Tara brushes the dust off herself, the colors of her velvet dress shimmering under the dim light. "I don't need to hear an excuse. I don't mind letting her live, but she needs to be disqualified." 'I wont let a potential threat stay in the competition.'
Before anyone can react, Tara's hand lunges forward like a striking snake, her jade bracelet glowing a deep red as blood is splattered on it. Her fingers pierce into Quinn's abdomen, causing her to cough up blood.
Grinning through the pain, Quinn extends her middle fingers toward Tara and Lysandra. "I'll beat both of your asses next time we meet." With that declaration, a teleportation rune activates, whisking Quinn out of the ruin and to a medical facility, in line with the competition's life-saving mechanisms.
Lysandra simply maintains an expression that screams, "I don't give a fuck." She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a small bag of exotic snacks, and starts munching on them with supreme indifference.
V nods and turns around, "Alright, I don't plan to intervene, so have your fun with the rest of them." 'it's already been around 24 hours, two days left. They should stop fighting soon. Walking back to his dining setup, he beckons for Lysandra to follow.
-
The magical ruins, still buzzing with the recent confrontations, shift focus to another clash. Cassia's eyes narrow as Elina hurls an energy bolt in her direction. With a simple flick of her wrist, Cassia conjures a stream of fire that swallows Elina's attack whole, disintegrating it in mid-air.
"Why, why are you all so annoying?" Cassia grumbles, her arms crossed in annoyance. 'All I want to do is see what that smell is! Why are you all bothering me!?'
Sylvie, standing by Lyra, tilts her head and offers a lopsided smile. "Well... this is a competition. You interrupted our fight with another team, claiming you'd beat us up. What did you expect?" 'Is she okay in the head? She blasted us with fire and has the guts to ask me why I'm after her?'
Cassia responds with an indignant "hmph" and puffs her cheeks in defiance. 't-that was an accident. How can you all get mad over a simple mistake?' Maeve reaches up to tug on Cassia's ear.
"This is why we can't leave you alone. You're always causing problems," Maeve chides, although her tone suggests more exasperation than anger.
Lyra steps forward, her staff in hand. Her expression turns into an eerily sweet smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "You're a pathetic insect who should die. You're worthless, the sight of you is burning my eyes. Why don't you do us a favor and kill yourselves."
The air grows tense, and for a moment, even Cassia seems taken aback. Sylvie quickly grabs Lyra by the shoulders, shaking her head.
"Lyra, why are you like this? We talked about your language," she admonishes, her own eyes narrowing as if questioning her partner's sanity.
Annoyed beyond reason, Cassia hurls a fireball toward Lyra and Sylvie. It's a quick, furious response, lacking her usual finesse with flames. Sylvie, reacting just as swiftly, raises her hand. The ground in front of them trembles before a thick wall of earth emerges, swallowing the fireball and dissipating its heat.
Sylvie sighs, looking at Cassia. "You know, your lack of self-control will end you. Always so quick to flare up."
Cassia clenches her fists, glaring at Sylvie. "Oh, please. As if could end me. Hahaha, don't tell me, you think you can beat me?"
The tension in the air ignites like a spark to kindling, its heat mirroring the burgeoning flames that flicker in Cassia's eyes. On the opposite end, Sylvie clenches her fist, and the ground rumbles as if in response to her silent command.
"Cassia, don't—"
Before Maeve can finish her caution, Cassia launches a fireball with her palm outstretched, a blistering sphere that screams across the battleground. The attack is simple but fast.
Sylvie smiles almost ruefully and thrusts her hand toward the earth. A wall of stone shoots up from the ground, intercepting the fireball. Cassia watches as her attack sizzles into steam, absorbed by Sylvie's stonework.
"My turn," Sylvie mutters.
With a swing of her arm, shards of jagged rock break off from the wall and hurtle toward Cassia like speeding bullets. Cassia dodges with a roll to the side, grinning.
"Nice try."
Cassia swings her arm in an arc, summoning a whip made of fire. It cuts through the air with a scorching hiss, aiming for Sylvie. With a flick of her wrist, Sylvie creates an earth-based shield that absorbs the flaming lash, which fizzles out upon contact.
"You'll have to do better," Sylvie taunts, shattering her shield into a spray of pebbles that she sends hurtling toward Cassia.
With a sweep of her arm, Cassia sends a gust of hot air to blow the pebbles away, her eyes glowing with the thrill of the fight. She takes a deep breath and then exhales, sending a torrent of fire streaming towards Sylvie, not as a mere fireball this time but as a fiery dragon.
Sylvie's eyes widen momentarily. The image of the dragon is almost lifelike, roaring and snapping its fiery jaws. With a sharp intake of breath, she stomps her foot on the ground. The earth rises, transforming into a golem that intercepts the dragon, wrestling it into submission until both constructs crumble into elemental particles.
"Let's end this!" Sylvie yells.
She raises both arms, and the earth quakes beneath her. Dirt in the form of vines burst from the ground, thick and coiled like pythons, seeking Cassia.
Realizing the vines aim to constrict her, Cassia's eyes flare. "Enough games!"
She clasps her hands together, generating a radiant sphere of fire between them. With a mighty laugh, she releases the sphere skyward. It explodes into a shower of ember-like stars, which rain down like a meteor shower, incinerating the vines before they can reach her.
Both women are breathing hard now, the intensity of their fight evident in their scowls and clenched fists. Maeve and Lyra scramble around the periphery, administering potions and incantations to keep their respective fighters healed and energized. Cassia feels a surge of strength as Maeve throws her a vial, which she catches and downs in one gulp. Across the field, Sylvie's skin glows momentarily as Lyra murmurs a healing chant.
Cassia laughs, winded but excited. "You're stronger than you look, Earth Girl." 'tsk, why is earth magic so resistant to fire?'
Sylvie smiles back, equally exhilarated. "So are you, Firestarter. But this isn't over." '
And both knew, as they locked eyes and steadied their breaths, that the real fight was just beginning.
Sylvie steadies her stance, sensing the vibrations of the earth beneath her. Cassia, on the other end, raises her palm where a large magic circle. She grins menacingly as she summons a fireball over it.
"I hope you're ready," Cassia says, her voice tinged with glee. 'Hahaha, this is what you get for starting a fight with me.'
The fireball begins to grow, expanding with each additional layer of flame Cassia feeds into it, making it larger and more volatile. Her eyes reflect the swirling blaze, a chaotic dance of heat and light.
Meanwhile, Sylvie narrows her focus. Her hands move in swift, precise motions as she draws from the earth, forming an arrow out of dirt and rock. She channels her mana into the makeshift projectile, reinforcing its form until it's as solid as iron and thrumming with energy.
"Hmhmhm, this is fun~ way more fun than that other girl," Sylvie mutters under her breath.
Cassia's fireball has reached the size of a basketball now, its heat radiating across the battlefield, and it's clear she intends to launch it. Maeve tenses, ready to throw another vial, while Lyra's fingers dance along her staff, murmuring incantations to prepare for what might be a decisive blow.
Just as Cassia is about to unleash her fiery doom, a flash of color disrupts the standoff. Tara appears beside her, her jade bracelet glowing.
"Tara? What are you—?" Cassia starts, puzzled but not displeased.
Without missing a beat, Cassia mischievously sticks her tongue out at Sylvie. "Looks like I've got some other business to attend to. I'll leave this to you~ Have fun~" she says to Tara, then without waiting for an answer, she turns on her heel and departs, leaving her newly-arrived ally to face Sylvie. 'Hmmmm~ Hehehe, now I can finally find out what that smell was.'
Tara raises an eyebrow but says nothing. She looks at Sylvie, sizing her up with a flicker of interest.
Sylvie sighs, somewhat disappointed but still cautious. She dispels the earth arrow, allowing it to crumble back into the ground. "I guess our duel will have to wait."
"Do you always let your enemies walk away?" Tara asks, a challenge ringing in her voice.
-
Calder laughs heartily at Elina's jab, his crimson mane catching the light as he swings his sword once more. "Slow? Heh, you might just make me try, then!"
Elina's eyes narrow, her footwork carrying her away from the arc of Calder's blade just in time. She glides back a few steps, positioning herself with care. "All talk and no action, big guy. But don't think I'm just going to stand here." 'What's his deal? despite him being slower he seems way too calm.'
Glimmer Veil, her magical tool, suddenly bursts into a luminescent shimmer, leaving after-images of her as she moves, making it increasingly difficult for Calder to predict her exact location.
Calder grins, unfazed. "Nice trick. But let's up the ante, shall we?" With a flex of his arm, the tattoo of the flame on his forearm glows brighter. He slashes the air, sending a wave of heat and flame roaring toward Elina.
Quickly, Elina mutters an incantation, activating the threads in her armor to create a translucent magical shield. Calder's fire wave crashes into it and dissipates into harmless smoke.
Elina smirks. "Not bad, but it'll take more than that to burn me."
"Who said anything about burning?" Calder retorts. He thrusts his sword forward, not aiming at Elina but at the shield itself.
Before she can react, the sword pierces through, disrupting her shield momentarily. Taking advantage of the brief opening, Calder lunges, aiming a quick slice at her.
'Here's my chance,' Elina thinks, sidestepping the sword and twirling gracefully, her glowing threads writing arcane sentences in the air. With a swift motion, she aims a focused blast of energy straight at Calder.
"Ha!" Calder laughs, raising his sword to meet her blast. For a moment, energy and steel clash, producing a cacophony of light and sound. Calder grins through the effort, pushing back her energy and dispersing it into the air. "You'll have to do better than that!"
Calder's arms tighten around the hilt of his sword. For a moment, both fighters lock eyes, the tension in the air palpable. In that brief pause, they realize they're evenly matched, each a formidable obstacle for the other to overcome.
Elina's eyes flash. 'This is getting nowhere. I need to finish this fast.' She pops another bubble of gum, winking at Calder. "Ready for Round Two?"
Calder's eyes narrow, but he grins nonetheless. "Born ready."
Simultaneously, both students break into a flurry of action. Calder swings his sword in wide arcs, each movement sending not just one, but multiple fire waves in quick succession. Elina dances among them, her form blurring, leaving multiple after-images as she casts her evasion magic.
'Now!' Elina thinks, spying a brief opening. She launches a bolt of energy, interweaving it with her after-images, making it difficult to predict the bolt's real trajectory.
Calder catches on a split second too late. The bolt strikes him square in the shoulder, sending him staggering back. Gritting his teeth, he clutches the point of impact, then laughs.
"You and your damn tricks, that won't work again."
Calder steadies himself, his tattoo now glowing like a forge. Elina senses a surge in his magical energy, realizing she may have just poked the bear.
"Your turn," Calder growls, lunging forward at a speed that belies his size, his sword ablaze with fire hotter than before.
Elina barely manages to activate her shield in time, the sword clashing against it with a shower of sparks. She can feel the shield weakening under the ferocious heat, the arcane threads of her armor straining to keep the magic intact.