As soon as the referee announced their names, both Violet and Maruti stepped into the arena, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a blade.
Violet entered first, her eyes filled with determination. Her practice sessions with Ethan had paid off—her movements were sharper, her aim more precise, and her confidence stronger than ever. Today, she was ready to prove herself.
Maruti followed, her demeanor completely opposite. She strolled into the arena lazily, her expression bored, as if she would rather be anywhere else. Holding her bec de Corbin weapon casually over her shoulder, she sighed. "Huff... Beating up kids is so boring. Should I just quit?" she wondered to herself but quickly shook her head. "Withdrawing would just create more trouble. Better get this over with."
The referee couldn't help but shiver when Maruti stepped closer. Memories of their last encounter flashed through her mind—the moment when Maruti had punched her square in the face, knocking her out cold and breaking several teeth. Swallowing her fear, the referee quickly raised her hand and shouted, "Start!" before dashing to the sidelines, as far away from Maruti as possible.
The moment the match began, Violet didn't waste a second. "20x Gravity!" she called out, and the entire arena seemed to shift.
Maruti instantly felt the gravity around her increase by twenty times, but to everyone's shock, she didn't even blink. She stood there calmly, unaffected, as though the spell was nothing more than a gentle breeze.
The crowd murmured in disbelief. This was Violet's signature move—the same ability that had brought her countless victories by forcing her opponents to their knees. Yet, Maruti acted as if it didn't exist.
"Is that it?" Maruti asked, her tone dripping with boredom as she casually adjusted her grip on her weapon.
Violet clenched her fists, her heart pounding. She had anticipated Maruti would be a formidable opponent, but seeing her like this was unnerving. Still, she wasn't going to back down. "I knew she was strong," Violet thought, determination burning in her chest. "But I came prepared for this!"
Letting go of her heavy sword, Violet raised her hand high above her head. A faint blue glow began to form in the air above her palm. The light grew brighter, swirling and crackling as debris and small fragments from the arena floor began flying toward it, drawn in as if by a powerful force.
The blue sphere pulsed and expanded, humming with energy. Violet's face was set with fierce concentration as she poured her mana into her new technique. "This will work! It has to!"
"Take this!" Violet shouted, her voice ringing across the arena. "Blue Sphere!"
With a flick of her hand, Violet sent the massive blue energy sphere forward. It crackled with power, its glow illuminating the arena. However, despite its strength, the ball was only the size of a basketball and much slower than Maruti's incredible speed.
Maruti immediately recognized the danger. Without hesitation, she sprinted across the arena with astonishing agility. Her speed was unbelievable—pure physical strength with no magic or essence stones aiding her.
The blue sphere tried to follow her, but it was left far behind as Maruti moved like a blur, weaving effortlessly through the arena. She drew a wide arc and then charged directly toward Violet.
The crowd sat in stunned silence, their mouths hanging open. Nobody could believe what they were seeing. Maruti was so fast that most of the audience couldn't even track her movements.
In the blink of an eye, Maruti was right in front of Violet.
Violet's heart raced as she gripped her heavy sword tightly, raising it just in time to block the incoming punch.
"You left a gap!" Maruti shouted as she stretched her right hand back and unleashed a powerful strike.
BAM!
The punch landed with such force that the ground beneath Violet cracked. But Violet, prepared for the attack, held her ground and blocked it with her heavy sword, gritting her teeth from the impact. Her arms trembled under the sheer strength of Maruti's punch.
"Such raw power!" Violet thought, her eyes wide with shock. Even though she had expected Maruti to be strong, experiencing it firsthand was overwhelming.
But Violet wasn't just defending—she had a plan. A sly smirk crept onto her face. Exposing a gap had been intentional, a clever trap to lure Maruti into attacking.
"Gravity Inverse!" Violet shouted.
At once, Maruti's gravity flipped. Her body was pulled upward, leaving her spinning helplessly in midair. The sudden reversal caught her off guard, and she had no way to defend herself.
Violet seized the opportunity without hesitation. She curled her index finger, and a brilliant red light appeared, forming a glowing red sphere of energy in her palm.
"Red Sphere!" Violet declared, sending the attack hurtling toward Maruti.
The entire sequence happened in the blink of an eye. Maruti had no time to react, and dodging was impossible. Her only option was to block the attack.
"Phoenix Shield," Maruti willed, her voice steady yet commanding. In an instant, a shimmering shield with the image of a blazing phoenix etched across it materialized before her, glowing with fiery energy.
The moment the red sphere collided with the shield, chaos erupted. Unlike the blue sphere, which attracted everything, the red sphere's power was pure repulsion—it pushed away everything it touched with an overwhelming force.
*BOOM!*
The impact was devastating. The Phoenix Shield shattered instantly, unable to withstand the immense energy Violet had poured into the attack. Maruti was launched backward like a cannonball, tumbling and crashing across the arena floor. Dust and debris flew in all directions as her body slammed into the ground multiple times.
Despite the brutal force, Maruti regained control mid-flight, twisting her body and landing firmly on her feet at the edge of the arena. Her breaths came heavy, but she stood tall, brushing off the dirt like it was nothing.
"Hahaha… interesting," she muttered to herself, a wild grin spreading across her face. "Is she trying to play wannabe Gojo?"
Her fiery determination flared. She raised her hand, summoning a wall of flames in front of her. The red sphere, relentless in its pursuit, crashed into the fire wall.
The flames roared and hissed, holding the red sphere back, but cracks began to appear in the barrier. Maruti gritted her teeth. "This thing's not stopping. I just have to wait until she burns through all her mana!"
But then, her instincts screamed danger. A chill ran down her spine. She turned her head sharply to the side—and her heart sank.
The blue sphere.
The same slow-moving, destructive sphere she had dodged earlier was now inches away, hurtling toward her. In her focus on dealing with the red sphere, she had completely forgotten about the blue one.
Violet smirked from the other end of the arena, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She had planned this all along. Knowing the blue sphere's speed was slow, she used the red sphere to keep Maruti occupied, setting up the perfect trap.
BOOM!
The blue sphere smashed into the fire wall alongside the red one, the combined forces of attraction and repulsion colliding in a devastating explosion. The ground beneath the arena cracked and crumbled. Smoke and debris shot into the air like a volcanic eruption, leaving a massive gaping hole in the arena floor.
The protective barrier around the audience shimmered, absorbing the shockwave and ensuring no one was harmed. But the sheer intensity of the explosion left many spectators covering their ears, their faces pale with shock.
Violet stumbled forward, her body trembling. Drops of blood trickled from her lips, and her vision blurred from exhaustion. She had poured every ounce of mana into her two ultimate moves, leaving her mentally and physically drained.
But despite her exhaustion, a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Two moves… to conquer the world," she whispered to herself, pride and relief washing over her.
The crowd erupted into murmurs.
"Did Maruti actually lose to Violet?" one man gasped, disbelief written all over his face.
"She underestimated Violet and paid the price," a girl snorted, crossing her arms with a look of disappointment.
"A win is a win," someone else said with a shrug. "Doesn't matter how it's achieved."
The tension in the arena was palpable. All eyes were on the smoking crater, waiting to see if Maruti had truly been defeated.
As the dust began to clear, Violet's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
No one was there.
Before she could process what was happening, a voice came from right behind her, soft yet playful.
"What's up, girl?"
The words sent shivers down her spine. Violet spun around quickly, her breath caught in her throat.
There, just inches away, stood Maruti, unharmed and grinning.
"How?" The only word Violet managed to whisper, her voice trembling with shock.
Maruti smirked,"Too bad, but this foundation always reaches twice."