across the ground as he evaded each of Kratos''s relentless strikes. The attacks were powerful, each swing carrying the weight of Kratos''s fury, but like before, theycked the precision, no, maybe because his opponent was Taufik, that''s why not a single attack from Kratos managed tond on Taufik.


    "... You are so stubborn"


    Taufik said calmly, weaving through the storm of attacks. He sidestepped, ducked under a vertical sh, and deflected a chain strike with a sharp twist of his katana. The ng of metal against metal echoed through the hall.


    Kratos roared again, his attacks growing more frenzied. He swung the des in brutally, their chainsshing out in every direction. Taufik, however, remained untouchable. He flowed around each strike like water slipping through cracks, his movements impossibly smooth.


    "... I am getting bored of this, I think, I already showed enough to Aksa... Let''s end this"


    Taufik said sharply, his tone carrying an air of unexined pressure. Taufik leaped back, his katana glowing brighter as he channeled his Mana into it.


    The ground beneath his feet began to tremble, small rocks rising into the air as his technique was ready tounch.


    Kratos lunged at him, refusing to give up. He swung his des with every ounce of strength he had left, but Taufik raised his katana high, the de now glowing with an earthen glow.


    ''SwordMagic-Earth Form: Graviton sh!''


    Taufik said silently.


    With a single, powerful motion, Taufik brought his katana down in a devastating sh. The air itself seemed to shatter, a loud boom resonating as the force of gravity amplified that attack. The sword''s energy surged forward, crashing into Kratos like a tidal wave.


    *BOOM!*


    Kratos was sent flying, his body smashing into the arena wall with a thunderous impact that shook the entire hall. Dust erupted into the air, obstructing the audience''s view.


    When the dust finally cleared, Kratosy on the ground, motionless; he had lost his grip on The Twin des, their chains lifeless.


    Taufik stood tall, his katana lowered, the glow in his katana because of his technique fading.


    "You''re Awesome, Kratos"


    Taufik said, without much change in his tone, and then continued.


    "Your strength is admirable, but it''s not enough"


    For a moment, there was no answer from Kratos, but then, a faint sound of a growl was heard from Kratos''s mouth.


    Kratos''s fingers twitched, and his hand forced himself to rise once more. Blood dripped from his wounds, his body trembling with exhaustion because of the umted wounds and the strong attack earlier, but his eyes burned with unyielding determination.


    "I will… not… fall, not yet, I... Will... Only... Stop when my head... Is separated from my body, remember that"


    Said Kratos, as he tried to reach for the Twin des lying mere inches from him.


    Taufik remained silent. He stepped back, giving Kratos space and time, yet his stance remained ready for anything.


    "Admirable, but also foolish, What makes you fight so hard? Is it because of your loyalty to Zeus or is it just your ego?"


    Kratos clenched his jaw, his muscles trembling as he forced himself to stand, his breathing was heavy, but he refused to copse. With a sudden, rough roar, Kratos grabbed the chains of his Twin des and swung them with all of his might; the chains whistled through the air as the des spun in wide arcs, aiming at Taufik.


    Taufik sighed lightly, almost disappointed.


    "You don''t know when to give up, arent you?"


    Taufik muttered, sidestepping to avoid attacks directed at him. His katana shed as he blocked the second de, sparks flying from that sh. Find your next read on empire


    Kratos continued to advance, his attacks erratic but fierce, the chainsshing out like wild serpents. Taufik, however, moved with calcted precision to avoid Kratos strikes.


    With each sh, he seemed to anticipate Kratos'' next move, despite Kratos'' tenacity, it was clear that his strength was waning.


    Taufik observed and then said in the middle of their sh.


    "... You fight with rage, but rage alone won''t be enough"


    Kratos growled, ignoring Taufik''s words, then yanked the chains back, the Twin des spinning toward Taufik in a deadly, crisscrossing pattern. Taufik raised his katana, parrying one de and ducking beneath the other. In a swift counter, he dashed forward, closing the gap between them.


    Before Kratos could react, Taufik delivered a powerful strike to Kratos andnded on Kratos'' shoulder, forcing the "God of War" to drop his weapon.


    Kratos stumbled, falling on his knee once again, blood pouring from the fresh wound.


    "It''s over"


    Taufik said firmly, his katana pointed at Kratos'' neck, his body trembling not because of fear but because of the fatigue felt by his body, Kratos then red up at Taufik.


    "... Kill me!"


    Kratos spat, his voice defiant even in defeat.


    Taufik paused, his katana steady on Kratos neck. The Arena grew eerily quiet; Kratos, despite his broken body, still radiated an unyielding spirit. Taufik slowly sheathed his katana, the de sliding into its scabbard with a click.


    "No, You don''t deserve a death like this. To kill a warrior who can no longer fight would bring me no honor and it won''t look cool in front of my son"


    Kratos'' eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed in fury.


    "You... dare spare me?" Kratos growled.


    "Yeah~ You''ve been humbled today. Live with that and learn from it"


    With that, Kratos copsed fully to the ground, The atmosphere in the hall was quiet for a while, but a few momentster, loud cheers were heard from all corners, they all cheered Taufik loudly for showing a very amazing match, sessfully emerging as the winner without any injuries when fighting Kratos the God of Strength and Power himself.


    But Taufik ignored all of that and just looked at Hades.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


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