As the countdown reached its final moments, tension filled the air of the arena.
"This round will start in 3, 2, 1...1 in a half, GO!" Fuyu's voice boomed, signaling the beginning of the match.
Nagarimu's gaze bore into Ryoshi with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine.
"To excel in this fight, I will need to treat you like my other enemies. Cut through you," Nagarimu declared, her tone cold and resolute.
Ryoshi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Whaaaaaaaaaat are you talking about?"
"I'm going to kill you," Nagarimu stated matter-of-factly, sending a chill through the arena.
"Woah WHAT!? What did I do to you?" Ryoshi protested, his voice tinged with fear.
"Nothing, I just want to end this in the quickest way possible," Nagarimu replied calmly, her expression betraying no emotion.
Ryoshi's mind raced as he struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation. "I- Surriku No Ha!!!" he exclaimed, summoning his weapon in a desperate attempt to defend himself.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Toruri and Mizuma exchanged concerned glances.
"She wants to kill him?" Toruri questioned, disbelief evident in his voice.
Mizuma nodded gravely. "Yes, her wicked blows are always fatal! This team primarily focuses on taking out the opponent with speed and fatal attacks."
Fuyu sighed, his expression troubled. "Yeah, and killing isn't against the rules. But it is very cruel."
Before Ryoshi could fully process the danger he was in, Nagarimu sprang into action, summoning two large purple closed fans with a swift motion.
"Oh no, so scary! Paper fans, whatever may I do!?" Ryoshi quipped, attempting to mask his unease with bravado.
But his confidence quickly faded as Nagarimu opened the fans and vanished from sight.
"WHAT? SHE CAN DO THAT TOO!?" Ryoshi exclaimed, panic rising in his chest.
Suddenly, Nagarimu reappeared in front of him with alarming speed, her movements fluid and precise. In one swift motion, she delivered a devastating vertical slash, causing blood to spray from Ryoshi's wound.
"Wh-" Ryoshi's protest was cut short as Nagarimu closed her fan and used it to impale him through the chest.
cough Ryoshi coughed weakly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he slumped forward onto Nagarimu's shoulder.
With a gentle embrace, Nagarimu closed her eyes, her expression unreadable as Ryoshi's life slipped away in her arms.
As the tension reached its peak, Nagarimu's voice cut through the silence with an eerie calmness.
"There, there. You might have just lost your life, but your death has helped me grow," she murmured, her words sending a shiver down the spectators' spines.
"H- did she actually kill him like that!?" Fuyu gasped, his eyes wide with shock.
"I told you that her wicked blows are always fatal! The only reason the fall season's inheritor survived is because he could regenerate like crazy," Mizuma explained, his voice tinged with concern.
Toruri's expression was one of disbelief. "This can't be- the end of Ryoshi?! Here, right now?"
Fuyu nodded solemnly. "Yeah... The winner by kill is-"
But before he could finish, both of Nagarimu's arms froze in place, her expression shifting in surprise.
"Hm?" Nagarimu's voice betrayed a hint of confusion as Ryoshi slipped from her grasp and swiftly retreated, his wounds miraculously healed by a layer of icy frost.
"I actually could have died there," Ryoshi admitted, his voice tinged with relief.
Nagarimu regarded him with a mixture of astonishment and respect. "So you survived? You're the first person to ever survive an attack from me and still be conscious."
Ryoshi couldn't help but grin at her acknowledgment. "Yeah, I'm amazing, right?"
A hint of amusement danced in Nagarimu's eyes. "Yes, you are."
With a swift motion, Nagarimu unfurled both of her fans and unleashed a barrage of air slashes at Ryoshi, who deftly blocked each attack with practiced skill.
Ryoshi's revelation sent a ripple of astonishment through the arena.
"I was dead for a moment, but before I fully gave up and died, my weapon spirit told me to come back, and also taught me a new move. Skill 1: Ice Wave," Ryoshi announced, his voice filled with newfound determination.
As the writing on Ryoshi's sword began to glow with an ethereal blue light, a palpable tension filled the air. With a swift motion, he swung his sword, unleashing a powerful wave of icy magic that surged towards Nagarimu with unstoppable force. Despite her efforts to counter with another air slash, the attack tore through her defenses, leaving destruction in its wake.
Nagarimu's expression remained unreadable as she sidestepped the attack, narrowly evading its icy grasp. But as the wave exploded, freezing the air into deadly spikes, her resolve remained unshaken.
"One more should finish you," she declared, her voice calm and composed as she vanished from sight once more.
Ryoshi braced himself, anticipation coursing through his veins as he prepared for Nagarimu's next move.
With lightning speed, Nagarimu reappeared in front of Ryoshi, her fan poised for attack.
But Ryoshi was ready. "Skill 1: Ice Reversal!!!" he countered, blocking her strike with his sword and freezing her arm in place.
"I'm not gonna fall for the same trick twice," Ryoshi declared, his voice tinged with determination.
Nagarimu's eyes flickered with acknowledgment. "I see..."
"Now, you're finished! Ice magic: Instant Freeze," Ryoshi proclaimed, his hand reaching out to touch Nagarimu and encase her in a block of unyielding ice.
Ryoshi's voice wavered as he struggled to comprehend the outcome. "So... did I...?"
But before he could finish, Nagarimu broke free from the icy prison, her movements swift and precise. With a sudden strike, she slashed Ryoshi's right arm, causing him to recoil in pain.
"What the hell-" Ryoshi's protest was cut short as Nagarimu unleashed a powerful gust of air, sending him tumbling backward.
"This surprises me..." Nagarimu's voice echoed through the arena, her expression unreadable.
Ryoshi staggered to regain his footing, but before he could react, Nagarimu dashed forward, slashing both of his legs with her fans. The sudden attack sent Ryoshi toppling over, his balance lost.
"Sorry, I couldn't let you heal," Nagarimu remarked, her tone remorseless as she closed in on her prey.
As Ryoshi struggled to comprehend her next move, he felt a sharp pain pierce through his body as he fell onto one of Nagarimu's closed fans, the metal piercing his flesh.
"What are you..." Ryoshi's voice trailed off as he coughed up blood, his strength waning.
"That should be it," Nagarimu declared, her tone cold and final.
But Ryoshi's defiance remained unbroken. "You... should have killed me here," he muttered, his eyes blazing with determination.
With a sudden surge of energy, Ryoshi reached out and froze Nagarimu in place, his hand trembling with exertion. With a steely resolve, he pulled himself upright, wrenching the fan from his body and casting it aside.
As Ryoshi stood battered but unbowed, a hush fell over the arena, the outcome of the battle hanging in the balance.
Ryoshi's mind raced as he realized the gravity of the situation. "Shit, I need to act quick."
As Nagarimu broke free from the ice, her fury palpable, Ryoshi knew he had to act swiftly. "Once again, MANA BURST!" he exclaimed, channeling his energy into a burst of mana.
Nagarimu's eyes widened in surprise. "You can mana burst...?"
"Yes!" Ryoshi affirmed, pointing a finger at her before encasing himself in a block of healing ice.
Fuyu watched with astonishment. "I never thought he'd adapt this quickly to ice magic and magic in general."
But Nagarimu wasted no time. "You gave me a better chance to kill you," she remarked, dashing toward the frozen Ryoshi. Yet, Ryoshi unfroze himself with remarkable agility, narrowly evading her attack.
"Ice magic: Ice tip!" Ryoshi called out, freezing the tip of his sword and slashing at Nagarimu's shoulder. She recoiled, jumping away from him.
But Nagarimu wasn't finished. "Kaze No Fan, Skill 1: Deadly Flow," she declared.
Ryoshi's heart sank at the ominous words. "I don't like the sound of that move," he muttered, just before feeling a searing pain in his left leg.
"What!-" he cried out as his arm was slashed open. Despite the pain, he managed to maintain his balance, his instincts on high alert.
But then, he noticed something alarming. "What's going on? How is she attacking me? Wait... what's that!?" Ryoshi's eyes widened as he spotted multiple nearly invisible razor blades hovering in the air. Before he could react, they came hurtling toward him, slicing through his lower left side.
As Ryoshi processed Nagarimu's devastating transformation, he knew he had to act fast to counter her newfound power. "RUH!" he exclaimed, freezing the air in front of him to trap the razor blades within it.
Nagarimu's surprise was evident. "Woah, I thought you wouldn't catch on. I didn't expect you to get this far," she admitted.
"And I didn't expect you to put your guard down," Ryoshi countered.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Ryoshi conjured an ice spike behind Nagarimu, piercing her ankle. "Now, just like Onri! Ice magic: Ice spears," he declared.
Seven spears of ice formed around Nagarimu, impaling her body in multiple places. But to Ryoshi's shock, she didn't stay down.
"NAGARIMUUUUUUUU!!!" Mizuma cried out.
"And she's dead. Nice way to make us seem like even more of a threat team, Ryoshi," Fuyu remarked.
"Don't worry, this is only supposed to knock her unconscious so I can win. I'll heal her after this," Ryoshi assured. But his confidence wavered as Nagarimu began to awaken.
"Oh, she's going to awaken," Fuyu observed.
Ryoshi's realization came too late. "Oh wait, oh shit!"
With a powerful gust of wind, Ryoshi was sent flying backward, crashing into the boundaries of the arena with a painful thud.
"Ah, ow," Ryoshi groaned, struggling to see through the dust and gravel that filled the arena.
As the air cleared, Nagarimu's transformed figure came into view, her lower body now a monstrous tornado with enormous blades for legs.
"The first form of my awakening, storm caterpillar," Nagarimu announced.
Ryoshi could only watch in awe before he was suddenly pulled into the tornado, unable to react in time.
"AHHH, Ice Magic-" he cried out as his back received a deep gash from the wind before being relentlessly slashed all over and sent crashing into one of the arena barriers.
As Nagarimu observed Ryoshi's seemingly miraculous recovery, she couldn't hide her surprise. "That should totally be it for you, but if it isn't," she trailed off, preparing herself for another attack.
To her amazement, Ryoshi stood up, his wounds healing instantly before her eyes. "Heh, takes more than that to take me down!" he declared with determination.
Nagarimu couldn't shake the feeling of unease as she noticed the unforgiving look in Ryoshi's eyes.
Meanwhile, Toruri was baffled by Ryoshi's sudden recovery. "Wait, how did he heal that? I don't see any healing ice," he wondered aloud.
Fuyu explained the situation to Toruri, noting Ryoshi's quick learning ability. "This kid learns quick. Scary quick," Fuyu remarked. "By placing healing ice magic in his body, it's not only healing him faster, but it's doing it more efficiently," he added, highlighting the effectiveness of casting support spells within the body.
Toruri watched in awe as Ryoshi's abilities evolved right before his eyes. "Oooh, so he's like... regenerating?" he mused.
Fuyu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's kind of the only way you can combat someone who can rapidly cause damage to you without getting any fatal wounds," he explained.
Mizuma couldn't help but feel a sense of tension in the air. "Yikes," he muttered.
Meanwhile, Nagarimu grew increasingly frustrated. "What are you planning now?" she demanded, noticing Ryoshi's intense focus.
Ryoshi remained silent, his aura turning a fierce blue as he summoned his sword and blocked the typhoons with it.
Nagarimu was taken aback by Ryoshi's resilience. "Impossible—!" she began, but her words were cut short as Ryoshi unleashed an ice mana burst, enhancing his abilities.
As Ryoshi jumped high into the air and created a massive ice spike, Toruri and Fuyu watched in anticipation.
"What is he doing now?!" Toruri exclaimed.
"He's doing an ice mana burst," Fuyu explained. "It's an evolved version of the mana burst that enhances both magic and physical capabilities."
With determination in his eyes, Ryoshi fired the ice spike down towards Nagarimu, who retaliated with two more typhoons. However, Ryoshi wasn't deterred. Using the frozen typhoons to his advantage, he slid towards Nagarimu, ready to continue the fight.
As Ryoshi made his way toward Nagarimu, she issued a fierce declaration of defiance. "You dare oppose me? Your fate has already been sealed. YOU WILL DIE TO ME!!!" she proclaimed.
Undeterred, Ryoshi leaped off the frozen typhoons, blocking Nagarimu's dagger with a decoy sword before impaling her through the chest with his actual weapon.
Fuyu, impressed by Ryoshi's newfound mastery of ice magic, marveled at his skills. "When did Ryoshi all of a sudden become a master of ice magic?" he wondered aloud.
Toruri, ever the skeptic, reminded Fuyu of his role as a teacher. "You're the teacher here," he pointed out.
Fuyu explained, "I only taught him a total of like 5 things, Onri taught him 3 things. Right now he's creating fake swords, placing ice under his skin, mass freezing things, and ice mana bursting!"
Mizuma, distraught over Nagarimu's injuries, cried out in anguish. "NAGARIMU, NOOOOOO!" he wailed.
Fuyu clarified that Ryoshi's actions were not fatal. "Oh right, he stabbed her," he noted, as Nagarimu's wounds healed.
Ryoshi slowly withdrew his sword from Nagarimu's body, causing her to collapse to the ground. Despite his victory, Ryoshi couldn't shake the guilt of his actions.
Fuyu announced Ryoshi as the winner by knockout, and Toruri offered his belated congratulations. "Totally had no doubts about him winning," he claimed, though Ryoshi remained skeptical.
As Fuyu prepared to heal Kuroshi and lead the group to their final destination, Ryoshi couldn't help but feel uncertain about their next steps.
Fuyu reassured him, "Everything will be fixed. The great ones watch from above, and I'll just carry Kuroshi and heal her."
With their wounds tended to and their resolve strengthened, the group set out for their next destination, ready to face the challenges that awaited them in the final round of the test.