The arena fell silent for a beat as Karina and Shin squared off. Their beasts mirrored their readiness—Onyxia's purple spikes shimmered with faint energy, and the white leopard's icy spikes glinted like sharpened daggers.
Karina smirked, her rapier glinting in the light.
"I hope you have a sharp claws, Lady Shin."
Shin's icy glare was answer enough. Her blade, faintly glowing with frost magic, came alive as she darted forward.
Shin slashed horizontally, her blade trailing a freezing mist. Karina leapt back, her boots skidding on the dirt as shards of frost scattered where she had just stood.
Karina countered with a quick thrust aimed at Shin's shoulder, but Shin pivoted, parrying the attack with a ringing clang.
Their swords locked for a brief moment, sparks of frost and purple energy crackling at the point of impact. Shin pressed forward, forcing Karina to slide back a step.
"You'll have to do better than that."
Shin said coldly.
Karina chuckled, twisting her wrist.
"Careful what you wish for."
With a swift feint to the right, Karina disengaged and spun, her blade slicing in a wide arc toward Shin's ribs.
Before the strike could land, the white leopard lunged, a blur of icy ferocity. Onyxia intercepted with a snarl, their clash sending both of them rolling across the arena. Claws met spikes, and the panther's tail lashed out, forcing the leopard to leap away with catlike grace.
Shin took advantage of her distraction, lunging forward with a frost-coated strike aimed for Karina's midsection.
Karina barely reacted in time, twisting to the side as the blade sliced through the fabric of her sleeve, leaving a line of frost on her arm.
Her rapier retaliated with a quick upward slash, nicking Shin's shoulder and forcing her back. The crowd erupted in cheers as blood bloomed against Shin's pristine outfit.
Shin's eyes narrowed, the frost around her blade intensifying.
"First blood? That won't happen again."
She charged, feinting high before spinning low, her blade aiming for Karina's legs.
Karina's rapier came down to block the low strike, but Shin's icy magic spread along the ground, locking Karina's boots in frost. Shin twisted her blade, sending a wave of freezing energy toward Karina.
Karina's eyes widened as the frost surged up her legs.
With a grunt, she stabbed her rapier into the ground, channeling a pulse of white energy that shattered the ice in an explosion of shards. She rolled to the side, barely avoiding Shin's follow-up slash, and came up with her blade poised.
The fight escalated as both Tamers moved with relentless speed:
Karina ducked under a wide frost-laden slash, her rapier flicking out to slice at Shin's thigh. Shin hissed, retaliating with a spinning backhand strike that Karina blocked with precision.
Shin's frost magic began to fill the air, creating a biting cold that slowed Karina's movements.
Karina, noticing the shift, gritted her teeth.
"Trying to freeze me out? You're not the only one who can use the battlefield to their advantage."
She thrust her rapier into the ground again, sending a pulse of energy that cracked the frozen terrain, creating unstable footing for Shin.
Nearby, Onyxia and the leopard continued their battle.
Onyxia darted to the side, its sleek black form a blur as it dodged a swipe from the leopard's icy claws.
The panther retaliated with a whip of its spiked tail, aiming for the leopard's side. The strike connected, sending the leopard skidding across the dirt.
The leopard growled, frost spreading from its paws as it lunged, tackling Onyxia. The two rolled in a tangle of fur and spikes, their snarls echoing in the arena.
The fight reached a brief pause as both Shin and Karina, panting, locked eyes from opposite sides of the battlefield.
Shin raised her rapier, frost swirling around her in a menacing spiral.
"This ends now."
Before Karina could respond, a deafening screech pierced the air. Both Tamers turned, their beasts momentarily halting as a fiery bird descended onto the battlefield, flames trailing in its wake.
A woman stood at the edge of the arena, her daggers glowing with heat. She smirked, her fiery bird landing beside her, its wings spreading in a display of burning majesty.
"Mind if I join in?"
****
The air is thick with tension as Ren faces the boy, who is now moving with surprising agility. The boy's movements are quick and precise, his body a blur as he darted around Ren, looking for openings.
Ren, standing tall and grounded, grins, his muscles tensing in preparation. He may not be as fast, but he knows his strength will give him the advantage.
The boy lunges first, his speed making it hard for Ren to track every move. He ducks low, throwing a quick jab aimed at Ren's side. Ren, with a shift of weight, twists, letting the punch pass harmlessly by, but the boy immediately follows with a roundhouse kick to Ren's ribs.
Ren's reaction is almost too slow, but he raises his arm in time to block the kick, the impact still sending a shockwave through his body. He stumbles back, but quickly regains his footing.
The boy tries again, spinning with a swift kick aimed at Ren's head. This time, Ren leans back just in time, the boy's foot grazing his chin. Using the boy's momentum, Ren reaches out, grabbing his ankle mid-air and twisting hard, sending the boy crashing onto the ground.
The boy scrambles to his feet in an instant, determined to keep the pressure on Ren. He darts in, delivering a quick series of punches aimed at Ren's midsection. Each blow lands faster than the last, but Ren absorbs them, his body tensing, his feet planted solidly on the ground.
Ren smirks as he watches the boy's attempts. Speed is a challenge, but Ren starts to time his movements more carefully. He ducks under a punch and steps in, his hand coming down like a hammer toward the boy's shoulder, knocking him off-balance.
The boy stumbles, but with a swift pivot, he counters with a low leg sweep, knocking Ren off his feet. Ren grunts but quickly rolls backward to regain his stance, eyes narrowing as he adjusts to the boy's increasing speed.
Now, it's clear that while the boy can move faster, Ren still holds the advantage in raw power. He waits for the right moment, baiting the boy to attack again.
The boy charges, throwing a flurry of quick jabs, but Ren catches his wrists mid-strike, using his strength to twist the boy's arms into a painful lock. With a grunt, Ren uses his weight to push the boy backward, slamming him into the ground with a heavy thud.
The boy's breath hitches as he tries to break free, but Ren leans down, applying just enough pressure to keep him pinned.
"I don't need speed to beat you, but it'll be interesting to see if you can keep up."
The boy tried to break free again but when he looked behind him he saw Ren's face. A very serious look. And he's staring at him like a demon.
The boy's eyes widened in fear, his sweat was dripping, he swallowed hard and tried to calm himself down. But the one staring at him now is like a different person, Ren's playful demeanor is gone and he is no longer smiling.
Hissss!
BOOM!
A beam landed on Ren's side which managed to release his hold from the boy, he jumped back and looked where the beam came from.
On top of a big rock there was a boy standing, there was a white serpent dragon coiled around his body and his eyes are shut closed but his hand is raised with a smoke coming out of his palm.
The white dragon snapped its eyes open and quickly left his body to flew away in the air. Now that he was alone, he jumped down from the rock and landed on the ground across from Ren.
He suddenly opened his eyes and looked around him, broken rocks and ground unfolded before him but his eyes stopped at the boy who was now standing but still clutching his shoulder.
"Such a terrible sight..."
He said, taking his eyes off the boy and turning across from him where Ren is standing. He raised his hand towards him and a white light appeared in his palm.
"Using too much magic is bad for humans, I need to reset your body."
Ren looked at him confusedly, he didn't know what the boy said about resetting his body but he knew that using too much magic was bad. He learned that from the overseers when he was young.
"Sorry about that. I think magic is messing with my head."
He took a deep breath and the overflowing magic in his body came out. The air around them changed but suddenly it disappeared and calmed down.
"How about that? Ready to fight?"
Ren asked as he takes a fighting stance. The three of them are standing apart from each other, but the fire in their eyes burns brightly.