Instantly I dashed forward, scattering the sand beneath my feet. The arena was large, but my speed meant that I could close the distance in no time.
On the far end, Oliva merely walked towards me, not bothering to draw the weapon from his back.
So he's a defensive fighter? I thought, but didn't allow that to stop me. After all, I only had thirty seconds to fight.
"We don't need to fight, Vale," a soft voice came from the God of Serenity.
What?
I wished to rush forward, but couldn't stop myself from pausing.
We stood not too far from each other now, and he continued walking forward to close the distance.
"What do you mean? We are quite literally in battle; we have to fight."
The God of Serenity nodded his head before speaking.
"Yes, I know it's a battle, but we ourselves don't have to fight." He turned and gestured towards the woman he had brought as his companion.
"The rules said that they would be fighting as well on our behalf. This battle does not need to lead to the death of a god. Let us allow them to fight and decide our fates."
I thought about that for a moment. He was right; the battle would end if one of our companions defeated the other.
Then I looked at the woman that Oliva had brought.
Dante is strong; he can probably beat her with ease. But am I strong enough to defeat Oliva? He's a powerful-looking god.
I thought it more likely for Dante to win against that women, than I against Oliva, so I came to a decision.
"If you wish."
I stood there, staring at the god as I waited for the time to pass.
A few moments went by.
"What is your purpose, Vale?" he asked suddenly, before I found myself transported back to where I started, trapped once again inside the magical field.
From beside me, I saw Dante dashing towards the center as I had, though his speed was much slower.
On the other side, I saw the woman crouched low, beginning to circle around the outskirts of the arena.
Dante turned to charge towards her new position, then suddenly, she drew a strange-shaped object from out of nowhere and flicked her wrist, sending it spinning towards him.
Dante clumsily dove to the side, the object just missing him and landing in the sand, lodging itself there.
It was a sharp, star-shaped object, similar to the shuriken of Earth.
That is dangerous. Dante needs to be careful.
He rolled to his feet and recovered well, running towards the woman again as she continued to flank around the arena.
The woman flicked her wrist and threw another star, but Dante was prepared this time and ducked, allowing it to fly over his head.
However, this time, she also flicked her other wrist, sending a second star towards him.
Even with my enhanced senses, it was a difficult move to perceive, but Dante had somehow predicted it, and dodged again.
Now the woman charged forward, drawing a sword from her back, which seemed to be made from copper.
I noticed a smirk on Dante's face, eager to engage in close-quarters combat.
Once the distance was closed, they swung their blades and clashed. Both slid backward in the sand from the force, though from the looks of things, Dante had lost the engagement.
How? She is so much smaller than him.
Suddenly, the two fighters vanished, and Dante returned to my side.
I felt the invisible field shift around me, and I was tempted to charge forward, taking matters into my own hands.
But when I looked at Dante, his hands were clasped together as though he was pleading, and he shook his head.
He wishes for me to trust him and allow him to continue his fight. This is risky. He should have been able to finish things within the first round.
No, I have to trust him. I chose him over Zerlos for a reason.
I walked towards the center of the arena, past the throwing stars that had been stuck in the sand, and met Oliva at the center.
"You asked me what my purpose was?" I said as we stood within arm's reach of each other.
The god nodded in response.
"We know so little about these strange worlds, so it's hard to figure out what purpose we could have in them. But what I do know is that I have had lives entrusted to me, and I will do all that I can to make sure that they are taken care of."
Oliva waited for a moment, as though he was thinking about my response, before replying.
"That is a fair point, though I think you are wrong about not knowing what purpose we could have in such a world. The answer is simple: to become stronger."
I was transported again, and Dante was released from his barrier next to me.
This time, he did not sprint forward. Instead, he jogged slowly, as the woman rushed forward this time to pressure him.
Instantly I knew what he was doing. The distance was slowly closing, but Dante's pace was calculated, and he was positioned perfectly.
As the woman blindly rushed forward, Dante dropped low, picked up the star that had previously been lodged in the sand, and threw it with power.
It all happened in a moment, and I saw the woman's eyes bulge for a second, attempting to dodge, but not fast enough.
The star took her in the neck, and got stuck there as it had been stuck in the sand before.
Instantly she fell to her back, blood squirting from the wound as her life was quickly taken from her.
On the other side of the arena, I saw Oliva. His face was bothered by the loss of his disciple, but I could tell that he did not care for his disciple's life as I did.
He was just happy that it was not him lying bloody on the sand.
More importantly, I was impressed by the tactics used by Dante. He truly was a genius of combat.
I had wondered why he lost the first clash that he had against the woman, but it was all part of his plan to build her confidence.
If she believed that she was better than him in a sword fight, she would blindly rush forward, not paying attention to the fact that a deadly weapon was left on the floor for Dante to use.
I am glad I chose him.
"Congratulations, Vale, God of the Broken, and Dante. You have emerged victorious in Battle 002."