We used the same ring. Now with four people, it seemed quite a bit more crowded. Hahnu and I stood to one side, while Sival and Nilus stood at the other. Nilus was in surprisingly good shape, even after having been dealt with so handily. He was stretching a bit, and throwing jabs with his short claws combined with a few swift slashes at the air as a warm-up. He was clearly glaring at me.

Sival, on the other hand, was swinging around a steel short sword. I have also been lead to believe that the weapons here at the academy were enchanted so that they could not cause any significant harm. Sival’s sword movements were swift and graceful, full of power and precise.

Hahnu was beside me, she had picked out a dagger, which she wielded with her right hand. In her left hand, I could already see dark mana flowing. It seemed she favored a sort of short range combat using magic, or perhaps she preferred to stay at range and fling spells, while using the dagger as her close range defense?

I, like Nilus, remained empty-handed. This time I intended to use the ‘magical enhancement’ that the instructor mentioned before. While I don’t know how to use it, I had a pretty good idea. Magical enhancement or strengthening usually involved infusing or utilizing magic or some other power to enhance one's physical abilities and constitution.

Following my train of thought, I sent primal mana to course through my entire body. I willd the primal mana to fuse my muscle and to coat my skin and bones. Now more or less ready, I just waited for the instructor.

“Everyone ready?” The instructor called out to us. We all looked to him and nodded. “Then… Begin!” He shouted out.

Immediately I grabbed Hahnu by the scruff of her neck as though she were a kitten… and tossed her into the air. To test my strengthening, I had an idea, and Hahnu was in the way.

“Nyah!?” She shouted out in surprise as she sped into the air. This also caused both Nilus and Sival to pause in hesitation and confusion. Now for step two. I gathered all my strength, and punched the ground squarely. The impact had the desired effect. The ground of the entire ring, and the ground for some distance outside the ring, cracked and writhed, rupturing into rocks and rubble rather than the smooth surface that was the ring.

Sival and Nilus stumbled a bit as the ground writhed. Having lost their footing, Sival leapt into the air while expanding her great wingspan. Nilus was left to face me on the ground, while Sival darted directly towards Hahnu. Now to see if step three of my plan would be successful or detrimental.

For the first time, I would willing use dark mana. I looked within myself, and found the ‘orb’ I had seperated from my primal mana… except it was no longer an orb. For all intensive purposes, I could only describe it as now another bottomless well. The primal mana I had set to hold it as an orb had vanished, and rather than tainting my primal mana once more, it seemed to grow in the virtual space I placed it. Just as well.

I took a great amount of it, and willed the arena to be shrouded in darkness. From the same hand that was now embedded into the ruptured arena, darkness seeped out, covering the surrounding space in a dome of darkness. As this happened, I heard Sival’s shortsword clash with Hahnu’s dagger above me, while Nilus could clearly be heard to fall flat on his face.

Now unable to see anything, I used the mana-sonar I had developed before to locate my surroundings. I would not have to move from this spot if used magic, and if I did, it should not be a problem. It was just a matter of remembering the shapes of the ground that my mana-sonar returned to me.

Ten feet in front of me, nilus was crawling forward on all fours like a lizard, scrabbling over the rubble of the arena. Above me, Hahnu repeatedly blocked Sival’s strikes as she fell, countering with shotgun blasts of the dark mana, forcing Sival back a distance. Perfect.

Now that Sival was separated from Hahnu, I would take away her mobility. I willed the gravity on their half of the arena to increase. This used up massive amounts of my primal mana, but my primal mana was still without an end in sight. Indeed, truly a cheat character.

Sival flapped furiously as she fell slowly back to the ground. Nilus’ movement was halted for a moment, as he struggled with the new pressure. Surprisingly, they were both still able to move, albeit severely restricted.

“Hahnu, remain on this half of the arena. I have increased the gravity of their side. Use this time to prepare yourself.”

I spoke to Hahnu as I sensed her land gently beside me.

“Right, Nya. Please don’t throw me again, Nya?” I heard her pouting. It was kinda cute, made me want to toss her again just for the same reaction.

“No promises…” I might not be able to resist after all.

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“Nyaaaaaa…..” She pouted further. See? That’s why I can’t promise.

My mana-sonar told me Sival and Nilus were both almost beyond the edge of the gravity field I placed. I don’t know what Hahnu used for sensing them, but she could clearly cope based on that exchange with Sival earlier.

Now I tried another new trick with my primal mana. I willed the mana to surge through me sporadically, like lightning discharging. The result was surprisingly close to what I wanted. I could sense both Sival and Nilus turn their full attention toward my direction, probably they could see the energy of the lightning discharging, and thus I became their visible target. Secondly, I was now coated in energy that would discharge through any who touched me, or any I touched.

Almost at the same time their attention turned towards me, I sensed a massive increase in their movement speed. They shot out like bullets, aiming directly for me. They had passed out of the gravity field, and the extra energy they were using to traverse the increased gravity caused them to spring forward like a mousetrap spring that was released abruptly.

Hahnu disappeared somewhere to my left as they shot forward. The first to reach me was Nilus. He jabbed forward with his claws, aiming to pierce my chest. I simply pushed his hand aside. As I made contact, a massive surge of electrical energy forced its way through Nilus. I felt him convulsing as my hand finished deflecting his strike.

Sival attacked using a different method. While she still struck with her blade, which I also deflected, the gathered electrical energy did not pass through. It felt like she insulated her blade somehow, possibly with magic. As I deflected a second, and then third strike, I sensed Hahnu re-appeared behind Sival. Hahnu thrust her left hand forward, and a shotgun blast of dark mana struck Sival in her exposed back.

This caused Sival to stumble forward. I moved to strike her in the stomach, but I forgot about my surroundings and tripped. The result was… mortifying. The cliche situation where guy and girl falls into a kiss. My first kiss stolen in combat…

As I fell forward, Sival falling beneath me, our lips had met. Hers were supple and moist, regardless of her hard breathing. Trying to break my fall, I put my hands forward, but this was a bad idea too… Another grand cliche happened. The typical guy falls on girl and ‘accidently’ gropes her breasts…

As I righted myself, I felt the fleshy lumps under the gymnastic like uniform the students used for physical exercises. She was probably about D cup. As I tried to lift myself off of her, she abandoned her sword and wrapped her arms around me.

“Got you now, husband.” She said as she squeezed my face into her generous bosom. It became very difficult to breathe. So she intended to suffocate me? I willed the electrical energy within me to surge forth, thinking it odd that it had not already done so. The energy just burst forth at random, but did not discharge through Sival. She seems to have also magically insulated herself as well as her sword.

As I struggled to come up with a way to free myself from Sival’s grasp, I could hear Nilus clashing with Hahnu. It seems he recovered from my magic. Not good, Hahnu is not in a position to help. Then, perhaps I can will another aura. I was able to manage an electrical aura after all. Heat would probably do the trick here.

I willed flames to surge through my body. I didn't bother to stop the electrical current because it was still usefull against Nilus, who was still in this match, and my mana could handle it anyway.

“Kyaaah!” Sival let out a beautifully feminine squeal as her grip loosened until she finaly released me.

“Sorry, but this game ends here.” I said as I willed a ball of energy into my fist, and swiftly propelled it with my fist into her stomach.

“Geh...” The air forced out of her made an ungraceful sound as she fell into unconsciousness.

Turning to deal with Nilus next, I sensed he had finally been dealt with by Hahnu. Now that the battle was finally over, I dropped the dome of darkness. The students jumped at the sudden disappearance of the dome and my current appearance. I must have looked devilish because I got many looks of fear. I forgot to drop my auras.

“Winners! Veloth and Hahnu!” Garret announced.

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