Chereads / Progress Under the Sun / Chapter 9 - Trial by Ability: Continuation Part 3

Chapter 9 - Trial by Ability: Continuation Part 3

"Yes, he could become one of the eight, but he needs discipline for that time to come. Only then could he be capable of being seen on the level of the eight."

"Next is Emma versus Sofia."

Both walk up to each other and wait for the signal to start. Sofia looks confident, while her opponent, Emma, has a look of worry and doubt. She is uneasy and shaky. Sofia locks eyes with Emma and slowly walks over to her before saying, "There's no way you will win. Honestly, just give up now and save yourself from total embarrassment."

Emma looks even more worried, now frightened at the thought of embarrassment. She is doubting her power. Sofia then walks back across from Emma.

"Begin!"

Sofia dashes over to Emma and scrapes her face, causing her to bleed. She then kicks Emma in the gut, sending her flying across the arena. Sofia quickly follows and touches the blood on Emma's face before delivering another kick, which causes Emma to fall to the ground. With Emma's blood on her hand, Sofia scrapes her own arm, causing it to bleed. She touches the blood on her arm, mixing it with Emma's blood, and it turns a very dark shade of gray. Suddenly, Emma begins to feel extremely disoriented and nauseous. She falls to the ground, coughing up blood.

Sofia walks up to Emma and kicks her repeatedly, each time forcing more blood from Emma's mouth. But Emma gets up, stands tall, and rushes toward Sofia, landing a blow on her. They begin trading hits back and forth, neither backing down. Sofia then punches Emma in the jaw, making her stagger. She kicks Emma again, picks her up, and prepares to end the fight with one final punch to the gut. But her fist stops just before making contact. 

"What? Why can't I hit her??" Sofia exclaims.

A barrier of wind appears around Emma, lifting her into the air as all her wounds heal—except for the first cut on her face. She then drops back to the ground, standing firm.

"How did you...?" Sofia stammers. "It doesn't matter. You can't win, even if you're back to full strength."

Both rush toward each other, trading blows again. It's clear who's winning—Sofia. Her attacks are stronger, but Emma somehow withstands them and manages to counter with some of her own. Sofia intensifies her attacks, each hit knocking Emma back heavily and causing deep wounds on her gut, left cheek, and right arm. Despite this, Emma continues to clash with Sofia.

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST GIVE UP ALREADY!?" Sofia shouts in frustration.

Emma punches Sofia hard enough to knock her back, causing Sofia to bleed from her right leg after being pushed into a wall.

"I can't lose... BECAUSE OF MY DESTINY!"

3 Years Ago...

"Emma, come over here."

"Marine is now 18, and she has a house with the help of her late boyfriend."

"Yes, Mother."

"Listen to me when I say this... One day, there will be someone you meet. That person will guide you to find what you desire most—Destiny and Love. These two things will come together to help you find your purpose. I know you might not understand everything now, but please remember to keep this in your mind forever."

"Yes—Yes, Mother, I will."

Present...

"Destiny?" Emma whispers to herself.

She charges toward the injured Sofia, launching a powerful blow to end the fight. However, Sofia catches Emma's final strike and begins punching her until she is unconscious. Sofia kicks her away and then assumes a fighting stance. Suddenly, the sky turns black, and the clouds disappear. Sofia's figure darkens as the battlefield turns black. She draws the darkness from the sky, forming a blade with it. She spawns above Emma and prepares to strike with the blade. But at the same moment, the entire area turns white. Soon, the sky and battlefield return to their original colors. Everyone is surprised and momentarily blinded by the white light. When it fades, the Pharaoh is standing in the arena, having caught Sofia's blade.

"That's enough, Sofia. The battle is over. Emma can no longer fight."

Emma is taken to the infirmary, and Sofia returns to the stands to watch the last fight.

"Now, the final fight: Amelia versus Sous."

Both walk up to each other, waiting for the general to begin the fight.

"Remember, this fight will determine what team you are on—Team 1 or Team 2."

"Squad One consists of Magnolia, Kibo, Valentina, Matthew, and Emma. Squad Two consists of Poison, Ren, Luna, Abraham, and Sofia."

"Begin!"

Both rush toward each other and begin clashing, exchanging attacks rapidly.

"For a girl, you can fight," Sous remarks.

"You say that like you're surprised. Never heard of a woman who can fight?"

"Obviously, but they all lose in the end..."

Sous lands a quick blow on Amelia, causing her to bleed slightly. He dashes toward her again, and they clash once more. Amelia then delivers a quick punch that knocks him back, creating a small cut that bleeds. They continue this pattern several more times, with Sous landing multiple hits that Amelia can't even see.

"You're faster, huh?" Amelia asks.

"Yeah, I guess so. If I were you, I'd focus more on surviving than on small talk."

Sous's attacks grow more powerful, leaving Amelia with several deep wounds. Sofia slows down, trying to read Sous's movements and find a pattern in his attacks. However, this strategy forces her to tank even more of his blows.

There it is! she thinks to herself. He attacks up once, goes left twice, and alternates between left, right, and up three times.

She begins dodging his attacks and countering. They start clashing again.

"How did you suddenly get faster?" Sous asks.

"You talk too much," Amelia replies.

They clash once more, both landing solid hits on each other. Their attacks grow faster and more powerful, neither giving up or letting down.

"This is taking too long. I didn't think I'd have to try..." Sous mutters.

Sous jumps into the air and creates a small combat knife out of the air pressure. The knife appears black due to his power. He then drops back down and rushes at Amelia with newfound speed. Unable to react, Amelia is pierced in the arm by the blade, causing her to drop to the ground. She pulls the blade out of her arm, bleeding heavily, and throws it at Sous. But Sous quickly catches the blade and throws it back, this time piercing Amelia's leg. He runs over, removes the blade, and does the same to her other leg before delivering a punch that knocks her out.

"Amelia can no longer fight. Sous is the winner."