Nova hammered one final strike into the side of the fire manipulator's face. His fist landed with a dull impact, and whatever strength the man had left disappeared. His body went limp and dropped against the ground, blood running from his mouth and nose into the dirt beneath him.
For a moment, Nova remained bent over him, breathing hard. His knuckles ached, his arms trembled, and sweat ran down the side of his face. He had been craving a fight like this for so long that he had almost forgotten what it felt like to reach his limit. Now his muscles were begging him to stop, but a part of him still wanted to continue.
He looked at the unconscious man. The rise and fall of his chest told Nova he was alive, although he had taken a terrible beating. Nova could have checked him more carefully, but he was already turning his attention elsewhere. The match was still going, and standing around would accomplish nothing.
'Well, that was satisfying,' he thought, straightening slowly. 'My hands might disagree, though.'
He flexed his fingers and winced. His skin had split across two knuckles. Between the earlier blows and the struggle against the fire manipulator, even closing his fist had become uncomfortable.
Then Nova turned toward the second attacker.
The man was standing a short distance away, half-hidden by the thinning smoke. He had watched the entire exchange. Sweat covered his forehead, and his arms hung stiffly at his sides, almost as though someone had ordered him to stand at attention.
Nova raised his fists again and stepped toward him.
The second attacker didn't move.
At first, Nova assumed he was waiting for the right opening. It was possible the man had an ability he had yet to use. Perhaps he wanted Nova to approach before launching a surprise attack. After what had just happened, it would have been foolish to dismiss him outright.
But as Nova took another step, the man remained where he was. His eyes followed Nova's movements, and his jaw tightened, but he made no attempt to defend himself.
'Is that it?'
Nova tilted his head. He had expected the second attacker to rush forward the moment his companion fell. Instead, the man stood frozen, trying so hard to look calm that it only made his fear more obvious.
"You planning to fight me," Nova asked, "or are we going to stand here staring at each other?"
No answer came.
"I don't have all day, you know. There's still a flag I need to grab."
The man's lips parted slightly, but he seemed unable to find the words. His eyes darted toward his fallen teammate and then back to Nova. He swallowed hard.
Nova's expression shifted from anticipation to disbelief. After fighting a man who had been throwing fireballs at him, he had been ready for another difficult encounter. Now he was watching someone who appeared convinced that remaining perfectly still would make the problem disappear.
It reminded him of the way certain animals behaved when they encountered something dangerous. He had seen mortals describe the same response in documentaries and books. Apparently, standing in front of a beaten opponent had made this man decide to try it for himself.
"Oh, come on," Nova said, moving closer. "Don't tell me you're a statue. You watched your buddy get folded, and now you think standing still makes you invisible?"
The man's shoulders tensed. He glanced down at Nova's bloodied hands and then quickly looked away.
"I..." he began, but his voice failed him.
Nova stopped within arm's reach. Up close, the trembling was impossible to miss. The man wasn't preparing an attack. He was barely keeping himself upright.
'He's frightened out of his mind.'
For a brief moment, Nova felt disappointed. He had entered this tournament because he wanted to experience the difficulties mortals faced. Every injury, every exhausting struggle, had offered him something new. He wanted to be pushed, to face opponents who refused to back down, and to discover how much effort his mortal body could endure.
But this wasn't a challenge. This was a man who had watched his awakened teammate get beaten by someone who had not even awakened.
Nova considered it from the attacker's perspective. If he had watched an unawakened contestant overpower someone throwing fire around, would he have charged in without hesitation? No. He might have tried to find a safer way out himself.
'I guess I can't blame him. Survival of the fittest, and all that. Still, what a waste of adrenaline.'
"Listen," Nova said, his voice becoming calmer. "This isn't some movie. You don't get a second take because you made a stupid decision. You either fight, get out of my way, or let me end this quickly."
The man finally found enough courage to speak.
"Are you going to do the same thing to me?"
Nova glanced over his shoulder at the fire manipulator, who remained unconscious on the ground.
"Depends. Are you planning to throw a fireball at my face?"
"N-no."
"Good. Then we already have something to work with."
The man stared at him uncertainly, as though he couldn't tell whether Nova was joking. Nova wasn't entirely sure himself. He wanted to win the match, not spend another several minutes beating someone who had already surrendered in everything but words.
"I don't want to fight you," the man admitted. "I saw what you did to him."
"Yeah, I noticed." Nova exhaled and lowered his fists. "Look, I'm not asking you to prove anything. But I can't leave an opponent standing behind me while I go after your team's flag. You understand that, right?"
The man nodded, almost too quickly.
"Then stop making this difficult."
Nova approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. The man flinched, but Nova kept his grip controlled rather than tightening it out of anger. He moved him away from the open path, careful not to let the encounter become another drawn-out fight.
"Relax," Nova muttered. "It's over. Don't make me chase you."
The man hesitated, then made one last weak attempt to pull away. Nova shifted his balance and brought him down, controlling the movement so his head wouldn't strike the hard ground. The struggle was brief. By the time Nova checked him, the man had lost consciousness.
Nova let go and stood up, taking a slow breath. Unlike the fire manipulator, the second attacker showed no obvious injuries. He was breathing steadily, and Nova had no reason to keep bothering him.
"There. That wasn't so difficult."
He looked down at his sore hands again. Dealing with the second attacker had required nowhere near as much strength, but his body was beginning to feel the price of the match. His lungs still burned from the chase, his shoulders were stiff, and a dull ache had settled along his ribs.
'If I keep fighting everyone like the first guy, I'll have nothing left by the time I reach the flag.'
The thought irritated him because it was true. He was enjoying himself, perhaps more than he should have, but winning meant understanding when to stop. He had already wasted enough energy on opponents who no longer threatened him.
The smoke was beginning to clear. Through it, he could see the outlines of trees, broken branches, and a stretch of uneven ground leading farther into the blue team's territory. Somewhere ahead stood their flag and, according to the formation he had seen before the match, the remaining defender.
Nova touched the earpiece at his ear.
"Scout, report. Check the perimeter and tell me where everyone is."
A little static crackled through the connection before the man's voice answered.
"I'm still near the center. I haven't seen anyone else moving toward you. Your two opponents are down?"
"Both of them. The fire user won't be getting up anytime soon, and the other one didn't put up much of a fight."
"Are you hurt?"
Nova looked at the blood drying on his knuckles.
"I've looked better. Nothing I can't manage. Focus on the flag."
"Understood. I can move closer and watch the side routes."
"Do that, but don't get caught. I need you watching for anyone coming back toward our position."
He adjusted the earpiece and switched his attention to the rest of the team.
"Shadow girl, move up from defense and cover my approach. I want you checking the blue team's base before I go in. Stay where there's enough shade for your ability to work."
"What about our flag?" she asked. "If I leave it, someone might get through."
"The scout will keep an eye on the approaches, and we have a lead. I need to know what we're walking into. Don't abandon your position until you've checked the route."
There was a pause, followed by her answer.
"All right. I'll stay low and report anything unusual."
"Good. Shy girl, keep those distractions ready. If the defender appears, I want enough smoke between us to make him question where I went."
"I still have some left," she said quietly. "But I don't want to throw one too early."
"Then don't. Wait for my signal. You've already helped us get this far."
"Okay. I'll be ready."
Nova lowered his hand. His teammates were responding better now, and he was beginning to understand why mortal teams relied so heavily on communication. He had spent most of his existence handling every problem himself. Here, one wrong assumption could cost four people their chance to advance.
He started forward, weaving around bushes and pieces of broken cover. Every few steps he paused to listen, scanning the darker patches of ground and the spaces between the trees. His legs felt heavy, but he refused to let his exhaustion make him careless.
The scout fed him occasional updates. The shadow manipulator moved ahead wherever the light allowed her to hide, using the darker parts of the field rather than crossing open ground. Behind them, the shy girl remained prepared to create another distraction.
For several moments, the arena seemed almost too quiet.
Nova reached a fallen tree and crouched beside it. Beyond the trunk, the blue team's flag stood in the open, close enough for him to see the fabric shifting in the faint breeze.
'There it is.'
He had spent the match fighting his way toward it, and now it stood only a short distance away. Part of him wanted to rush forward immediately. Grab the flag, finish the match, and finally give his aching body a chance to rest.
But another part of him remained uneasy.
The defender was nowhere in sight.
Nova searched the surrounding terrain once more. He checked the ground around the flag, the nearby rocks, and the narrow spaces where someone might be hiding. He saw no movement. Nothing reached him through the earpiece except the quiet breathing of his teammates.
'Lucky, or a trap?'
He didn't know which possibility bothered him more. He had fought through fire, smoke, and two attackers. Reaching the flag without another challenge should have been a relief, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"Any sign of the defender?" he whispered.
"Nothing from here," the scout answered. "The approach looks clear."
The shadow girl's voice followed. "I can't see anyone near the base either. Be careful."
"Yeah," Nova murmured, keeping his eyes on the flag. "I intend to."
He rose from behind the fallen tree and moved out, quick and deliberate. His fists remained loose at his sides, ready for another fight, but his attention stayed fixed on the flag ahead.
The blue defender was nowhere in sight. Nova felt lucky, but at the same time, he felt trapped. He didn't know whether to be relieved or nervous. With the flag this close, however, he wasn't going to let himself ruin the moment.