26 The Match - Part 2

The crowd of students roared in appreciation for what they had just seen. It was the brilliant debut of a team they were not expecting much from, flipping what was supposed to be a predictable outcome on its head. Connor and his almighty power versus Sampson the fire user and Rhys - the guy who made holes in people. They all zoned in on the match, not daring to look away for a second, as team 12 suddenly darted off in different directions after the teleporter fell unconscious.

Rhys marveled at his new speed as his legs propelled him towards his opponent. Those three points towards his agility made a huge difference, and he would make the most of them. Rhys locked eyes on his target and was determined to take her down as quickly as possible.

[Name: Unknown]

[Aura: Wind manipulator (average)]

Her face was pale and her eyes were still wide with shock, as if Rhys taking down her teammate was an impossibility. She whipped her head around to refocus her attention on Rhys, her long straight hair danced around her shoulders as her wind aura swelled around her like a building tornado. She raised her hands ready to attack, but Rhys was expecting it.

[Spectral form used + 5 Exp]

The powerful gust of wind she directed at him went straight through his body. Rhys continued to charge at her. He was less than a meter away from pushing his fist through her shoulder when her body was launched away from him.

Rhys cursed under his breath as she made a quick escape. She was much better at manipulating wind than he initially thought. Her technique of manipulating the air to propel her body out of the way of oncoming attacks made for a formidable defense.

Rhys twisted his body around and lunged at her again in one movement. She grunted loudly as she was forced to quickly propel herself away from Rhys' hands. Her face scrunched up as if she was in pain, her hair clung to the sheen of sweat covering her neck and shoulders. It appeared that this defense technique was physically taxing, which meant she would not be able to keep it up for long. 

Rhys bolted for her again. He stretched out his arms, reaching for her, but she was able to blow herself away from him again, just in time.

Rhys loathed how smart she was being. She had already figured out that the best way to fight him was to evade him. Without physical contact with an opponent, his skill became useless. But still, he was catching up to her. with each tick of the clock, the gap between then was closing.

It was tricky trying to get used to this new agility level, he could feel the muscles in his legs straining beyond what they were used to, and he was getting dizzying fast, but he couldn't stop. Rhys knew from reading wind manipulation scripts how hard it was to use wind to propel one's body; it required high levels of stamina and concentration compared to just directing powerful bursts of air at an opponent. If he continued like this, he would definitely wear her down. And then he would strike.

Again, Rhys turned on his one leg and lunged at her from a new direction. She slid herself away from him just in time. He shot straight back at her. She managed to dodge him again, but this time she made a miscalculation, perhaps she had lost some concentration on her power while continuously evading Rhys, but instead of using the wind to move across the floor she accidentally flung herself against the barrier. She let out a muffled whimper, clutching her shoulder.

Without a second to lose Rhys dashed for her. His eyes were ablaze as his fingers barely penetrated her uninjured arm. Her aura swelled but Rhys knew what was coming. Before she could propel herself away Rhys phased his fingers back into the physical, creating four gruesome finger-sized wounds in her elbow. She grunted in pain as her wind propelled her away from the wall towards the center of the circle where Sampson was facing off against the black bear.

It was not a fatal injury but it was a significant one. Wind manipulators especially used their hands and arms a great deal to manipulate the wind. Her shoulder that slammed against the barrier did not look good and now that Rhys had injured her other arm, he knew her ability to manipulate her element would be greatly reduced. But still, the fight was not over. He turned on his heel and ran after her, his veins pumping with adrenaline. He still wasn't used to being the aggressor in a fight, but he found that he was growing a taste for it.

The huge black bear on team 25 let out an animalistic growl as his jaw elongated and he opened his mouth to reveal inhumanly large canines. His ferocious aura which looked like he was cloaked in the spirit of a black bear growled around him.

The tell-take click of Sampson's lighter sounded and the black bear was immediately engulfed in a raging tunnel of fire. The huge guy whined and grunted desperately scratching at his burning body while Sampson watched on in delight.

The wind manipulator landed with a thud a few meters away from Sampson and Joel. She was obviously in pain but was still fighting, she shakily raised her arm with the injured elbow and sent a gust of wind in Sampson's general direction. With the powerful rush of air, Sampson was knocked back a few steps and his flames were put out. Smoke rose off what was left of the bear's grey uniform. He was free from Sampson's fire, which was a huge mishap in the plan.

Like a man with only one goal in mind the bear guy charged at Sampson, his aura surged and Rhys felt its ferocity. Sampson seemed unfazed though. He simply flicked on his lighter and set his flames on the bear again.

The wind manipulator shakily raised her arms again, biting down on her lip trying to bypass the pain she felt in her shoulder and elbow. She was about to intervene for the sake of her teammate, instead, she let out a harrowing cry as dreadful pain pierced her.

Rhys's hands were poking through the tops of her shoulders. Her arms dropped to her side. Blood seeped down her shirt from the two gaping holes in her shoulders. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed onto the floor.

Once again his hands were covered in blood from using physical disruption. He wiped them clean on his shirt and was about to go and help Sampson. Despite being severely burned by fire, the black bear was not giving up. He lunged forward through the fire and took a swipe at Sampson.

His thick claw-like fingernails sliced Sampson's arm, the arm he was using to hold up the lighter. Thankfully he didn't drop it. Joel who was standing beside Sampson stabbed his dagger into the bear's hand which gave Sampson the time to recover and fire more flames.

That bear was scarily resistant, but from the way his aura was shrinking, he would not last long either. As soon as that guy fell, they could finally go after Connor.

Rhys took a moment to stare at Connor who was still nonchalantly leaning against the barrier with his arms crossed over his chest. He was expressionless, but he was observing the fighting. As if something caught his attention, Connor's eyes swiveled away from Sampson, Joel, and the bear and were looking at something else. For a moment Rhys thought Sampson was staring at him so he balled up his fists ready to be shocked by electricity, but the shock never came. Connor's eyes were fixed on something else. Rhys knew Connor couldn't be staring so keenly at the wind manipulator because she was lying unconscious at his feet.

'What is he looking at?' Rhys's fear turned to confusion as he stared at Connor who seemed to be staring straight through Rhys's body.

['Ah, Rhys...'] the teacher's voice infiltrated his head again.

['I'll use this as a teaching moment and leave these words with you before it happens. You know, food for thought as the humans say.']

'What is it?' Rhys was starting to get nervous.

['You might think me cruel, but... Experience is the most brutal teacher.']

Rhys's eyes opened wide and he was suddenly flooded with anxiety. Nim! It was Nim. She was supposed to be with Sampson and Joel in case they needed healing but she wasn't. That meant she was probably still with the teleporter at the other end of the pit. And if she was with him... Dammit. Knowing her personality she definitely would have healed him.

Rhys spun around to see a bloodthirsty face in front of him as two pocket knives were suddenly stabbed into his stomach.

"Argh!" The knives were violently twisted inside of him. It was excruciating. His head was coursed with the pain and in that state of mind, he couldn't seem to shift into the spectral form.

[24/40 Hp]

[23/40 Hp]

[22/40 Hp]

[Spectral form used + 5 Exp]

Rhys was finally able to focus and shift into the spectral form. He stabbed out his hand and tried to strike at the teleporter but the redhead dodged and teleported a few meters away. Rhys noticed that when he shifted phases the pain greatly reduced. The wound was still there and looked gruesome, but the bleeding stopped and he could barely feel anything. He had just discovered a new benefit of the spectral form.

The redhead's shoulder still looked very raw, his stomach however was looking much better. It definitely was not a hundred percent healed but it was enough to keep him fighting. Nim probably healed his stomach to try to keep him alive and ultimately underestimated how resilient the guy was; as soon as he could move, he attacked Rhys.

"You've got some really nice teammates." The guy motioned behind him to where Nim was lying passed out on the floor. He must have knocked her out after she healed him.

"Stupidest person I've ever met, but still, nice I guess." He ran his hand through his red hair, Rhys' blood coated his fingertips. "And you..." he pointed his knives at Rhys. "It seems that you can be cut." He grinned wickedly.

A loud thud resounded around the pit as the large bear hit the floor. He had finally succumbed to his injuries and collapsed. Two down and one to go before they took on Connor.

"Argh!" The teleporter shouted out his frustration. Rhys saw that his aura was opening up in the space behind Sampson. 

"Sampson behind you!" Rhys urgently pointed to behind Sampson where he could see the teleportation aura forming, where the redhead would teleport to.

When he heard Rhys, Sampson immediately spun around and torched the space behind him in flames. They were in sync as teammates.

A muffled cry came from inside the fire, but then silence. Rhys turned his head to the opposite side of the circle where something caught his eye. The teleporter's aura appeared and then suddenly the teleporter did. His clothes were a little smoky from the quick flash of Sampson's fire, but more than that the fury on his face was evident.

"You!" He coughed and glared at Rhys. "How did you do that? This time and last time you knew exactly where I would teleport to. How?!"

Rhys was not going to answer the question. He remained silent and stared down the irate teleporter.

"That's enough."

Rhys, Joel, Sampson, and the teleporter turned their heads to look back at Connor who was standing up straight now. His hands were still nonchalantly in his pockets as he gazed at everyone.

"Connor, wait. Just give me a few more minutes... I'll have their flag in a few more minutes." The fear in the teleporter's voice was clear.

Connor looked at him, his eyes trailed over the wounds on his shoulder and stomach, then on his burns.

"No, you won't. You can't."

"But I-"

"Shut up."

The teleporter immediately kept quiet.

Connor's ridiculous aura began to surge. It buzzed and crackled and practically shone. It was beautiful but ultimately terrifying. In an instant electricity engulfed the pit.

[Spectral form used + 5 Exp]

Rhys shifted forms just in time before the currents could hit him. Meanwhile, Sampson shouted out in pain as he was shocked. He and Joel fell to the floor helplessly, their bodies shaking as they were racked with dangerous energy. It was the same with the teleporter who was convulsing on the floor. Connor had a monstrous power.

Rhys felt like he was standing in the middle of a wasp's nest and was being stung by a swarm of hundreds of thousands of them. The pain was horrible, far worse than having a knife twisted inside of him. Even in his spectral form, the currents were so intense that he could not move from his spot. It was a horrible acute burning that he would do anything to escape.

['Focus Rhys. What is your goal?']

It was so painful that he could barely hear the teacher's voice.

['Listen to me. You're still standing. If you're still standing it means this isn't enough to cripple your spectral form, which means you can still fight.]

The teacher was right. He felt like he was going to collapse but somehow he was still standing.

['If you couldn't handle it you would have collapsed like the others.']

Rhys glanced over at the others who were convulsing on the floor. He needed to stop this. They would all die otherwise.

He gritted his teeth and turned to face Connor who was staring at him, his face as blank as ever.

Rhys could barely feel his legs over the pain of the electricity but he managed to make himself step forward. A step, then another step. The pain wasn't lessening, he was just gritting through it.

He stared back at Connor who was now only a few meters away.

'I can do this' He urged himself on. He nodded as he remembered his master plan. Most of it was ruined by Connor joining the fight before all his teammates were defeated, but there was still one thing that could work.

[Prolonged use of skill +10 Exp]

Rhys cursed internally. He knew this would happen sooner or later.

[Warning!]

[User will lose 1 HP per second the skill is in use]

[21/40 Hp]

Rhys cringed as the realization dawned on him. He had 22 seconds to get the flag, less than that if he wanted Sampson, Joel, and Nim to live.

[20/40 Hp]

[19/40 Hp]

Now! He had to do it now.

[18/20 Hp]

Rhys bit through the pain and was about to lunge forward with all his strength when suddenly the cloud of electricity disappeared and the pit was suddenly filled with the voices of the audience.

"Ah! Finally, we can see again."

"Look! That guy over there is still standing."

"Geez that's incredible. What the hell, he isn't even hurt?"

"What is that guy? I can't believe someone could withstand that?"

Grey in particular had his eyes glued to Rhys, whose clothes and skin looked like they didn't take any damage, but somehow he looked exhausted even if he was not physically injured.

Rhys stared forward at Connor with his brow furrowed. He didn't understand why Connor stopped attacking. It wasn't because the guy ran out of energy. Connor's aura was just as bright and powerful as it was before his currents flooded the room.

"You really aren't injured are you...." Connor frowned as he scanned over Rhys. "My power didn't injure you..." He tilted his head as if the notion confused him.

Rhys was putting on a brave face, trying to maintain that he was unaffected by the electricity but he could not ignore the sheer exhaustion and dizziness. His body swayed and before he could stop himself he fell to his knees.

"Oh?" A slight smile lit up Connor's puzzled face. "So you were affected by my power, just not externally."

Rhys gulped as Connor's aura spiked. It doubled in size from the last time and the crackling and buzzing of his aura was enough to make Rhys feel like he was going blind and deaf.

"Whatever your ability is, let's see how well it protects you when I do this."

Without a second to lose Rhys dove forwards. He was aiming for the spot just in front of Connor's feet and his body was heading towards the floor at a downward angle. He stretched out his arms and hoped that they wouldn't take too much damage.

[Spectral form used +5 Exp]

Everything but his hands shifted to the spectral form. His palms and fingers slapped against the floor as Connor's electricity flooded the room. Rhys's spectral body was flung straight through the pit floor while his physical hands stayed above the surface and stopped him from falling down.

His hands were racked with electricity and they burned terribly but Rhys was resigned to sacrifice them for this fight. This was his end game and the match would soon be over.

Rhys clamped his hands down against the floor and swung his body back up through the ground. To everybody's shock, Rhys who looked like he had fallen through the floor, flew out from under the floor near Connor's feet, catching Connor by surprise.

Their movements were so fast and the cloud of electricity inside the match was hard to see through, but only a moment later Connor's power dissipated and the orange barrier sank back into the ground. The outcome was clear as day.

Rhys was laying on the floor and Connor was the last man standing.