The instructor was about to start the match.
"Sir, I am not sure I can fight a girl. I like my mom is the most important person in my life. So I don't think it would be right."
Hezar was stunned. So far, Rainer had only shown ruthlessness in his matches, rarely allowing his opponents to last more than a few moves. Saying he couldn't fight because of his mom. For the elves, gender differences for fighters only mattered when they were first training. Once an elf mastered mana manipulation, they could use it to strengthen their body to fight. Innate strength had very little to do with it at that point. Rosalinda was looking forward to this fight, her grandfather was the leader of a martial arts sect, and she had been training since she could walk.
"You don't see me as your opponent because I am a girl."
Rosalinda was furious she was a very talented fighter. Her family hailed her a genius for sensing mana at three years old. She was already practicing her family techniques for harnessing it within her body. She didn't see anyone as her opponent. So, when she saw Rainer defeating every opponent instantly, her blood boiled for a fight. Feeling mocked, she charged Rainer.
"Let me show you how mistaken you are."
Hezar quickly jumped off the stage to the observer's seat. Rosalinda was flexible and swift, utilizing every body surface as a weapon to strike at Rainer. They were in a lethal dance, every strike meant to take down her opponent, and Rainer was evading the best he could.
"All you do is run. Where is your pride as a fighter? Do you still not see me as your opponent?"
Rainer was sweating. This, in reality, is the most challenging match of the day. He was putting his all into dodging. Unless he were willing to take a hit, he wouldn't have been able to strike back anyway.
"Please don't misunderstand me. It's not that I don't acknowledge your skill. However, I don't feel comfortable striking a woman."
Rosalinda was not in the mood to hear it. She was in a combat rage, and any words from Rainer only fueled her inner fire. She started to gather mana into her body to enhance her speed and strength. Rosalinda jumped back to further focus on concentrating mana in her leg.
"Comfortable or not, if someone strikes for your life, it won't matter to a corpse."
Rainer could sense something was off. The mana was converging on the girl. Hezar noticed it; he knew he had to step in and stop this fight, or Rainer might die.
'This girl to master mana body to this extent at her age is remarkable. No matter how good a fighter he is, taking that hit is out of the question.'
Hezar was just a second too late to act. His curiosity delayed his response. Rosalinda was much closer to her opponent than he was to the fight. He didn't know that it would get to this level. Rainer felt immense danger.
'What the fuck did she do? Her speed is off the charts. If I get hit by that, I don't want to experience diapers for the third time. It looks like she is boosting her physical abilities with mana, I am not sure how it works, but maybe I can use a spell to help cushion the blow.'
Rainer gathered all the mana he could and cast a spell, speaking almost incomprehensibly.
"Ice Shield."
Ice and water quickly formed into a small light shield. When Rainer created this spell, he envisioned a car crunching on impact. Air pockets were in between scaley ice to absorb the shock. Rosalinda's fist made contact with the outer layer, heavily reducing the force of her punch. However, it was still enough to send Rainer off the stage. After connecting with Rainer, Rosalinda returned to her sense and was horrified. She had lost control and might have killed him.
'What have I done? This was supposed to be a friendly spar.'
She was about to rush off the stage to check on Rainer when Hezar stopped her, misunderstanding her intentions. She had yet to release her mana body. She screamed at him.
"What are you doing? He could be hurt. What have I done?"
Hezar was glad for the misunderstanding, but he was also stunned. The small ice shield might have been too small for Rosalinda to notice but not him. He also could tell Rainer would be nursing some bruises, but otherwise, he was okay. He grabbed Rosalinda and sternly spoke.
"He is fine. Calm down. Your mana body is still active. I wasn't sure what your intentions were."
Rosalinda was still in a panic.
"How could he be okay? I hit him full force with that kick without a mana body. He had to be injured."
Hezar thought to himself.
'A mana body and a mage, this batch of students will be interesting.'
Hezar raised his voice a bit.
"I SAID HE IS FINE. I wouldn't be this gentle with you if he weren't, do you understand? Now since this is your fault, help him to the healers."
Rosalinda heard him but didn't understand how it was possible. Either way she went over to Rainer and helped him up, letting him lean on her to get him to the healers.