Shadow Magic was something not usually seen in the modern world of Streia. You could count all the other people who could use Shadow Magic on one hand.
Of course, they could Shadow Magic to an amazing extent, however...
They could not control it as Daiyu did. She had complete command over her shadow. Her shadow obeyed her like a familiar obeying its master.
"Here I come."
Anastasia was chanting a spell while Daiyu assumed a pouncing position.
There was a loud boom as she kicked off the ground.
The distance between them was around 100m. The average Streia could close that gap, at full speed, within 7 or 8 seconds. Daiyu did it 3.
Before Anastasia was able to finish her quick cast, Daiyu was already in front of her She readied her claw as she forged forward until--
"Ah!"
--she tripped. Face first.
Anastasia looked behind her as she turned stiffly.
It was only 7 seconds before in which Anastasia thought that she would have a slight disadvantage, however, now, that thought has been purged.
"I thought you said that this terrain was to your advantage. Seems like you tripped up."
The purple-haired girl did not mean to sound condescending or mocking but the black-haired girl took it that way.
"Oh, shut up!'
Daiyu immediately got back on her feet. She launched a punch at Anastasia. She blocked it.
(Gah... Her power...)
Even though she felt it, she still felt a shockwave through her bones.
Next came a flurry of slashes and scrapes which Anastasia was barely able to counter at the last second of each strike. They flew at her at high speeds.
(Even if the shadow armour is an enhancement, there's no way it should increase her speed this much!)
Anastasia thought as Daiyu's claw scratched her cheek.
(There's one thing I noticed though. She's not confident in punches. That's why she uses claws. It completely contradicts the power she has. Anyway, if I take her weapon, her speed, away then...)
Suddenly, Anastasia looked at the sky.
"Where are you looking?!"
A sharp kick to the gut sent Anastasia flying across the arena. She was able to dig her feet into the ground before the strike.
[Wo... Woah!]
As Ravi began cheering, so did the crowd.
Their mouths could not move during that fierce exchange until the end. Even Ravi had forgotten to commentate.
[A dark hound has appeared! After a heated exchange, Daiyu won that exchange with a swift kick!]
Sakai noticed Anastasia's withdrawal attitude as she took some glances at the sky.
['Seems like Anastasia has something planned.']
She commented.
['Who knows what the girl could be planning...']
"Time to play my game."
Anastasia said as she controlled two floating boulders with her Singularity.
"I can play your game."
Daiyu said as her claws began to change form. They enlarged and each claw had the appearance of a lion's head. She used the lion heads to grasp the boulders and threw them at Anastasia. Anastasia threw hers and they collided, crumbling into smaller rocks.
"Guess we'll..."
Anastasia hopped off the ground and onto a floating rock.
"Play a game of tag."
Daiyu returned to her armoured form. She also jumped onto a floating boulder.
The girl skipped along the floating boulders, like a cheetah, and reached Anastasia. Each rock Daiyu bounced off crumbled. It was from her speed and the pressure of her shadows.
Anastasia smiled as she jumped onto another rock to escape.
Daiyu's attack missed by a hair.
"I'll be it."
The black-haired girl growled.
"You're on."
Anastasia would not normally be able to escape from Daiyu, even if it is by a hair's breadth, however, the shadow-cloaked girl was controlling her speed since it was her first time chasing someone on floating rocks.
(We shall exclude the fact that it was also her first time on floating rocks.)
Anastasia was organising the rocks, carefully, with her Singularity. She could not directly control them but draw them toward herself. It would be slightly taxing but as someone who has trained her Singularity a fair amount, she was able to draw a boulder toward her in 2 seconds.
The rocks went upwards as she organised them, almost like a staircase to heaven. At this point, they were 75 feet in the air. As Anastasia reached the last rock, she watched as the rocks that Daiyu jumped off of crumbled to dust. Once Daiyu got to her, Anastasia jumped off and Daiyu's claw missed by an inch.
The rock crumbled and the two of them were falling.
"So this was your plan?"
Daiyu asked, attempting to change her armour form. It took a few tries but she was able to do it.
"No, this was."
Using her Singularity, Daiyu was pulled toward Anastasia, unable to dodge. Noticing this, she changed forms, back to her armour form, and prepared a punch. She threw it toward Anastasia.
However, her hand bounced off before it could reach Anastasia's face.
"Ah?!"
There was an invisible barrier of electricity around Anastasia.
"An electromagnetic barrier?!"
"You're smart, huh?"
Anastasia grabbed Daiyu and used her body as a trampoline, sending her upwards, meanwhile, Daiyu was sent falling faster toward the ground.
"I can use one lethal spell, so I'll use it here."
She put her hand out.
"May the spirit of fire and hatred bless me as my passion and abhor collide..."
['Lethal Spell.']
This was the only thing that the participants were able to hear.
"Release it with the burdens that I store; Wyrm Flame."
A large magic circle appeared before her palm; a wyrm made of fire soared through the air and toward Daiyu, engulfing her with flames, and forcibly crushing her to the ground.
To ensure a safer landing for herself, Anastasia used Wind Bullet to soften her fall.
Once the smoke cleared, the crowd showed Daiyu as knocked out.
Anastasia massaged her wrist muttering, "She's not dead, is she," under her breath.
Everyone was silent.
['Ravi...']
Sakai warned him.
[Oh, ah, with a knockout, Anastasia wins! What an amazing match!]
['Allow me to explain what Anastasia did.']
Sakai offered.
[Please do!]
['Anastasia analysed her opponent with that high-speed exchange they had. She noticed that Daiyu's greatest weapon was her speed. In order to take that away from her, she provoked Daiyu and made her chase her. They were high in the air and were falling. Speed does not matter when falling. For good measures, she finished her off with a Wyrm Flame.']
[Man... She thought that far ahead. Oh, yeah, medics!]
Ravi shouted, signalling the medical squad to enter the arena.
[Now, let us proceed with the next match!]