One day later.
When it was time to eat before the fourth round, Enrico was already on his tenth plate. After the previous day's fight, he had been taken immediately to receive magical treatment, and as soon as the healers confirmed that he was fine, he rushed back to his room to analyze Lira's fight. He hadn't even had time to talk to anyone.
'Since Liang lost consciousness, I only sent him a letter thanking him for the fight.'
[Of course you need to thank him! Thanks to that intense battle and the Circular Breathing Technique, your percentage increased by another point.]
'I hope the same thing happens today.'
That day, his fight would be one of the last in the morning, so he had more time to eat than the previous day. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he also managed to ask about some traditional Vesparello dishes, interested in learning how to prepare them.
'I wonder if the girls will like them?'
[Are you planning to cook for them?]
'Yes. Yumeha already knows, but I want to see everyone's reactions when they try my food. It'll be so cute.'
[I want to try it too!]
'Then you'll just have to keep wanting to. This food is for people who have a special relationship with me.'
If someone observed the relationship between Enrico and the System from the outside, they might think the two had a rather peculiar dynamic. The System behaved like a boss who loved making her subordinate's life impossible simply because she enjoyed watching him suffer. And apparently, she considered that the best thing that had ever happened to Enrico.
[... As your boss, who cares about you so much that I love seeing you suffer, I need to remind you of something: if it weren't for us, you'd be dead. Therefore, I deserve rewards.]
'You eat my food almost every time I make something. That's already more than enough of a reward.'
[You...! Just you wait! I won't give you any rewards in the next arc!]
Enrico almost laughed when he heard that. As if the System could actually carry out that threat! As far as he knew, the rewards were granted by the constellations. Unless she was secretly multiplying the food every time he cooked something for her and gave it to the constellations...
'Wait. Hasn't she done that before?'
The thought made Enrico reconsider the situation. It was better not to take unnecessary risks, at least until he understood better how those rewards worked. After all, he didn't want to end up on the constellations' bad side over an argument about food.
'How about we make a deal? I'll prepare an even better feast for you later.'
[Really?]
'Yes. It'll be the best food I've ever made in this world.'
[In that case, I take back what I said about the rewards. You're lucky.]
Enrico shook his head, satisfied that he had resolved the problem so easily. After finishing his meal, he stood up and carried the dishes to the place where the cafeteria worker usually washed them.
The woman was surprised to realize that the ten plates she had seen on the table had turned into thirty. She placed one hand against her chest as she imagined all the work waiting for her, but her surprise grew even greater when Enrico began washing the dishes himself.
"Is he an angel or something?"
When she realized that the young man genuinely intended to help her, the worker immediately felt the urge to do something for him. Since the first day, Enrico had never made her job more difficult, and despite his noble status, he didn't act like someone who considered others inferior.
"You don't have to do this, young man. This is my job."
Enrico looked at her with a gentle, polite smile.
"I always do this. I like seeing the dishes I've used clean and ready to be used again."
'He's really an angel.'
In truth, that habit came from his previous life, when he was still Saul. He had worked doing exactly that and had ended up incorporating the habit into his own routine. To him, there was a certain satisfaction in finishing a meal and leaving the dishes clean afterward.
He just hadn't done it that often in that life because he had been too busy trying to improve his body's potential.
[What a good girl. Please don't corrupt her.]
'Why do you talk as if I'm going to corrupt everyone?'
[Because you will.]
Enrico decided to ignore the comment and finished washing the dishes. After saying goodbye to the worker, who returned his farewell with a smile, he left the cafeteria and headed toward the arena. Finally, it was time to face Lira.
The other members of Group F had already fought their matches, leaving only Enrico's and Lira's confrontations. On the broadcast, he saw Liang raise one arm after his victory. Some marks from the previous fight were still visible on his body, but he seemed to be doing well.
Liang had managed to defeat Sakura, although she had inflicted considerable damage during their confrontation. Even after losing to Enrico, the Shengtian student showed that he was improving with every battle.
'That girl also seems to be improving with every fight... Maybe I can give her some advice.'
[Tsk. Already thinking about corrupting another girl.]
'You're not going to stop with this, are you?'
[No.]
Enrico let out a sigh and continued walking.
When he arrived at the arena, he found Lira waiting for him with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. The girl seemed completely calm, as if she were simply waiting for something she already knew would happen.
Before stepping onto the platform, Enrico checked the Group F rankings once more.
Group F Rankings
Lira Xuefeng — 27 points.
Enrico Solcren Ferreira — 23 points.
Liang Xuanwu — 16 points.
Sakura Himari — 8 points.
Nicholas — 7 points.
Franchesco Giovanni — 0 points.
If he managed to defeat Lira, even by a small margin, Enrico would take the lead in the group. However, if he lost, there was still a possibility that he could drop to third place, depending on the result of his final match and Liang's performance in the next round.
'I need to win this fight.'
As he stepped into the arena, Enrico began stretching his muscles while the surrounding scenery transformed. Within moments, the platform disappeared beneath his feet, giving way to a small city with destroyed houses and streets covered in rubble.
The referee, who was watching everything from an elevated position, raised his hand to begin the match.
"If you're ready, you may begin!"
As soon as the signal was given, several wind blades appeared around Enrico, attacking him from different directions. Lira didn't even need to approach him. She raised a finger toward her opponent and, with a simple movement, increased the speed of all the attacks.
The wind blades advanced all at once, striking Enrico's position and destroying part of the street. Dust spread throughout the scenery, covering the rubble and making it difficult for the spectators to see. Lira looked at the spot with a slightly curious expression.
'That must be the magic that allows him to switch places with his clone.'
When the smoke began to dissipate, Enrico was no longer in the place where he had been hit. The speed with which he had disappeared surprised part of the audience, as it seemed even greater than the speed he had demonstrated in his fight against Liang.
However, Lira showed no surprise.
While the spectators were trying to understand what had happened, she was already looking behind her, where Enrico appeared, attempting a surprise attack.
'He must have somehow sent the clone behind me as soon as the fight began.'
Before Enrico could hit her, a force of wind formed around Lira and violently pushed him away. The young man was thrown several meters backward, but managed to plant his feet on the ground and regain his balance.
As soon as he landed, he turned his body to the side, narrowly dodging a wind blade that appeared on the surface of the street.
'Damn it. Getting through that magic is going to be difficult.'
Lira's defensive technique was known as Protective Wind. It functioned as an automatic defense, reacting whenever the girl was in danger, although it could also be activated voluntarily.
In truth, the attack that had pushed Enrico away was nowhere near the limit of that magic. Lira simply wanted to demonstrate the difference between them and observe how he would react upon realizing that his surprise attack had failed.
'It seems that crazy girl really has her eyes on me.'
Enrico knew he couldn't waste time trying to get through that defense with ordinary attacks. He needed to use something powerful enough to force her to take the fight seriously. With a sigh, he focused on using the various spells and advantages he currently had.
"Mana Veins... Activate Fire Ring... Circular Breathing Technique... Arcane Collision!"
He began combining his abilities, feeling the mana circulate through his body as the fire ring increased his combat capabilities. The Circular Breathing Technique accelerated the flow of energy, allowing him to prepare Arcane Collision more efficiently.
Assuming the focused punch stance, Enrico stomped hard on the ground and gathered an impressive amount of mana in his fist.
He didn't want to give Lira enough time to prepare another attack.
'Charged Flame Impact!'
Enrico thrust his fist forward.
A massive wave of fire surged down the street, consuming everything in its path. One of the destroyed houses was swallowed by the flames, while rubble was hurled into the air. The energy of the attack swept through the scenery with enough force to transform the area into a sea of fire.
For the first time since the fight began, Lira's eyes opened slightly as she realized the true power of that strike.
"Spiritual Ki Magic: Heavenly King Slayer!"
An aura emerged from Lira's body and began taking the shape of a gigantic warrior. The spiritual figure positioned itself in front of her, raising its right arm as Enrico's attack approached.
With a firm movement, the warrior delivered a downward slash.
The spiritual blade struck the wave of fire and split it in half, dividing the mass of flames before it could reach Lira. The energy dispersed to the sides, destroying the rest of the street and enveloping the scenery in a cloud of smoke.
When the attack finally ended, Lira remained standing, protected by the spiritual warrior. Enrico had a smile on his face as he began walking toward her.
"It seems I managed to make you use one of your best spells."
Lira's expression almost turned into a smile. She had been forced to resort to her second-best spell to deal with Enrico's attack, and that seemed to satisfy her in a rather disturbing way.
Even so, she brought one hand to her face, trying to control her expression.
'Calm down, Lira. This still isn't enough.'
Through the gaps between her fingers, she continued watching Enrico. A strange gleam began to appear in her eyes, revealing that the fight was starting to awaken something far more intense within her.