The Ashen Dominion
Chapter 75 - Dual Versus Dual

Chapter 75: 75 - Dual Versus Dual

Not long... Rose got back to the waiting room.

Tap-

And the first one to greet her—

"ROSE!!!"

Was Jenna.

"You were so amazing out there!"

She exclaimed excitedly.

"I was so nervous watching your fight with that guy. He was so big and strong—he’s a psycho too!"

"But you won! Thank god..."

She added, smiling genuinely.

Then after her, Jhamillah followed and greeted Rose as well.

"Rose!"

She hurried toward her, her steps quick and her brows furrowed in concern.

"My heart was pounding the entire time..."

She stopped in front of Rose and placed her hands on her shoulders, her eyes scanning Rose’s face.

"You’re okay, right? That guy was crazy..."

She muttered.

Then, Jhamillah exhaled sharply like she had been holding her breath the whole fight.

"God... I’m so glad you’re okay."

She gave Rose a small but tight hug.

Rose let out a chuckle and gently patted Jhamillah’s back.

"Thanks. I’m okay, really."

She then looked at both Jenna and Jhamillah with a soft, thankful smile.

"You two don’t have to worry, I can handle myself."

"...But still!"

Jhamillah frowned, pulling back slightly.

"That bastard was swinging like he wanted to crush you alive! I seriously thought my soul left my body every time he attacked!"

"Same!"

Jenna added immediately.

"You don’t know how much I wanted to jump in there and punch him myself!"

The three of them shared a light laugh.

The tension eased... just a little.

They were happy, relieved that Rose was standing in front of them—alive, and still smiling.

But then—

"How’s your left arm?"

Kaiser suddenly spoke and asked that.

"Huh?"

"Hmm?"

Jenna and Jhamillah turned toward him when they heard that.

Then they saw Kaiser sitting calmly on one of the benches, his arms crossed over his chest. His face was composed, but sharp, focused.

And beside him...

Viktor was there too. Just sitting silently, his eyes fixed on the three of them. He hadn’t said a single word since Rose returned—just observing.

Swish~

Jenna and Jhamillah slowly turned their eyes back to Rose.

"..."

She was standing still. Her lips were shut tight. Her face unreadable. Not a single word came out of her mouth.

"Rose?"

Jhamillah called her name softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

And upon hearing her...

"Erm, hehe..."

Rose let out a stiff, awkward laugh. She tried to put on a smile, but it was clearly forced—the kind that showed more pain than reassurance.

Jenna and Jhamillah were about to ask her something, their mouths halfway open with worry, but before they could—

"My left arm is broken. It hurts a lot."

Rose plainly stated that, cutting them off. Her voice wasn’t trembling, but it wasn’t strong either—it was simply tired.

And with those words—

"..."

The two girls fell completely silent.

Fwip—

Rose began unstrapping her shield. Her movements were slow and careful.

And as soon as she pulled it off—

"...!"

"Wha—"

Jhamillah and Jenna gasped in unison, their eyes widening at the sight in front of them.

Her left forearm...

It was in horrible condition.

Purple bruises painted the skin unevenly. The whole arm was swelling with angry, discolored lumps. Some spots were bleeding. And worst of all—it was slightly bent in the wrong direction.

"..."

Their expressions shifted.

The two cheerful girls who had been celebrating moments ago now wore deep frowns on their faces. Their joy disappeared in an instant.

They were shocked.

They didn’t know what to say.

Meanwhile—

Kaiser and Viktor stayed still.

They didn’t look surprised.

They already expected this.

Kaiser turned his head to Viktor... and saw him already looking back.

The two exchanged a silent glance.

Then—

Viktor turned back to the three and opened his mouth.

"I know first aid for broken bones. I’ve had to deal with that kind of thing a lot before."

He with a small smile, looking at Rose.

"Come here and let me help you."

He followed with his usual composed tone.

And upon hearing him, Rose shifted her eyes to Viktor.

Jenna and Jhamillah followed her gaze.

And after that... All three girls smiled.

"Thanks."

Rose simply replied. She didn’t waste time asking more questions—she trusted him. Without hesitation, she walked over to where Viktor was sitting.

Once she reached him, she crouched down a little bit, carefully resting her arm in front of him.

And as Viktor leaned in to inspect it—

"That was a good fight... Congrats on winning."

Rose heard someone speak to her left.

She turned her head—

It was Kaiser. He was glancing at her with a small, sincere smile on his face.

"..."

Rose smiled softly and gave a light nod in response. She didn’t say anything back—but she didn’t need to.

And not long after—

"Hmm..."

Viktor muttered while gently pressing on different parts of her forearm.

"It’s nothing too serious. I can do something for now until the healers give it a proper check later."

His calm assessment lifted the heavy mood in the room.

Jhamillah and Jenna instantly brightened up. Their shoulders relaxed, and their faces showed pure relief.

Rose, too, let out a quiet breath. She was clearly glad to hear that.

Then—without wasting time—

Viktor got to work.

He began tending to Rose’s arm, using what tools and cloths he could find around the waiting room.

There were still five more matches before his turn anyway — So he didn’t really mind.

*****

Viktor tended to Rose’s arm for about an hour, wrapping it up with steady hands, making sure not to cause any unnecessary pain.

And after he was done, the swelling had eased a little, and the bones were properly stabilized. Rose immediately felt a lot better.

"Thanks."

She said softly, slightly bowing her head in gratitude.

"No biggie."

Viktor replied casually with a smile, waving his hand like it was nothing.

Then after that, the five of them began watching the rest of the matches unfold from the waiting room—quietly, yet with growing anticipation.

...

...

...

A few more hours passed—

The eighth match of today’s event had just come to a close.

On the fourth match—a nimble young man wielding twin daggers took on a full leather armored brute with a two-handed mace. The fight was a contest between speed and raw power. Despite the difference in size and weapon, the dagger user danced around his opponent, landing small cuts and bleeding him out until the brute collapsed from exhaustion, and he slit his throat.

Fifth match—a longsword user faced off against a dual short sword wielder. The fight was fast and tense, filled with clean footwork and sharp counters. In the end, the short sword user disarmed his opponent and killed him.

Sixth match—a man with a spear fought against a tribesman with sharp claws. The match was brutal and close—the spearman’s precise thrusts versus the tribesman’s relentless charges. But the spearman’s technique held firm, and he managed to stab his opponent in the gut during one of the tribesman’s reckless lunges.

Seventh match—a calm swordsman fought against a loud-mouthed brawler. The brawler’s fists were like hammers, but the swordsman’s movements were sharp and calculated. In a blink, the fight was over—his blade to the brawler’s throat.

Eighth match—duel between two veterans—both wielding axes. It was the bloodiest fight so far. Neither held back. They struck, blocked, and roared with every swing. The crowd was on their feet. In the end, one collapsed after taking a heavy blow to the chest, killing them.

"NEXT FIGHT!!!"

"START THE NEXT ONE IMMEDIATELY!!!"

"NEXT FIGHTERS!!!"

The crowd had grown louder with each passing match. The fights were getting more intense, and the gladiators... clearly more dangerous.

And now...

"FOR THE SECOND TO LAST MATCH—LET’S ALL WELCOME...!"

"VIKTOR AND YIN!!!"

The announcer shouted with rising energy. His voice echoed across the coliseum.

It was Viktor’s turn now.

"..."

After hearing his name, Viktor calmly stood up.

Fwip—

He held a one-handed axe in each hand, gripping them firmly. His eyes locked onto the arena beyond the waiting room.

"Wish me luck."

He said, and without waiting for a response—

TAP—

He stepped out into the arena.

’Like you need some luck to win.’

Kaiser thought with a smirk, watching him go.

"YEAAAAHHHH!!!"

"VIKTOR! VIKTOR! VIKTOR!"

"GO RUN WILD AGAIN!!!"

The crowd roared in excitement upon seeing Viktor step out. The three girls were surprised by this sudden burst of support.

Then—

Tap—

Viktor’s opponent stepped out as well.

"YIIIIIN!!!"

"YOU’RE SO HANDSOME!"

"I WANT TO BUY YOU AS MY PERSONAL SLAVE!"

"DANCE WITH YOUR DUAL SWORDS AGAIN!!!"

The crowd cheered for him too—mostly the noblewomen.

"..."

Yin ignored them all. He held a simple sword in each hand. His armor was minimal—just iron vambraces and leather shoulder pads.

"..."

"..."

Yin and Viktor stared at each other, shutting out all noise and distractions.

They were both dual wielders.

And without further ado—

"BEGIN!!!"

The announcer signaled the start of the match!

BAM—!

As soon as it started, both of them kicked off the ground and rushed at each other!

SWOOSH~

They met at the center of the arena—and as if the match hadn’t just begun...

CLANG! TING—! SWISH!

THEY EXCHANGED VICIOUS CLASHES!

They swung, dodged, blocked, parried!

It was just the beginning, but it already felt like both of them wanted to end it right away!