As soon as the bell rang, Ren’s staff whirled in his hands, and a powerful gust of wind erupted toward Luther. The blast was much stronger than him expected, nearly pushing him back despite his solid stance.
"Too slow," Ren said, already moving. He jumped high into the air, propelled by wind magic swirling around his feet.
He tracked him with his eyes, impressed by the mobility. ’So wind users can fly, huh? Annoying.’
Ren ca down with his staff aid at his head, the weapon whistling through the air with unnatural speed. He managed sidestepped at the last mont, but Ren twisted mid-attack, sending a horizontal gust that caught him in the side.
The blow sent him skidding across the platform, his shoes squeaking against the polished surface. He caught himself before reaching the edge, a slight grimace on his face.
"First blood to ," Ren said with a smile, twirling his staff again. "I thought you’d be faster."
He straightened up, rolling his shoulders. "Just getting ward up."
He charged forward, closing the distance quickly. His fists beca coated in yellow mana as he threw a straight punch at Ren’s chest. The wind user blocked with his staff, but the impact made him wince.
"Heavy punch," he comnted, before spinning away and creating distance again.
In the stands, Luna leaned forward anxiously. "Ren’s keeping him at range. That’s smart."
"Luther needs to get close to be effective," Selene agreed. "But this guy isn’t making it easy."
Back in the arena, Ren pointed his staff at the ground and sent a burst of wind downward. The force propelled him up and over Luther’s head. While airborne, he spun his staff in a circular motion, creating a small tornado that descended toward Luther.
The crowd gasped as the tornado touched down, kicking up dust and obscuring Luther from view. For a mont, it seed like the match might end quickly.
Then a yellow glow appeared within the swirling winds.
He stood firm in the center of the tornado, his entire body now covered in a thin layer of mana. His hair and clothes whipped wildly, but he remained unmoved. With a sudden shout, he punched outward in all directions, his mana exploding outward and dispelling the tornado.
"What?" Ren landed on the far side of the platform, genuine surprise on his face.
Luther didn’t waste the opening. He dashed forward, his movent more fluid than before. When Ren swung his staff, he ducked under it and entered his guard with a boxing-style weave.
"Eh?" Ren muttered in confusion at the unfamiliar stance.
He launched an uppercut aid at Ren’s chin, his fist trailing yellow energy. Ren barely jerked his head back in ti, the fist grazing his chin. Even that slight contact made his teeth click together painfully.
"My turn," Luther said, shifting his weight.
What followed was a flurry of punches that seed to co from every angle—jabs, hooks, and crosses delivered with precision and speed that surprised even the veteran fighters watching. His boxing technique was unlike anything seen in this world, the combinations unpredictable and the timing perfect.
Ren desperately created a wind barrier, but Luther’s punches were breaking through, each impact weakening the shield.
"He’s using that strange fighting style again," Vess observed, watching intently. "Just how good of a fighter was he in his old world?"
Ren managed to disengage by blasting the ground beneath them, creating a shockwave that pushed Luther back montarily. Blood trickled from Ren’s nose, and his breathing had beco labored.
"You fight... strangely," he said between breaths. "But I’m not done yet."
He raised his staff high, and the air in the entire stadium seed to still. Then, with a downward slash, he released a concentrated blade of wind that cut through the air toward Luther.
Luther crossed his arms in front of him, coating them heavily with mana. The wind blade struck his defense with trendous force, pushing him back several feet and leaving shallow cuts on his forearms despite the mana protection.
’This guy’s not playing around,’ he thought, looking at the small wounds. ’Ti to get serious.’
He dropped into a new stance, lower to the ground, his movents becoming more fluid and circular. The crowd murmured in confusion—he had switched from the direct, linear style of boxing to sothing that resembled a mix of Taekwondo and Capoeira.
"What’s he doing now?" Luna asked, leaning forward.
"Changing tactics," Selene replied.
He began to move in a circular pattern, bouncing lightly on his feet. Ren tracked him warily, sending smaller wind blasts that he either dodged or deflected with spinning kicks.
When Luther suddenly charged, Ren was ready with a horizontal sweep of his staff. But he dropped into a slide, passing under the staff and Ren’s guard. As he ca up, he transitioned into a spinning kick aid at Ren’s side.
He managed to block with his staff, but the force still sent him staggering. Before he could recover, Luther was already following up with a combination of elbow strikes and knee thrusts.
The crowd roared as the fighters exchanged blows at close range. Ren was skilled enough to block or dodge many of the strikes, occasionally creating small wind bursts to gain space, but Luther kept pressing forward, mixing techniques from different martial arts in ways that made his attacks unpredictable.
"His style keeps changing," one of the veteran fighters watching from the sidelines comnted. "First it was a punching style, now he’s using kicks and elbows... what kind of training did he have?"
The fight intensified as Ren realized he couldn’t keep Luther at a distance forever. He charged his staff with concentrated wind energy, making it hum with power. Each clash with Luther’s limbs created small shockwaves that the audience could feel.
Luther caught a downward strike with both hands, the staff stopping inches from his face. The two fighters locked in a contest of strength, physical enhancent against magic.
"You’re good," Luther admitted, his muscles straining. "But I have experience."
He suddenly shifted his weight, using a judo-like technique to redirect Ren’s force. As he stumbled forward, Luther spun and delivered a back kick to his opponent’s ribs.
He gasped, the air knocked from his lungs. He tried to create a wind cushion to soften the blow, but it wasn’t enough. He fell to one knee, his staff now serving as a support to keep him from collapsing completely.
"Yield," he said, standing over him, yellow mana swirling around it ominously.
Ren looked up, his white hair now matted with sweat and dirt. He tried to rise, but a sharp pain in his side made him wince.
"I... yield," he finally said, his voice barely audible over the crowd’s roar.
The official stepped forward. "Victory goes to Luther! He advances to the next round!"
The stadium erupted in cheers. Luther helped Ren to his feet, giving him a respectful nod.
"Your wind magic is impressive," he said quietly. "You almost had a few tis."
Ren nodded, still catching his breath. "And your fighting style... I’ve never seen anything like it. Where did you learn to fight that way?"
He just smiled. "Far from here."
As he walked out of the arena, dics rushing past him to check on Ren, he caught sight of Becca watching from the fighter’s entrance. She gave him an appraising look before turning away.
’She’ll be next,’ he thought, rolling his shoulders to work out the stiffness from Ren’s wind attacks. ’I should save sothing special just for her.’
The girls t him in the preparation area, all talking at once.
"That was amazing!"
"You had us worried for a minute there!"
"What was that new fighting style called?"
He raised his hands to quiet them. "One at a ti. And yes, I’m fine, just a few scratches."
Luna examined the cuts on his arms. "These need treatnt. Let treat them for you."
---
Back outside, a familiar face was leaving the stadium licking her lips, "You have grown strong, my handso man."
Reviews
All reviews (0)