The battle ended with Dribb flat on the ground, bloodied and exhausted, a grin still stretched across his face as Kharos stood over him with his axe lowered toward his neck, breathing heavily enough for everyone nearby to hear it.
For a moment, nobody moved.
The entire crowd had gone silent, stunned by what they had just witnessed.
Even Caius' followers, who had clearly expected Kharos to dominate from the beginning, now looked shaken by how close the fight had actually been.
And Kharos himself didn't look satisfied in the slightest despite technically winning.
The reason was obvious.
Dribb had only lost because he ran out of mana first.
Kharos was stronger overall. Higher level, deeper reserves, and in the end, that difference decided the fight. But everyone there could tell the outcome hadn't come from superiority alone.
If the battle had dragged on even a little longer, Kharos would have been the one lying on the floor instead.
And he knew it.
