She looked up. The wind playing with her silver silky hair. Mikaela closed her eyes as her ears absorbed the sounds around her.
The grand arena was filled with the roar of the crowd, their anticipation palpable as they awaited the clash between a pure elemental and its compound.
Mikaela and Harmon stood at the opposite ends of the battleground, their eyes meeting with a mixture of respect and determination. The sun cast long shadows, highlighting the tension in the air.
Mikaela, known for her calm and calculated approach, took a deep breath, centering herself. She tied her silver hair tightly, and her eyes were focused, reflecting the serenity of a still pond. Across from her, Harmon exuded a fierce energy, her stance low and ready, muscles coiled like a spring. Her seemed to blaze in the sunlight, a stark contrast to Mikaela's composed demeanor.
The signal to begin was given, and the arena fell silent, the only sound was the soft rustle of sand underfoot as the two warriors began to circle each other. Mikaela moved first, her steps light and deliberate. She launched a series of quick, precise strikes, each one aimed to test Harmon's defenses. Harmon responded with equal speed, her movements a blend of power and grace.
She blocked Mikaela's attacks with ease, her eyes never leaving Mikaela's sight. The reacted to every flinch of a muscle.
The crowd watched in awe as these two danced across the arena, their movements a blur of speed and skill.
Mikaela's movements were flowing like a river, smooth and relentless, while Harmon's counters were like the crashing waves, powerful and unyielding. Each strike and each block was executed with perfect precision, a testament to their years of training and discipline.
As the fight progressed, Mikaela's calm exterior began to show cracks. She pushed harder, her strikes becoming more aggressive, yet still maintaining her fluidity. Harmon matched her intensity, her fierce resolve shining through with every powerful blow. The air around them seemed to crackle with energy, the sheer force of their clash sending ripples through the ground.
Mikaela feinted to the left, then spun to the right, aiming a swift kick at Harmon's abdomen. Harmon anticipated the move, catching Mikaela's leg and using momentum to throw her off balance. Mikaela rolled with the fall, springing back to her feet with cat-like agility. She smiled, a rare expression of emotion, acknowledging Harmon's skill.
Mikaela leaped back concentrated her mana. Her breath was visible in the suddenly chilled air around her, a testament to her mastery of ice magic. Across from her, Harmon stood with a calm yet fierce determination, the air around her shimmering with the moisture she commanded with her water element.
Mikaela spotted that Harmon was concentrating her mana at a single point, so she raised her hands to summon a flurry of ice shards that shot towards Harmon like a storm of dozen daggers.
Harmon responded with a sweeping gesture, conjuring a wall of water that absorbed the ice shards, turning them into harmless slush.
Mikaela's eyes narrowed as she shifted tactics. She slammed her hands into the ground, causing a wave of ice to spread across the arena floor, aiming to freeze Harmon's movements. Harmon countered by summoning a torrent of water that surged forward, meeting the ice wave head-on. The clash of elements created a mist that enveloped the arena, obstructing the warriors from view.
From within the mist, Mikaela launched her attack. She formed a spear of ice in her hand and hurled it with precision.
Harmon sensing the danger, she summoned water around her to create a shield, the ice spear made contact with the shield and shuttered. With a swift motion, Harmon transformed the shield into a whip of water, lashing out at Mikaela with incredible speed.
Mikaela dodged the whip, her movements graceful and fluid. She retaliated by creating a series of ice pillars that erupted from the ground, attempting to trap Harmon. Harmon, undeterred, used her water magic to glide effortlessly between the pillars, her movements as fluid ax the element she commanded.
The crowd watched in awe as the two warriors continued their magical fuel. Mikaela's ice attacks were relentless, each one executed calm precision. She created a blizzard that swirled around Harmon, aiming to obscure her vision and freeze her in place. Harmon responded by summoning a vortex of water that surrounded her, the swirling currents deflecting the icy onslaught.
In a final breathtaking exchange, Mikaela and Harmon unleashed their most powerful spells. Mikaela raised her hands to the sky, calling down a hailstorm of massive ice shards. Harmon in turn, summoned a tidal wave of water that surged forward with unstoppable force. The two elements collided in a spectacular explosion of steam and must, the sheer power of their magic shaking the arena.
The smiles and cheers of the crowd instantly turned to screams of fear.
When the mist cleared, Harmon felt dizzy, unaware, she had been pierced by an ice arrow by Mikaela. She then hid the floor and at that moment, Mikaela was declared the winner of this semi-final round.
Though water may be a pure element, it was overwhelmed by ice, for Mikaela had entered the Emperor State even though she wasn't aware of that fact herself.
The form she took as an ice impress was a sight for sore eyes, those who saw were temporarily petrified... She had an angelic form.