Tepo heard his name mentioned again. He took a deep breath. The earlier fight still lingered in his bones.
But he stood up calmly, walking towards the stairs. Others also separated from the thinned-out crowd. The host's voice reached the tunnel, announcing the pairings.
Frowning, Tepo eyed his opponent. It was Green Giant, a burly man in thick armor made from green scales.
He deserves the name giant. This will be a difficult fight. Especially since I'm at a disadvantage in terms of equipment.
Maybe I should also look into getting some armor.
Obviously noticing Tepo's gaze, the giant man turned his head. He nodded calmly, his eyes showing confidence.
The process still didn't change. Soon, Tepo was brought to the earth area again.
A deafening voice shook the air as the Green Giant spoke up:
"I won't say much. But this tournament win will be mine!"
"Not if I can stop you!"
With the finale fast approaching the audience stand filled even more. The atmosphere got more fervent.
Meanwhile, Droa'va and Inurol'ah didn't forget their duty. Tepo glanced at them, nodding in thanks, before directing his full attention on his burly enemy.
The referee waited a few seconds. Finally, their voice sounded out:
"… 3, 2, 1, FIIIIGHT!"
Immediately the Green Giant let out a loud roar. The ground shook as a massive halberd appeared in his hands. Tepo scanned his opponent's armor, searching for any weak points as he approached cautiously.
Suddenly the air steered. Taking a step forward the Green Giant swung his halberd.
Tepo dodged backwards, letting the attack continue and shatter a large boulder to the side.
Everything seemed normal, but Tepo felt a movement in his chest. The Core of Time pulsed. Tepo understood instinctively that an ability was already at work.
The warrior stayed cautious. He sensed his surroundings as he dashed towards the Green Giant.
His knife slashed out with [Rapid Pierce]. Sparks flew. A white mark was left on the sturdy armor.
"Harr!"
The burly opponent let out an odd roar. One of his hands let go of the halberd and punched towards Tepo.
Keeping a spring in his steps Tepo decided to test the enemy's power. He used [Heated Defense], his fist meeting with the green armor.
Tepo's eyes almost bulged. Pain shot down his arm, his bones giving of worrisome sounds. He couldn't believe how much his opponent's physical strength trumped his own.
Suddenly fire spewed from the clash between fists. A force pulled on Tepo, bringing him away from his opponent.
"Ahh!"
The Green Giant screamed in surprise. But the [Infectious Flames] weren't as useful as Tepo would've hoped. A faint green energy flickered on his enemy's head. Only a small flame came through at the first moment before the Green Giant was quickly protected.
"You're too weak!"
Tepo didn't respond but he was annoyed that his opponent even had the time to taunt him. Narrowing his eyes he tried to come up with ideas.
Taking the initiative Tepo dashed towards the Green Giant again. The air was stirred. A halberd aimed for Tepo's head.
The warrior kept calm. He ducked at the last moment, the halberd missing him by a hair's breadth. His path was open!
Moving with agility Tepo stuck to the Green Giant. His knife slashed out. It hit a thinner part of the armor on the thigh. A scale began to show cracks.
Tepo's eyes lit up. As long there was a way he wouldn't be discouraged!
He aimed for the same spot again.
The Green Giant growled in anger, taking a large step back. But Tepo stayed close. Hitting again and again.
Until the giant freed one hand, bringing his elbow down.
Tepo's upper body was slightly bent forward. The elbow closed in towards his back. If it hit, this would be a serious injury.
Dodging quickly, Tepo kept his focus on getting through the armor.
But something was off! Tepo noticed that his movements were gradually slowing down!
Tepo cursed inwardly but fortunately he was always cautious due to his core's warning. Reacting immediately, he activated [Time Dilation: Target], affecting the enemy's arm and dodging at the last moment.
Everything happened too fast for most of the audience to understand. The slowed movements were barely discernible.
But warriors noticed the exchange taking place. Droa'va and Inurol'ah looked at each other, concern in their eyes.
Although Inurol'ah and Tepo had their differences, with the former's nature she wouldn't want to see Tepo get hurt.
"It doesn't look good for him."
"No. His body is too weak. He can't break the armor fast enough…"
Tepo also noticed the problem. Exhaustion crept in as he did his best to stay close to the Green Giant, his knife slashing out sluggishly.
His opponent had stored the halberd away temporarily and rained down slow but powerful punches like a meteor shower.
Tepo had to use [Time Dilation: Target] multiple times. His mental strength was waning. He considered his options.
So far, he had two powerful trump cards left he didn't show. His projection and time protection. But he wasn't quite willing to use them. Who knew if this reveal might bring him trouble in the future.
Thus, he had to come up with another idea. He tried to concentrate on [Rapid Pierce].
Every spell could be controlled to a certain degree.
And indeed, the warrior managed to increase the spell's sharpness during the intense fight. But the limitations of a three-runed spell showed themselves.
Even after managing to break a few scales, he couldn't advance much more. The Green Giant noticed what happened and did his best to protect his leg, diminishing Tepo's efforts.
All the while the young man felt his body getting slower. He gritted his teeth, trying to resist the ability constantly affecting him, but to no avail.
Suddenly the Green Giant felt as if time was ripe. He punched out again. Tepo was forced to use [Time Dilation: Target]. But this time the burly many used a clever trick. A second fist followed directly behind the first.
Tepo's instincts screamed. He saw both attacks, hastily strengthening his time dilation. But abruptly a massive headache hit him. His mental strength was running dry!
A bleak feeling hit Tepo. This time the situation appeared hopeless. He still tried his best, crossing his arms to defend his face.
Tepo's body moved excoriatingly slow due to the opponent's ability. It was too late to dodge. He could only watch as the fist approached. Although it was also obstructed, its speed was still higher than Tepo's.
In relation time is running slower for me. Relation… relative to one another…
Suddenly a spark of enlightenment jumped in Tepo's mind. He felt as if his understanding of time got elevated. The Force of Time churned, albeit still invisible. His immersion took a leap forward!
Unfortunately, the young man didn't have much time to explore this sensation. Suddenly eerie sound came from the bones in his arms. A massive impact hit him.
With a groan, Tepo was thrown backwards. His arms trembled in pain. A vibration ran through his body.
"Ouh!"
Tepo ducked his head at the last second. But a feeling as if his back shattered hit him as he was hurled against a rock.
Stone's fell and dust rose. A small shockwave spread. Only Tepo's passive defense prevented further injuries.
The young man leaned his back against the boulder. He panted heavily, each stream of air hurting his body. His arms limply hung next to his body, tinged in blue and red.
Feeling his own constitution, Tepo smiled wryly. He was completely spent. Half his body was a painful mess. Rising his head to the sky he calmly spoke up:
"I admit defeat!"
Immediately the referee signaled the Green Giant to stop. He shouted loudly:
"Second Round, Deep versus Green Giant, Green Giant wiiiinsss!"
The audience flipped out. This close combat was a feast for the eyes. And the newcomer held on longer than many expected.
Tepo smiled wryly behind his mask. He felt the Force of Natural Perception at work. But for his standards it was rather weak.
At least the words he saw the most were 'respectable' and 'surprise', elevating his mood slightly.
A second later the platforms arrived again. One staff member approached Tepo, offering his support, which the young man accepted without much thought.
The two combatants nodded at each other before they were brought away. The Green Giant with his armor barely damaged and Tepo with his entire upper body heavily injured.
Once back in the tunnels, Tepo exchanged some words with other warriors while the staff quickly brought him to the medical area.
He was somewhat glad not to see Yerive anymore, proving the healer's competence. After a short session with multiple spells Tepo felt much better. Although he still felt pain when standing up, but he should be able to recover by himself now.
Afterwards staff asked him if he wanted to continue watching, but he declined, prompting the staff to lead him towards a backdoor for combatants.