Chapter 185: A Familiar Phrase (2)

Lilith POV

I'm currently sitting in my private room alone while the rest of the generals that came along stand by Lachlan, the rest who didn't come are stationed back home to watch over the continent. The bell just rang and the 2 have stood in their readied stance and eyed each other up which isn't unusual for participants of this event, though the limit allowed is 5 minutes before the field starts to be filled with toxic gases.

Just when the mood is right, I sense someone intruding into my private room.

"Who are you?"

Robert POV

I heard the sound of a bell ringing, and Perseus charged at me, but a few moments in, I noticed the similarity between the attacks he was giving out and the one in my vision just now.

Strange, but I think I understand what is happening. The god of spring has blessed me to win, I've heard people who prayed to him encountering events like this before, they were given visions to see into the future, so I am now given the same blessing. My future would be grim if I kill him, my family would be endangered and the eastern church will be targeted by a nation that is feared by many.

My god is looking out for me, he gave me the vision of the future so that I can avoid it, hah, so when the gods say they can't manipulate time or see through time every time they descend to meet their believers...it was a lie to make them sound weaker. Lord Cassius the great, I thank you, I will make sure to pray to you and offer gifts after my win, and I promise to win the main tournament to repay your faith in me.

I then cleanly parry all his attacks, he switched to his fist and I quickly read through them all, he distanced himself.

I summoned fireballs and the sequence of events happened in the same way, he summoned his barrier of blue petals and this time I aimed for his chest and the blast hit him and he got knocked down by the explosion that happened afterward, I charged in to deal the winning move only to step in a trap, a storm of blue rose petals flew at me as it emerged from the smoke.

And I can hear the sound of a scream as a steel fist hit my face from the side, an attack from behind me, it's as if he can enter my shadows.

But as I see a half-moon kick hitting my temples, I hear the phrase again.

"Well, let's tussle Robert." Perseus said with an arrogant grin

I see, that was another vision, a test, I got careless and charged in defenseless. Lord Cassius, I thank you again for allowing me to learn from my mistakes, you want me to repeat the scenario till I perfect it, you don't want me to lose and that was your way of teaching me.

I see that you want victory over this boy, a boy with the skin color of impurity and the blood of demons, worse, the son of 2 women, he is a disgusting existence, it goes against every right moral values that you've taught us.

"Lord Cassius, I will repeat this test over and over till you're satisfied." I declared aloud "And I dedicate this victory to you."

"Fucking weirdo." the boy muttered

And the bell rang again as this time I charge in on the offensive. He didn't even have a chance to defend himself as my attacks just clashed against his armor, at his it didn't do anything, so I use magic to boost my speed and strength further while also cladding my sword in light, and it took dozens and dozens of hits, but it dented and my attacks started to hurt him.

He then submerged in the shadows again and appeared from behind me and his kick landed on the flat of my blade that I used to intercept it.

But then I can see that he now has claws on his hand, enchanted strings came out of the tip and started to quickly wrap around my blade, the light around my blade is slowly searing through it, but it was lightning quick and my sword now looks like a cocoon of white webs which he pulled away as he distanced himself.

With a blink of an eye, I heard the phrase again.

"Well, let's tussle Robert."

"It's getting annoying." I muttered aloud

"What is?" he questioned

*****

I'm starting to be mentally exhausted, even though I would have won, it seems that the god of spring wanted a perfect victory, and my mental exhaustion has led me to a loss, an impossible situation.

"Lord Cassius, I know what you want of me, but I've reached my limits."

"The hell. You. On. About." Perseus said between hits

I don't know how long it's been in the real world, time is fluid in a dream or a world of visions, people in here have reactions as they would in the real world, I have tried to escape by shooting my attack into the stands which only hit a barrier, I killed Perseus before the bell rings, I have killed the referee and yet my god has still not gotten the message that I no longer want to be in here, I'm in an endless loop where my mental exhaustion is a couple of steps away from making me dive into the realms of insanity.

"Say, how many times have I won?" Perseus asked all of a sudden

"You...Are you stuck in this loop too? Have you been conscious all this time?"

"Loop, that's right, you're pretty smart." his fist connected with my jaw and the world reset once again

"Stop that!"

"Do you need a break?" the referee asked just as he was about to fly away and watch from above

"Not you, him!"

"Stop what?" the boy asked

"Resetting the loop!"

"What loop?"

Did the god of spring send him to a different loop?...or is this the real world again and I've finally escaped? I don't know reality anymore.