As soon as his eyes met his son, Norman advanced without hesitation. His body erupted in an aggressive and direct movement, with the clear intention of ending the fight in a single blow.

He could feel, with the experience of someone who had gone through countless battles, that Davi had not yet activated his ability, which was why his aura was so weak.

He had already understood that his son had the ability to temporarily become powerful by borrowing skills from others.

The axe descended with violence, as if it could split the arena itself in half. However, at the last instant, Davi managed to dodge by a hair's breadth, his heart pounding, his breath heavy.

He knew he couldn't continue like this. Without wasting time, he activated <Love the King>, allowing the flow of mana to pass through him and drastically raise his stats, at least enough to compete.

"Die!" Norman roared, swinging the axe in another devastating arc.

Davi raised his arms, using his sword to parry the impact. With each block, he felt his muscles ache in pain, as if the weight of the blows was crushing his bones.

His feet dragged backward, carving furrows in the arena floor, and his body trembled under the pressure.

Still, with each exchange, he began to get used to his father's speed and brutality. His body reacted, adjusted, responded to danger like a survival instinct refined by battle.

It was then that Norman broke into a maniacal smile, a wild glint in his eyes.

"Congratulations..." he said with contempt, his voice laden with sarcasm. "It seems that borrowing power from your women was enough for you to keep up with me... in my base form."

The words echoed through the arena like a punch to the gut. Before Davi could even respond, Norman's body began to change.

His hair bristled violently, while sparks danced over his skin. Lightning enveloped him in aggressive waves, crackling in the air.

Then, without hesitation, Norman simultaneously activated <Thunder Cloak> and <Acceleration>.

In the next instant, his body disappeared from common sight. The ground cracked beneath his feet, and only a flash of electric light cut across the arena.

Norman blurred into motion, his form a streak of crackling lightning that tore through the air like a storm. In the very next instant, he was in front of Davi, swinging his massive axe down with violent force.

Davi barely managed to react in time, raising his sword in a desperate block. His entire body shook under the impact, the sheer weight of the blow reverberating through his bones.

Then Norman vanished again. Davi's eyes darted wildly, catching only a flicker of lightning before another strike came screaming toward him. The axe whistled through the air, aiming to cleave him in two. He twisted his blade just in time, sparks exploding as steel met steel.

But there was no pause. Another strike came crashing down, then another, each one faster, heavier, more merciless than the last.

Every swing carried the fury of thunder itself, each impact splitting the air with explosive force and tearing fresh scars into the arena floor.

Davi's world narrowed to a frenzy of survival. He swung his sword desperately, but Norman's strikes were too fast, his vision struggled to keep up, his eyes darting frantically, trying to pinpoint the next attack.

It was almost like his father was attacking from everywhere at once.

Even trying to pour more power into <Love the King> to boost his stats wasn't enough. Worse still, he knew that if he pushed it too far, his body would burn out too quickly.

And Norman only grew faster.

Davi spun, blocked, staggered, each defense closer to failure than the last. His breath came ragged, his muscles on the verge of collapse. The pressure was suffocating; he didn't even get a second to think.

And then…

Suddenly, a searing pain erupted in his side as Norman's axe grazed him, a shallow cut that still burned like fire.

Davi gritted his teeth, his breathing ragged. But he couldn't lose focus even for a second as another strike was coming down.

This time he was able to deflect the attack with his sword, but bBlows rained down from every direction.

It was truly like a thunderstorm. From the outside, all one could see were blinding bolts of lightning flashing from every direction.

Davi barely managed to deflect the relentless onslaught, his sword ringing again and again under the weight of each strike. Yet his defense was far from perfect, thin red cuts began to appear across his body.

"This is all you got?" Norman gave his son a sadistic smile. "I'm not going with all I got,"

Norman moved forward, and a bolt-like kick slammed into Davi's back, hurling him forward; before he could change the ground Norman moved to attack again.

Another slash tore across Davi's thigh, crimson blood spraying in a violent arc. Norman's axe descended, poised to finish the fight, but Davi reacted in the nick of time, using <Fire Torrent> to launch his body away from the crushing blow.

"Running like a coward now!" Norman screamed in rage, hatred twisting his voice. He despised this cunning style of fighting. The weak should give up, not keep trying! "Die!"

Without hesitation, he unleashed <Thunder Storm> at Davi. The boy barely managed to defend with <Shield>, though the raging torrent of lightning disoriented him, sparks crackling across the arena and illuminating his fatigue.

In the very next instant, a thunderous impact slammed into his chest, sending him sprawling across the ground. Pain seared through him, yet before he could even register it, Norman was upon him like a maniac, ready for the final blow.

The axe gleamed with the intensity of concentrated lightning, screaming through the air, its edge aimed directly at Davi's neck. Time seemed to fracture, moments stretching into eternity under the shadow of death.

Davi's heart clenched. His mind went blank. Yet his body reacted faster than thought could catch up.

Instinct roared to life. Mana surged violently through his veins, a desperate scream of survival.

In that final fraction of a second, space itself folded around him. Using <Space Magic>, Davi vanished, reappearing just behind his father.

The axe cleaved through empty air, splitting the stone floor with a deafening explosion. Lightning burst outward in violent shockwaves, yet there was no blood.

For the first time, Norman's manic grin faltered. His eyes narrowed, sharp with anger.

"So… you also borrowed her annoying power," he spat, his voice a mixture of disgust and fury.

The battle was far from over.

"I can't deny it… you've surpassed all I expected. But you are nowhere near defeating me," Norman said, pointing the axe at his son. "However, I'll give you a choice: give up being an explorer, and I won't kill you here."

"Why the hell would I ever give up?" Davi shot back, gasping, eyes blazing with fury. At the same instant, he activated <Supernova>, beginning to concentrate mana into his hand.

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