Chapter 157: Disappointing Cain

Chapter 157: Disappointing Cain

This discovery left Cain feeling a bit disheartened.

In terms of intelligence and bravery, he felt outmatched, and he couldn’t think of a way to continue fighting.

Was he just going to rely on his relatively advantageous speed?

In any case, Cain’s confidence was nowhere near what it used to be.

In fact, Arthur didn’t block Cain’s attack perfectly just because he predicted what Cain would do.

He merely played it safe, not exerting full strength during the attack and deliberately holding back a bit.

It was this intentional reserve of power that allowed Arthur to quickly react and fend off Cain’s strike, which ended up costing Cain dearly.

However, none of this was known to the onlookers.

To everyone, Arthur had become a figure of both intelligence and strength.

But Arthur could certainly handle the praise.

Having successfully defended against Cain’s attack, Arthur immediately charged forward, ready to press his advantage.

Cain, upon seeing Arthur rush towards him, kept retreating.

He had no intention of engaging Arthur in close combat any further.

His current state simply didn’t support him fighting against Arthur.

Watching this scene unfold, many in the audience sighed.

Cain had kicked a metal plate.

Although Cain was certainly capable, he just happened to face off against the even stronger Arthur.

Even if Arthur’s advantage was slight, that tiny edge made a massive difference between winning and losing.

Even though he was currently in a dominant position, seeing Cain continuously back away didn’t bring Arthur much joy.

He was about to win, yet Cain’s current performance made him quite disappointed.

After all, he not only wanted to defeat Cain, but he also intended to bring him under his banner.

With Cain acting like this, one couldn’t help but question his capabilities.

Was he really as skilled as he claimed to be?

Even though Cain was at a disadvantage against him, disadvantage wasn’t a reason to give up.

Otherwise, there would be no point in continuing the fight.

You could simply compare who was stronger.

A battle isn’t merely a contest of the combatants’ strength.

The will to fight also plays a crucial role.

Now it seemed that Cain’s fighting spirit was somewhat lacking.

Though he had great potential, if his fighting will was going to remain like this, it would be a real waste of his talents.

Shaking his head and sighing in dismay, Arthur paused for a moment.

Meanwhile, Cain looked at him in confusion.

He didn’t understand why Arthur had suddenly ceased his attack. And he appeared disappointed in him?

These two questions troubled Cain at that moment.

Especially the second one, which left him utterly perplexed.

“What do you mean by that?”

Finally, Cain straightforwardly asked Arthur.

They were fighting well, so why suddenly stop?

“It doesn’t mean much, I just suddenly feel like this fight has lost its interest.”

Arthur replied, looking at Cain.

“What do you actually mean?”

Cain continued to probe.

He felt a bit irritated.

Arthur’s demeanor seemed to hint at something mysterious.

“Before, I thought you were a worthy opponent that deserved my full attention, but now I don’t feel that way anymore.”

Arthur looked back at Cain.

The latter half of that sentence struck a crucial nerve with Cain.

Logically, after being insulted like this, Cain should have been furious and taught Arthur a lesson.

Yet because of the earlier experience, he didn’t act on that impulse.

With Arthur saying this, Cain understood his meaning.

At the same time, he realized just how significant his earlier mistake had been.

Once he had this clarity, Cain felt considerably lighter, as if all of his burdens had been lifted.

Then he looked at Axi with seriousness and said, “Thank you, Axi. I’ll do my best from now on, so please don’t hold back.”

Cain’s sudden transformation caused Arthur’s expression to shift as well.

Although Cain had previously erred, it was quite reliable that he quickly recognized his mistake and aimed to correct it.

“Alright, I’ll also give it my all from here on out.”

Feeling pleased, Arthur readily agreed.

Observing the two below coming to an agreement, Airael couldn’t help but smile slightly.

At this point, Cain was essentially already swayed by Arthur.

At the very least, his favorability had increased significantly, now it was just a matter of winning the bet and naturally winning Cain over.

Now that Cain had regained his state, he quickly engaged in battle with Arthur once more.

After everything that had just happened, he appeared even better than at the start.

This placed considerable pressure on Arthur.

But with pressure comes motivation.

Cain burst forth, and so did Arthur.

He wouldn’t be losing!

In an instant, the two engaged fiercely, trading blows in an exhilarating exchange.

Fueled by intense fighting spirit, they seemed to forget their physical fatigue, pouring their hearts into the fight.

After dozens of exchanges, neither of them took a break like before, continuing to clash in an unending cycle.

Their desperate battle provided a spectacular visual for the audience.

Many spectators cheered enthusiastically for the two.

It felt as if they had forgotten entirely about the stakes of victory, simply wanting to enjoy this thrilling battle.

But after several rounds, both were utterly exhausted.

While they wanted to keep fighting, their bodies simply wouldn’t allow it, and they had to stop.

“Let’s settle this with the final strike!”

While resting, Cain called out to Arthur, who was not far away.

“Sure thing!”

Arthur readily agreed.

With those words, Arthur began his preparations.

He charged up, like a massive beast lying in wait, ready to pounce at any moment.

Cain wasn’t slacking either.

He too was gathering energy.

This next strike could determine the winner; it needed careful preparation.

Otherwise, failing to deliver a solid hit would be frustrating.

As the two prepared, the audience – having experienced many twists and turns – stretched their necks in anticipation, waiting for Cain and Arthur to determine the victor.

At this moment, Airael found herself uncharacteristically worried for Arthur.

After their previous conversation, Cain’s performance had drastically improved; he even seemed on the verge of breaking through again.

Though Arthur was strong, he wasn’t overwhelmingly so.

If Cain managed a last-minute breakthrough, unless Arthur did too, it would be genuinely perilous.