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."
Jared, who was still on the ground, sneered. "Kill me? I don't understand why you guys underestimate me. Do you even think you can beat me up? Bi—"
He never finished the word.
Lyraena launched forward, faster than before. She spun in the air, her leg whipping around in a powerful back kick aimed straight at his head.
To his credit, Jared reacted. He threw his arms up just in time.
BAM!
The force of the kick sent him sliding back through the mud, but he blocked it. He was tough.
Lyraena didn't care. She landed lightly on her feet. As Jared threw a wild punch, she disappeared.
She dropped low, sliding on the wet ground, completely vanishing from his line of sight. Then she reappeared behind him, already in the air. She twisted her body, a human tornado, and delivered a spinning kick that slammed into his back.
The impact threw him forward. He flew several feet before crashing face-first into the dirt.
From the sidelines, Leonardo's jaw was hanging open. "She's... so fast."
Jomana nodded, her arms still crossed as she held Seth down. "Yeah. Once she's like that, it's done for her opponent." She paused. "I've been there once."
Leonardo looked at her, surprised. "She beat you up?"
Jomana shot him a look. A look that clearly said, if you say that again, you're next.
"She barely won," Jomana muttered, turning her attention back to the fight.
Jared was getting up again. He was a mess of mud and blood, but he was still standing. He was furious.
Lyraena was bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The forest was almost completely dark now. The heavy rain made it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.
She launched herself forward again.
Jared tensed, trying to track her movement, but she was just a blur in the darkness. She got close, then vanished again.
He looked around wildly. "Where did you—"
She was on the ground, spinning on her hands like a dancer, her leg scything through the air. Her heel connected with the side of his head.
CRACK.
He stumbled back, blood pouring from his nose.
"That's for breaking my bow," Lyraena said, her voice echoing in the dark. "I spent two hours crafting it."
Jared had taken too much damage. Her kicks were not normal. They were the kicks of a master, and she was mad.
Leonardo watched, a mix of amazement and fear on his face. Jared was just standing there now, swaying on his feet. He had lost the will to fight.
"Jomana," Leonardo said, his voice urgent. "Shouldn't we stop her? At this rate, she might actually kill him."
Jomana shook her head, her expression grim. "We can't. That girl, as sweet as she is, she has anger issues. Once she's really angry, you can't approach her. She'll decide you're an enemy, too."
"That's crazy," Leonardo whispered.
While they were talking, Lyraena moved again. She vanished from Jared's sight, appeared at his side, and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to his ribs.
The force of the blow made him drop to his knees. He had endured far more than anyone could expect. He was done.
Lyraena raised her leg for one final, decisive kick to the head.
Leonardo didn't think. He just ran.
He sprinted across the clearing like a madman, hoping he could get there in time. Lyraena saw him coming. She paused, her leg still raised, her eyes narrowing as she tried to figure out what he was doing. Was he an enemy now?
Leonardo didn't slow down. He leaped over Jared's kneeling form and wrapped his arms around his neck from behind, pulling him back into a chokehold.
"This is for Ivan, you asshole!" he shouted for her to hear.
Then, he leaned in and whispered into Jared's ear. "Don't resist. She'll kill you if you stand up again. Just go unconscious quietly."
Jared, broken and terrified, stopped struggling. His body went limp as Leonardo choked him out.
Lyraena slowly lowered her leg, a look of confusion and annoyance on her face.
"Hey, Leonardo!" she yelled, walking toward him. "What do you think you are doing? I wasn't satisfied yet!"
Leonardo let the unconscious Jared fall to the ground. "It's... getting dark," he said, thinking fast. "I just thought we should gang up on him and finish him quickly. To eliminate him."
Lyraena sighed, running a hand through her wet hair. The anger was slowly fading from her eyes. "Don't do that again," she warned. "Seriously, that could have made me mad."
She walked over to Jared's body and grabbed his backpack, searching through it. She found a knife, some rope, and the firework. She launched it into the sky.
A moment later, a loud shriek echoed through the forest. A huge, dark shape descended through the trees. The beast eagle landed softly, its intelligent eyes looking at the three unconscious boys.
Seth and Victor, now released, helped carry Jared onto the eagle's back. The massive bird gave one powerful flap of its wings and soared back into the night sky.
They were eliminated.
Lyraena looked around at the dark trees. "I'm not sure I remember where our camp is," she admitted. "I remember how many steps we should walk, but... no guarantee."
The other two nodded. They followed her into the darkness.
Leonardo adjusted Ivan on his back. Ivan was still out cold.
"Damn it, Ivan," Leonardo grunted. "Why are you so heavy even though you're skinny?"
---
Ivan was floating in a dark mist. He felt weird. Then, he felt gentle touches on his face and heard his name being called.
He opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a fire. He turned his head and saw Leonardo. He was the one who woke him up.
"Oh, Leo."
"Are you alright, Ivan?" Leonardo asked. "You were like, having a nightmare."
Ivan was confused. He looked around. Lyraena and Jomana were sitting on the other side of the fire, looking at him with worried expressions. "A nightmare?"
Leonardo saw the confusion on Ivan's face and decided to speak up.
"You were begging someone to leave you alone," he said quietly. He paused, then added the final, chilling detail.
"I think you were saying... Superbia."