After Stealing Hero's Mother, I Reincarnated in the Fantasy World!

'I think I get it now.'

Rain was still in the mud, yes, but he was no longer sinking in it.

Seeing his opponent's second inaction, Donat smirked even harder, confident of his victory. Aiming to end it all in one blow, he immediately swung his battle hammer wide with a ferocious aura, the vacuum following the trajectory of his swing.

But before his warhammer could touch Rain, he dodged the blow with unprecedented lightness and, immediately finding a weak point in his stance, tripped him up. Losing his balance with his heavy warhammer in his hands, Donat fell to the ground with a thud.

Rain's blade followed immediately, aiming to finish him off at once.

However, Donat was still an experienced warrior with instincts honed in many battles, and he managed to almost unconsciously create a mud barrier around himself. The barrier delayed the sword for a split second, but it was enough to avoid a fatal wound to his neck, instead receiving a wound to his shoulder.

Donat stood up, his eyes burning with rage. Though he hadn't lost, it still hurt. With a guttural cry, he lunged at Rain, seeking to end his life with every powerful swing.

"Prepare to eat the earth!"

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

There was a series of frantic exchanges of blows in a swirl of sparks and aura. This time Rain felt normal, no, he felt better than he ever had before.

After using the Fading Star Technique to lighten his body, he became faster. And lighter.

Adapting to the changes in his weight, he adjusted his sword style. Therefore, fighting on such a viscous surface became much easier.

He was dancing on it, gliding across the surface with an almost ethereal grace, each movement leaving more and more of his sword marks on his opponent's body.

If it weren't for his very thick body and the phenomenal protection that Donat gets from his bloodline, it would have been over a long time ago.

Of course, Donat, whose eyes still shone with rage, did not cease his attempts, seeking with each blow to crush him completely.

And finally, he had the opportunity.

Deflecting his heavy war hammer, the recoil sent the tip of Rain's blade into the viscous mud. It didn't stop him, only delayed him for a fraction of a second.

But Donat didn't miss this opportunity and immediately seized it. However, the fat guy did not strike with his hammer or fist.

He fell.

He simply threw his body forward, using his immense weight, aiming to crush Rain on the spot.

Sensing the deadly danger of the situation, Rain acted quickly.

It wasn't about dodging. It was about surviving, being nearly crushed by the sheer mass of rushing flesh.

Shifting his weight to his right leg, Rain barely managed to avoid his fall.

Thud!

The force of Donat's fall was tremendous, like a collapsed mountain, causing the arena to shake violently.

Donat wasn't done yet. As Rain deftly dodged, Donat shifted his weight in the mud, throwing himself sharply towards Rain. He reached out with both massive arms to grab his opponent firmly.

When his hands were ready to reach him, clasping him in a deadly embrace, Rain instinctively batted them away with the hilt of his sword.

'Hell! Why do all the opponents want to hug me so badly?'

Without further hesitation, he sharpened his blade with his golden aura, lunging at his opponent who had already managed to get up with the help of the mud.

Clang!

The elegant and thin blade of the Unknown Sword once again met the massive battle hammer in an unequal confrontation, giving the impression that it might collapse at any moment. But no matter how many times this happened, the elegant sword repelled its attacks with equal confidence, not even a hint of scratch on its obsidian surface.

The heavy warhammer, on the other hand, looked rather shabby for its size. On the whole, it didn't look much different from its owner's condition.

Donat has taken full advantage of his bloodline and the advantages of the terrain that he has.

Normally he would have been cheering, but there was no joy on his face now. His opponent didn't seem to notice his efforts at all.

He manipulated the ground beneath his feet, making it viscous, but his opponent wasn't even planning on sinking into it. He created hands of mud, but they appeared only to be smashed by Rain a moment later like pesky flies. He used the mud as a veil for stealth attacks, but it was as if his opponent always knew where he would attack from.

After that, he had even more bad luck.

During another furious exchange of blows, Donat misjudged his weight and stumbled slightly, breaking his stance and exposing his defenseless neck for a moment.

Rain's black blade didn't miss this and immediately took advantage of it, targeting a spot exactly under his several chins.

Before he reached her, however, a smile played on Donat's lips, and the next instant a wave of mud rose up, drowning his lightning-quick sword and solidifying into a block of stone, holding his blade securely in place.

Seeing that his trap plan to disarm the enemy had worked, Donat's smug smile couldn't help but grow even wider.

"Like I said, prepare to eat—"

However, he was not allowed to finish.

Bang!

Rain's bare fist slammed into Donat's face with force with a loud crack.

The sharp pain in his face caused him to lose control of his ability for a moment, and the solidified mud became soft again. With a savage twist, Rain wrenched his sword free from muddy prison, the obsidian blade glinting ominously in the arena lights.

Quickly regaining his composure, Donat swung his hammer at him, unleashing a powerful torrent of wind.

Rain suddenly increased the flow of his aura, causing a burst of golden radiance from his obsidian blade, and deftly parried his hammer into the ground. With a lightning-fast movement, he stepped on it and pinned it to the ground, preventing him from using it again.

Donat realized he was caught, but didn't panic.

His gaze focused on his opponent's black blade, covered in a stormy golden aura, ready for any attack. He had been caught off guard and injured last time, but this time he was confident that he could defend himself completely. And after that, counterattack and crush him.

However, the blazing sword in his right hand remained motionless. Instead, Rain's left fist slammed into his face with a loud whoosh, shaking his mind.

Just like last time, after experiencing a sharp pain, for a moment, his control over the abilities of the bloodline weakened.

And that moment was enough.

Donat instinctively raised the wave of mud again to protect himself from the next strike, but it was only liquid, soft mud, unable to stop anything.

Unknown Sword flashed, a golden streak in the muddy chaos. The obsidian blade found its target, slashing Donat's throat just below his chins.

Donat grewled, choking, and the sound was cut off abruptly. His eyes widened in disbelief, with a mixture of shock and incomprehension. He clutched at his throat, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

A beep from one of the projections sounded, announcing an instant death wound, after which the arena and all around it fell into complete silence.

It ended too abruptly for anyone to say or explain anything. Perhaps it would have gone on for a long time if it hadn't been for a sudden clap from one side that broke the oppressive silence.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

It was the silver-haired elfess Lapielle. A moment later, she was joined by the entire group of elven women.

Following them, instructor Eric Brake came out of his trance, starting to clap unknowingly while muttering to himself.

"Now I'm sure… it's him."

Already behind them, everyone else, from faculty to students, clapped.

Rain, still standing in the broken arena, looked down and cursed.

"Damn, I got dirty."

His boots were all muddy.

***

Thanks for reading, everyone.