I felt somewhat tired after all the fights in this tournament...

I really wanted to go home...

But I knew I couldn’t withdraw without risking that elf killing me, so I was forced to go one last time to the floating platform where the final round would take place, as the tournament announcer declared:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the final of the Silver Shark Tournament. In the blue corner, the representatives of Ellen’s Workshop, and in the red corner, last year’s champions, the Runic Blacksmiths of Oricalco. Let the battle begin!”

To the audience’s surprise, we all stood still, unlike the previous matches which had been frantic from the start. Now, no one moved a muscle.

The man in the flashy suit spoke in a sweet and seductive voice:

“Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Tommy, a humble warrior making a living in a modest way. By coincidence, you became victims of some bandits prowling the city. Yesterday they stole my innocent little sister’s savings, and I’m looking for clues about these people.”

I was about to respond, but Raiza stepped forward and said, “I haven’t seen them. I’m very sorry about your sister, but it’s hard for me to believe that anyone would approach the sister of a bloodthirsty beast like you.”

Tommy made an angry face and, with a less pleasant voice, said:

“I suppose the idiots didn’t know she was my sister. Ignorance is a sin, and messing with my people is paid for with death.”

Then he began to attack.

He tried to kick Raiza in the face, but she only slightly moved her neck, dodging his attack, and Tommy said, “You’re definitely that thieving elf.”

Raiza took her sword with her only arm. Although Tommy’s physical attacks were so numerous and so quick that Raiza could only use her sword as an improvised shield.

The exchange of blows between Raiza and Tommy was a spectacle of speed. It’s hard to believe that this elf only has one arm, but when I reacted, Charlotte stood in front of me and said:

“I don’t usually let men put their hands on me, but I’ll make an exception for you.”

They say that a person’s first kiss is something special, a display of affection that binds you to your first love forever...

Or so I thought...

Charlotte stole a kiss from my lips in the middle of the fight. I couldn’t believe it. I always imagined my first kiss, but this wasn’t what I wanted...

It’s true that Charlotte is beautiful... but something in my body feels wrong, and my instinct is screaming that I’m in danger.

I react and try to grab Charlotte with my hands to use my degenerative magic on her, but before I could even touch her with the tips of my fingers, with a slight jump, she distanced herself.

I tried to chase her to hit her with my degenerative magic, but no matter how many punches and kicks I threw, I couldn’t touch her. It was like trying to grasp a mirage. I pushed myself to the limit, but couldn’t make contact.

Charlotte, after seeing my pathetic attempt to fight, showed in her expression that she was tired of playing with me...

Charlotte made one last jump and landed in front of me. While she was still in the air, I felt her soft hands on my cheeks. I went blank as I felt her eyes gazing into mine...

Charlotte said, “I expected more from you.” It was just a second in which I had total clarity of what she was going to do to me... she was going to try to break my neck...

And instinctively, I used my degenerative magic:

“CELLULAR DESTRUCTION”

...

To use my healing and degenerative magic, I need to be in physical contact with my target. I normally use my hands, but I can do it in other ways...

When I was a child, I lived in an orphanage in the southern lowlands. It was a very hot place all year round, so there were many mosquitoes, and they were very elusive insects. No matter how hard I tried to kill them with my hands, they were much faster than me...

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So I had an idea.

At that time, my teacher was already teaching me to use my degenerative magic, which involves making the cells, or more specifically the body’s immune system, attack its own organism.

To train this spell, I would stay still under a tree in a part of the orphanage where there were many mosquitoes...

And every time I felt a mosquito landing on my skin to steal my blood, I would quietly cast...

“Cellular Destruction”

The mosquito would start convulsing and gradually turn into an amorphous mass of flesh, and strangely, I felt very satisfied seeing those insects die in such a painful way...

...

Charlotte, seeing my spell, took a step back...

It only touched me for a second, but it was already too late. Her hands were emaciated, looking like the hands of an old woman.

Even so, Charlotte didn’t seem angry... she had a curious look as she examined her hands.

I noticed she whispered a healing spell, but it was useless. The damage from my degenerative magic can only be reversed by me, and the only person who can heal themselves from my magic is Yubel...

While looking at her hands, Charlotte said:

“Wow, that’s new, my cells are attacking me. Fascinating, but I don’t like having my hands like this. I’ll borrow your gloves.”

I didn’t realize when she took my gloves. She put them on delicately and stared at my hands in astonishment.

Yes, my hands are a mess...

They have a disgusting purple color with the skin clinging to the bones. This is a consequence of my unique magic.

Using degenerative magic has this side effect, though in retrospect, it’s a small price to pay for such great power. Still, it bothers me that my hands look so horrible, which is why I always wear gloves.

I was very angry; I wanted to get my gloves back, but before I could even attempt to go after the woman who stole them...

Raiza was shoved directly into my corner. She looked severely beaten, and it was evident that she wasn’t used to fighting with only one arm.

She seemed very strong fighting monsters while protecting the merchant caravan, but in a fight against another human being, her shortcomings were apparent...

Although, Tommy was also quite injured, but his armor did a good job protecting him from Raiza’s sword... I wish that stingy dwarf had given Raiza a better sword...

Then I heard Tommy start laughing and exclaim:

“Finally, a fight worthy of my sword.” He searched in the vest of his suit and pulled out a small knife with the tip of the blade slightly angled. At first glance, I noticed that knife must be a dungeon artifact.

Tommy noticed I was looking and gave me a smile while pointing the knife in my direction.

Raiza pushed me away before the knife’s blade could cut my head. The blade of that knife changed size and could attack from a long distance. Literally, the entire combat platform was smaller than the range of his sword...

Thanks to Raiza, I’m still alive, but she ended up seriously injured, as she received a deep cut on the upper part of her right shoulder...

I tried to heal her, but she pushed my hand away from her shoulder and said:

“Save your healing for a life-or-death moment, now I’ll need your help to defeat that guy. When I give you the signal, heal me with your Accelerated Healing. Don’t ask why, just do it.”

I had nothing to say at this point. She had seen my memories and knew all my healing techniques and how I use them in combat...

My Accelerated Healing is my final card as it consumes a lot of my vitality and would leave me virtually out of the fight. I’d prefer not to use such a risky strategy...

But I saw all the determination in Raiza’s eyes... deep down, I wanted to believe in her. This was going to be my last bet...

Raiza prepared her final attack. With a leap, she ran to try and cut Tommy’s body with her sword, and I ran behind Raiza with the intention of covering her back.

Raiza took her sword and with all her strength tried to cut Tommy, but he didn’t even move.

With just one movement of the blade of his knife that changed shapes, he cut Raiza’s hand, sending it flying over her head to the back of her shoulder, while Raiza’s severed hand still held onto her sword...

At this point, Tommy was already confident of his victory and, as he prepared for the final blow...

Raiza placed her severed stump on Tommy’s chest and shouted: “NOW, ESTER!”

During all this time, I had been behind Raiza, basically using her as a human shield, all for this moment. I placed my hand on her back and proceeded to use my regenerative magic...

“ACCELERATED HEALING”

My spell on Raiza causes her hand, just severed a second ago, to reattach to her stump. If the wound had had some time, my magic would regenerate it like some reptiles regenerate their tails, but that wasn’t the case with such a recent injury...

My magic would fuse her severed stump with her hand still near Raiza, but in between Raiza and her hand was Tommy’s body...

Basically, my magic caused her hand to go through Tommy’s body, creating a hole in his chest in the same place where his wine had spilled that day as a foreboding of his death...

Throughout this time, Raiza’s hand didn’t let go of her sword, which was now inside the wound caused by my magic...

Raiza looked Tommy in the eyes, who was left speechless as a thin drop of blood trickled from his mouth...

Without exchanging any final words, Raiza cut from inside Tommy’s body vertically upwards, splitting his head in half.

I think Tommy didn’t realize what had happened. His corpse had a look of surprise.

Raiza just looked at him like one looks at a pile of dog poop by the side of the road, yanked her magic sword from his hands, and with a kick, she sent him straight into the water, giving Tommy the same fate as his opponents in this tournament and making him shark food...

After using my Accelerated Healing, Raiza was intact, but I was exhausted and unable to move. If I had been thrown into the sea, I would surely have died. At that moment, Charlotte spoke...

“Well, well, they killed Tommy. I didn’t expect that. Well, I suppose my contract ends here. I was only supposed to serve him until the day of his death, although I always knew it would come soon. Anyway, my dear Ester, I’ll keep these gloves as a memento and it was a pleasure seeing you again, Raiza.”

Then Charlotte leapt into the water as a sort of suicidal act, disappearing into the depths of the sea. Although it was obvious to us that she was still alive.

With an incredulous look, I asked Raiza, “Do you know her?” and she replied, “No... I don’t think so.” And the announcer interrupted us, shouting...

“And so ends the final of the Silver Shark Tournament. The winner is Ellen’s Workshop.”

The audience was celebrating the spectacle. I guess they didn’t have much affection for Tommy, and amid the cheers of victory, I simply...

Fainted.

...

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. I looked around and, after a few seconds, realized where I was.

I was in Ellen’s Workshop. I still felt tired, but looking to the side of my bed, on a chair, I noticed Raiza sleeping sitting up. I wondered if she had fainted while taking care of me.

I couldn’t help but think she looked quite lovely when she was asleep. She didn’t seem like the same bossy woman who nearly got me killed. Then she said...

“It’s rude to watch a defenseless woman sleep, pervert.”

I admit my face turned red, but I wasn’t having those thoughts. I refuse to think of a woman like her in that way. My heart already has an owner, or so I like to believe.

Instinctively, I looked away. Then I felt Raiza take my hands and say, “So these are your battle scars.”

I felt a bit embarrassed, as I don’t like people seeing my hands. Even my friends don’t usually see them, but Raiza said...

“Sorry, I think I overstepped. Here, a gift.” Raiza handed me a box with giant dungeon spider silk gloves. I think they were the same gloves I saw when I first visited Ellen’s Workshop, so she noticed...

I accepted the gift with some joy on my face.

“Thank you very much, Raiza,” before I could continue speaking, Raiza interrupted me.

“I know you want to know more about me. You’ll learn everything in due time, but now is not the moment. I want you to know that I appreciate you. I doubt you consider me a friend like the others on your team, but I want you to know that I am your ally.”

I don’t know if it was exhaustion or the elegant gloves, but for a moment, I saw Raiza as a beautiful woman, with her fine blonde hair, rosy cheeks, and that older sister vibe. How had I never noticed...?

That moment was interrupted by Ellen saying, “Hey, Raiza, your order is ready and tell your friend I’ll need his help with your prosthesis.”

Raiza replied, “One minute, I want to try something with this guy before that. Could you leave us alone for a moment?”

I admit I was excited to hear those words. Ellen left without asking questions, leaving us alone. Then Raiza brought her face close to mine and said:

“Use your degenerative magic on me.”

…

image [https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/078/582/319/large/duval-saul-rerwerewer.jpg?1722504863]