Sera couldn’t help but drop her jaw. The result was simply shocking. Everyone would definitely think Nathan was weaker than Rudeus.
Even if he could win against Rudeus, it would be a hard fight.
However, the result couldn’t be any different. He crushed Rudeus. His minotaur was dead, and Rudeus could do nothing against him.
As expected, those bullets were actually the ones determining the battle.
Vivian asked, “Did you see what he did?”
“That’s…” Sera paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “The moment the gnome created a wall, they had lost. It was true that for the gnome, killing Nathan when he was focused on the wall would be easy.
“However, the gnome didn’t realize that Nathan’s attacks would curve so much. Normally, the curves would follow a parabolic trajectory, so if those attacks wanted to loop around the wall, it required more distance.
“For some reason, he was able to control his attacks that way. The sharp curves took the gnome aback, but because he couldn’t see the gnome and his control wasn’t perfect, he didn’t manage to kill the gnome.
“Then he sent forth those attacks into the air, letting them hover in the air for a bit. The first wave came as expected, but that was only for the sake of lowering Rudeus’ guard. And that was when the second wave came, taking him by surprise.
“He skillfully took advantage of the blinding sunlight to cover those attacks.”
Vivian shook her head. “That’s not it. He doesn’t have the ability to let those bullets hover in the air. Do you think you can do that with your current control?”
“That’s…” She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Exactly.” Vivian explained, “He actually shot those bullets at the same time.”
“But if he did that, how did he create a delayed attack?”
“That’s pretty simple. He first summoned thirty bullets and split them into two groups. The first group would be looping around him so that they would fall on top of Rudeus. The second group had a similar trajectory but was set to fly much higher. The loop was also shortened so that the bullets would fall near the gnome.”
“What? Impossible. If he did that, Rudeus could just leave, right?”
“That’s exactly the reason for that sunlight. Rudeus will lower his guard, which will force him into Nathan’s trap.”
“A trap?”
“Yes. After blocking that first attack, Rudeus has a lot of options. He can move in all directions, which means those bullets will miss him.
“However, to avoid this kind of outcome, Nathan destroyed the wall as if he were aiming for the gnome. In fact, this was also the reason he chose to receive Rudeus’ punch in the first engagement.
“Rudeus will think that his hand-to-hand combat is much superior to Nathan. Hence, he believes he can save the gnome.
“By forcing Rudeus to think of saving the gnome as the best choice, he has just single-handedly ended the match.”
“But… if something goes wrong, he will end up at a disadvantage.” Sera couldn’t believe it. It was as if Nathan were able to see the future.
“He has made several layers of traps, so it’s bound to succeed. I guess he is pretty annoyed that he chose to defeat him like this. Then again, I don’t think Rudeus will just take this result silently. I have to make some preparations.” Vivian sighed.
“How can he even do this? Does he predict the future?”
“Not at all. A veteran fighter will know how an amateur will move. Why? That’s simple. They have that experience.
“Experience, information, and manipulation. Those three are the most basic things you need to defeat your enemy in an unpredictable way. Nathan has experienced Rudeus’ way of fighting him.
“Rudeus must be convinced of himself that his ability is higher than Nathan. And he processes that information and takes advantage of it.
“Last but not least, the manipulation of emotion and ego causes his downfall. This is what Nathan has always said. The more the enemy believes they can win, the higher the chance for them to mess up. You better remember that.”
She couldn’t help but feel chills down her spine. Rudeus and August had put up a good fight, but it was useless against Nathan.
It seemed she didn’t make the wrong choice.
The moment Rudeus lost, all three familiars disappeared alongside him.
“What? Rudeus. Why are you dragging me down?” August gritted his teeth in annoyance. He had fought so well. He even used his family’s power to increase the chance of them winning. Yet, it didn’t matter.
Rudeus had lost against Nathan, even with the gnome helping him.
In the end, he would end up becoming a laughingstock. That was why Rudeus’ loss annoyed him. After all, it also meant they wouldn’t get any resources from this event.
August didn’t acknowledge the fact that he would be nothing if he had to fight against Selena by himself. It was only because of Rudeus’ support that he was able to endure Yin Zhen’s assault.
It didn’t take long for him to be defeated by Yin Zhen, especially since Fenrir joined the fight.
The winner of the Black Arena was none other than Nathan and Selena, and it wasn’t even a close fight.
“Huu…” Nathan let out a sigh of relief before extending his hand. “Are you alright?”
Risa smiled wryly. Her arms were still hurt, but she still reached for Nathan’s hand. “Thank you. Are you perhaps angry at him because of me?”
“Of—!” Nathan wanted to say something, but he soon felt the chilling gaze from behind him. It was obvious whose gaze it was.
Without hesitation, Nathan turned around and lifted Selena up at the waist before spinning around. “Thank you, Selena. Because of you, we’re able to be the champion.”
Selena was startled and couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Her face was red, as she couldn’t help but say, “Let me down. What are you doing? This is embarrassing.”