Gromgilda grabbed May by the neck, her wild golden gaze penetrating the girl's soul, threatening her with its intensity.
She pushed May with her feet to the other end of the arena. At any moment she could surrender, but the girl proved to be stubborn as a camel.
Even fists couldn't change the teenage nature of this girl, who only aspired to one thing - to see blood on Gromgilda's face.
May jumped from side to side, experiencing wild joy. She had seen the strength of Countess Barl and finally understood it. Not everyone could stand still in the face of this girl's spiritual onslaught.
Gromgilda wiped her face with her hand. The girls could continue the fight, and the spectators cheered with delight, shouting like beasts.
Other teenagers awaited their turn and eagerly watched as these two almost fought on equal terms.
— Did you notice too? — Harold asked, turning to White.
White's hands rose, clasping them under his chest, listening to the words. He truly understood Harold, seeing the whole battle with his own eyes. His gaze tried to catch every moment, every movement in this confrontation.
— Yes, they fight by borrowing strength from spirits. Do you know what her avatar is? — White asked, not taking his eyes off the arena.
— Baboon of Fire Mountain, an avatar of the elemental fire, — Harold answered sharply.
White looked at Harold in astonishment. Approaching closer, he took the boy by the shoulders and began to shake him vigorously.
— How can that be? This is a legendary elemental. Taming the fury of fire is difficult, — White shouted in Harold's face.
Harold awkwardly scratched his cheek with his index finger, making a clownish face and looking at him with a joking gaze.
— Well, yes, we're from the Barl family. What are you surprised about? — Harold replied.
And indeed, she had the blood of worthy counts. Even in the future, she could have tamed the power of the baboon and advanced even further. But Harold didn't want to remember those wild scenes, like watching his older sister die before his eyes. He even slightly pushed White away, twisting his face.
— Exactly! — White grabbed his head, embarrassed by his outburst.
The eyes of the two girls in the arena merged with two colors, as if whirlwinds of fire and greenery, reflecting off the spotlights in the battle. Gromgilda's eyes, filled with wild fury, shone with golden light, expressing her insane strength and determination.
At the same time, May's eyes emitted a greenish glow, like the fire of life and defiance, ready to confront any threat.
These two opposing eye colors, blended in one battle, created a stunning dynamic and tension, causing the audience to hold their breath and not take their eyes off the arena.
The arena was filled with the fierce clash, where every movement, every strike, filled with rage, reflected the inner strength and character of each of the girls.
Gromgilda, with her strong and flexible mid-bando style, sought to control the fight, blocking May's attacks with her unwavering stance. Every blow May struck to the face was blocked by her hand; she grabbed the girl's hands with her fingers, avoiding the attack.
Her movements were precise and efficient, aimed at weakening the opponent.
May, on the other hand, displayed tireless energy and aggression, darting from side to side of the arena, seeking to find a vulnerable spot in Gromgilda's defense and achieve her goal.
The sounds of blows and the din of battle filled the arena, and the spectators in the stands watched with fascination as this wild struggle unfolded. Time and again, flashes of green and golden light would illuminate, reflecting off the girls' eyes, who melded into one in the heat of battle and rivalry.
— Did you see that?! This is an incredible clash between two count's children, this is strength, this is unwavering will! — Kyra, the commentator, couldn't contain her excitement, watching this battle. She looked in amazement at the young warriors, the future students of the academies.
"I can't compare to her, she's really strong even at such a young age," Harold thought, watching this battle with pleasure. He admired his sister, knowing every move, every strike she would make.
Something incredible was happening between May and Gromgilda, every move they made was like an elegant move on a chessboard, strategically calculated and swiftly executed.
May, feeling the beastly rage within her, leaped into the attack, striking with piercing energy and animal instinct.
Her blows were like lightning, fast and powerful, seeking to break through the opponent's defense. She aimed to find a vulnerable spot in Gromgilda's defense to deliver a serious blow.
Gromgilda let a couple of hits to her abdomen and legs slip through, she got distracted by her footing. This allowed a lower fist blow to hit her.
— Argh! — she grabbed her shoulder, suppressing a cry.
Gromgilda, deflecting May's attacks with unwavering calm, moved with the confidence and agility of a predator.
Her defensive movements were precise and flawless, each of May's blows was blocked effortlessly through borrowed strength mode. She remained vigilant and constantly assessed the situation, preparing for a counterattack.
May and Gromgilda's gazes intertwined for a moment, like two swords clashing in the fire of battle.
May finally transitioned to a new phase, perfecting herself.
Several phases of using one's avatar were available to Silver Class. Borrowing strength - tempering - avatar magic, these were just some of the stages that could be recreated on the silver soul. Borrowing strength allowed only a fraction of spiritual mastery to be taken, increasing strength several times over.
And for such a stage, a person's body needed to be prepared both spiritually and physically. A body without training could be torn apart, after which the person, along with the avatar's soul, dies. Only once every hundred years can that oldest soul be reborn, taking on the primary shell.
Tempering - the ability to reproduce parts of the body into the avatar's structure. That is, making the skin stronger, recreating armor, parts of the avatar's body, using partial skills of the spirit or your avatar. Common spirit cult skills are skills that any magic energy wielder can learn.
Avatar skills - borrowing personal skills from a spiritual entity, master, beast, and so on. Avatar magic is a special magical power that you can learn by entering the arena of your soul, fighting with your spirit.
If you strike once, the spirit teaches personal magic that you can learn through every three awakenings, whether it's silver class or copper. Spirits have different requirements that allow you to gain their skills.
Example: Copper third awakening, silver zero awakening.
Or gather a certain number of plants, become stronger in terms of running every day, engage in sports. Also included are killings or more severe consumption of beasts or other creatures.
Green scales grew on May's shoulders before her eyes. She ran up to Gromgilda, swinging her fist.
Bam!
A heavy fist blow landed on Gromgilda's cheek, she flew backward, stopping herself, hands grasping the ground in a cat-like pose.
— How do you like the lizard's strike? — May stuck out her long tongue, bulging her eyes with pleasure.
The people in the stands couldn't help but cheer. It was a very exciting battle, and people continued to watch every move.
Gromgilda remained silent as she slowly rose from the ground, muttering something under her breath. She wanted to end this fight as soon as possible; she absolutely hated fighting this girl.
She glared menacingly at May, her eyes beginning to spark with lightning, physically emitting the wild chirping of thousands of chittering birds.
At that moment, time seemed to slow down, every action, every breath seemed to take on a profound meaning.
The tension in the arena reached its peak, and the people in the stands sat on the edge of their seats, holding their breath, waiting for the next turn of events.
Despite her reluctance to continue this fight, Gromgilda prepared for the final blow. She gathered all her magical strength, ready to unleash it at the moment of truth.
Her hands filled with energy, waiting for the right moment to strike. May, focusing on her goal and feeling the inner strength within her, stood directly in front of Gromgilda, ready for the next step. Her mind was clear, her heart beat rhythmically; she was ready to fight to the end.
"Three... two... one," Harold counted in his head. He made his fingers into a pistol shape, hiding them near his groin. At that moment, he very slowly pretended to shoot from a revolver.
— Bam, — Harold whispered through his teeth.
*Shoo!*
The yellow energy that surrounded Gromgilda vanished. A powerful electric current struck May, erupting like a yellow column of lightning. She convulsed in different directions from the massive flow of energy; she couldn't even speak, falling to the ground in convulsions.
Yes, May remained alive. The main thing was that victory was with Gromgilda Barl. She stood in the middle of the arena, bleeding, in complete silence.
The stadium fell silent for a moment, then wild cheers filled the arena, everyone shouting the girl's surname.
— Barl! Barl! Barl! Barl!
The commentator stepped onto the field. He silently took the girl's hand and raised her up.
— Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you in the public eye, Gromgilda Barl, and now let's see who will choose the next participant to their academy?! — Kayra shouted, looking at all the cheering spectators of this battle.
The magical spotlights directed to the highest places showed the five masters of the largest martial arts academies. All the directors raised their hands, seeing the potential in this girl. Literally, everyone raised their hands, watching from the highest places.
There were only 5 World Martial Arts Academies, they are called the "Society of M.A.I." The strongest people from all corners of the world are trained there to come out into the light, protecting the world from hordes of giant monsters.
Hopmer — Likan — Dayler — Taimu — Dragos. The most elite academies, whose names are easy to remember. Every trimester in each of the academies, there is a qualifying tournament that puts students on the main table.
It records victories and defeats, giving its own rank and place to the student. The initial rank is F1, and the last place is 1000, from which a person must get into the top hundred students.
Only 100 people can pass to the second course on the second floor, where madmen and geniuses study. And to move on to the third class, one must have the top 10 best of the best, to then enter the world ranking table.
To graduate from the academy and prove that a person is ready, a dozen madmen must go out into the world tournament against other academies. And only 5 people from each academy, the best cult masters, can break out into the light and fight against giant monsters, receiving money.
This world is not as simple as it seems. People must survive in darkness, fighting for their lives, killing. With each passing year, there are more graduates; cult masters go out into the light as bloodthirsty killers.
Jay Jay — Director of Hopmer. This man is called the "Venomous Snake," he is one of the five who leads the martial arts project as an academy to protect people, teaching children how to use their strength and avatar. Former world dragon killer, one of the strongest masters.
Clarissa Whit — Director of Likan. This girl specializes in transformation; she has fast speed and can summon enough wild wolves to stop a giant monster. Academic medalist in mixed martial arts, cult master.
Victor Hill — Count. Nothing is known about him. He trains separately from everyone in the academy. The darkest structure behind which wild things hide.
Mostly killers, madmen, and savages come out of there. Dragos Academy. Colossus Killer, crazed bloody warrior, numerous gold medals in martial arts.
Maro Blackbeard — Director of Dayler Academy.
Considered the oldest martial arts sage, he is over 86 years old. He is the strongest sage of the five legendary masters. He founded his academy far in the mountains, teaching true monks along with students. Cold old man Maro, Dayler martial arts sage.
Lilia O'Neil — Director of Taimu Academy, located in tropical locations. People are trained there under the scorching sun to exhaustion.
They are taught to strengthen their bodies to such an extent that a person can even fend off monster attacks with their body, a real solar hell and daily endurance training. Ethiopian priestess, Queen of Pharaohs, flexible Taimu Tigress.