“Any thoughts from our finalist?” Ogine asks me. I can feel their attention shift toward me, but none of them take their eyes off the screens in front of us.
“I have no idea who could win.” I’m honest. “I want Areci to win—I’d be very happy for my friend if she manages to defeat Charles. It’s not easy to predict when both are at such a similar level; honestly, this is a 50/50.” It feels bad not saying what they expect to hear, but I’m just being realistic.
No one responds. They must have similar thoughts. Most of them know Charles—we’ve seen all his fights in the tournament, and he’s a really complicated opponent. You can’t guarantee Areci will win; small details will decide the match.
The sound of the bell signals the start of the fight. I focus more on the screens—I don’t want to miss a single detail. I’ll try to retain as much information as possible; I’m going to face one of them in the final.
Areci, with her greatsword, and Charles, with his two small axes, rush toward the center. The momentum from both is impressive. They’re giving it their all from the start, their bodily enhancements are the first to be activated—this will become a close to mid-range duel, where both feel most comfortable.
Areci’s first swing sends Charles’ arm flying back—she clearly has the advantage in raw strength. She can’t take control, though, because she has to defend herself from Charles’ other axe. The prince has a slight advantage in speed and agility.
Charles’ body gradually swells until it matches Areci’s strength. She doesn’t fall behind—more magma appears, covering every inch of her skin, and her blows are being propelled by fire mana.
The tension rises at the same time—we’re all holding our breath, waiting to see who will land the first decisive blow, or if it will be a mutual strike.
So far, Charles is handling the heat properly. Being close to Areci in that state is extremely irritating—it feels like being inside an oven. It doesn’t matter if you protect your body with mana or Imra, the heat is too intense; little by little, it drains your stamina.
I imagine the prince has trained with several people with fire affinities—he was certain this match would happen sooner or later. He has always been confident he would face Areci again; his gaze says it all.
Areci assumed it too—she asked Shawu to train together. The magma maiden has gained a lot of experience practicing with her friend; she’s quite aware of how to defend against dual weapons.
Areci releases small magma needles—they aren’t as charged as her usual attacks, but the problem is the short distance; they’re hard to dodge. What’s surprising is Charles’ response—he blocks the most dangerous ones and takes some of the needles head-on.
The blood from his wounds doesn’t seem to affect him at all—in fact, it’s the opposite. He’s using that blood to strengthen his body and weapons. He deliberately took that attack to gain power, choosing which needles he could receive without causing too much damage.
Areci doesn’t back down—she explodes her magma mana around her. Pieces of boiling rock try to trap Charles. He doesn’t seem willing to take that attack directly; his recovery ability is very slow—it would take him too long to heal.
Charles retreats quickly, coming out only slightly injured. He uses the blood again to empower himself a bit, but this time he has to use most of it to try to recover the parts burned by Areci’s ability.
They both stare at each other directly. The only one injured so far is the prince, but Areci has spent a bit more mana at the start—both have gained and lost in different ways.
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I can hear the audience shouting at the top of their lungs after just the first exchange. The silence breaks when they separate.
Without saying anything or even nodding, both move forward again toward the center. Watching them use their movement abilities with such precision and frequency reminds me of how I used to fight.
I haven’t lost the habit of using lightning magic in my movements—the foundations of my previous movement skill are still ingrained in my mind—but it’s not as effective as theirs. I would’ve fallen behind in speed if I didn’t have gravity; enhancing my movements using both affinities makes me as fast or even faster than before.
The fight becomes more chaotic than before—both begin to take injuries. Areci is receiving less damage, but the difference is that Charles can heal or enhance certain abilities with blood. In the end, they’re still at a stalemate.
Areci seems to have been practicing—I can see her cauterizing her wounds with fire mana as soon as Charles causes them. She’s not giving him the chance to use her blood against her; she doesn’t want to give him any advantage.
Damn. I can’t help but curse mentally when I see the situation—both decided to sacrifice an arm. Charles let himself be caught in Areci’s magma; his arm was carbonized to the point of turning into ash and disappearing. The prince took advantage of the moment to chop off Areci’s arm from the elbow with a single strike.
Both retreat after the damage—they’re not in condition to keep exchanging blows at that intensity.
Areci takes this opportunity to set aside her sword and create a magma prosthetic where her arm used to be. At the same time, two magma golems form at her sides—it seems she’s decided to end this as soon as possible.
Charles, on the other hand, uses all the blood from his wounds and Areci’s to enhance his bodily abilities. His body swells like it did in his fight against Brunu, his skin turning reddish from the increased pressure in his physical and mana veins. He can’t fully heal his arm—it’s being slowly reconstructed.
When both are ready, they dive back into close combat—Areci with her golems and magma arm, and Charles with his enhanced body, a single axe, and small blood constructs that are hard to dodge at close range.
One golem rushes forward at full speed, trying to use its large body to hide Areci. The other follows at nearly the same speed. Areci keeps moving through the blind spots created by her golems.
Charles is dodging and counterattacking. I can see in his eyes that he never stops tracking Areci—he’s not tired enough to lose sight of her position. As long as she doesn’t conceal her blood with Imra or mana, he’ll keep detecting her.
The fight becomes more intense—the exchanges are spontaneous and ferocious. Each strike from either side could push the other to the brink. The golems are being destroyed by Charles’ blows; every strike from his axe or his mana-infused fists is strong enough to break through their defenses.
Areci keeps getting caught in every opportunity—she can’t land a solid hit or create big openings. She’s only dealing residual damage.
One of the golems can no longer be reconstructed—it’s completely destroyed. Areci can’t afford to waste mana right now. The other is in a much better state, though still damaged. Areci is the least injured—she has managed to avoid serious wounds.
Charles doesn’t look as good—he’s been taking continuous damage the entire time. Areci hasn’t given him much room to use blood affinity to heal; the prince’s body is covered in cuts and burns.
Charles is focused, dodging by the smallest margins. He seems to have spotted an opportunity—he swings his axe with all his strength. His weapon not only cuts through part of the golem’s body, but the force is so great it dangerously approaches Areci.
She can’t avoid the strike—she takes a blow to her shoulder. I can see her clench her teeth in pain. Her eyes remain locked on Charles; Areci’s hand flies toward his face and lands a direct punch. Half of Charles’ face begins to burn slowly from the heat.
Charles creates small blood needles from his own blood and drives them into Areci’s torso. My friend endures the pain—her punch connects with Charles’ chest, forcing him back. She uses that moment to release all the mana from her magma arm toward the prince.
The magma doesn’t fully trap him—it only manages to strike his legs. The pain makes Charles fall onto his back.
Areci doesn’t hesitate for even a blink—she lunges at the prince. One hit, two hits, three hits—and by the fourth strike, the fight is decided. The prince can no longer react. A bright light envelops Charles’ body, announcing Areci’s victory.
Surprisingly, two seconds later, the same light shines around Areci’s body—she apparently reached her limit almost at the same time. She falls onto her back beside Charles. Their wounds begin to heal slowly—it was an incredible fight. Both gave everything they had; both ended completely battered.
We all shout, celebrating our friend’s victory—we jump with joy. Areci made it to the final, and she will be my opponent.
“Looks like I’ll get my rematch.” I murmur those words—I’m excited to face her in the final.