Whack!
Charles dodged another wind gust, spinning mid-air with a flip that sent the crowd roaring.
'Crap…' he thought, feeling his chest heave. 'I'm wearing out.'
He'd been evading Darion Veth's attacks for what felt like forever, moving faster than he thought possible.
Whoosh!
Another gust grazed his face, and Charles leaped aside, barely keeping his balance.
'This can't go on,' he thought, frustrated. 'I can't even attack!'
Every time he tried to throw a punch, Rian's body locked up, like an invisible wall stopped him.
'Come on, move!' he screamed in his head, but his fists stayed still, trembling with effort.
'Why do you keep doing this, Rian?' he thought, gritting his teeth.
It was the same resistance he'd felt before, like the body he inhabited was scared to fight.
'No time for this,' he thought, dodging another blow with a quick spin.
Whack!
The crowd cheered, but Charles barely registered it.
'If I don't do something soon, I'm done.'
Darion Veth, towering with his short hair glinting under the lights, eyed him with a hint of respect.
"For someone with no abilities, your physique's impressive," he said, his deep voice carrying across the arena. "Dodging me this long's no small feat."
Darion paused, crossing his arms.
"But now I'm getting serious."
He raised his hands, and the air around him hummed.
Whoosh!
A wind gust, faster than before, shot toward Charles, slicing the air like a blade.
"Cutting Blade!" Darion shouted, and the crowd held its breath.
'Crap!' Charles thought, reacting on instinct. He dove aside, but wasn't fast enough.
Rip!
The gust tore his tunic, shredding fabric and leaving a red line across his arm.
"Argh!"
Blood dripped, warm and sticky, staining the arena floor.
Charles staggered, staring at the wound.
'That was close,' he thought, heart racing. 'Too close…'
Darion watched, one eyebrow raised.
"If that Cutting Blade had hit you square, you wouldn't be standing," he said, his tone not entirely mocking. "I can guarantee you wouldn't survive."
Darion stepped closer, arms crossed again.
"Wanna surrender? No shame in it."
The announcer's voice boomed, amplifying the moment.
"Rian Cole takes the first hit and a warning from Darion Veth!" he cried, and the crowd erupted.
"Ooh!"
Some chanted Darion's name, urging him to end it.
"Finish him!" a man shouted from the stands, while others clapped, thrilled by the blood.
Charles took a deep breath, feeling the sting in his arm.
'No static…' he thought suddenly, frowning. 'Why's there no electricity?'
Unlike his past fights, where he'd felt a spark, this time, no matter how he moved, there was no trace of the static he'd used to strike enemies.
"Surrender?" Charles said, forcing a cocky grin. "No way. I've got another guy after you."
He gestured toward the fighters' line, like victory was already his.
The crowd reacted instantly—some laughing, others chanting his name.
"Rian! Rian!"
The announcer didn't miss a beat.
"Incredible audacity from Rian Cole, vowing to win not just this fight, but the next!" he exclaimed, the arena shaking with applause.
Darion let out a short laugh, shaking his head.
"You've got a warrior's spirit," he said, uncrossing his arms. "But spirit's not enough without skill."
He raised his hands again, and the air vibrated harder.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
This time, he unleashed multiple Cutting Blades, one after another, slicing the air like a swarm of invisible daggers.
Charles moved on instinct, dodging the first, but the second grazed his chest, ripping his tunic further.
The third sliced his thigh, blood streaming and staining the arena.
Charles stumbled, dropping to his knees.
'Damn it!' he thought, breathing hard.
The pain burned, searing his skin, but he couldn't stop.
The crowd screamed—some for Darion, others now cheering Charles for the drama.
"Come on, Rian!" Kaira shouted from the stands, clenching her fists, eyes wide.
'How's he still standing?' she thought, biting her lip. She turned to Lira, pale beside her.
"Lira!" Kaira burst out, unable to hold back. "Why'd you challenge Rian to two fights if he can barely survive this one?"
Lira clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms.
"Stay out of my business," she growled, her tone more defensive than angry.
But Kaira saw something in her face: guilt.
'She's worried too…' Kaira thought, frowning. 'So maybe she didn't set this up?'
Kaira hesitated, glancing at the arena.
'If I keep waiting, Rian might die,' she thought, stepping forward. 'I've gotta stop this.'
In the arena, Darion approached Charles, still on his knees, panting.
"You never had a chance," he said, his laugh echoing. "Surrender now, and you might walk out alive."
Charles looked up, blood dripping from his arm and thigh.
A thought flashed through his mind.
"Say that again," he growled, voice barely containing his fury.
Darion blinked, confused, but laughed again.
"I said you never had a chance," he repeated, shrugging. "You're brave, but—"
"Not you," Charles cut him off, struggling to his feet.
Crack!
His knees shook, but he stood. He turned to the stands, searching for Lira.
"You, Lira!" he shouted, his voice slicing through the crowd's noise. "Say those words again!"
Lira, in the stands, froze.
'What?' she thought, heart racing.
The crowd murmured, confused, as the announcer seized the moment.
"Incredible! Rian Cole directly challenges Lira Cole mid-fight!" he cried, the arena exploding in cheers.
Lira flashed back to her room, when she'd told Rian he didn't have what it took to fight, that he'd never be enough.
But then she recalled what he meant by "those words"…
"Fight with everything you've got, Rian!" she shouted, her voice trembling but ringing clear.
The crowd gasped, shocked, and the announcer jumped in.
"What!? It seems Lira Cole openly backs Rian Cole!" he exclaimed, milking the drama.
From the top of the stands, Kain, sitting with one leg crossed, frowned.
'What the hell?' he thought, helping water controllers keep the rain at bay.
"Lira backing Rian? This has to be a joke," he muttered, shaking his head.
Rian was nothing special.
'So why's she…?'
In the arena, Darion laughed.
"Some girl's pep talk won't change a thing!" he roared, raising his hands for another Cutting Blade.
"This ends now!"
The air hummed, the gust forming.
Charles closed his eyes for a second, screaming inside.
'You heard her, Rian! She said it! Let me fight!'
He felt that resistance in his body, the wall holding him back all fight, but now…
Crack!
It was like something shattered inside him.
His legs shook, not from fatigue. A fierce energy, like trapped lightning, surged from his feet to his fists.
'Now!' he thought, eyes snapping open.
Whoosh!
Darion launched the Cutting Blade, but Charles was gone.
Clack!
Charles moved at impossible speed, kicking up a trail of sand.
Before Darion could react—
THUD!
Charles landed a punch square to his face, so hard the sound echoed across the arena.
Darion staggered back, collapsing to the ground.
Silence.
For a split second, the arena went quiet.
Then the crowd erupted.
"Rian! Rian!"
The announcer could barely keep up.
"Unbelievable! Rian Cole lands his first blow, and it's devastating!" he shouted, as Darion struggled up, eyes wide with fear.
'What the hell did this bastard do?' Darion thought, stunned.
'I did it!' Charles thought, panting. 'I landed a damn hit!'
Adrenaline surged, and the electric spark was back, humming in his muscles.
'This is different,' he thought, staring at his hands.
It was like—
"Not so fast!" Darion growled, scrambling up and charging.
Whoosh!
He readied another gust, but Charles didn't give him a chance.
Clack!
Charles darted forward, spun, and—
BAM!
He delivered a kick to Darion's chest, sending him flying several meters.
Darion hit the ground, out cold before he landed.
BOOM!
A thunderclap roared, as if celebrating the moment. The crowd screamed, some clapping, others leaping from their seats.
The announcer's voice soared.
"Rian Cole stands victorious!" he cried, the arena quaking with the crowd's roar.
Kaira, in the stands, gaped.
'How?' she thought, heart pounding. 'How'd he move like that?'
She'd seen plenty of arena fights, but this…
How could someone with no powers move like that!?
And worse…
Where'd that strength come from!?
'Rian has no powers… or does he?' she thought.