Chapter 89: Kyle vs Maria and Angela vs Janice.
The next match was between Kyle Hawthorne and Maria Burnell.
When Kyle heard Maria's name, his expression changed immediately. As soon as he saw her walking into the arena, anger slowly began to rise inside him. Maria was Olivia's teammate, and she was also a parasitic mana cultivator. Just seeing her made Kyle remember his previous fight with Olivia.
That fight had almost ended badly for him.
If he had been even a little slower back then, a parasite would have entered his body and sealed his strongest element forever. That fear had stayed with him for a long time.
Since that day, Kyle had started to hate all parasitic mana cultivators. To him, their fighting style felt dirty and dangerous. One small mistake against them could destroy everything a person had trained for.
But today was different.
Kyle had not come unprepared.
After his fight with Olivia, he had spent many days thinking. He thought again and again about how parasites worked and how they were injected. Slowly, he formed a plan. Because of that plan, his anger turned into calm confidence. He took a deep breath and stepped into the arena with steady steps.
On the other side, Maria also entered the arena.
Her face was calm, and her posture was relaxed. She did not look nervous at all. She trusted her abilities completely. She had defeated many opponents using her parasites, and she believed Kyle would be no different. In her eyes, this match was already decided.
The two stood opposite each other.
The crowd slowly became quiet as the referee walked between them. He looked at both fighters, raised his hand, and said loudly, "Begin."
The moment the match started, Kyle moved.
An earth armor quickly formed around his body. Thick layers of earth covered him from head to toe, hard and solid. At the same time, many puppets appeared around him. They moved into position smoothly, standing close together and forming a strong defense.
Kyle did not wait.
He lifted his hand and commanded half of the puppets to attack Maria.
The puppets rushed forward together, their footsteps heavy as they crossed the arena.
Maria reacted immediately.
She used flight, and her body lifted into the air. Her feet left the ground as she rose above the charging puppets. While floating, she spread her arms slightly. Maria was a dual-element mana cultivator with parasitic and wind elemental affinities, and wind was her specialty in open space.
Many wind cutters formed around her.
With a sharp motion of her hand, the wind cutters flew downward. The sharp blades of wind sliced through the puppets. One puppet fell, then another. Their bodies were torn apart and scattered across the arena floor.
Kyle watched closely. He stayed calm.
Suddenly, a bow formed in his hand. He pulled the string and released an arrow aimed straight at Maria.
Maria noticed it and moved, but she was slightly late. The arrow grazed her leg, cutting through her clothes and skin. Blood slowly appeared. She frowned in irritation and pain.
She pointed both hands toward Kyle.
A powerful windstorm formed instantly.
The windstorm surrounded Kyle and the remaining puppets. Strong winds lifted them into the air. The puppets were torn apart by the fierce wind, breaking into pieces. Kyle's earth armor protected him, but small cracks began to spread across its surface.
Sharp wind cut across Kyle's face.
Blood ran down his forehead.
Kyle clenched his teeth and focused.
Suddenly, the earth beneath him began to rise. A tall earth pillar pushed him upward, lifting him out of the windstorm. As soon as he escaped, the storm weakened and slowly disappeared.
Kyle stood on top of the earth pillar. He wiped the blood from his face and looked straight at Maria.
Once again, he raised his bow.
Several arrows flew toward Maria in quick succession. Maria moved smoothly through the air, dodging each arrow one by one. As she dodged, she created more wind cutters and sent them back toward Kyle.
The wind cutters rushed toward him, but an earth wall rose instantly in front of Kyle, blocking the attacks completely.
Maria did not hesitate.
Using the earth wall as cover, she rushed forward. Her goal was clear. She wanted to get close and inject a parasite. As long as she succeeded, the fight would end.
She reached the earth wall and moved upward.
Kyle could not see her because the wall blocked his view.
Then Maria leaped over the wall.
She saw Kyle standing there.
Kyle saw her too—and for a brief moment, he looked shocked.
He did not move.
Maria placed her hand on the cracked area of his earth armor and injected a parasite. After doing so, she quickly pulled back, already preparing to take control of him.
But something felt wrong.
She tried to sense Kyle's thoughts and emotions.
There was nothing.
Only coldness.
Maria froze.
She looked at Kyle, who was now smiling calmly.
Confused, she looked down at the place where she had touched him. Beneath the cracked earth armor was a torn shirt. Beneath the shirt was a layer of metal armor.
Her eyes widened in shock.
She had injected the parasite into the armor, not his body.
Kyle had planned everything.
He had pretended to be stunned so she would come close.
Before Maria could react, something grabbed her leg in midair.
She looked down.
A puppet had tightly grabbed her ankle.
Below it, an earth structure had risen upward. The puppet pulled her down. Maria kicked the puppet away and fell. Just before hitting the ground, she stopped herself using flight and landed safely.
But she did not have time to rest.
Earth spikes burst from the ground around her, forming a cage.
She was trapped.
A small opening appeared, and an army of puppets entered the cage.
Maria gritted her teeth. She formed wind cutters and attacked desperately. Puppets fell one after another. But more kept coming.
Suddenly, an arrow pierced her leg.
She cried out and dropped to one knee. Looking up, she saw Kyle standing high above on the earth pillar. His smile was cold and cruel.
Maria understood.
She was trapped completely.
She continued fighting, destroying puppets while dodging arrows. Her breathing became heavy. Her movements slowed.
After several minutes, the last puppet fell.
Maria stood weakly. Her mana was gone.
Kyle formed another arrow and aimed it at her head.
Maria closed her eyes and accepted defeat.
Just before the arrow reached her, it was stopped.
The referee stepped in and announced, "The winner of this match is Kyle Hawthorne."
Kyle turned and left.
Maria was taken to the healing room.
Soon, the next match began.
It was Angela Fray versus Janice Macabre.
They entered the arena calmly. The referee shouted, "Begin."
Puppets gathered around Janice. A light beam shot toward Angela and pierced her body.
But it was an illusion.
Angela disappeared.
Janice ordered her puppets to search. Illusions filled the arena. One by one, they were destroyed.
Only one Angela remained.
The puppets charged.
A punch passed through her face.
Another illusion.
Janice panicked.
A needle pierced her neck.
Angela appeared behind her.
Moments later, Janice collapsed unconscious.
The referee announced Angela's victory.
Angela healed Janice and left the arena.
ters shot downward toward the puppets. Sharp winds sliced through them one after another. Puppets were cut apart in midair, their bodies falling to the ground in pieces.
Kyle watched carefully. He did not rush.
Suddenly, a bow formed in Kyle's hand. He pulled the string and launched an arrow straight toward Maria.
Maria reacted, but she was slightly slow. The arrow grazed her leg, cutting through her clothes and leaving a shallow wound. She frowned, clearly annoyed. She then pointed her hands toward Kyle.
A powerful windstorm formed instantly.
The windstorm surrounded Kyle and the remaining puppets, lifting all of them into the air. The fierce wind spun wildly, tearing through the puppets. One by one, they crumbled apart. Kyle's earth armor protected his body, but small cracks began to appear on its surface.
The wind cut across Kyle's face, and blood slowly dripped down from his forehead.
Kyle gritted his teeth.
Suddenly, the earth beneath him began to rise. A tall earth pillar lifted Kyle upward, pulling him out of the windstorm. As soon as he was free, the windstorm weakened and faded.
Kyle stood firmly on the earth pillar. He wiped the blood from his face and looked straight at Maria.
Once again, he used his bow.
Several arrows flew toward Maria in quick succession. Maria moved through the air, dodging each arrow with smooth movements. As she dodged, she formed more wind cutters and sent them back toward Kyle.
The attacks reached him, but an earth wall rose in front of him, blocking the wind cutters completely.
Maria did not stop.
Using the cover of the earth wall blocking Kyle's view, she rushed forward. She was searching for an opening. Her goal was clear—get close and inject a parasite.
She arrived in front of the earth wall and then moved upward. Kyle did not know she was already near him because his vision was blocked.
Then Maria leaped over the wall.
She saw Kyle standing there.
Kyle saw her too—and for a moment, he looked completely stunned.
He did not move in time.
Maria placed her hand on the cracks in his earth armor and injected a parasite. Then she quickly backed away, already preparing to take control of him.
But something felt wrong.
She tried to sense Kyle's thoughts and emotions through the parasite. What she felt was not fear, pain, or panic.
She felt nothing.
Only coldness.
Maria looked at Kyle, who was now smiling.
Confused, she looked at the place where she had touched him. Beneath the cracked earth armor was a torn shirt—and beneath that was a layer of metal armor.
Her eyes widened.
She had not noticed the metal armor during the fight. She had accidentally injected the parasite into the armor instead of Kyle's body.
Kyle had planned this from the very beginning.
He had pretended to be surprised on purpose, allowing Maria to get close. He had known she would try to inject a parasite.
Maria was still trying to understand what had just happened when something suddenly grabbed her leg in midair.
She looked down.
A puppet had grabbed her ankle.
Beneath the puppet, the earth had risen, forming a tall earth structure that supported it. The puppet pulled her downward. Maria reacted quickly, kicking the puppet away as she fell.
Just before hitting the ground, she stopped herself using flight. She straightened her body and landed safely.
But before she could do anything else, earth spikes erupted from the ground around her, forming a cage.
She was trapped.
A small opening appeared in the cage, and an army of puppets began to enter through it.
Maria clenched her teeth. She formed wind cutters again and attacked the puppets desperately. Puppets were destroyed one after another, but they kept coming.
Suddenly, an arrow pierced her leg.
She cried out in pain and fell to one knee. Looking upward, she saw Kyle standing high above her on the earth tower. A cruel smile was on his face.
Now, Maria fully understood her situation.
Even so, she refused to give up.
She continued to fight, destroying puppets while dodging arrows. Minutes passed. Slowly, her movements became slower. Her breathing grew heavy.
At last, the final puppet fell.
Maria stood there, exhausted. Her mana was completely depleted.
Above her, Kyle still stood on the earth tower. His smile did not fade as he conjured another arrow. He aimed it straight at Maria's head.
Maria closed her eyes.
She no longer had the strength to move.
She accepted her defeat.
Just before the arrow reached her face, it was caught.
The referee had stepped in and stopped the attack. He looked at Kyle and then announced loudly, "The winner of this match is Kyle Hawthorne."
Kyle clicked his tongue, clearly displeased, but he did not argue. He turned and left the arena.
Maria was taken to the healing room.
Soon, another match was announced.
It was a fight between Angela Fray and Janice Macabre.
Both fighters entered the arena as their names were announced. They stood opposite each other. Their eyes met, and neither showed fear.
The referee raised his hand and said, "Begin."
The moment the match started, many puppets gathered around Janice, forming a strong defense. At the same time, a light beam formed in her hand and shot toward Angela.
The attack pierced through Angela's body instantly.
But no blood came out.
Angela's body blurred and vanished.
It was an illusion.
Janice immediately understood she was inside an illusion. She tightened her defense and ordered some puppets to scout the surroundings. She knew Angela had no offensive element. This fight would be long.
Angela would try to drain her mana and hide until she wins. The puppets began to search the surroundings as they looked everywhere.
Suddenly, many Angelas appeared around Janice and her puppets.
Janice ordered her puppets to attack all of them. One by one, the illusions were destroyed. After a few minutes, only one Angela remained.
Janice knew that she was the real Angela as she ordered her puppets to charge.
A puppet reached Angela as he punched at her—but the fist passed through her face.
It was another illusion.
Janice panicked as she looked around frantically to find Angela.
At that moment, a needle pierced her neck.
She turned and saw a puppet behind her. Its body twisted and changed—it then turned into Angela.
Angela had disguised herself as a puppet. Janice saw her as she said, " So you were here all along. It was a good place to hide, and it would have taken me a lot of time to find you here, but you made a mistake and revealed yourself."
She then pulled the needle out ofher neck as she said to Angela, " What is this small needlegoing to do. It can't defeat me." Janice tried to speak further, but her vision blurred. She fell to her knees.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she asked Angela, " What did you do to me?"
Angela gently explained, "I used an anesthetic and injected it into your body using that needle. Don't worry, it won't cause you any harm; you will only be unconscious for a few minutes."
Angela liked to help people and treat them, so she had studied medicine all her life, and she had then used that knowledge to create a fighting style that didn't hurt her opponents while she defeated them.
Janice tried to say something, but she collapsed on the ground unconscious.
The illusion faded. Everyone saw Angela standing beside Janice, who was unconscious. She leaned down and placed her hand on the wound on Janice's neck as she healed her.
The referee saw this as he announced, "The winner of this match is Angela Fray."
Angela healed Janice's wound and left the arena, securing her place in the top sixteen.