Breakthrough

In a heavy pant, Seran began to feel light-headed. Jungo's face started to become a blur to Seran's eyesight as if he needed glasses to see clearly. He shook his head forcefully, hoping to clear his clouded head and regain focus, but it was hopeless.

"Why do I feel like I'm numbing out again like I'm about to blackout.," Seran said speaking to himself in his mind.

"What's the matter chump you got some dirt in your eyes."Jungo mocked with a smirk.

As Jungo stood tall, he walked forward cocky with confidence the crowd's chanting intensified the surrounding battle circle. Meanwhile, Seran positioned himself defensively, shaking on his back foot, prepared to react to any potential incoming attacks.

"It's time to break you, little man !" Jungo exclaimed, bursting into a sprint abnormal for someone his size.

Jungo launched a straight right hand, the force behind it whipped the winds violently. Seran reacted swiftly slipping his entire body left to avoid the blow. However, Jungo's onslaught continued with a relentless flurry of punches. In an attempt to avoid the rest of Jungo's attacks, one of the punches lands grazing Seran's shoulder blade and pushing him momentarily off balance. Jungo grinned menacingly, Seran gasped suddenly realizing that he had left himself wide open. Jungo's colossal fist struck Seran with a powerful punch across the left cheek, sending him falling forward.

Jungo raises both arms and intertwines his fingers, axe handling Seran across the spine and knocking him to the ground. Seran grunted as he gagged some blood from his mouth. Fidgeting Seran lifted his face out of the dirt slowly, droplets of blood spilled and drained from his mouth onto the dry dirt ground.

"Seran get up! you have to move now!"Elder Ihathir's voice echoed urgently through the barrier alerting Seran of the danger he was in.

AvelHard nervously kept watch with his visual sight granting information. "Elder, the boy's heart rate has reached eighty-nine beats per second. I'm not sure he can keep this up at this rate he'll surely perish."

Jungo snickered evilly grabbing Seran by the ankle and lassoing him like a rope.

"Magnus!… Crash!," Jungo violently yelled slamming Seran onto his back, carving up the rocks from the ground on impact.

Seran's eyes were filled with full of pain from that attack, and he was unable to scream as the wind had been knocked out of him. Lying in an indentation of rocks Seran gasped for air desperately.

"That's what I like to see beg for mercy as I crush the life from you. You little freak lover!"Jungo's mockery and sinister chuckling continued.

"Elder, Zophiria is starting to become conscious again," SahQuis alerted while simultaneously healing her.

Flickering her eyes open Zophiria could hear the sound of the chanting crowd again.

"Where am I? I must've fainted sometime during the battle. What have I gotten myself into? I endangered my kin with my foolishness how could I have been so ignorant?"Zophira said to herself subconsciously biting her lips.

"Move calmly Zophiria the battle is still waging," SahQuis explained as he helped lean her forward by the shoulders.

"I'm prepared to face the consequences of my actions."Zophiria stuttered grasping her left arm in pain.

"That won't be necessary," Elder Ihathir said holding the barrier intact.

Zophiria was confused from being knocked unconscious. To her belief, she assumed the punishment Jungo wanted to enforce on her was not over.

"But elder- "Zophiria pleaded.

"The young flower has taken a stand for you Zophiria. One I haven't seen before since he. Let us show our support in any way possible."Elder Ihathir conveyed.

Zophiria was appalled. She quickly turned her head towards the battle only to find Seran lying in the gravel as Jungo stood above him.

"Seran! What're you doing you damn idiot! Who told you I needed you to fight my battles for me!?" Zophiria cried out in tears angry that Seran put his new life at risk for her mistake.

Laying on the floor panting Seran peeled his eyes half way open.

Lying on the ground drenched in sweat and blood Seran clutched his eyes shut to block out the pain.

"Oh, well looky here you're still alive? Man, I gotta give it to yuh kid you surviving my Magnus Crash has gotta be one hell of a miracle but I'd like to see you survive."Jungo dramatically pauses glaring at Seran.

"Two!" Jungo grips Seran by the ankle again lassoing him once more creating a small whirlwind.

"Magnus!…"Jungo's voice echoed.

"Seran if you don't do something so help me I'll kill you myself you, knucklehead!"Zophiria cried out again.

Those words triggered Seran's memories of Thiolana. Unclutching his eyes quickly Seran gripped the top of Jungo's bald head and raked his eyelids with his nails interrupting Magnus Crash. Jungo rubbed his eyelids in a fit with the other hand as he ceased his lassoing.

"Let go of me!"Seran demanded.

With his grip still firm around Seran's ankle he squirmed a bit before cocking his leg back kicking Jungo in the groin. Jungo's face went sour as if he had eaten a lemon, and grabbed onto his private area falling to one knee. Seran put some distance between him and Jungo to catch his wind again. Elder Ihathir, SahQuis, and AvelHard sighed in relief to see Seran escape. Seran contemplates a way to defeat Jungo, but there isn't any solid answer. Jungo barely takes any real threatening damage from Seren's attacks and inflicts too much heavy punishment, making it difficult for him to stay within six square feet of him without taking any collateral damage.

"Seran! I understand your concerns. It's important to have decisive thinking during any battle, but what good is all the strategic thought if you can't use it effectively? This is a different battlefield from the world you once knew." Elder Ihathir emphasized the importance of trusting in himself.

Seran Seemed to not be paying much attention to the elder's words still trapped in thought nevertheless about an ideal way to defeat Jungo.

"Seran are you listening to anything the elders saying you, big blockhead!" Zophiria scolded him in tears balling both her fists up toward her chest.

"Alright alright damn I'm listening! Can you quit yelling at me already?" Seran Shouted annoyed.

As Jungo rose back to his feet, the elder stressed his words of wisdom to Seran. "When I said stop trying to fight him on equal footing I meant that. You are more powerful than he is you just don't realize it. Doubt is hindering you from your true potential."

"Remember the battle at the Garden Of Birth. When you faced that Karibious? I did not find you out of mere coincidence. I found you because I sensed the power you had shown me. So quit trying to think and feel Seran!" Elder Ihathir emphasized stamping his staff onto the ground.

Elder Ihathir's words echoed in Seran's head multiple times,envisioning the surge of power he had gotten after being chased down by the beast.

"That's right… I was fast … faster than I had ever been in my entire life. What was I thinking about back then? Seran spoke within himself subconsciously with a sigh.