"[Lesser F-flame Coil I]...," Heather the Flame had yet to recuperate fully, the middle-aged man was screaming his throat dry nonetheless.
"...[Lesser Overheat I] [L-less—" There simply wasn't that much distance between us for him to keep the harassment of lower spells.
As a last resort, he even opted to detonate the mana contained within his body, knowing fully well he couldn't escape my wrath.
Booom!!! Me jumping back last moment did help lessen the burden. Both on myself, on the youth and on the rugs I wore.
"Uuuurgghhhhh. Aaaahhhhh..." It didn't take long to become clear I'd spoken to early. The youth wasn't unharmed.
Blood ran down her hands, the skin ripped due to the blast and smoke was curling around her furry ears.
Even the tail wasn't left untouched, now a stiff blackened rod with each hair standing up in protest. Nothing much, really, yet concerning all the same. My essence was in... pain.
What darn torture this contract was! My body shuddered as my movements stalled. I became infuriatingly aware that wasting this godsent opportunity might hound me to my death.
But what could I do against the contract? Without mana or other forms of control to exercise over the unforgiving set of rules binding me?
Merely watch and shudder in impotency, and that I did amply. "B-brutal! The beast tore our favourite participant Heather the Flame to shreds! How... deplorably.
Utterly immoral, bloody barbaric...," While the anchorwoman was losing her marbles over recent events, I felt the mana levels rise exponentially.
Casting my gaze the other mage's way with great difficulty, I noted a revolting circle of utter gibberish forcing unnatural change upon the very world itself.
"Never seen incantatory magic this bad..." I mutter, shocked to the core about what abysmal shreds of knowledge of the magical profession circulated among mortals.
"...Heather the Flame, your noble sacrifice won't end up in vain. Good gents, what Miranda the Mirror splendidly shows us here is of most noteworthy artistry."
"Indeed, what a fuckery. A humble spell consuming both external and internal mana on top of a good bucket worth of blood."
"Art so great no lowly bottomfeeder may ever fathom its greatness...," The amplifying spell was still active, my voice heard and her reply swift.
Somebody didn't want to lose out to my random comments. This was the kind of behaviour I found so childish I laughed loudly though the situation I was in wasn't funny in the least.
"...the mere glimpse must burn truthful inferiority into the unknowing's midst." If I gave her enough time, she'd essentially sell black for white...
In my current condition, I couldn't stop the spell any longer. We were moments away from suffering from that berzerk-turning incantation so much beyond the conjurer's humble capabilities.
But the problem was, there were people in the audience who bought this sort of lukewarm bullshit. More than I thought possible too.
"Most ridiculous. Cast only with the soul's input," I slowly regained control over my facilities while readying myself for what was to come.
The tail didn't twitch as badly, my muscles begrudgingly followed commands and my darn horns finally calmed down.
That could've really been the last action I took in my life, showing them for the whole world to see... and fear.
"Whatever you know, dear anchorwoman, is at most part of a quack's inheritance. Such flimsy spells demand breaktime that no battlefield is about to provide."
Of course, close to none shared my opinion. But truth be told, I couldn't care about the sorry attempts at misdirection.
The mana levels Miranda the Mirror was releasing were beyond what she dared hope to control. It went... from bad to worse quickly.
"[G-greater H-hailstorm I]," the mage cawed as her body broke down in batches. She was in delirium, no doubt.
I found so many glaring wrongs within the spellmodel, the mana construction, the trigger and even the blueprints she'd used without understanding even one third!
But! The spell was cast, its might released. I dug all five limbs into the ground, burying the youth under my safe embrace as the environment froze over bit by bit.
First, there was a slight wooshing sound coming to my ears. Then shortly after, the volume increased thunderously.
Then came the ice, shards that grew due to the sudden pummeling in temperature broke off, swirling around randomly under the direction of berserk mana.
Piercing everything within reach, they obviously also didn't stop before my mighty scales. Blood flowed down my exposed parts, dipping onto the ground where corrosion set in.
"Fucking bitch... wasn't the brightest tool in the shed either." I knew for once that whatever amplifying spell had been cast over the coliseum was no longer active.
So was the dastardly mage playing with powers she didn't understand in the slightest. "Well, don't become like that braindead dunce, you hear me?"
I softly spoke to the rabid bundle tucked away in safety. She... had awoken to her feral instincts, scratching and biting at everything within reach.
Which was, essentially, me. But the youth couldn't do much harm, so I merely spoke to her in the most reassuring tone I could muster.
After all, by which rules the contract was playing was beyond my humble understanding, so I better played by its tune. "How infuriating... Well, can't help it.
I just hope you learn how to think before you act." Because her death would also spell mine. "God has given you a brain, so use it to your advantage."
There was a small chance I'd get some pennies in return if she became something great. As I was running my soothing mouth off, the hailstorm around me gradually reduced in intensity.
It wasn't long before all that berserk mana released by that incompetent mage was used up. Luckily, my eyes perceived the opponents before any other creature woke up from their stupor.
The four guys were huddled together, keeping each other safe and warm. They all sported varying degrees of injuries all over their body, but that wouldn't be a problem shortly.
Forcing my aching muscles to do their work, I slowly lift my two arms, the hands closing in on each other. "Goodbye, stupid folk."
They never met, just overlapped so that the two opposing half-moons formed the complete celestial body.
Letters lit up all over my body, then a howl was set free and silence returned thereafter. With that, I had released all the motion energy I kept storing within me since back then.
It did wonders as my ace in the hole, for only a broken platform and bloody sludge remained. Even a good part of the audience had been dragged down to hell.
Who told them to line up this perfectly? "At least they shall have company," I chuckled nastily, readying myself for the award ceremony. All the shiny valuables just waiting for me...
Waiting to ultimately end up in a certain somebody's stinking maw. Piece. By. Bloody. Piece. "I swear! You'll like it, Spice. Hehehehe~"