Free Web NovelChapter 128: Chapter 122: The Show
Alexandra looked at the two boys in the arena, her sharp gaze flicking between them. Then she noticed something odd. "Wait," she said, leaning closer to the screen. "Why is the elder one slowing down? I mean, even I can see that Ezekiel’s attacks aren’t doing much."
Ramses smirked as if he had been expecting this. He muttered under his breath, "So, he’s finally beginning."
Alexandra frowned, her curiosity piqued. "Beginning what?"
Ramses didn’t respond. He simply kept his eyes on the battle, his lips curled into a knowing smile. The rest of the spectators in the viewing room followed suit, their attention riveted on the unfolding scene. They, too, were eager to see what Zeke had planned.
Down in the arena, Cass’s movements grew noticeably slower. At first, it seemed subtle, like he was conserving his energy, but within moments, he had stopped altogether. The elder boy stood there, motionless, an unreadable expression on his face. Zeke, on the other hand, wore a devilish grin that sent shivers down the spines of those watching.
With one decisive motion, Zeke swept Cass off his feet. The elder brother hit the ground face-first, the impact kicking up a small cloud of sand.
Cass groaned and jolted awake, spitting out the sand that had made its way into his mouth. As he scrambled to his feet, his face contorted with a mix of confusion and indignation. "You... but... how...? What’s going on? How am I on the ground?"
Zeke chuckled, his voice dripping with mockery. "What’s happening, my idiot brother, is that you lost. Your face touched the ground. And I win."
Roughly two minutes earlier, in the arena:
As the brothers squared off, Zeke’s mind went into overdrive. He analyzed every possibility, considering his strengths and limitations. ’It’s going to be tough to beat him in close combat,’ he thought. ’With his Unlimited Armament Physique, anything I do can and will be turned against me. And that cheat of a Divine Armament makes most of my attacks worthless. Illusions won’t work either—his SSS Grade WILL stat is practically a fortress. Unless...’ freeωebnovēl.c૦m
A spark of inspiration lit up his mind. An idea took shape, one that was as risky as it was brilliant. If traditional illusions wouldn’t work, he would have to employ a subtler, more sophisticated approach—one that Cass would never see coming.
Zeke had always prided himself on his expertise in the Soul affinity. In his previous life, he had researched it extensively, mastering its nuances. He understood that WILL was only effective against illusions that were crude, poorly designed, or overtly manipulative. Most illusions failed because they were too obvious—distorted environments, grotesque imagery, or torturous scenarios.
But Zeke’s plan was different. He wasn’t going to rely on brute force or visual trickery. Instead, he would replicate the arena environment down to the last detail within the illusion. The lighting, the sounds, the feel of the sand underfoot—it would all be perfectly mirrored. The goal was to make Cass believe he was still in reality, never realizing he’d crossed into Zeke’s carefully crafted illusion.
The question, of course, was how to trick someone like Cass, whose heightened senses and WILL stat made him nearly impervious to deception. For this, Zeke turned to an unorthodox but devastatingly effective technique: rhythm.
Rhythm was an often-overlooked weapon in the arsenal of illusion masters. At first glance, it seemed mundane, even trivial. But therein lay its genius. Long before the advent of mana, rhythm and music had wielded an almost mystical power over the human psyche. They could stir emotions, sharpen focus, and even alter physical states. Rhythm was the universal language of the soul, tapping into something primal and deeply ingrained in every living being. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Zeke understood this better than anyone. He knew that by embedding a subtle, hypnotic rhythm into his movements, he could bypass Cass’s defenses. His fists became the instruments of this rhythm, each strike landing in a calculated sequence. To the untrained eye, it looked like a futile assault, his punches bouncing harmlessly off Cass’s impenetrable defenses. But there was a method to the madness.
Each punch was part of a pattern, a beat that resonated at an almost imperceptible level. The vibrations echoed in Cass’s body, syncing with his heartbeat, his breathing, even the cadence of his thoughts. It was a rhythm designed to lull him into a false sense of security, to draw him deeper into Zeke’s trap.
From the viewing room, Ramses’ admiration for Zeke was growing rapidly. He was one of the few who recognized the rhythm in Zeke’s attacks. Coupled with the spell Zeke had used on Erik earlier, Ramses pieced together the younger brother’s strategy. "Brilliant," he whispered to himself.
In the arena, the rhythm reached its crescendo. Cass, completely unaware, slipped into the illusion. In his mind, the battle continued uninterrupted. He fought Zeke as fiercely as ever, confident he was moments away from victory. But in reality, he was standing still, lost in the fabricated world Zeke had woven around him.
Back to the present:
The illusion shattered the moment Cass hit the ground. Disoriented and bewildered, he struggled to make sense of what had happened. His confusion deepened as he met Zeke’s gaze.
Zeke stood over him, arms crossed, a triumphant smirk on his face. His laughter was light but carried a sting of mockery. "You look like a fish out of water," Zeke teased.
Cass scowled, brushing the sand off his face. "This isn’t over," he muttered, though his confidence had clearly taken a hit.
"Oh, it’s over," Zeke replied, his tone dripping with smugness. "You just didn’t realize it until now. You gonna cry?"
From the viewing room, Alexandra couldn’t suppress her amazement. "How did he do that?" she asked, turning to Ramses.
Ramses leaned back in his chair, his smile never wavering. "That, my dear Alexandra, is the art of rhythm. It’s subtle, almost imperceptible, but when used by someone with great attainments in Illusions, much like Zeke, it’s unstoppable."
