I helped the swordsman to his feet, and we headed towards the stairs. Another match was ahead of us, and we shouldn't linger here.
"You deceived me; you knew that after that attack, I wouldn't be able to use magic," Algo confronted me.
"I knew, but it's your own fault. There's no point in relying on strength you haven't fully mastered," I replied.
"Well, if I believe your words, then this power isn't really mine, and I probably won't be able to use it anymore."
"I see, so you've decided to part ways with Liri? Poor girl, I feel sorry for her."
"What are you talking about? I'll never leave her!"
"Then there's nothing to worry about. Her mana will continue to accumulate in your sword, and sooner or later, you'll learn to use it," I assured him.
"Ho-hoo, looks like the battle was intense. Too bad I missed most of it," a familiar cheerful voice resounded from above. A girl with a long tail in a white coat stood one level above us.
"Vivi? What are you doing here? With your injuries, you should have stayed in the hospital until the next match!" I recognized the girl who had been taken from the arena not long ago with severe internal injuries.
"Um, you're not dead and came back to check how we're doing in the tournament?" Algo looked skeptical.
"WHO? DEAD? HERE?" The girl hopped energetically in the air, leaped a flight of stairs, and gently placed her elbow on the swordsman's head. "I was gone for just a couple of minutes, and you're already labeling me as dead?!"
"Vivi!?" Another familiar voice descended the stairs towards us. "Feris said that one unruly patient escaped from her ward as soon as she could stand!"
"But I'm fine now."
"I wouldn't be so sure. Your condition was very serious, and I'd advise you to return to your room," the familiar girl with a neat bob appeared from the balcony.
"But then, I'll miss all the excitement! I've already missed their fight!" Vivi pleaded for mercy.
"But you need rest and care."
"I'm okay," the girl opened her coat slightly, revealing her flat belly, which only twenty minutes ago had a terrible burn mark. "Rector treated me well; not a single scar remains. See for yourself."
She partially opened her coat, and indeed, her slightly tanned skin was flawless, without a single scratch. Although I distinctly saw a huge bruise on her side and a hand-shaped burn mark left by a "kind" inquisitor through her burnt armor.
"Such skills! I never knew Rector was such a great healer," I touched the girl's belly to make sure it wasn't an illusion, and it wasn't - her skin was indeed regenerating to its original state.
"Hmm," Miriam pushed me aside and closed her sister's coat, saying, "You should be ashamed of showing yourself like this in front of the guys."
The archer scolded her sister and headed upstairs.
"Grandpa is the best healer in the world, even though his combat magic isn't that strong," Feris followed her wild patient. "Okay, you can stay in bed, but I'll be nearby, just in case."
"And you can also help others who were not as badly injured in the battle," I encouraged the sorceress and turned to Algo. "So, how are you?"
"Wh-what?"
I deliberately lagged behind the girls halfway so they wouldn't hear our conversation.
"Well, did you see that?" I conspiratorially embraced my fellow warrior. "I thought sorceresses would have more feminine bodies, but fighters can look pretty good too."
"I didn't really pay attention," Algo denied, but his darting eyes and blushing ears betrayed the prankster in him.
"Such a flat stomach and not overly bulging muscles, don't they look great?"
"Well, yeah, I guess. Everything looks quite beautiful and nothing excessive," the guy's voice trembled as he struggled to squeeze out fragments of courage.
"Probably, Asura has the same slim body; it's just hidden beneath that armor."
"Yes, probably."
"And her skin is probably as white and pure as snow," I whispered temptingly into my friend's ear, and he blushed even more.
"Li-like snow?"
Unable to contain his excitement, Algo began to giggle foolishly.
"Sister, should we shoot them a couple of arrows for preventive measures?" Miriam sent a chilling glance at a couple of guys walking behind us.
"Haha, you overheard everything too?"
"Yeah, so what about preventing stupidity and deviant inclinations?"
"Well, let's not be hasty; they still have another round to fight."
"Oh, Miri, you're so cruel. You'll never find a guy like that," the words of the spearwoman clearly angered the twin.
"Besides, I showed them my body myself, and I don't mind. You could even consider it a compliment."
"You have strange ideas about compliments. But since you want it."
"By the way, since we're twins, his belly looks the same as mine, and you can consider this compliment for both of us," the girl raised her index finger with satisfaction.
"W-w-what?!" Miriam froze for a moment, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the guys and then burst into tears, running upstairs.
"What's wrong with her?"
"My poor little sister, she never heard compliments directed at her, especially concerning her feminine qualities."
We climbed to the balcony, and Miriam was already composed. She knew how to calm herself down best. Besides, the screen under the arena's dome displayed the names of the next contenders: Miriam Deterim and Alfred Van Grave. I feared this battle more than Vivien's. Despite Alfred's kindness towards everyone, I was sure he'd be merciless in the fight.
"Well, it's my turn," Miriam took her bow and, switching it to a short position, hid it behind her back.
"Be careful with him," I stopped the girl before she left. "Up close, he'll incinerate you with his magic, but I don't know if you'll be able to break through his defense from a distance."
"I thought you'd say something useful," Miriam sighed deeply and closed her eyes briefly. "Are there any secrets about my bow that I should know beforehand?"
"Well, not really."
"Is he going to start unexpectedly showering his enemy with magic during the fight?"
"Well, that would require much more magic than what he can absorb from an enemy, so I doubt it. One thing I can say for sure, he won't melt from Alfred's flames."
"Phew," the girl exhaled deeply, heading to the stairs. "Now I'm calm, whether I win or lose, it doesn't matter as long as I fight with my own strength."
"Well, here come the next contenders ready for battle," Vina was already so fired up that it was hard to stop her speeches. "The son of the Supreme Inquisitor, a powerful fire mage, renowned for his good looks among the ladies, Alfred Van Grave!!"
The temple knight, with a radiant smile, waved to the audience, and the excited screams of the girls almost deafened me. It's a shame that so many people only focus on external appearances.
"And Miriam Deterim, the best sniper in the combat arts course. And, by the way, one of the few who managed to defeat an elite imperial guard in a one-on-one battle. I see the tension is rising, and I won't delay the introduction. Who is stronger: bow and arrows or divine protection and fire magic?! Let the battle begin!"
The signal for the start of the fight sounded, but the fighters didn't move. Alfred raised his right hand with three fingers extended forward. Miriam prepared for an attack, but the temple knight had no intention of attacking. Instead, he touched his left shoulder, then his right, his forehead, and his waist. Demonstratively crossing himself before the battle, the mage gazed at the archer with a self-satisfied smirk. Meanwhile, Miriam was searching for weak points in the mage's defense. Switching her bow to a medium position, the archer released an arrow aimed at the center of the opponent's chest. Alfred had no intention of dodging; the arrow deviated just half a meter before reaching its target and buried itself in the ground to the side of the mage.
"Maybe you'll surrender right away and not waste my time?" The temple knight's sympathetic look couldn't shake the warrior's confidence.
"Don't worry; I just wanted to test if you really are protected by a magic barrier. The real battle starts now." Miriam compacted her bow to the minimum position and circled Alfred. The mage stood in place, only keeping an eye on his opponent's movements. He was confident in his defense; such attacks were less than mosquito bites for him.
The moment Alfred blinked, the archer, with lightning speed, drew three arrows and sent them flying toward him. However, this had no effect on his defense; the arrows formed an even line before the wizard.
"I'm getting tired of all this." Alfred turned his gilded staff to the side, and a stream of flames erupted from its tip.
The girl leaped upward, and the fire passed by harmlessly. In mid-air, Miriam drew another arrow and shot it at the enemy. The arrow got a bit closer to Alfred's body but still missed the mark. It seemed the defensive barrier weakened during the spell casting, but it remained impenetrable.
Performing a somersault, the girl landed in the same spot and noticed a dozen fireballs heading towards her. With a series of rolls, she changed their trajectory, causing the fireballs to collide with the ground where she stood a split second ago. The last one exploded quite close to the girl, sending her flying to the side.
"Well, here you go, exposing yourself to attacks for nothing. Shall we finish?" Alfred pretended to be concerned about Miriam's well-being, but his sarcasm was poorly concealed.
"Don't worry, I'm just getting warmed up," the girl playfully smiled and switched her bow to the medium position. Stepping back ten meters, Miriam took a deep breath, preparing for an attack. She drew two arrows and sent them flying at the enemy. Just as the arrows bounced off the barrier, the mage responded with a powerful fireball. Miriam leaped high into the air, soaring over the flames, and released two more arrows mid-flight. As she landed, she shot three more arrows. Two of them collided with the barrier, while the third went about half a meter past Alfred and flew far behind him. The mage gathered another spell and aimed it at the girl. She slipped under the fireball while lying on her back and fired two arrows at him. Alfred watched the arrows' trajectory and saw them reflect twice off the dome before heading straight towards him. He turned around and realized that the arrow that missed earlier had also bounced off the barrier and was returning to him.
"It's all useless!" The mage raised his left hand and conjured a huge fireball above his head, while he moved his right hand with the staff backwards. The two arrows from above melted in the raging flames, and the mage hurled the fire toward the archer. While the mage was momentarily distracted by the arrows, Miriam closed in to three meters away and fired an arrow straight at him. But it didn't reach its target: "I knew you would try to attack. I've already told you, my defense is impenetrable!"
The mage quickly conjured a small fireball and threw it in front of him. The explosion threw the girl backward with force, but it had no effect on the mage.
"I wouldn't be so confident in your place!" The girl rose to her knees, looking at the staff with a satisfied smile. A projectile lodged in the lower part of the staff; the shield couldn't fully protect Alfred, and he had to manually deflect the third attack. "At least now I know that your defense isn't impenetrable!"
"It's all about concentration. You can try again, but you won't succeed!" Alfred struck the staff against the ground, and the wall of fire spread away from him. As the wall disappeared, the tension in the air around Alfred intensified, and the ground even cracked slightly from the pressure of the defensive barrier.
"Keep trying until it works!" Miriam had plenty of arrows left, and in this state, Alfred clearly couldn't attack. She adjusted her bow to the maximum position and began the barrage. To increase the arrows' power, she released them one by one in different directions. The arrows ricocheted off the crystalline barrier, returning to the center of the arena where Alfred stood, but they were repelled by the barrier, which grew even larger, preventing them from approaching closer than two meters.
"It seems Miriam won't win this battle," I watched the fight from the balcony. A few times, arrows flew straight towards us, but they were successfully reflected back.
"She will fight to the end, and I'm sure she'll come up with something," replied my companion.
"Yes, but her supply of arrows isn't endless."
"That's true, but she has one as a reserve, with striking power far greater than the others. If she has no choice left, she'll break through any defense."
Miriam silently gazed at the mage; the entire arena around him was covered with arrows, but there wasn't a scratch on him.
"So, are you surrendering now?" Alfred kindly extended his hand to his opponent.
"If I miss with my final attack, then I'll surrender," Miriam was exhausted, but she still retrieved her last arrow from the quiver. It was longer than the other arrows, with its tip and feathers spiraled for stability, and the reddish hue of the metal indicated its adamantine origin. The weight and striking force of this arrow were supposed to be greater than any other. Perhaps she could break through the barrier if Alfred was worn out enough from the previous attacks.
Miriam took a deep breath and aimed at the center of the mage's chest. Even if she hit him, healers could fix him, and it was her only chance to take him down with a single blow.
She pulled the bowstring to the maximum and released the arrow. With a piercing whistle, raising clouds of dust, the arrow hurtled toward the mage's chest. But just before impact, Alfred made a single movement, and a loud clang echoed through the Colosseum. When the dust around the mage settled, the audience saw that the arrow had pierced the staff, which he had cleverly placed in its path, but it still hadn't reached its target.
"You've lost," the temple knight glanced towards the archer, but she wasn't there anymore.
The girl took advantage of the dust clouds raised by her final shot and vanished from sight. Grabbing two arrows lying behind the mage on the ground, she leaped out of the cloud and fired at her opponent from close range.
"Well, why do you underestimate me?" Alfred was prepared for the attack; he swiftly turned the staff in his hand and struck the base of the girl's stomach with it. "Flash!"
A thin stream of flames burst forth from the staff and hit Miriam directly. Flying a couple of meters, she collapsed to the ground.
"Now it's definitely over," Alfred adjusted his hair and headed towards the exit. Miriam struggled to get back on her feet, and she left the arena much later than her opponent.
The first half of the day was over.