In the special room reserved for the competitors, Enrico had managed to get plenty of rest, especially compared to the previous two days. After a long time, he had finally slept for six consecutive hours, something that rarely happened due to his training routine.
[You finally got some rest after all that training. Even so, I still think you should have slept for eight hours.]
'Impossible. To break through my potential limit again, I need to keep training, especially now that I've spent a few peaceful days with the girls.'
Enrico didn't regret going out with them. On the contrary, those moments had been worth it, and he still remembered the several embarrassed faces he had seen during their dates. Despite all that fun, however, he knew he couldn't afford to relax for too long.
'I'm only resting now because I need to be prepared for these battles.'
Since the fights would take place once a day, the competitors would have enough time to recover between rounds. Furthermore, they could receive magical treatment to ensure their bodies were in perfect condition before the next battle, without injuries or mana loss. The same would apply to their opponents, of course.
[The good thing is that even if you don't make it into the top fifteen, you can still get a spot.]
Enrico knew about that possibility, but he also knew that securing a position among the top fifteen didn't mean his place was guaranteed. Students from the same academy could still challenge those who had qualified and compete for their positions. If they managed to defeat them, they could take their places.
'But that's not what I want. If I need to prove that I'm a prodigy, I have to surpass all expectations and go beyond what people expect of me.'
[There you go again.]
'Sorry for being this way, but I can't stop. The world depends on it, and I need to survive.'
Getting out of bed, Enrico began dressing for the competition. Astrong Academy's battle uniform consisted of a white shirt and black trousers. Although it was clothing intended for combat, it had an elegant finish, similar to what a noble would wear in their daily activities.
[I like this outfit. I wonder if I can steal one for myself?]
'Not a chance.'
After finishing getting ready, Enrico left his room and found Victoria walking down the corridor. He decided to accompany her and tried to greet her, but the girl simply ignored him, as if he weren't even there.
[What an annoying girl! Enrico, you need to humiliate her when the two of you fight.]
'I'll make sure of that if my level is far above hers.'
Victoria's eyes flicked toward Enrico for a second before she continued looking straight ahead.
'I don't understand why they're so interested in him.'
Just as Enrico and the System had their own thoughts, Victoria was also occupied with hers. To her, Enrico didn't seem particularly extraordinary, although she acknowledged that he had demonstrated something interesting on that training field.
'I don't know what he was doing, but it doesn't matter. Nobody can beat me.'
The two continued walking until they reached the entrance to a tunnel leading to the lower section of the dome. A guard accompanied them along the way. Compared to the other guards protecting the venue, he possessed a considerably lower level of power, but that didn't seem to interfere with his duties.
Upon leaving the tunnel, Enrico and Victoria found themselves facing an enormous underground area filled with combat arenas. Numerous platforms were scattered throughout the place, each prepared to host the competition's matches.
"You're scheduled to fight in the morning, so you'll be among the first participants."
"All right."
The battles would be divided into three periods: morning, afternoon, and night. Each period would feature thirty students, distributed among the arenas according to the schedule established by the organizers.
After receiving his instructions, Enrico was directed to the arena designated for his first fight. An employee handed him a sheet listing the name of the opponent he would face that day and the opponents for the following rounds.
"It seems my first opponent won't be too difficult. Even so, I won't let my guard down."
The list was organized as follows:
First opponent: Franchesco Giovanni. Second opponent: Nicholas. Third opponent: Liang Xuanwu. Fourth opponent: Lira Xuefeng. Fifth opponent: Sakura Himari. Sixth opponent: To be determined.
The sixth round would work a little differently from the previous ones. The opponent would be chosen based on the results of the first five rounds, allowing competitors with similar scores and levels to face each other. This would make it possible to create more balanced matches while also giving those who needed to improve their results a chance for a rematch.
While examining the list, Enrico saw his first opponent approaching.
"I hope we have a good fight."
"Hello. I hope so too."
Enrico shook Franchesco Giovanni's hand before stepping into the arena. The two walked toward opposite ends of the platform, maintaining a considerable distance between them.
Since the rules had already been explained earlier, there was no need to repeat them. The referee simply confirmed that both were ready to begin.
"Are you ready?"
Franchesco nodded with a serious expression.
"Yes."
Enrico performed a quick stretch before confirming.
"Anytime."
"Begin!"
As soon as the signal was given, Enrico activated Charged Impulse and disappeared from his position. His speed was so great that Franchesco couldn't follow his movements. Before he could react, he felt a flaming kick strike his ribs, causing his body to bend from the impact.
Enrico gave him no time to regain his balance. Using another Charged Impulse, he quickly changed direction, turned his body to the right, and landed a second kick against his opponent's ribs, this time from the opposite side.
"Gah!"
The impact sent Franchesco flying backward, but Enrico was already prepared to continue his attack.
"Zero Impact!"
Closing in before his opponent could recover his stance, Enrico unleashed five consecutive punches. The blows struck Franchesco in rapid succession, pushing him even farther back and causing considerable damage.
Despite suffering greatly from the combination, Franchesco managed to remain conscious. As he tried to regain his balance, he raised one hand toward Enrico. A glow appeared on his finger, catching the young man's attention.
'I don't know what this is, but I won't...'
Before Enrico could finish the thought, his vision disappeared completely. Everything went dark, as if someone had turned off the world's lights.
'I see. It's an ability that makes me blind.'
Enrico didn't panic. Instead of remaining still and allowing his opponent to take advantage of the situation, he took two jumps backward, moving away from where he had been standing.
A moment later, he heard the sound of a fist cutting through the air exactly where his body had been. If he hadn't moved, he would have taken a direct hit.
'I need to remember the dimensions of the arena.'
Unable to see, Enrico needed to rely on his other senses and memory to avoid being cornered. Knowing the platform's width and length would be essential for determining his position and preventing Franchesco from leading him into an unfavorable area.
On the other side, Franchesco realized that his initial plan had worked. Growing more confident, he began gathering mana in his hands, forming two glowing spheres. Once he had finished preparing them, he launched the attacks in different directions and advanced from the front to pressure Enrico with a third strike.
Enrico heard all three attacks approaching, but he still wasn't certain of each one's exact position. Since he needed to remember the arena's dimensions without making unnecessary movements, he decided to dodge only one of the attacks and accept the impact of another.
The moment Franchesco advanced with his fist, Enrico moved to the side, avoiding the physical blow. His opponent, who had already advanced too far, ended up in the path of his own magic attack launched from the left. The attack struck his body and momentarily halted his advance.
However, the other magical sphere reached Enrico from behind, causing a painful impact.
Even while injured, he didn't waste any time.
"Fire Arrow!"
Enrico fired a flaming arrow toward where he believed Franchesco was standing. The attack struck his opponent and sent him flying backward, but the student managed to recover more quickly than Enrico had expected.
Franchesco's footsteps began echoing through the arena again as he approached for another attack.
'He's stronger than I expected. I need to think of some way to win.'
Franchesco knew he couldn't prolong the fight indefinitely. Although his ability to blind his opponent gave him an advantage, Enrico was adapting to the situation far too quickly. If he continued trading blows, he would eventually lose.
That was when an idea came to his mind.
'I'll use the arena itself. If I can make him take a step off the platform, he'll lose his balance for a moment. That will be enough time to hit him with my strongest magic.'
The arena had an access staircase approximately one meter high. Since Enrico was still blind, Franchesco believed he could make him retreat toward the edge and step off the platform. Even if his opponent managed to recover afterward, that brief moment of imbalance would be enough to land a powerful attack.
With his plan decided, Franchesco began concentrating mana in one hand. Then, he bent his knees and prepared to advance, using his other hand to gradually guide Enrico toward the position he wanted.
"Brilliance Magic: Magical Focus!"
Franchesco approached and stamped his feet hard against the ground, producing a loud noise to attract his opponent's attention. Since Enrico was using his hearing to compensate for his lack of vision, he believed the sound would be enough to lead him into making a mistake.
'Got you!'
When he noticed Enrico taking a step backward, Franchesco saw the perfect opportunity. His opponent's foot passed beyond the edge of the platform, and his body began to lose its balance.
Without hesitation, Franchesco leaped forward, extending his palm toward Enrico's face. The mana accumulated in his hand exploded outward, launching a powerful attack at his opponent.
"You're pretty clever."
Enrico's voice made Franchesco's eyes widen.
Even in midair, Enrico managed to change his body's position and descend far enough to place his foot back on the platform, regaining his balance before the attack could hit him directly.
The next instant, he grabbed Franchesco by his clothes.
The difference in physical strength between them became evident when Enrico released an impressive amount of mana throughout his body, reinforcing his muscles and increasing the power of his movements. Taking advantage of his opponent's own momentum, he turned his body and hurled him violently out of the arena.
Franchesco hit the ground hard, creating a crater approximately two and a half meters wide. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs and left him temporarily unable to stand.
Enrico gave him no time to recover.
"Multiple Arrows!"
Raising his hand toward his opponent, Enrico fired a series of magical arrows. The projectiles struck Franchesco repeatedly, preventing him from regaining his stance or attempting to escape.
Enrico maintained the attack until he noticed the student beginning to lose consciousness. Only then did he stop using his magic.
"How...?"
Franchesco could barely speak. Still confused by the outcome, he tried to understand how his plan had failed so completely.
"I simply remembered that the arena was ten meters wide and eight meters long. After that, all I had to do was use your good plan to my advantage and rely on a spell to get out of that situation."
As he tried to understand the answer, Franchesco noticed something near Enrico's foot: a thread of fire so thin that it was almost impossible to see.
At that moment, he finally understood. That was how his opponent had managed to change his body's position in midair.
Enrico had already remembered the arena's dimensions before Franchesco had even put his plan into action. The thread of fire was part of a trap prepared in advance, and the student had been led to believe he was controlling the course of the fight.
In reality, Enrico had simply seized the opportunity to turn his opponent's strategy into his own advantage.
Before losing consciousness, Franchesco tried to console himself with the outcome.
"At least... I lost to someone intelligent."
The referee raised his hand and announced the winner.
"Winner: Enrico Solcren Ferreira!"