Caleb lets out a long, elated sigh. "Now we will begin the next match!"
Two contestants enter the arena as the crowd erupts. The crowd was going especially wild for these two. The reason for that is that these two were members of the same team, the team that was leading the pact the entire exam. Nina and Mai walked onto the stage and smiled at each other. Nina pulled out the white gloves from her jacket pocket. "Will that old man be joining us for this?"
Mai grabbed the hilt of her blade. "No, it will be just us, Nina. "
Nina, placing her gloves on her hand, scoffed. "Are you sure that's a good idea? If we are being honest, you stand little of a chance without your miracle."
Mai leans down in a combat position. "You sure are confident in yourself, Nina, but power isn't the only key to winning."
Nina grabs her short white hair and pulls it back to place it in a ponytail. "I know well that the power of a miracle isn't what determines the victor of a fight. Just look at that green hair guy and the dragon boy. There was an obvious difference of power, but the green hair guy still walked away the winner. Still, you are not someone I'm worried about beating. Neither is Don nor Duke the only person in this whole tournament that I am not 100% certain of beating is Ryan."
Don in the stands chuckled slightly. "At least she speaks her mind. Even if it is cruel."
Duke shook his head. "I have noticed this ever since the exam started. You need an ego to excel as a miracle user."
Don looked at Duke, scratching his head. "What makes you think that?"
A familiar voice rang behind them. "Duke is right."
Don and Duke turn around to see Sable laid back in the seat behind them, eating popcorn. Duke lets out an annoyed sigh. "Shouldn't you be refing this match?"
Sable shakes his head as he takes a bite of his popcorn. "I had an urgent meeting. Plus, I couldn't miss this match."
Don leaned over in his seat. "What did you mean by miracle users needing an ego?"
Sable threw a piece of popcorn in the air before catching it in his mouth. "Miracle users are egotist at heart and it's not a miracle user thing. It's a human thing. As humans, the second we are bestowed with the power of miracles, we immediately want to test our new limits. To know what we are truly capable of. The only way to know our limits miracle or not is to devote ourselves to our ourselves. If you are not willing to do that much, you won't last long in our world."
Duke looked over at the arena. "I don't know if Mai has that same mindset."
Sable chuckled while chewing on his popcorn. "We will see in a moment, won't we?"
Caleb raised his hand before swing it down. "Begin!"
Nina rushes toward Mai, arm cocked back. Mai stays perfectly still as Nina rushed her. Words little more than a whisper leave Mai's mouth. "Sparrow dive."
Mai disappeared from Nina's line of sight before she could even react. Her body gets thrashed around as she falls to her knees. Mai now behind Nina, slowly sheaths her blade. The crowd erupts in a concoction of excitement and confusion. Sable stops a piece of popcorn just short from his mouth. "That's disappointing."
Duke turns around. "You were hoping this would be a long, drawn out match?"
Sable shakes his head. "No, that the match couldve just ended there if she wasn't so kind."
Duke looks at Don. "What does he mean?"
Don, watching the arena intently, speaks up. "She used the blunt side of her sword."
Nina picks herself up spitting out a bit of blood. "That was dumb."
Mai turns toward Nina. "How so?"
Nina dusts herself off before grinning. "If you would've used the blade edge of your blade, you would've won."
Nina then dashed at Mai again. Mai leans down to use Sparrow Dive again. However, just as Mai takes off at Nina, Nina stops and changes direction to the side causing Mai to miss. Nina then swings at Mai, giving her only enough time to raise her left arm to block it. The force of the blow was strong enough to send Mai flying back. Ryan scoffs. "Dumb ass. If you should've finished her."
Duke, confused, looked at Sable. "How did she adapt to a lightning fast move like that so fast?"
Sable shook his head. "The difference is talent. Some people in this world can pick something up and instantly become stellar at the activity. From music to art, talent can take many forms. Nina is talented in combat, hell I dare say she is a prodigy in it."
Mai's left arm falls hanging and bruised. She took a deep breath as she thought. 'My arm is completely broken. If that attack would've reached my head or body, I would have lost doing nothing. What's worse is now I have lost most of my techniques.' A voice rang through Mai's head. 'You are in a pickle, my dear granddaughter. More than half of the sparrow wind techniques come from the sheathed position.' Mai grunts disgruntled. 'I know that, master! What am I supposed to do about it?' The voice of Miyamoto rang louder. 'Do you want to win?' Mai nodded to herself. 'Of course I do. However, I won't let you steer the wheel this fight. I must beat her myself or I won't ever become stronger.' Miyamoto laughs wildly. 'I know, dear. You have my blood running through my veins. I would never steal your chance to grow. However, I shall pass down a technique to you if you're willing.' Mai's eyes widen. 'Why haven't you mentioned this technique before?' Miyamoto chuckles maliciously. 'This technique is self inflicting it sends your soul into overdrive. Pushing your body and senses far past the peak but...' Mai gets impatient. 'But what?' After a moment of silence, Miyamoto speaks up. 'It will put a strain on your life force and everyone's soul is different. The effect and power output may differ for every person.' Mai takes a deep breath. 'Lets do it, master!' Miyamoto chuckles. 'Repeat after me child.'
Nina takes a step toward Mai. "I have given you time to rethink bringing out the old man, but if you are just gonna sit there like a statue, I'll just attack."
Mai finally speaks up. "Soul Ragnarok!"
The air around the stadium shifts. Sable's eyes widen. "What did she just say?"
The clouds darken and thunder cracks in the sky. Ryan clinches his fist. "Where the hell did she learn Soul Ragnarok?"
Mai speaks again. "Soul release 01100010 break 01110010 break 01100101 01100001 break 01101011!"
Pink energy envelops Mai as the white of her eyes go black.
Nina smiles excitedly. "Are you a dual miracle user?"
Don looks at Sable. "What the hell did she do Sable?"
Sable, still shocked, laughs. "She just proved that this generation is full of monsters!"