"Never surrender!" Jin snapped to himself, his resolve hardening within. Suddenly, the crimson energy surrounding his body intensified, its vivid red hue resembling blood, enveloping him tightly.
"I've never witnessed such formidable power." Upon seeing Jin's transformation, even Arno, who had always been so arrogant, began to feel a pang of concern. His usual bravado now faltering, his expression turned serious.
"This constant flow of power feels incredible, but my body is beginning to ache. Could it be that my body can't withstand such overwhelming force?" Jin poured every ounce of his strength into unleashing his energy, pushing himself to the limit. This was the very technique Master Hakin had once spoken of, the use of the Red Dragon Power. But Hakin had failed to mention the aftermath: when one draws upon such immense power, the body begins to suffer, a side effect of the Red Dragon Force.
As Jin's energy soared, the pain in his body grew unbearable, and the burden upon him became overwhelming. His expression twisted with agony, each moment amplifying his torment.
"It looks like he's in considerable pain," Arno mused inwardly, watching Jin's suffering.
"Hahahaha, come on!" Despite his doubts, Arno's voice rang out provocatively, taunting Jin.
"I'll defeat him in one blow!" Jin resolved in his heart.
With a flash of red light, Jin propelled himself forward, his fist striking Arno with such force that Arno was sent hurtling through several walls, crashing from King Samuel the Second's chambers into the ruined refuge hall. Arno lay motionless on the floor, battered and unmoving.
"What's happening?" Lisa, who had been tending to Master Hakin at the hall's entrance, gasped in horror.
"Awesome! Jin!" Will, still bound by ropes, cried out in excitement.
"Ha... ha..." Jin stood, panting heavily, his body starting to numb, his mind a haze.
"Did... did I succeed?" Jin mumbled to himself, looking at his hands in disbelief, unable to fully accept that he had brought down Arno.
"Will, are you alright?" Jin, now regaining his senses, rushed over to Will, who was still bound. Without a word, Jin squatted down and tore through the ropes with his bare hands.
"I'm fine." Will quickly stretched his limbs, relieved to be free. But as he did, he noticed something strange. A deep, crimson stain had soaked into Jin's sleeve, and his right arm was injured, blood seeping from a deep gash.
"Jin, your arm!" Will exclaimed, his eyes wide with concern.
"What?" Jin, still numb, didn't feel the injury to his arm.
Panicked, Will rushed forward, ripping Jin's sleeve away. The wound on Jin's arm was deep, blood pouring freely from it.
"You need to stop the bleeding!" Will shouted in alarm, quickly tearing a strip of cloth from the sleeve and tying it tightly around Jin's arm.
"Why won't it stop?" Jin shouted desperately. Despite Will's best efforts, the blood kept flowing, and Jin's face had grown pale, drained of color.
"Hehehe, unlike the paralysis poison you were struck with before, this is Boiling Blood Poison. His blood will keep flowing until it runs dry. Hahaha!" From the shadows, Arno's voice emerged.
Arno, who had been hurled into the refuge hall, slowly rose to his feet. Though his body was battered, he had survived. His clothes were torn, dust covered his face, and blood trickled from his nose. Dragging his injured body, he took slow, determined steps toward Jin and Will.
"What? You're still alive?" Will cried out, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Heh, I got lucky. I managed to block this kid's punch, or else I'd have been dead for sure. While he was attacking, I took the chance to wound his arm," Arno sneered.
"That... that bastard," Jin muttered bitterly, his face pale.
"Do you surrender?" Arno snarled, his face twisted with malice as he advanced toward them.
"Not a chance." Will, undaunted, stood firm in front of Jin, gripping the holy sword Durandal tightly. His expression was filled with confidence as he prepared to face Arno.
"Will, he's strong," Jin weakly murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I know, but I'm confident I can defeat him," Will replied, his voice steady with resolve.
"Do you really think you can defeat me?" Arno taunted.
"How would we know if we don't try?" Will shot back, the challenge clear in his voice.
Suddenly, Arno drew another knife and lunged toward Will with incredible speed. Will, undeterred, released a burst of golden energy. The holy sword Durandal gleamed faintly in his grasp.
"Die!" Arno roared, closing the distance between them, and lunged with his poisoned blade, aiming for Will's side.
Will, calm and composed, reacted swiftly. He raised his sword just in time to block Arno's attack. Seeing his strike blocked, Arno quickly raised his leg, aiming a powerful kick at Will. But Will had anticipated this move and immediately countered, bringing his sword down toward Arno's raised leg.
Seeing the blow coming, Arno quickly retracted his leg and leapt back, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Hmph, what's the matter?" Will mocked, a confident smirk on his face.
"Feh," Arno clicked his tongue in disdain.
"Very well. As expected, his primary method of attack is that poisoned knife. If I can just block it, he'll resort to hand-to-hand combat, but in terms of physical ability, I'm sure I'm better off," Will thought, tightening his grip on the sword, preparing for the next strike.
"It seems that regular attacks won't do the trick," Arno mused, his hand moving to his belt, fingers brushing the weapons there.
"Come on!" Will suddenly shouted, throwing himself into the fray.
Arno quickly retrieved a spherical device from his belt and hurled it toward the ground. A thick cloud of smoke erupted, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Hehehe, what will you do now?" Arno's voice echoed from within the smoke.
"You still think Merlin is an idiot?" Will scoffed. Having fought blind before, he was unperturbed by the smoke.
"Why is he still so calm?" Arno thought, baffled. He had expected Will to panic in the smoke, but instead, Will's voice remained steady.
With vision completely obscured, Will simply closed his eyes, attuning himself to Arno's aura. Similarly, Arno closed his eyes, preparing to strike.