Already in the arena, with each of us taking opposite sides, I noticed that Rebeca was unwrapping the bandages that ran along her hands up to part of her wrists. Scars were evident on her skin; something had happened to her.
— What are those marks? They look like... burns. — I asked Rebeca.
— We all made sacrifices. — She replied with such a petrified look at me, I got the impression she was angry with me, but she had probably already forgotten the reason.
Then I turned my attention to the other remaining competitor and thought:
— And this other person on my left, blindfolded and wearing partially torn clothes. But he looks so young; a little shorter than me, his skin tanned, his eyebrows thick, and his hair short and black. This made me uneasy; I hadn't seen him much during the climb up the tower, and if he was alone... then, how did he get here?
Then Berbatov's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and all I could hear was:
— Begin!!
At the start, neither of the two in front of me moved, and then I heard Rebeca's voice.
— What do you think, Nora, if we take him out first? Then we can have our rematch without anyone getting in the way. Sounds good, right?
— Yes, but dishonorable. — I answered Rebeca's intrusive question.
— Want to talk about honor now? You know better than I do that such a thing doesn't exist.
For a moment I averted my eyes from Rebeca, feeling a little uncomfortable, and then I heard the voice of the other competitor beside me.
— I don't mind fighting both of you; the outcome will be the same.
That statement seemed to irritate Rebeca, who immediately retorted.
— Come on, Nora, at least he gave me a reason to smash your face.
I could see flames emerging from her hands, twisting across her skin. Rebeca was serious about defeating him first. So I agreed with that absurdity, temporarily abandoning some of my ideals.
— Then let's team up for a moment, but once he's defeated, you're next. — I said, looking at Rebeca.
— I don't mind... just try to keep up!!
Without waiting for me, Rebeca launched her attack on the boy. Flames enveloped her body, seeming to be part of her; perhaps the fact that it was part of her gene made it easier to control. Rebeca, moving at incredible speed, with her fists ablaze, tried to strike him in the face. I couldn't stay still either; I summoned my needle and ran toward him.
As we both tried to hit him, he simply dodged some and blocked others. In an instant, his soul appeared in his left hand, and with a swing of his blade, he pushed us away. A blade shining in gold and silver, radiating light from its cut. It was beautiful, like a star; such a soul must be pure to display such purity… that's what I thought.
— Let's finish this. — He said, readying himself toward us.
— Incinerate!! — shouted Rebeca.
Rebeca's entire body was ablaze; the concrete floor began to melt, the surrounding temperature soaring, everything felt different. There was something in her hands; her hands became spheres of incandescent flames. And again she moved toward the boy. With every strike she threw at him, a burst of fire was expelled. I could only think:
— This way, her mana will reach its limit.
Defending her punches with his blade, the beauty of the battle before my eyes left me petrified. However, my future was at stake, so I gripped my needle with all my strength and, with my remaining energy, ran toward him, trying to strike his heart or some fatal organ that could weaken him. Even with both of us attacking, he dodged some attacks and blocked others. I concentrated mana at the tip of my needle and, with speed, slashed his leg, but for some reason… the cut healed.
Rebeca continued trying to hit him with her flames; she jumped over his head and, with a right kick, struck his arm, which he used to block. His skin started bleeding; blood dripped from the burn on his arm. Rebeca continued and, from behind, kicked him in the ribs, pushing him away. But then, as he got up, I could see his wounds healing again.
— What the hell are you? — asked Rebeca.
— Unlike an elementalist or a user of darkness, the light I wield allows me to heal myself and other things that are not relevant here. If you don't even know this, it's because you haven't studied enough. — he replied.
— Then I'll have to use something that doesn't even give him time to heal. — said Rebeca.
Everything burning around her began to gather into her hands; bringing her palms together and concentrating her flames, Rebeca created a sphere three meters in circumference. Rotating horizontally, the sphere grew larger, and its heat energy was tremendous enough to liquefy part of the floor.
Then the sphere began to change shape and transformed into something resembling a dragon's head. Rebeca pointed that "thing" at the boy in front of her, and all those flames were unleashed toward him, causing a devastating explosion. Like a flash of light, everything around was destroyed; the force was nothing less than that of a masterful elementalist.
A wave of heat surged toward me; I stomped the ground with all my strength, raising its structure, and with my hands lifted the floor, using it as a base to protect myself from the heat wave.
After the smoke cleared, I noticed the boy had changed; he had used his hands to hold back the explosion, and his appearance was different — the same as I had seen a few floors below. His body was radiating a shimmering light.
— I didn't want to have to use this, but I would have died. This is my divine form; it allows me to enhance my abilities to a certain extent. — he said, looking at his hands.
I looked at Rebeca, who was panting and kneeling, and asked:
— Are you okay?
— Don't worry about me. Look at him; he's still healing from his injuries. Such power must have a price.
— Yes, it seems you're not as foolish as I thought. My lifespan — every minute in this form — means I have fewer days to breathe. Now… enough talk. — he replied, interrupting us.
For a moment, before my eyes could follow him, he vanished in a photon of light. And appeared in front of Rebeca; everything slowed before my eyes. Helpless, I watched as he delivered a kick so devastating to Rebeca that it cracked the veil between reality and the void. I only heard a sound like shattering glass, and my eyes froze as I watched Rebeca being flung out of the arena, bouncing everywhere until she finally landed in the stands.
And at that moment, I realized it was just me and him.
Continues…