Chapter 70— The technique failed
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Squelsh..
The sound of blade tearing into flesh filled the air as everyone opened their mouths in agape—including Malena..
They all saw it clearly... the scene that had just manifested before them...
Although the dagger stabbed through flesh, it wasn't the part of the body Malena intended...
The dagger, instead of plunging through the neck, met resistance midway as it plunged into a raised hand instead... The hilt rested against the flesh of the palm while the blade burst out from the other side, blood dripping steadily onto the black bricks below.
"How?" Malena asked in surprise as she glanced down at Socrates' body just to see that he was still unconscious..
Someone that was unconscious should be unable to move... How on earth was he able to raise his hand and stop the dagger?
Socrates' hand remained suspended in the air with the dagger plunged through it and his mind unconscious. He didn't know what was going on when Malena struck out with the second dagger, this time with much more force and precision...
But Socrates' left hand rose up, countering the dagger midair which plunged directly into it till the hilt rested against the palm..
'Or is he pretending to be unconscious?' she thought as she tried to pull away when she noticed she couldn't..
She shifted her gaze when she realized that Socrates' palm didn't just stop the dagger, but his fingers had also wrapped around her hands...
'His grip is strong.'
She tried to pull away but she couldn't, and in the next moment, she found her feet leaving the surface of the ground as her body was sent flying into the air before crashing hard onto the floor with her back. Dust and broken frost scattered from the impact.
Socrates rose up from the floor like a zombie...
His eyes closed... his posture erratic... as he used his teeth to remove both daggers from his hands before grabbing them...
The daggers Malena was using were only a little longer than kitchen knives... so wielding them was easy for Socrates, who turned around instantly, facing the place where Malena was while walking toward her direction...
Step..
Step..
His movements were not rhythmic as he staggered like a blind man toward Malena who was struggling to get on her feet...
"I can't sense any energy from him," one drunken man said to the other..
"What's happening? Is he faking it?"
"No... He's truly unconscious... I can't feel his pulse."
"Is this a technique? The Zombie Technique that allows one stay alive after death.."
"Don't be foolish. He wasn't dead, but unconscious... Maybe it's some kind of treasure."
"I'll love to have such a treasure to myself..."
"How will Malena fare now? She hit her head pretty hard on the floor..."
"I'm not sure she can get up anytime soon..."
The voices spread across the arena as the people speculated about the fight...
A frown was clearly seen on Mr. Brown's face while Judas' expression was covered by the fan which he placed before his mouth...
They were watching the scene of the unconscious Socrates walking like a zombie with two daggers in hand toward Malena...
"Is this some kind of treasure or technique? How can someone unconscious, whose mind has shut down, still be moving? Isn't this witchcraft or magic?"
"It's neither of those," Judas replied. "It's just the basic function of the human body."
"How?"
"Psychologists have analyzed that we have two types of nervous systems... The Central and the Peripheral... Under the Peripheral is the autonomic system which is subdivided into two—the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic nervous systems... These two systems are responsible for the human body's response to duress or rather danger... It activates the fight-or-flight mode... At that moment, it's either the body fights or runs..."
"Majority of humans, when in this situation, will succumb to the latter option... The heartbeat increases. Blood flow increases. Pupils become dilated. They'll be sweating and overall... they'll want nothing more than to flee from such a situation..."
"It isn't their fault... It's because the Sympathetic nervous system sends this stimulus into their cerebrum... But in turn, that's where the difference between a warrior and an ordinary human comes in..." Judas continued, his eyes calmly fixed on the staggering Socrates below.
"Once placed under duress, the Sympathetic nervous system recognizes the body system of a warrior and activates the fight mode and not the flight mode... Pumping adrenaline and epinephrine into the body... The muscle tone and energy increase while his alertness sharpens.... You know the reason why?" Judas asked, and Mr. Brown slowly shook his head...
"Because a warrior has trained his body beyond the limits of an ordinary human... which makes his five sense organs respond and react quickly to danger..."
"I understand you... We all have this Sympathetic nervous system that's capable of sending signals to our brain when placed under duress... But why is this the first time I'm seeing someone fight unconsciously...? Why have I never heard of someone's body moving without his mind controlling it?" Mr. Brown asked.
"Good question." Judas leaned slightly backward in his seat, his silver fan covering half his face once more. "Everything in this life has its stages. Everything in this life has its limits..."
"You haven't heard of the Sympathetic nervous system capable of this feat because you haven't seen anyone push their body up to the limit of that young man called Socrates..."
"That man has trained his body to a realm you can't fathom, to the extent that his Sympathetic nervous system has evolved..."
"It can evolve?" Mr. Brown's eyes widened faintly.
"Yes... And that evolution is known as the Warrior Instinct... which brings about the ability known as the Sixth Sense..."
"The Sixth Sense?? What's that about?"
"I've given you much information already... You should do research on your own..." Judas replied calmly. "Just know that with the Warrior Instinct, the body itself can react to danger without the mind controlling it... and all of this is as a result of the nervous system..."
Judas turned his attention back toward the stage below...
The unconscious Socrates was still staggering forward with the daggers in hand while Malena slowly pushed herself upward, blood trickling from the corner of her lips...
"Still... Malena won't lose..." A smile formed on Mr. Brown's face as he watched Socrates direct the dagger toward Malena's body...
She didn't move.
Nor hesitate.
Nor even think to.
Do you know the reason why?
It was because of the Illusory Mirror Technique...
Any attack directed toward her would be reflected back to the attacker...
So she sat there on the floor as she watched Socrates plunge the dagger toward her stomach...
Squelsh —
The sound of blade tearing through flesh echoed across the silent arena as everyone focused intensely on the scene...
They wanted to see what would happen...
Most were already aware of Malena's ability as they had faced her before...
They already had an inkling of what should happen...
But then...
The opposite happened.
Blood dripped out of Malena's stomach as she cried out in pain...
Socrates didn't even listen to her...
He couldn't even hear her...
As he plunged the other dagger into her upper chest, causing her scream to turn into a loud cry that echoed against the arena walls...
Before she could even breathe, his body turned around instinctively as he directed a spinning kick toward Malena's face...
BAM!
His foot landed heavily against her face, sending her body crashing back onto the floor with both daggers still plunged into her body...
Her body hadn't even fully connected to the floor when she fell unconscious, passing out instantly while the unconscious Socrates stood there unmoving...
The crowd was silent...
Nobody spoke.
Nobody said anything.
They all stared at each other with shock etched across their faces...
The only person that wasn't surprised was Judas as he slowly lowered his fan, revealing a part of his smiling face...
"Mr. Brown... Why—"
He hadn't even finished talking when Mr. Brown jumped down from the third floor and landed heavily on the first floor meters away from Socrates. The impact cracked the black bricks beneath his boots.
"What? The Guild Leader of the Brownhounds guild... Is he going to fight Socrates?" Kamira's heart shook from where she stood watching the whole exchange...
"Oh..." Judas exclaimed softly. "I wanted to ask you why the Illusory Mirror Technique failed to work on the Son of Trueblood... But I suppose I'll ask those watching me instead..."
He snickered lightly as he watched Mr. Brown stare angrily at Socrates whose body felt the killing intent and instinctively turned toward him...
The two faced each other...
A grand-level battle was about to break out...
...
Tbc....
Now I'm imposing this question on all of you... Use your Ai, chatgpt or any browser..... Or use your own comprehension.. It's simple but tactical... It's not magic nor fantasy nor plot armor.. This is science...
Why didn't the Illusory Mirror Technique work on Socrates