“Ah! Jiana’s ultimate move has finally landed! Is this the end of the match?! More importantly, is Corry safe?!”
As Hosue’s announcement echoed, the audience held their breath, watching the arena.
Jiana’s Explosive Flame Scorching Wind had demonstrated an overwhelming power.
Common sense dictated that one should worry about survival rather than continuing the fight.
Due to the explosion from the magic cast, dust clouds billowed, making it impossible to see Corry in the center of it all.
The audience waited, staring intently, for the dust to settle.
However, Jiana, ignoring the spectators, clicked her tongue and began casting magic again.
“………You’re tougher than I expected. To not fall even after taking that, huh.”
Even as she muttered, she didn’t stop attacking.
By the time the arena’s visibility had improved enough to assess the situation, Kouhi was seen skillfully deflecting Jiana’s attacks.
There was no sign of the lingering effects from the previous ultimate move; she continued to calmly parry Jiana’s assaults as before.
“Seriously, there’s a limit to how tough one can be…!”
Jiana, who had been unleashing even more powerful magic than before, suddenly stopped.
A change had become visible in Kouhi, who had been calmly repelling her attacks.
*****
“Finally, we can see the state of the battle from this side. From what I can confirm here, Corry doesn’t appear to be suffering from any serious damage!”
As Hosue announced this, shouts of relief erupted from Kouhi’s supporters.
Conversely, those who had bet on Jiana voiced their frustration.
“Still, Corry is incredibly tough! Or rather, is it more accurate to say he managed to completely block that ultimate move from earlier? There’s no change in his demeanor whatsoever. Jiana must have wanted him to be at least somewhat injured. Judging that half-hearted attacks wouldn’t work on Corry, she seems to have already escalated her attack level.”
Jiana, who had been unleashing incredibly dense attacks that defied normalcy, had pushed her offense further after observing that Kouhi wasn’t taking damage.
She truly possessed the strength to be ranked among the top five in Seichun’s arena.
It was an attack of that magnitude. It’s highly probable that not even those ranked in the top twenty, let alone those in the upper ranks, could have withstood it. Yet, Kouhi continued to calmly defend against the assault.
“Still, Corry is amazing. He’s on the defensive, but there’s no sign of him being injured. Normally, one couldn’t stand after taking an attack like that.”
Hosue remarked, with a hint of astonishment. Even in Jiana’s previous fights against other top five combatants, the current battle wasn’t unfolding like this. Those fights typically ended with either a full magical defense followed by a forceful push, or a quick magic spell landed in the brief openings. No one had been on the receiving end of Jiana’s magic attacks continuously like Kouhi. Hosue’s astonishment was, in a way, understandable. Amidst this, Hosue raised an eyebrow at Jiana’s sudden halt in attacks.
“Oh, what’s wrong? It couldn’t be exhaustion, could it? Did something happen?”
The sudden cessation of attacks sent a tremor through the venue, not of excitement, but of a different kind of buzz. Perhaps the entire venue sensed that something was about to happen.
*****
There was a reason Jiana stopped attacking.
It was because a change had been observed in Kouhi, who had been calmly deflecting her attacks until then.
If asked to pinpoint exactly what it was, it would be difficult to articulate, but Jiana distinctly sensed something.
And as if to confirm that her intuition was not mistaken, Kouhi, who had remained silent against Jiana until now, finally spoke.
“I must apologize to you.”
“Apologize?”
Jiana reacted involuntarily, wondering what she was talking about so suddenly.
“Yes. An apology… perhaps also gratitude.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Indeed, it seems I underestimated you. No, perhaps I should say I underestimated all combatants.”
At Kouhi’s words, Jiana clicked her tongue. It was true that Kouhi’s attitude had been somewhat dismissive. That was precisely why she had intended to overwhelm her with force and make her realize her mistake, but so far, she had been unable to make any significant progress. Engaging in conversation with Kouhi like this was also a tactic to buy time for her next attack. However, all of Jiana’s thoughts were blown away by Kouhi’s next words and actions.
“Thanks to you, I’ve been reminded that battles between people have a profound meaning. As a token of my gratitude, I will also show you my way of fighting.”
After saying this, Kouhi closed her eyes for a moment and then stared intently at Jiana.
“Hmph…!”
It was just a brief action, but Jiana gasped at the sudden shift in Kouhi’s aura. It was likely an unconscious movement. Kouhi quickly realized her own action and clicked her tongue in self-reproach.
“You are certainly skilled at reading your opponent’s abilities. But frankly, that’s all there is to it.”
“What do you mean?”
Jiana, taken aback by the unexpected statement, couldn’t help but ask.
“Though you’ve honed that skill through countless battles in the arena… I recommend trying to fight monsters as well.”
Kouhi paused for a moment before continuing.
“…If you do, you might experience something like this.”
Upon hearing Kouhi’s words, Jiana immediately created distance between them. She felt the power she had sensed from Kouhi dramatically surge.
The sudden distancing by Jiana made the audience look on as if witnessing something peculiar. But this reaction from the audience meant nothing to the combatants. Jiana, who had created distance and taken a breath, spoke to Kouhi with a slightly trembling voice, though she would never admit it.
“What was that? Why did you suddenly change like that?!”
“Some monsters approach their opponents while concealing their true strength. Of course, some people can skillfully hide their presence, but that’s an entirely different method.”
Kouhi explained calmly, her words causing Jiana’s eyes to widen. She could instantly tell Kouhi’s current power was on an entirely different level from before, and she understood the difference in their abilities.
“Then, I’ll begin.”
With those final words, Kouhi moved towards Jiana.
The attack Kouhi launched was, in essence, the same as her first move. However, the speed was entirely different. Despite being at a greater distance than before, she closed the gap with far greater speed. Jiana instinctively raised a defensive barrier, just as she had before, but it proved utterly useless. Kouhi, showing no sign of concern, lunged forward, her sword slicing through the barrier with effortless ease, shattering it in an instant.
“Hmph… heh.”
Seeing this, Jiana let out a sigh of resignation. Kouhi had already breached the barrier and was approaching at an incredible speed. She could cast magic now if she wanted, but she knew it would be futile. Nevertheless, she tried to muster some defiance and unleashed a spell, but as she had predicted, Kouhi easily deflected it and moved her sword with a speed the human eye couldn’t follow. By the time Jiana realized it, Kouhi’s sword was pressed against her throat. Had Kouhi not stopped, her head would have been effortlessly severed. It was, without a doubt, Jiana’s defeat.
Jiana, who honestly declared her defeat, asked Kouhi something that had crossed her mind.
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“How many of those… shackles…? do you have?”
Kouhi hesitated slightly at the question, giving a somewhat reluctant reply.
“…I’ve never counted them, so I don’t know.”
With that said, Kouhi left the arena. Jiana, left standing there, clutched her face, suppressing a laugh.
I thought about going for another chapter here, but managed to wrap it up with this one. Well, the next chapter will describe the scene in the venue. The battle itself ends here.
