"Is that so? Come at me with all you've got," I said, my voice laced with intimidation. He lunged at me with inhuman speed, a bit too quick for me to perceive clearly.
I smirked and unleashed [Telekinetic Control] at full throttle. "What?!" The word escaped his mouth just before he slammed hard into the ground.
"Surprised, aren't you? Don't be, because there's a lot more to come," I said, my smirk widening as the fight started to feel slightly interesting.
After a few seconds, his body twitched, and he moved his arms, slowly pushing himself to stand. Even under the full force of [Telekinetic Control], he managed to move, proving that this skill was far weaker than I'd hoped. Still, I didn't consider it useless—it had insane potential.
"Is that it? You'll need something more impressive than this to surprise me," he said, standing tall, his head held high, as if a surge of adrenaline had coursed through him.
He started walking toward me slowly, even as my [Telekinetic Control] remained active. With each step, his pace quickened, faster and faster, until he broke into a sprint. Just as he was about to reach me, I disappeared from my spot, reappearing elsewhere in the arena.
"How do you plan to defeat me when you can't even catch me?" I taunted, vanishing and reappearing in rapid succession.
As I moved, something about him caught my attention. His mana was changing—no, increasing. The growth wasn't sudden or dramatic, but it was there. A normal hunter wouldn't have noticed the subtle shift. But for someone like me, who had experienced countless changes within myself, it was unmistakable.
His speed continued to climb, steadily and surely. It didn't feel like he was adapting to [Telekinetic Control]; rather, it seemed more like he was forcing something crude to work. I also noticed a subtle shift in his appearance—his horn was growing, elongating bit by bit.
Curious to experience his growth, I deactivated [Telekinetic Control]. The moment I did, Eirin vanished from his spot, completely disappearing from my view.
Just then, he appeared before me, his right hand stretching forward to grab my head and slam it into the ground. His expression was solemn, devoid of the usual carelessness he carried.
A few minutes earlier, when he activated his unique skill, his demeanor shifted drastically. His carefree facade melted away, replaced by a cold, restrained Look that hinted at the seriousness of his intent.
As his hand closed in, I activated [Telekinetic Control]-but this time, it wasn't him I targeted. It was myself.
Moments ago, when he lunged at me with a speed surpassing my own, I realized my options were limited. Sure, I could have dumped stat points to counter him, but where was the fun in that?
In that split second, I activated [Divergent Mind], amplifying my thought processing speed a hundredfold. Alongside it, I used [One Focus], sharpening my concentration and control over [Telekinetic Control]. The purpose? To enhance my own speed. By perfectly synchronizing [Telekinetic Control] with every movement of my body, I aimed to make myself faster and deadlier.
As his hand was about to grab my head, I caught it mid-air. Without hesitation, I swung his body with minimal effort, slamming him into the ground once more.
"Well then, is that all you've got? Where is your baseless bravado now?" I taunted, my tone dripping with amusement.
Eirin stood up, mostly unscathed. "I must commend your resilience, but how long do you plan to keep up this act of toughness?" I added, appearing in front of him in an instant.
His eyes widened, startled by my sudden approach, but I didn't give him the chance to react. My fists flew, each punch leaving behind afterimages, creating the illusion of countless strikes landing simultaneously. Before he could block even a single one, every hit connected, sending him hurtling through the air at immense speed.
As he neared the edge of the arena, he threw a flurry of punches into the air. The force propelled him downward, slamming him into the arena floor and burying him in a cloud of dust and debris.
"A rather clever move," I remarked, crossing my arms. "But also a reckless one."
He slowly came out of the crater, his body healing before my eyes. His horn had grown a few more inches, and as he stood, he cracked his neck with a grimace of satisfaction. "Ah, that was a good beating... and a decent warm-up," he grumbled, his expression hardening into a serious glare.
"Now, that's the spirit of an S-rank skill," I said, a smirk tugging at my lips. "If you'd lost after just that, I would've been sorely disappointed in you."
As I spoke, I slowly rose into the air, raising my hand. A small ball of blue energy formed in my palm, expanding rapidly until it became massive, its light illuminating the arena.
The stadium, vast as it was, seemed to be effected by the intensity of our fight. The moment I activated an A-rank skill, an orange forcefield fromed, encasing the audience to shield them from the impending shockwaves.
Just as I prepared to hurl [Spiral Sphere] at Eirin, he moved, vanishing from his spot with blinding speed. In an instant, his spear cut clean through the sphere, triggering a massive explosion. While I remained mostly unfazed, the same couldn't be said for Eirin, who bore the brunt of the blast as its force rippled across the arena.
When the dust finally settled, Eirin stood amidst the wreckage, his serious expression unchanged despite the burn marks marring his skin.
"Hmm... so that black skin of yours is just for show, huh?" I remarked, my tone teasing. "Well then, let's get serious. Did you enjoy the fight?" I asked, hovering above him while he remained grounded.
"Now, let me show you my real strength. You showed me yours—it's only fair," I said before disappearing completely from his sight.
Before he could react, I reappeared behind him, my fist hurtling toward his face. He barely had time to register the attack before the immense force stopped just short of his head. Despite not making contact, the impact generated a massive gust of wind, so powerful it caused a slight crack to appear in the protective forcefield surrounding the audience.
Eirin stood frozen, his mind blank as he processed what had just happened. His baffled expression said it all. "I... I forfeit," he muttered, his voice barely audible.
As his transformation unraveled, his body reverted to normal, signaling the end of our battle.
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Enjoy.....