The Gamer’s POV

After Ino spoke, Dion's unfocused eyes finally focused on Bryan, who was now upon him with the gladius raised high to kill.

In that brief moment, Dion caught a glimpse of his brother's eyes. They were cold, hollow, and most disturbingly, completely devoid of any recognition.

It finally became clear that the person in front of him was no longer the little brother he knew, but rather someone he couldn't recognize.

By the time Bryan brought down his sword, Dion reflexively rolled to the side, avoiding the blade while simultaneously grabbing a fistful of sand which he desperately threw into Bryan's eyes.

Bryan stumbled back a few steps, his hand reaching up to claw at his face. This momentary distraction allowed Dion to fully regain his bearings and quickly scramble a few meters away to grab his spear, which had fallen after the first blow he received.

He snatched up the weapon and, after a brief second of hesitation, finally leveled it, bitterly pointing the tip toward his brother.

Right now, he was extremely bitter and filled with deep sorrow at the fact that even after seeing his brother in this state, he couldn't do anything to help. He couldn't try to save his brother.

Truthfully, if he weren't in the gladiator's arena right now, he wouldn't have even considered attacking his brother. He probably would have ignored Bryan entirely and gone straight for the strange cadet who was puppeting him. Maybe if he could just get to that cadet, he could have forced him to fix whatever had been done to Bryan. After all, the fact that Bryan's Bond was still alive meant that his brother wasn't truly dead yet.

But because of the nature of Bryan's bonded ability, Dion was left with no choice. He had to fight and kill his brother if he wanted to survive himself.

Finally, Dion made up his mind. If he couldn't fix his brother, he might as well grant both him and his Bond the mercy of death. At least that would be better than being used as puppets against their will.

Dion's entire demeanor suddenly changed to one of cold, grim determination as his sorrow slowly gave way to anger at the person responsible for this.

"Ahh… Take a look at what I have to face while sober. Life is cruel, Ino."

He wiped away his tears and sighed, his grip tightening on the spear as Bryan quickly recovered, shaking the last of the sand from his eyes.

Both of them coldly exchanged glances for a brief moment and, as if on a silent signal, both lunged at each other with explosive killing intent.

Dion spun his spear, bringing it down on Bryan who raised his shield to catch the heavy blow. Bryan didn't miss a beat; he used the momentum to shove the spear aside, clearing a path to Dion's chest. In the same motion, his gladius lashed out like a snake, aiming straight for the heart.

Dion leapt back gracefully, narrowly avoiding the blade. Using the momentum of his retreat, he simultaneously spun his body, bringing the spear down once more in a powerful arc.

Bryan sidestepped just in time, and the tip of the spear smashed into the sand, sending a spray of grit and dust into the air where he had been standing only a second before.

Dion quickly retracted his spear and spun again, only for his weapon to be caught mid-swing by Bryan's shield.

…Bryan was a boy of burly build, and so the impact didn't even make him flinch. He planted his feet and thrust his blade forward again, trying to close the distance.

But Dion, who was expecting him to make that move, easily pivoted, letting the blade whistle harmlessly past his ribs. Then, without slowing down while Bryan was still overextended from the lunge, Dion balled his free hand and punched him hard in the jaw.

Bryan had barely grunted from the blow when Dion drove a heavy kick into his gut, sending him tumbling back onto the sand. Dion immediately raised the spear, poising himself for the final, merciful strike. But just before the tip could land, Bryan rolled out of the way, and the spear buried itself violently into the sand.

Bryan quickly scrambled onto one knee, letting out a sudden, guttural yell and just as Dion retracted his weapon, Bryan lunged, slamming into him with a savage tackle and crashing them both onto the ground.

Now on top of Dion and without slowing down, Bryan brought his gladius down in a lethal arc. Dion desperately grabbed Bryan's wrist with both hands, stopping the blade only inches from his throat. As they locked eyes in a struggle of pure strength, Bryan quickly raised his other hand, bringing the heavy shield down like a hammer.

'Shit!'

Dion's eyes widened as he saw his life suddenly flash before is eyes.

His brother was one level higher than him, and he knew that if that shield connected, it was over.

In a final, desperate reflex, Dion snapped his head to the left. The heavy rim of the shield whistled past his ear and slammed into the sand with a dull thud, missing his temple by less than an inch.

The impact was so violent that a spray of grit exploded into Dion's ear and eyes, leaving his head ringing.

He was still trapped, locked in place with no way to recover as Bryan's heavy build still loomed over him.

In the next instant, Bryan raised his hand again, bringing the heavy shield down for a second attempt.

'Crap!'

Dion gritted his teeth. Since he was using both hands to hold back the blade still aimed at his neck, he had to make a choice. He desperately released one hand, reaching out to grab Bryan's other wrist to stall the shield.

"Damn you!" Dion yelled. With all the energy he could muster, he arched his back and drove his forehead upward, slamming a brutal headbutt into Bryan's face.