Ansel did not respond to such a bold statement. Instead, he took it as a declaration of war. He stepped back slightly, brandishing his insignificant armament in front of him.

Syllis disregarded the audience. Almost everyone heckled her, calling her vile names. As for the people that did not join in, well they only stayed silent, cowering in fear. Even Clyde, Korman and Aura did not stand up for her.

This was until a voice cut through the hateful yelling.

“Teach that red-haired bastard a lesson! Tear his arm from his shoulder, just like he did to me!”

Aura’s voice was louder than the rest of the students. It was like a beacon of hope in a burning field.

The professor had been trying to dispel the near riot forming within the stands, to no avail.

Syllis did not respond to her eerily supportive mutual. Although she had smiled at her comment.

Ansel jumped towards Syllis, he knew that if he could get ahold of her, then the fight would practically be over.

The secare nymph he charged for knew this just as well. As soon as Ansel had grabbed Aura during their spar, it had ended. The acidity of his fleshy bond allowed him to tear her arm leaving her in writhing pain.

“I hope you don’t think I’m going to let you do to me what you did to Aura. Though, it was nice of you to cauterize her wound afterwards.”

Syllis mocked the crimson-eyed derelict. He obviously had not meant to cauterize his opponents wound in his previous match, it was merely a bi-product of the heat.

Syllis lunged towards him, masterfully dodging several quick shots of acid before delivering a few fierce attacks of her own. Several quick thrusts of her spear narrowly avoided Ansel’s abdomen.

Ansel had perfect spacing, every easily perceivable attack that Syllis would send would easily be out spaced.

‘He’s pretty damn mobile.’ Syllis thought, trying to form a way of dealing some serious damage.

The nymph rose a colossal wall, akin to the one from earlier. Though, this one was not made to keep Ansel at bay, but to instead pull him in close.

It was a reckless strategy, Ansel was monstrous in close quarters.

‘What else can I do? This freak is just too mobile!’

Syllis acknowledged the nature of such a play, but also knew that she was equally deadly, and even more cunning.

Ansel was cornered, his back to a wall of ice. He grinned slightly, once again dropping his emotionless visage. This was his ideal scenario.

Syllis ran forward, towards the red-haired man. They were only a breath away from each other.

Ansel kicked forward, shooting a stream of fleshy liquid, darting through his boot. He then reached to grab onto her azure spear.

Syllis swerved, narrowly avoiding the stream of acidic substance and threw her spear backwards. ‘Dastardly trickster.’

It was imperative that Ansel did not grab a hold of it, if he had, then it would be dissolved in only a few seconds.

Four crags of ice rose from the ground, raising Ansel, high into the air. He tried to push off and leap away, but they twisted, contorting into a sort of cage.

Ansel dissolved the bottom section of one such crag and grabbed hold of it. However, he did not use any acidic flesh. His muscles bulged as the crag was gradually lifted. He secreted a small amount of fleshy substance, coating the side of the crag. This crag was then swung towards Syllis, shattering any obstacles in the way.

Syllis coughed up blood as the gargantuan beam collided against an azure shield she had risen beside her. It crushed the shield and swept her ten feet to the right. ‘T-that strength is unnatural. Even for a kindred…’

Her vision doubled for a few moments and her knees buckled below her. She saw several specks of corrosive liquid writhing on her arm as Ansel appeared beside her.

Syllis attempted to twist but collapsed under her own weight.

The red-haired derelict leapt onto her, grabbing hold of her left arm. A black and red secretion oozed from the pores of his hand, melting through the secare nymphs arm.

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Syllis first cried out in pain. This was the first time she experienced a pain so strong outside of her episodes.

She then locked eyes with Ansel who seemed to revel under his looming victory.

Clyde and Aura nearly leapt down from the spectators' booths, eager to stop this match. They looked over to the professor and seeing his reluctance to act, decided to act in his stead.

A hand reached out to stop them while another wrapped around their back. It was Korman, invoking his bond and mutating himself with a peculiar animal’s arm.

Clyde and Aura looked at the mutated man with a somber expression. Korman merely shook his head, he felt resistance against his gargantuan arm.

Korman only said one word, his expression solemn. “Stop.”

This was the mediator of the group. If either Clyde or Aura was to commit to a reckless act, he would prevent them. He was like a neutral guardian, made to uphold the integrity of the world.

“Is this it Ansel! Is this all that you have, such slight searing!”

Syllis provoked the man as drips of acidic flesh dropped from her bloodied arm and onto her left side and leg. It burned through her clothes, flesh, even bone in some spots.

“Is this not enough for you? Forfeit.” Ansel spoke plainly, returning to his emotionless facade.

“Hah! This wouldn’t be enough to deal with a baby heasen!” Syllis spat in the red-haired brat’s face.

Ansel did not respond to this provocation, instead he reached for her face.

An azure spear whistled as it fell from what seemed to be the heavens. This modified needle-point spear fell at a terminal velocity.

Ansel turned, placing his hand around Syllis’ neck before attempting to dissolve the spear before it reached the both of them. His mutated flesh attempted to wrap around it, but the speed let the spear fly freely.

It pierced through his waist and back and made a clunking sound as it collided with a sheet of ice that Syllis had manifested above her abdomen.

Syllis kicked Ansel off of her before throwing him into a sharp crag, the skin on his back peeled off.

The both of them fell away from each other.

Syllis’ entire arm was burnt, sections of bone protruded and the only reason that any bone stayed hidden was due to blood. Her left waist and thigh were scorched under the dripping remnants of the acids that seeped through her arm.

Ansel’s shoulder was splintering, his flesh not a viable form of mending. His waist oozed blood and his back tainted the crag he was pinned to with a crimson paint.

He tore himself from the spike, wavering slightly under the gaze of Syllis. Her eyes were like a sea, ready to drown him.

Syllis threw a chunk of ice towards Ansel, shattering his ribs and sending him collapsing through the spike behind him.

Syllis took a moment to tend to her wounds. As much as she could. She replaced missing chunks of bone with ice and supercooled the nerve endings so she would not feel anything. After a few moments they thawed, hitting her with a wave of pain she never experienced before. Now, this was more potent than any phantom pain that she had to endure.

Ansel lacked the same ability to heal himself, there were some things he could do to prolong himself in battle, but they were inferior. His man-made patches fell apart quickly, a cheap imitation of Syllis’ superior bond.

He cried out in pain and yelled incoherent ramblings, it took several iterations before his words could be deciphered under from his strained vocal cords submerged within deep red blood.

“Praise! Praise the- the lady! Eris Stryx! Praise… Praise lady Stryx!” Ansel laughed slightly underneath his words.

‘Poor guy it seems like his god has taken over the vast majority of his mind. Lady Stryx, Eris Stryx. Is that his god?’

Syllis stepped over to Ansel, looming above him, causing him to cry out in fear.

‘Not so unmoving now huh.’

Ansel pleaded. “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”

Syllis laughed at how far his corruption had spread.

“Man, where do you think you are?” Syllis continued laughing, unable to hold herself back. Perhaps her own corruption had spread a little too much. “I’m not gonna kill you, I haven’t killed anyone.”

Syllis reaffirmed Ansel, still chuckling as several anathemic doctors began rushing onto the large arena.

She looked down with vengeful eyes. “Oh! I almost forgot. I am going to be taking that!”

Syllis spoke darkly as she tried to pull her spear back. ‘Oh, I guess I shattered it?’

“Don’t worry, I’m not cruel enough to make you feel it, well most of it.” Syllis took Ansel’s jian and placed it below his shoulder.

Then, she froze the area around the shoulder, preventing any pain—for a while. Syllis sliced down. One swing was all it took to sever his already bloodied arm.

Syllis turned around, giggling over this scenario. She held the arm up while facing Aura, who’s face contorted into a darkly twisted smile.

The anathemic doctors made it up the arena, they surrounded Ansel as a more important looking doctor approached Syllis.

His robes were not the plain white that the rest were. Instead, his were white with gold lining and symbolism decorating the sleeves, collar and chest. It was ornate and beautiful.

“I’m going to need that.” He pointed to the severed arm, held firmly within Syllis’ hand.

Syllis was reluctant to let go but obliged, laughing as the doctor brought it back over to Ansel. She giggled and collapsed under her own weight, the bone in her leg was no longer able to support her.

“Uh… The winner is Syllis. Head to your next classes!” Professor Ruvhernim urged before heading down to the arena.

Syllis grinned, hearing the verdict announced.

“That guy deserved it…” Syllis mumbled as her eyes slowly closed, several doctors surrounding her.

Syllis was passing out in a state of pain, euphoria, and twisted blissfulness. ‘Why can’t life always be this great…”