Jared grabbed the two broken halves of Lyraena's bow. He held them like short, crude swords. "Alright," he snarled, a cruel grin on his face. "I'm gonna break your bones."
Lyraena's face went dark. Her playful expression was gone, replaced by a cold fury. "That was my bow," she said, her voice dangerously low. "You have no idea how much time I spent crafting it."
"It's your fault," Jared shot back, taking a fighting stance. "No one is dumb enough to throw their weapon away in a battle."
He didn't even finish his sentence.
Lyraena moved. She wasn't just fast; she was a blur, her feet barely seeming to touch the muddy ground as she shot toward Jared. Her speed was almost inhuman.
Victor, seeing her coming, stepped in her way. He swung a heavy, solid branch at her head.
But her agility was something else.
She didn't just dodge. She dropped low, her body almost parallel to the ground, letting the branch swing harmlessly over her. She came back up in a single, fluid motion. She faked a high kick, forcing Victor to raise his arms to block. But the real attack was already on its way. She spun and threw a low, powerful kick that slammed into the side of his thigh.
There was a dull, wet thud. Victor's leg buckled, and he went down, kneeling in the mud, his face a mask of pain.
Ivan, who was watching from the side, felt a phantom pain in his own leg. 'Ouch,' he thought, a vivid memory flashing in his mind. 'I know exactly how much that hurts now.'
Lyraena didn't even look back at Victor. She was already running at Jared again.
"Jomana! Leo!" Ivan yelled. "Pin the other two down! Don't let them interfere!"
He and Leonardo charged forward. Jomana was already there. They swarmed Seth, who was still recovering from Jomana's first kick. It was three against one. He didn't stand a chance. They tackled him and pinned him to the ground.
Now, it was just Lyraena versus Jared.
Jared was waiting for her, his two makeshift swords held ready. As she reached him, she suddenly changed direction, her feet sliding on the wet grass. She threw a high, spinning kick aimed at his head.
To Ivan's surprise, Jared blocked it. He raised one of the bow-halves, and her foot connected with the hard wood with a loud CRACK.
She jumped back, landing lightly on her feet. She went in again, another flurry of kicks. Jared blocked them, one after another. He was strong, and he was ready for her. She kicked again, a powerful, direct strike. He blocked it with the other half of the bow.
The piece of wood, already weakened, shattered under the force of her kick. Splinters flew everywhere.
Jared jumped back, a look of surprise on his face. He was now holding only one weapon. "Not so tough now, huh?" he taunted, trying to catch his breath. "To think a master martial artist kicks this weak. What a pity."
Lyraena didn't talk back. She was looking at the ground. The rain had turned the clearing into a muddy, slippery mess. She couldn't pivot properly. She couldn't get the solid footing she needed for her most powerful kicks. Her family's martial art, so deadly on solid ground, was a liability here.
She looked up from the ground, and a cold smirk spread across her face.
"Okay," she said, her voice calm. "I'm standing right here. I won't waste my energy attacking you. We're winning this. We have two of your friends down. You can't fight defensively forever."
"Really?" Jared sneered. "Because I'm not bothered at all. The more it rains, the weaker you get. Thanks to your useless family's martial art."
She tensed up. The insult hit a nerve. She lunged at him again, her discipline forgotten in a moment of anger.
"You really are short-tempered," Jared said, a triumphant look in his eyes. "Not very classy for a noble girl."
He had provoked her on purpose. He was waiting for this.
As she reached him, he didn't try to block. He threw a straight, powerful punch.
She tried to change direction at the last second, but her feet slipped on the wet mud. She lost her balance. She fell.
Jared smirked. "How lucky I am," he said, standing over her.
He raised the last half of the bow high above his head, ready to strike her head. Lyraena closed her eyes, bracing for the impact.
BAM!
Blood splattered across her face. But she didn't feel any pain.
She opened her eyes.
Ivan's face was just inches from hers. His eyes were unfocused, his expression slack. Blood was dripping from his gray hair, mixing with the rain on his face.
He had taken the hit for her.
'Well,' he thought, his mind going fuzzy. 'The least I could do is this... I'm glad I could protect something...' His thoughts drifted. 'No, dumbass. She's not something. She's someone who really matters.'
That was his last thought before he collapsed on top of her, unconscious.
She caught him, holding him in her arms. She looked up at Jared, her eyes now filled with a cold, terrifying light.
"I'm almost crying about how heroic this scene is," Jared said, tossing the broken piece of wood aside. "But are you done now? Sadly, I can't hit you again, since I literally broke it on his head."
"IVAN!" Leonardo screamed from across the clearing. He was still holding Victor down, but now his face was full of rage. "You fucker!" He started smashing Victor's head into the muddy ground. "You hit my partner, so I hit yours! What are you going to do about it?"
Jared got mad. He turned and sprinted toward Leonardo.
But Lyraena was faster.
She gently laid Ivan's head on the ground and shot up like a bullet. She kicked Jared in the back, sending him stumbling forward. He turned and blocked her next kick.
"Why won't you stop those weak kicks and use something else to fight?" he growled, frustrated.
She jumped back, creating space between them. She didn't say a word.
She bent down and, in one smooth motion, took off her wet, muddy shoes. She tossed them aside. Now, she was barefoot. She could feel the ground better. She could get a better grip, even in the mud. She jumped lightly on the balls of her feet. She had better balance now. Better control.
The forest was almost completely dark now. The rain was a torrential downpour. You could barely see.
Lyraena looked over at Jomana, who was still pinning Seth down.
"Jomana," she said, her voice calm and chillingly quiet. "Can you finish the test with them alone?"
Jomana looked confused. "Huh? Why is that? Do you think you can't win?"
Lyraena turned her head and looked at Jared. Her eyes were glowing with a faint, dangerous light.
"No," she said. "I might get eliminated for killing him."