Point of view of Susan:
Watching my daughter walk with such determination and confidence fills my heart with joy. Who would have thought that that small, timid girl would become a limit breaker? I can only feel pride when I see her.
My little Areci, I’m so happy I found you that day. Every day I thank fate for allowing me to meet you. That day has been the best day of my life by far, I can’t imagine any day better.
“Who do you think will win? Will little Areci beat Salvaj?” I lift my gaze from the screen to look to my side.
The light reflects off his bald head, his black eyes with small green dots stare directly at me. His usual half-smile is there, as if nothing mattered enough and at the same time everything mattered, a carefree smile.
“Obviously Areci will win.” I reply without hesitation.
“I think so too.” David’s response leaves me a little confused. Isn’t he supporting his candidate?
“Don’t you have faith in Salvaj? You should trust a bit more in the people you train.” David was the one who rescued Salvaj from that life in the wild, he sees him like a nephew or a son, it’s hard to tell when he rarely shows emotions.
“I trust him, but I’m also realistic.” David turns to the enormous screen in front of us. “If they were both facing the same monster or a horde, I would have more confidence in him. He lacks experience fighting humans, he spent most of his life fighting monsters.” David rubs his bald head while speaking.
“Let’s not forget Areci is two years older, she can also train with her little group of friends. Training with Maki gives much more experience than practicing with ten people, that new protégé of yours is a peculiar case.” David finishes speaking, I can’t argue with him because everything he said is true and there’s something more important, the bell has just rung.
Neither of them thought for more than two seconds, both enhanced themselves to the maximum and moved to the center of the arena to fight.
Areci has the advantage in terms of distance, she uses a large sword, my predictions are correct, she is dominating the fight at the start. Salvaj is also doing everything perfectly, even though he isn’t controlling the fight, he hasn’t received a single hit so far.
Salvaj is capable of predicting the trajectory of Areci’s attacks, his senses are very sharp. His strikes are also precise to deflect Areci’s sword when necessary, little by little he is gaining confidence and getting closer to his ideal range.
Both are mainly using their fire affinity to enhance their bodies and movements. Areci has better control over mana and Imra, she has had better teachers and is older, but Salvaj is not far behind, he has learned to control mana and Imra purely by instinct, he has a peculiar way of using it.
Those gauntlets of Salvaj made of crystal are dangerous, I can see a ridiculous amount of mana in his construction. The young man manages to enter his ideal range, at this distance Areci’s sword is not very useful.
I can see Salvaj’s smile, he seems to have found the way. When he is about to throw his first strike he must have noticed something strange, his senses must be warning him about something unsettling.
Areci has dropped her weapon, she is also a good close combat fighter, I would even dare to say she is more comfortable fighting without a weapon, her affinity allows her to fight barehanded.
That moment of doubt allows my daughter to throw a punch at the face of the wild boy. He doesn’t fall behind, he chooses the most lethal option, to strike and be struck. Both hits land at the same time, Areci connects to Salvaj’s face and Salvaj lands a strong blow to her stomach.
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Both are sent flying backwards several meters due to the impact. Neither of them shows any sign of pain on their faces, their pride doesn’t allow it.
Both don’t hesitate, they rush forward again to the center. The first strike from both is dodged, a series of feints and rapid attacks from both sides. Areci showing refined and practiced strikes, Salvaj on the other hand relying more on his instincts to fight.
Both have solid defenses, Areci’s magma affinity and Salvaj’s crystal are very versatile. Both are very resistant, but they are more focused on power and offense, their strong defenses are weakening with each hit received.
Blows fly, quick movements to dodge, strategic retreats to launch themselves again. Neither is stepping back in their personal challenge.
Areci manages to trick him with a feint, her arm loaded with mana goes straight to Salvaj’s face again. The wild boy manages to raise both arms in a desperate movement to defend himself. Areci’s punch connects, but this time it’s different, it’s not a simple hit, a torrent of magma shoots out sending Salvaj flying dozens of meters.
Salvaj gets up without much trouble, he managed to deflect most of the impact with crystal plates and the heat is manageable thanks to his affinity. He is less injured than expected, Areci’s face shows it, she clicks her tongue when she doesn’t see him as injured as she expected.
“Now it gets interesting.” David comments beside me.
“Yes, the warm-up is over.” I agree with him.
I can see it on both of their faces, they are ready to go all out. The games are over, if they want to defeat each other they must show their cards.
Areci begins to build her magma golems. She can control two fluidly, as if they were an extension of her body. The power of these golems is something to take into account, they are terribly tough and strong, and also fast despite their size.
Salvaj constructs different types of crystals around him, everywhere I can see crystal mana waiting for the final push to finish forming. His way of using mana continues to be quite peculiar.
Areci together with her golems advances without fear. Salvaj begins to send powerful fire-enhanced crystals. My daughter does not fall behind, she constructs several fire spikes to try to reduce the number of Salvaj’s crystals, she manages to destroy some and the others hit her golems.
She continues forward to gain some distance, her golems will rebuild soon as long as she continues injecting mana into them. Areci advances, she suddenly has to stop and move her head, two crystals from the ground were aiming at her neck and face, she dodged them at the last second.
Areci begins to dance, dodging or breaking all of Salvaj’s constructions, that gives time for her golems to finish rebuilding. The wild boy does not fall behind, he tries to deal as much damage as possible to prevent them from joining Areci.
Salvaj’s attempts were in vain, the golems managed to get closer little by little and stand next to Areci, now she has more chances to use them as protective shields. One of the golems manages to get close enough and attempt a punch, before it can connect with Salvaj’s body its entire arm is blown apart by two enormous crystals from the ground.
The fight advances rapidly, Areci trying to land hits or capture him with her attacks, and Salvaj breaking the golems and launching crystals to catch Areci off guard.
One of Areci’s golems is no longer rebuilding. More than ten minutes have passed and both of their mana is heavily drained, the other golem is in better condition, although it will probably not last much longer.
Areci’s last golem is on the verge of collapsing, at that moment something unseen happens. All the magma from the golem is launched toward Salvaj’s body, although he tries to dodge he cannot fully do so, his legs are covered in magma which solidifies.
Areci’s first strike hits Salvaj’s face, at the same time a crystal pierces Areci’s thigh. A second strike from Areci directly to Salvaj’s chest, at the same time another crystal embeds into my daughter’s arm.
The third strike goes again toward Salvaj’s face. Salvaj’s construction fails, Areci dodged it somehow or perhaps his vision being obstructed by so much blood also helped. The fourth strike again goes to his face and she manages to endure a crystal coming from the ground into her abdomen, it does not fully pierce her.
Areci charges her final blow with all her strength and hits Salvaj’s chest, the force breaks the already weakened magma on his legs and sends him flying through the air.
Areci staggers slightly due to exhaustion and damage received, she is badly injured. Salvaj on the other hand does not move from the ground and a light covers his damaged body.
My daughter drops to the ground, raises her arm to the sky and clenches her fist strongly, she declares her victory. The audience, who remained silent for most of the fight, erupts into cheers, applause echoes and I cannot stop smiling.
“Congratulations.” David with his usual calm smile continues looking at the screen.
“Thank you. Salvaj also did very well.” I thank his words, I am also surprised by the strength of his disciple.
“Yes, I am proud of my pup.” He stands up from his seat. “I hope to see you soon, I will go see Salvaj.” He says goodbye.
I remain watching as my daughter smiles and celebrates her advancement to the semifinals.