"Okay, welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the fight you've all been waiting for!" Can this announcer shut up? All I wanted to focus on was defeating Jayla and unlocking my true potential, but this lady was acting like she was auditioning for a musical. "Final round! 3… 2… 1… Begin!" I swear, if she doesn't quiet down by the count of three...
The atmosphere shifted immediately. We both went all out from the start, and the entire arena was drenched in killing intent. It felt like a blade was pressed against my neck—I genuinely thought I might die. Jayla rushed at me, summoning a giant ice blade that nearly pierced my chest. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to move, but her killing intent was so overwhelming that I froze. All I could hear was a voice in my head telling me to dodge, but I couldn't seem to budge. Maybe this was karma for blowing off the referee all tournament. I barely dodged in time.
"I suggest you surrender," Jayla said, her voice cold. "I don't want you getting hurt. Quit now, and I'll spare you." I could tell she was just trying to get me to forfeit and let her take the prizes. Not a chance.
"Inferno Blast!"
With a burst of power, flames erupted everywhere, engulfing the area in fire.
"Do you really think fire can stop me? Especially such weak flames. Ha! Don't make me laugh. Glaciers, break through!" A shockwave of freezing ice extinguished my flames in an instant. "Ice Prism!"
The temperature dropped, and everything around me froze. At least I could move again. In the blink of an eye, the arena looked like a scene straight out of Ice Age. Jayla was formidable, no doubt. And not just in battle. Okay, maybe it was her behavior and everything about her, but that's beside the point. The entire audience was literally frozen in place as she walked toward me.
"Hey, if you ever want to beat someone, make sure you actually have the capability to do so," she taunted, turning to walk away. But I couldn't let it end like this.
Suddenly, everything went black. I heard two loud voices in my head, but I ignored them as I struggled to escape my predicament.
"Child, do you seek power? Let me give you the strength to destroy all your enemies," one voice whispered.
But the other voice interjected, "Wait, don't do that! I can help you win without going down such a dark and cruel path."
"I don't care. I'll take both of your powers," I declared. As I said this, blue and green flames erupted on either side of my body, melting the ice around us rapidly. Jayla turned around, but it was too late. I unleashed a technique straight at her.
"Blazing Breakthrough!"
I thought it was over. I thought I had won, but Jayla wasn't done yet. She had one more trick up her sleeve.
"Secret Technique: Black Ice Summon!"
Holy crap… I did not expect that. She was definitely holding back something serious. I knew I couldn't afford to hold back anymore. This was a life-or-death situation, and I had to give it everything I had. Let's just hope she goes down first.