Fred sat down next to Lia as she began to softly stroke Lacey's head. Her hand was wet with blood, but neither of them seemed to care.
Fred was unphased by the public display of affection. "So, you two defeated Kiraen and Ruinia then?"
Lia nodded. "Mhmm." Lia's mood had improved greatly since she killed Ruinia.
Fred felt kind of awkward. Lia wasn't making for a very good conversationalist. He decided to get straight to the point. "I've only done minimal experiments with Black Magic, but it sounds like you have extensive experience with it. Any tips for a newcomer?"
Lia chuckled. "Well, You're leagues above everyone else if you're asking me. Black magic has plenty of uses. I used it to heal Lacey. The magic is only evil if someone uses it for such actions." She paused. "That aside, I recommend doing small control tests. It can be a very...volatile mana type. They tend to want to destroy."
Fred's eyes widened. "You..you healed her with it?"
Lia nodded. "Mhmm. It was very touch-and-go overall, but it worked out in the end."
Fred whistled. "Damn, you must be some insane genius-level talent."
Lia only chuckled, but Lacey spoke up. Her voice was full of contentment. "She is."
Fred was about to speak again but he frowned. "Guess the entertainment arrived."
"Fred!!! I know you're around here, come out and face me you fucking snake!" A female voice resounded through the area as she emerged from the treeline. She had on a blue dress that was accented with yellow. It looked to have been modified for combat. Her hair was short and black.
Fred held his hands up as he walked forward. "Alright, alright. You caught me. I guess you're really mad I eliminated your brother."
The woman roared in response. "I, Lisa Honra, will avenge him right here!"
Lia sat on the sidelines watching. She chuckled at the lady's roar. "Watch closely, Lacey."
The woman drew the large sword on her back and launched towards Fred. He motionlessly put a mana barrier up. The sword sliced right through it as the woman smirked.
The sword impacted Fred's body, and she swung him around, flinging him into a tree. Lacey's eyes took on a perplexed look.
Lia pat her head as she answered a question Lacey had yet to ask. "He coated himself in a layer of Arcane mana. It acts as make-shift armor and prevents him from getting cut in half."
Lacey let out an "Ohhh" sound as if she had just understood some great truth.
Fred wobbled to his feet and began dusting himself off. "Honestly Lisa...coating the sword with wind magic to effortlessly cut the barrier." He shook his head.
Lisa seemed to get even angrier. Lightning started to crackle around her, and her body itself began emitting sparks of electricity. She moved much faster than Fred could react.
Her body surged forward and slammed into his, shoulder first. He was pinned up against a thick tree. Lia watched as it swayed with the force Lisa hit him with. She wondered if it would fall.
Fred coughed up a mouthful of blood. He wasn't sure how, but he had felt that hit pretty hard. He was beginning to recover when Lisa dropped her sword. Fred was pinned against the tree and Lisa started to mercilessly pummel him with her fists.
Lacey whistled. "He's getting his ass beat." Lia only nodded in response.
Her attacks were furious, and most of them were landing against Fred's body and face. He was starting to become bruised. No doubt he had experienced multiple bone fractures and breaks. His mana armor was blocking most of the momentum, but she still hit him with a lot of force.
After 30 seconds of Fred getting whaled on, there was a propulsion of wind that threw Lisa away. She flipped in the air and landed on her feet, sliding back.
Fred's appearance was a sorry one. He had a black eye, a broken jaw, and was covered in bruises. He spit out a couple of teeth alongside some blood. "Alright. You're VERY angry, I get it."
Lisa didn't respond, but she looked much more worn out than she should have been. Lia mused to Saro. 'I wonder...is she infusing Lightning mana into her body?'
Saro mentally nodded. 'That is the case, although her body can't handle it. She's going to have a heart attack if she keeps it up.'
Saro possessed the skill: All Seeing Eyes, which had recently granted her the ability to see mana flow. (Of course, she can view things through Darkova's eyes whenever she wishes, so she doesn't need to take over the body every time.)
Lisa dashed forward. She could instinctively feel she was reaching her limit. Her sword had been discarded at this point, and she wanted to eliminate him as quickly as possible.
She jumped and expertly performed a spinning kick. It connected with a mana barrier and effortlessly shattered it. Lisa's leg connected with the side of Fred's head and sent him flipping through the air.
He landed harshly on the ground and let out a loud groan. Lisa was on top of him before he could even react. She straddled his torso and began another round of beatings.
She pummeled him until his face was nearly unrecognizable. Saro narrowed her eyes before exclaiming in shock. 'What the. What the hell is this guy doing?! He's infused his entire body with a massive amount of healing magic and is just taking these beatings!'
Lia's eyes widened as she spoke out loud. "What the hell?!"
Lisa continued to beat him. Her mind began to rapidly spiral. 'Why won't he die?! He's not dying! Why?! I have to keep hitting him. He's going to die soon! He has to!'
Fred continued to take the beating. Truly, he was unable to do much more than that. He could propel her off of him, but that would just draw the fight out. The more energy she spent, the quicker she would die.
After a full minute of Fred getting mercilessly beaten, Lisa's body gave out and she had a heart attack on the spot.
Fred lay there for a few minutes. His body ached everywhere, and he was sure he'd never walk again. His rough landing had broken his leg. The healing magic began to take effect, and after a full minute of him laying there motionless, he started to stand. When he finally did stand, he walked with a limp, but outwardly, he was as good as new.
He approached and roughly sat down next to Lia. Her voice was full of shock when she spoke. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Fred looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Lia let out an exasperated sigh. "You just took that beating? Wasn't there anything you could have done? Infusing your body with healing magic to endure a beating is insane."
Fred chuckled. "I'm not that good at fighting. I have a lot of...technical spells and support-type stuff. Neutral is my highest aptitude, so I just use that to survive fights."
Lia looked at him like he was a moron. "You..you just take beatings and somehow come out alive? You're fucking insane."
Fred shrugged. It was all he could do. The three of them sat there until the final announcement came.
*ATTENTION. THE TOURNAMENT ELIMINATION IS NOW COMPLEGE. YOUR MIRRORS WILL NOW DISPLAY YOUR RANK. AFTER BEING TRANSPORTED OUT, A GUIDE WILL LEAD YOU TO YOUR DESIGNATED LOCATION. CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO REMAINS.**