Upon being called, Amy made her way toward the stage as her friends cheered her on. You got this, Amy, she said to herself repeatedly, trying to calm her nerves.
The crowd roared as she stepped onto the stage.
"Bring another win for the South!" a man shouted.
"I have a lot of money on you, so please don't lose!" another pleaded.
Chris also made his way to the stage. He donned gleaming blue armor covering his entire body. The armor radiated a knightly presence, with a longsword resting in its hilt at his side, while a large, ornate shield was strapped securely to his back—together giving him a commanding aura.
"Chris Hamilton versus Amy Summerfield—begin!!" Mark announced.
As soon as those words were said, Chris immediately unsheathed his blade and rushed toward Amy. In turn, she used the skill Blinding Light. A bright radiance burst from the tip of her staff, forcing Chris to cover his eyes. He quickly raised his shield, and he was glad he did, because in the next moment a ball of light exploded against it, pushing him back.
With shield in his left hand and sword in his right, Chris lunged toward Amy and slammed his blade down hard. However, Amy leaped backward, evading in the nick of time, as balls of light appeared before her and sped toward Chris. He blocked with his shield.
Chris then activated the knight's skill Shield Bash. A blue aura burst from his shield, knocking Amy back and causing her to lose her footing. Seizing the opportunity, Chris charged and slammed his shield into her face, sending her flying to the other end of the stage.
"Chris isn't letting his opponent rest! Has the winner been decided already?" Mark said with excitement.
She's weakened. One more attack and I'll have this in the bag, Chris thought. But he couldn't have been more wrong. Right before his eyes, Amy dissolved into small particles of light.
"What the he—" Before Chris could finish, a condensed beam of light pierced through his left shoulder. He spun around immediately to see Amy standing at the far end of the stage.
"Damn mages," he cursed, clutching his wound.
Amy then used the skill Light Javelin. A massive beam of light shot at Chris, who barely managed to block it. The impact hurled him several meters backward, but Amy wasn't done. She unleashed a barrage of light orbs, each exploding on impact.
Chris, however, activated the skill Total Block. A blue force field formed around his shield. He pushed forward, charging at Amy. She tried to keep her distance, darting sideways and firing beams of light as she moved.
Chris didn't flinch. He calmly evaded, then hurled his shield in front of Amy, cutting off her escape. Already upon her, he forced her hand. Desperate, Amy used the skill Light Cannon, releasing a condensed sphere of energy. Chris countered by activating Impalement, driving his blade straight into the sphere.
A deafening BOOM!! echoed throughout the arena. The explosion engulfed both fighters, blasting them back and leaving a massive crater in the stage. Neither contestant moved.
"What a bold move by Chris, taking his opponent down with him," Owen said.
"To be honest, I would've done the same—if I'm going down, my opponent's coming with me," Lucius added.
"Since there isn't a clear winner, in accordance with the rule book, both contestants have been eliminated," Mark announced.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" a man grumbled.
"I bet all my money on the South!" The crowd erupted in protest.
"No bets will be valid this round. They will be carried over to the next," Mark reassured.
A medical team rushed onto the stage to give first aid and escort the wounded contestants to the medical ward.
"We'll take a short break as we repair the arena," Mark said.
---
In the medical ward, Harden entered to find Amy lying in bed, bandages wrapped around her body.
"How're you holding up?" he asked.
"Well, no serious damage occurred. Apparently I just need rest. I don't even know why I'm in this stupid thing," Amy said, referring to the bandages.
"Harden… why did I lose?" she asked, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes. "We all trained so hard, and yet this is the best I can do?" She sniffled. "I hate feeling this way—utterly pathetic and helpless. The other mage before me was so much more impressive, and he didn't even use a staff." Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Harden said nothing. He gently wiped her tears and hugged her tightly.
"You did the best you could. It's not your fault. We just need to get stronger. Focus on what you can do now—recover. Don't push yourself. I'll take it from here, and I promise… we'll win this whole thing," Harden said, determination blazing in his eyes.