Jao practically skied across the boundary. Tiny sparked were made because of the friction. Jao got up, shaking.

Luka closed his eyes. He paused and opened them and sighed, "Really? That's it? ¡Qué lata!"

Jao scoffed, picked his 3x3 and walked away. Damn it.

"Well Round 3 match 3 Luka De Angelo wins."

Well, that leaves 2 people. Me and Aiko.

"Round 3's final participants Aiko And Akarui please make your way to the centre.

"Finally. I'll get this over with." I muttered.

I jumped of the seat and landed right at the centre of the circle.

Why does he always have to make an entrance? Kaede sighed.

"Start!"

"Black Hole." A mini blackhole materialised and pulled Aiko to me.

I'll combo her and finish this of.

So he started explosive already?

"God force." As soon as she was near I punched her so hard she figuratively almost got shot out of a cannon.

Hahaha. Tengu.

Her Tengu appeared and she landed on him. "Better luck next time!"

"Shut up." I muttered, "Portal."

A dark crack like portal appeared behind me. I free-fell in it. A crack appeared above Aiko. "White Hole." fell from the portal and created a White Hole which knocked Aiko out of her Tengu.

What? Her eyes widened. I grabbed her collar and flung her to the ground. "Yuki Onna!" Aiko created a pile of snow.

Yuki Onna emerged from it.

"Why her?" Yuki Onna created a ice slide. Aiko landed on it and slid to the ground.

"Fuse." Yuki Onna turned into ice shards and Aiko absorbed it. Tengu then turned into lots of leaves and shot towards Aiko. She also absorbed that. A huge brown maple leaf grew from her palm. She held it. Her aura spiked black. 2 horns made from wood grew on her head.

Her hair turned into strands of ice.

Is she done?

A smile formed on her mouth.

Aiko’s energy surged, the crackling aura around her thick with power as she raised her maple leaf high, the edges shimmering with cold. Her eyes met mine, a chill in her gaze, as she prepared to strike.

I charged forward, my feet pounding the earth as I closed the distance between us. Aiko’s eyes flicked toward me, her leaf coming down with a swift arc, the sound of it slicing through the air loud and sharp. I ducked just in time, the cold wind from the blade grazing my cheek. She's fast.

I have to be faster.

I pushed forward, my fist flying toward her midsection with all the force I could muster. Aiko’s eyes flashed, and she countered effortlessly, her leaf flicking up to meet my punch. The impact sent a shockwave through my arm, rattling my bones and making my shoulder flare with pain. She wasn’t holding back. Damn it!

Aiko raised an eyebrow as the blow hit. “Not bad, but you’ll need more than that to beat me,” she said, almost casually, as if this were all just a warm-up.

I didn’t let the words get to me. I kept my focus, stepping back to adjust my stance. She was fast. Too fast. Every time I attacked, she was already one step ahead, effortlessly dodging or countering. Her movements were fluid, calculated—like she was dancing with the fight. I have to finish this before she brings out the whole zoo.

Aiko flicked her wrist, and with a sharp motion, she created war fans made of ice. The blades gleamed in the dim light, and the temperature around us dropped, sending a chill through the air. Her eyes glinted as she swung the fans, the air around us freezing and shifting.

This should finish him.

I rushed forward again, not giving her the chance to adjust. I threw a high kick, aiming for her head. But she was ready. Aiko sidestepped with ease, bringing the ice fans up in a sweeping motion, the sharp edge of the blades deflecting my kick and sending me stumbling back.

“Predictable,” she said, her tone mocking, but not overly harsh. It was the type of taunt meant to get under your skin, just enough to throw you off balance. “You need to be faster than that.”

I clenched my fists, but I kept my breathing steady. I shouldn't let her get to me. Her taunts, they were all part of the fight. I’d seen worse in cricket. You call those insults?

I dashed forward. I dropped low, throwing a sweeping leg toward her ankle. Aiko’s eyes narrowed, and she danced away, raising the ice fans in a defensive stance.

Before she could block, I twisted my body, launching another punch at her side. She blocked it with a flick of her fans, but the force of the blow still pushed her back. Not much, but enough to show that I was making progress.

"So are you going to say anything or just fight?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Just fighting's good."

Aiko barely reacted, her expression still cool, almost amused. “I’ll give you credit. You’re tougher than you look. But you’re still too slow.”

Her words were like a slap in the face, but I didn’t react. I had bigger things to focus on. Aiko was playing mind games, but I wasn’t going to let her. The real test was still ahead.

She suddenly swung the fans wide, sending an icy gust straight toward me. The wind howled as the frost formed in the air, chilling me to the bone. Instinctively, I opened a shadow portal beneath my feet, just in time to avoid the blast. I created a shadow portal and reappeared behind her, my body coiled for the next strike.

Come on.

What?

"Man that is intense." Akira remarked quietly to Sakura.

"I agree." Sakura whispered to him.

Aiko wasn’t taken off guard. She spun with remarkable speed, her ice fans flashing as she blocked my next punch with a fluid motion. But this time, the blow was harder, and it made her stagger slightly. He's getting stronger and faster. I don't have enough chi, I used most of it in my previous battles. I guess I'll keep annoying him.

“That’s better,” she said, her tone acknowledging the effort, though still tinged with the same subtle arrogance. “But if that’s all you’ve got, we’re going to be here all day.”

I didn’t let her words distract me. The ice was beginning to form more rapidly around us, the ground freezing beneath our feet. It was harder to move now, the added danger of slipping weighing on my mind.

Without warning, I opened another shadow portal and launched myself forward, appearing directly in front of her. This time, I threw a quick jab to her midsection, but she reacted fast, catching my punch with one of her ice fans. The force of the block pushed me back, but I quickly regained my balance, not allowing her to dominate.

I'm getting tired. I can't keep this up longer

“You’ll have to do better than that,” Aiko taunted again. “Come on, show me what you’re really capable of.”

She is getting more annoying by the minute. She was fast, too fast, and every time I tried to close the distance, she’d be there, blocking, dodging, or countering. Her movements were precise, almost mechanical in their efficiency.

"What will it take to finish you off?"

I opened another shadow portal beneath me, appearing behind her. This time, I aimed for her back, throwing a quick punch. But she was already spinning, bringing the fans down with a vicious strike. The blade of ice grazed my side as I barely managed to sidestep, rolling to the ground to avoid another follow-up attack.

The ice on the battlefield was starting to spread rapidly, freezing the ground beneath our feet, making every movement that much more difficult.

Great. Now we're fighting on an ice rink.

Aiko’s eyes flashed, her aura darkening as she summoned more of her power. Her fans spun with increasing speed, creating gusts of wind that whipped through the air, biting at my exposed skin. She was getting more aggressive. Good.

I twisted through the air, diving into another shadow portal just as one of her fans came crashing toward me. The blade of ice slashed through the air where I had been, but I was already gone.

Where is he.

I reappeared behind her, but this time, she was ready. Aiko turned on a dime, swinging both fans in an X formation. The wind and ice collided with me, sending a sharp sting through my arms as I raised them in defence. I growled, pushing through the pain, using the momentum to launch myself toward her.

Aiko’s gaze softened slightly, but there was no sympathy in her eyes. “Impressive, but you’re not there yet.”

She moved faster than I could react, her fans cutting through the air in a fluid, sweeping motion. The gusts of wind intensified, sending shards of ice flying toward me. I opened another shadow portal, twisting through the air, barely avoiding the barrage of ice shards as they sliced past me.

I muttered, "That was close."

When I reappeared, I was directly behind her, the shadows crackling around my fists. My kick connected with her midsection, but this time she didn’t twist in midair to deflect it. The blow landed solidly, pushing her back a few steps. Her ice fans trembled in her hands, but she didn’t falter. Instead, her grin only widened.

“That’s more like it,” she said, voice laced with satisfaction. “But I’m not done yet.”

How does he still have that much power left?

I gritted my teeth, feeling the sweat trickling down my face. I have to admit, Aiko’s stamina is impressive, but I couldn't let her get the better of me now. We are both running low on energy, but if I could just land one decisive blow, it would all be over.

Aiko shifted her weight, her eyes calculating, watching me like a hawk. She wasn't underestimating me anymore, that much was clear. The tension in the air was almost palpable. Every movement felt heavier; each step more laboured.

I opened a shadow portal beneath me, and for a brief moment, it felt like the whole world had slowed down. I wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion catching up or if the fight had just reached its breaking point, but I couldn’t afford to hesitate now.

Aiko didn’t give me a chance to rest. She swung her ice fans with precision, sending sharp gusts of wind and ice toward me. My mind raced as I calculated my next move. I have to be faster—no, smarter—this time.

I twisted into the portal, launching myself toward her again, this time changing my approach. Instead of attacking head-on, I twisted midair, sending a series of shadow tendrils from my hand. The tendrils whipped through the air like vipers, dark and unpredictable, and Aiko barely managed to avoid the first one, but the second one clipped her side, knocking her off balance.

I almost exhausted my chi. Otherwise, I could have just launched a Realm.

Aiko’s eyes narrowed, her icy demeanour cracking just a little. She let out a sharp breath and steadied herself, her aura flickering with renewed intensity. "Not bad," she said, but her voice was laced with something different now—a slight edge, as if she was starting to acknowledge that I might just be a threat.

The ground around us began to freeze faster, ice spreading like wildfire as we both pushed our powers to the limit. I could see it in Aiko’s eyes—she was getting desperate too.

Suddenly. I could see what she was going to do.

I gathered my remaining chi, every last drop, and concentrated on the energy swirling around me. In a burst of focused power, I summoned a massive shadow portal that covered the entire arena, the darkness swallowing up the light. I didn’t give Aiko any time to react before I emerged from the portal directly in front of her, my fist charged with all the energy I could muster.

Aiko's eyes widened, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of doubt in her expression. She raised her ice fans in a desperate attempt to block, but I could feel the power building in my punch. This time, I wasn’t holding back.

"God Force."

With a single, forceful blow, I struck her, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the arena. Aiko’s body was sent flying, crashing to the ground with a thud. The ice around us shattered, and for a brief, deafening moment, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears.

When the dust settled, Aiko was lying motionless on the ice, her energy barely a flicker. The arena was silent.

I stood there, chest heaving, every part of me screaming in exhaustion. But I couldn’t smile. At least not whole heartedly.

"That's 10 seconds. I win," I muttered under my breath.

Aiko’s body twitched slightly, and she slowly sat up, rubbing her chest where my punch had landed. She looked up at me, her eyes cold but filled with respect, and for the first time, I saw something I hadn’t expected: a genuine smile.

"You’re a tough one, Akarui," she said, her voice softer than usual. "I’ll give you that."

"You don't need to give me anything other than peace."

I took a deep breath. Something changed in me.

I walked to where the others were sitting.

"Thank you Kaede."

She looked at me, "It's alright."

I took a seat next to her and fell on it, "I'm tired."

Akira nudged me, "Why did you thank Kaede?"

"I was so angry I used 200% of my power. If Kaede and me didn't combine and cast a shield on Aiko before I used God Force... Aiko would have been disintegrated."