The audience felt the heat rising. They watched closely, afraid to miss the show if they even blinked once.

Suddenly the Lion felt his instincts tingle. He abruptly shot around.

“Got You!”

A movement steered the dust in the air. Only now did Tepo notice the additional effect of the Lion’s claw attacks.

With his attack discovered Tepo switched quickly. His body appeared in midair. He slashed out with [Subtle Strike].

The Lion’s eyes lit up. He knew Tepo’s attack had already failed. With a boisterous lough his entire arm was suddenly enveloped in a sharp yellow energy.

Tepo felt the deadly threat aiming for him. He decisively used [Time Dilation: Target]. His enemy slowed down, buying a precious second.

The knife stormed. Tepo came to a stop. The Lion’s eyes were wide open. A single drop of blood ran down his neck.

Tepo’s back was drenched in sweat. He stiffly turned his eyes, looking at the thick arm which would crash into his upper body within the next second.

A part of the audience stared at the scene in silence. Their hearts were in their throats, the minds too slow to process the situation.

Fortunately, the referee’s loud yell announced the result:

“Round one, Deep versus Clawing Lion, Deeeepp wiiiins!”

Suddenly cheers erupted. Droa’va smiled excitedly, shouting Deep’s name. Her best friend had a reluctant expression but clapped as well.

Tepo took a deep breath before straightening his body. He looked at the Clawing Lion’s eyes, sharing a thankful look.

Platforms descended, fetching the two combatants. Tepo was presented to the audience again before the platform carried him towards the tunnel.

***

Yerive’s fight started at the same time as Tepo’s. The platform descended into the water-themed square. From high up he could only see a large lake, waves churning from time-to-time.

Yerive felt his heart beating wildly. On the referee’s signal he jumped off the platform. His white boots landed in the water, sinking in up to his shins.

Frowning the young man made a few steps. He noticed how difficult it was to move.

On the other side, the warrior called Young Storm had a complicated expression as well. His luck was bad as always, drawing his most hated arena again.

Since Young Storm didn’t put on a show, Yerive didn’t remember to do so either. The audience was somewhat bored as they watched the weakest warriors showcasing uneasiness.

But suddenly a loud voice came from the stands:

“Geyser! Geyser! Geyser!”

Yerive raised his head in surprise. He found Droa’va sitting in the stand, cheering excitedly. Noticing Yerive’s reaction she and her best friend smiled encouragingly, raising their thumbs.

A warm feeling suddenly hit Yerive. He nodded thankfully and turned his head, a determination filling his eyes.

Low chatter spread in the audience, praising the newcomer.

“Are both contestants ready for a fight to the death?

Yes?

Then… 3, 2, 1, FIIIGHT!”

The referee finally gave the signal. Young Storm got rid of his distraction, staring at his opponent.

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“Come, coward!”

The young man wearing a tight, blue-green armor taunted Yerive. He hoped to force mistakes out of the newcomer.

But Yerive wasn’t completely clueless. He took out his long sword, which showed obvious signs of wear, taking one step at a time.

Young Strom also took two daggers into his hands. He went to his knees, estimating the distance.

Suddenly a breeze came up. Young Storm began to move. A strong wind appeared, carrying him towards Yerive at high speeds.

Yerive’s heart skipped a beat. He jumped back immediately. In the air he swung his sword. A wave of water appeared in mid-air. It was out to stop Yerive’s opponent.

But something the young man hadn’t anticipated happened as the water covering the floor was attracted to his ability. It strengthened by more than ten percent.

Young Flash saw his opponent’s moves. He tried to control his spell to carry him to the side. He barely managed to evade but the wave still hit his legs.

The impact shook his body, messing up his landing. He turned around quickly, only to be met with Geyser’s sword.

Metal clashed as water splashed, fine drops shining white in the air, framing the close-combat fight.

Yerive had to concentrate to defend against the two fast-moving daggers. He was forced to use a spell improving his body’s speed.

Meanwhile Young Storm didn’t feel well either. His legs began to hurt from the earlier impact. He was pushed back under the pressure.

Both combatants breathed erratically. A short exchange of a few minutes already strained their bodies.

Yerive was thinking about ways to win this fight. But he could feel that his opponent boasted a somewhat stronger body despite his agile fighting style. It would be difficult to overwhelm him.

Images of fights he had experienced in his life flashed in Yerive’s mind. The blood war in the World of Nurturing Stone stuck out.

While Young Storm blocked sword after sword, he suddenly frowned. He noticed the look in his opponent’s eyes subtly changing. It felt more serious and bloodier, sending a shiver down his spine.

Yerive didn’t notice this. He used the war as inspiration on how to win the battle before him. Noticing the beads of sweat on his opponents face, the young man grew determined that he would win a war of endurance!

Thus, the fight continued for a while. The audience was thrilled by the close combat at first, but they gradually got bored as nothing changed.

Young Storm also realized what was going on. He suddenly attacked a little harder, determined to get some room to use a spell.

Just as Yerive was pushed back and his opponent moved his dagger in preparation, both fighters felt movement beneath their feet.

They were startled as the water churned. A wave reaching their chests suddenly formed and rolled towards the young men.

Both stared in surprise at the powerful water. It was too big to dodge. They came up with the same solution.

Their legs tensed as they went to their knees and suddenly jumped as high as they could.

With a low rumbling sound, the wave crossed the entire square. Water splashed. The humans escaped to the air.

But finally, Yerive’s persistence bore fruits. Young Storm’s legs pulsed. He gathered all his strength, but his jump wasn’t high enough!

The mighty wave advanced unperturbed. The audience cheered loudly. The water suddenly caught Young Storm’s lower body.

“Ahh!”

With a panicked scream the young warrior was brought off balance, the water pushing him to the side.

He landed unceremoniously on his belly. For a second, Young Storm had difficulties orienting himself. When he finally turned around, he was already met with Yerive’s sword pointing at his throat.

“Haaa… I admit defeat.”

As Young Storm’s sigh rang out, the audience erupted, not even needing the referee to announce the result.

Although the fight wasn’t that spectacular, everyone was happy with the newcomer appearing on the scene.

Yerive smiled brightly, his eyes finding his friends again. Noticing their enthusiastic support, a strong feeling filled Yerive’s chest.

***

A while later Tepo walked down the stairs, arriving in the gathering room. His eyes immediately found Yerive. His friend was talking to two other contestants, his mood obviously excellent.

“It seems your fight went well, congratulations!”

Yerive excused himself and turned towards his best friend. A bright smile was beneath his mask, his eyes shining brightly.

“Yes! I won, T… Deep!”

Yerive lowered his voice as he continued:

“I even advanced my core’s quality!”

“Wow! Good Job!”

“Thank you. I can only give it back. I heard you won as well!”

“Yes. Although it was close.”

“The opponents are stronger than we expected.”

“Mhm. Let’s give our best. I don’t want to give Inurol’ah the satisfaction of seeing me loose.”

“Ahh, I really don’t get your bias. Didn’t you hear how she and Droa’va cheered for us?”

“Of course I did. This has nothing to do with bias. It’s purely personal.”

The two friends looked at each other, suddenly breaking out in low laughter.

A moment later the staff appeared, fetching the next fighters. Tepo and Yerive decided to recover until the next round.

The tournament continued for a while before the host loudly announced:

“Ladies and Gentlemen! The first round is concluded!

16 contestants remain within each bracket! Show our winners some love!”

“Thank you. Now we will go into a short break before the next round!”

The arena gave the audience some time to eat and drink. After five minutes the host continued:

“Now that everyone has recovered their energy, I want to hear your loud cheers elevating our fighters’ spirits! Let’s begin the round of 16!”

The next round of fights began. One of the always busy staff members arrived and brought the first combatants away.

Yerive’s body shook as his name was announced. He let out a low sigh, complaining that he was still rather tired from the first fight. Tepo could only pat his friend’s shoulder in encouragement before the young man climbed the stairs.