—SECOND MATCH OF THE THIRD ROUND NOW BEGINS: SAMIR El HARAZI vs KAIEN DRAVIK
Kaien entered the combat arena with confidence. Samir entered in the same way.
Kaien raised his katana and pointed its tip at Samir.
I don't know why but today I feel like winning, he said with a smile.
Haruki and Arien continued to show their support.
That's it Kaien! Show what those who keep their promises are made of, exclaimed Arien.
Haruki kept a wide smile, happy to see Kaien like that.
It is very rare to see him this motivated but when he is, he is much stronger than usual.
—BEGIN.
Kaien pushed off with his legs and leaped from his place, raised his katana vertically above himself, and as he fell, swung it forward.
Water Technique: Cutting Current!
Samir looked upward to see him; seeing him approaching from above, he quickly stepped back.
Upon landing, Kaien's katana struck the ground, and behind him a large current of water formed and began moving rapidly toward Samir.
His eyes widened in surprise; he raised his katana, gripping it with both hands.
Desert Sand Technique: Protective Dune, a great amount of sand began to form in the air, all moving forward to create a wall in front of Samir.
The water current and the sand collided; Kaien smiled widely upon seeing that Samir's wall could withstand his attack. Samir gritted his teeth and frowned, not expecting the attack to be so powerful.
Samir knew he could not hold on much longer and leaped just seconds before the water broke through the sand wall. The water current rushed forward and managed to make a small cut on Samir's heel before hitting the wall and vanishing.
Samir fell to the ground, his left heel injured; it hurt to put weight on it, so he had to stand on the toes of that foot.
Kaien launched another attack, taking advantage of Samir's limited movement.
Water Technique:
Desert Sand Technique: Quicksand!
A circle of sand formed beneath Kaien as he ran toward him. He could no longer move and began to sink slowly.
You are finished, said Samir, looking at him seriously.
Kaien looked at the sand beneath him in astonishment. He raised his katana upside down, gripping the hilt with both hands, and drove its tip into the sand.
Water Technique: Rising Tide, a wave appeared beneath him, launching him into the air and freeing him from the quicksand.
Samir was even more impressed; Kaien did a somersault and landed on his feet as if nothing had happened.
Desert Sand Technique: Sandstorm, sand began to form in the air and covered the entire combat area, preventing Kaien from seeing where Samir was.
Kaien stayed calm, exhaled slowly, and closed his eyes to concentrate.
Samir moved quickly through the sand, waiting for the right moment to strike, but suddenly Kaien also vanished into the sand.
Samir began looking around frantically, trying to find him as soon as possible.
Unable to see him, he grew uneasy. Samir felt a katana near his neck, and dark eyes appeared through the sand.
He raised his katana just in time to block the attack; the sand dispersed from the force of the clash. Kaien smiled in surprise.
Wow, you certainly have strength.
Samir gritted his teeth and pushed Kaien back with his katana to create distance. Kaien stepped back from the impact but raised his katana vertically above himself.
Water Technique: Heavenly Waterfall.
An enormous mass of water appeared above Samir, startling him even more, and he tried to get away as fast as he could.
Water Technique: Ocean Prison, a bubble of compressed water formed around Samir's leg, immobilizing him and stopping him from escaping.
The mass of water began to fall with great force; Samir knew there was nothing more he could do. He looked at the water and then at Kaien, and the water crashed down on top of him, pressing down and making the ground shake.
After the dust settled, the medical staff entered the arena. Kaien smiled happily.
And so I move on to the next round.
WELL DONE, KAIEN! YOU DID AMAZING, exclaimed Arien from his place.
Rika showed a smile, and Haruki raised his arms. Kaien gave them a thumbs-up before leaving the combat arena.
—SECOND MATCH OF THE THIRD ROUND COMPLETED. WINNER: KAIEN DRAVIK
—AN INCREDIBLE BATTLE. NOW LET US MOVE ON TO THE THIRD MATCH OF THE THIRD ROUND.
Who will fight in this match? asked Termomix to Floch.
The boy with no technique, Raiden Kuroha, against Zento, the one who gives off a killing aura to everyone, he answered in a calm tone.
Who will win?
Raiden can put up a good fight even without a technique, but the advantage lies with Zento.
The two fighters entered the combat arena. Raiden with a determined look and Zento with a menacing presence.
—BEGIN.
Without saying a word, both ran toward each other, clashing their swords to start the fight.
Naeris, holding a pom-pom in each hand, raised one arm toward the sky while pulling the other against her chest, then switched them with a sharp motion.
Go! Go! Let's go, Zento!
Where did you get those? asked Kenzo while looking at Naeris's pom-poms.
She stopped moving her arms to look at Kenzo.
Ah, I borrowed them from over there.
Sure you did. By the way, where is Varek?
He is in the infirmary receiving blood; he lost a lot, so he is in bad shape but can still watch the matches on the screen there.
When did you go to see him?
While you were standing there staring at Rika.
Kenzo's face turned bright red.
Th-that is not true.
Naeris wrapped her arms around herself.
Of course it is, you were looking at her with such longing eyes, like saying I want to be next to her, she said in an exaggerated tone.
Kenzo covered her mouth with both hands.
Stop talking already!
Inside the arena, portals created by Zento's technique were everywhere. Raiden managed to get close and struck with his katana.
Zento dodged the attack by entering one of his portals and came out through another, but a cut appeared on his cheek.
Zento was surprised to feel the wound. Raiden leaned on his katana stuck in the ground, breathing heavily through his mouth. His exhaustion was obvious.
You are tired, you cannot go on anymore, Zento spoke his first words since the match began.
Raiden returned to his fighting stance.
You guessed one thing right and got the other wrong. Yes, I am tired but, he showed his determined smile, I can still keep going!
Then let us see how much longer you can last! Zento stepped back into his portal and appeared through different portals all over the arena to disorient and confuse Raiden.
Raiden closed his eyes to focus and rested the tip of his katana on the ground. He breathed in and out slowly.
Zento created a portal behind Raiden and came out of it. Raiden opened his eyes and turned quickly, striking with his katana.
He managed to slash Zento across the neck, who did not see him move. Zento was shocked by the speed Raiden had reached.
After cutting Zento, Raiden stopped his katana halfway and held it horizontally with both hands. He looked him in the eyes with the same smile.
Yes, I can still keep moving forward!