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With his head held high, Garrett slumped his way back to the holding area.
As he walked through, many of the students looked up at him, a hint of respect in their eyes for how he fought. Many, though, still hated on the fact that he was a commoner, ignoring him as if losing was normal for someone like him.
But he wasn't looking to see how these people reacted.
No. Instead, he wanted to see his squad.
"Alright, my man! What a hard fought battle!" Mars said as he ran up, slapping Garrett on the shoulder, who grimaced at the pain.
"Hey, don't smack him, Mars! He just got out of a fight! Can't you see he's all banged up?" Amy scolded before turning to Garrett with a smile. "Good work out there, though. You really tried your best."
"Nice fight." Angela replied coldly.
And in the back, Arthur gave Garrett a nod.
"Thanks, guys. I really thought I might have stood a chance, but... he was just too much for me still. The gap between Bronze and Silver is just too much to close."
He sighed, knowing it wasn't inherently his fault that he lost. The difference in cultivation was simply too great. If he had even been early Silver, he probably would have won.
But there were no what ifs in battle. Only certainties.
And he had one certainty. He lost.
And so, to not lose again, he would have to work even harder.
"I'm going to go to the infirmary real quick. I need to get checked out. I'll be back over here once your guys' matches start."
"Alright. See you later, Garrett. Make sure you get yourself all taken care of," Amy said.
"Yeah! And when you come back, watch as the master at work destroys these pitiful little fools!" Mars said as he flexed, showing off his muscles.
Shaking his head, Garrett walked off, leaving the rest of the squad as they waited for the next group to begin.
"GROUP TWO, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE STAGE!"
The announcer's voice rolled through the holding area, and this time, two people from the squad were called.
Both Mars and Amy shot up straight after hearing their names.
"Finally!" Mars said as he sprang to his feet, cracking his neck to the side. "Looks like I'm about to put on a beat down."
"Well, just make sure you do it quick. Otherwise, I might finish my fight before you," Amy playfully taunted Mars.
"Oh yeah? Well, if you finish your fight before me, I'll hold up my end and be nice and pay for dinner. You hear that, guys? Mars the Magnificent is wagering dinner!"
"Don't worry, Mars. I'm not stupid enough to take up that bet. But watch as I stun the world out there."
"Now THAT'S the spirit!" Mars bellowed as Amy and Mars walked side by side out into the Coliseum to fight.
The roar of the crowd echoed out as they walked onto the battlefield, the stands having lost none of their lust for battle as the contestants took their stage, Mars and Amy each standing against their opponent.
For Mars, he was facing somebody from the first years, ranked 22nd, while Amy was up against a second year, ranked 198th among his own class. Though, if that same second year had been ranked among the first years, he would have sat around 69th.
Peak Bronze, for both.
On paper, the matches looked even between them all.
However, the might of Mars was about to be known.
Standing across from him, Mars saw his opponent. A mage, ranked 22nd, with a staff in his right hand and wearing a tattered robe. He looked like an old wizard who had been cooped up in his tower all day, studying spells.
The lanky figure stared Mars dead in the eye as he pointed his staff at him.
"Woah, woah. No need for hostilities, my man. Come on, I know we're about to go at it here in a minute, but the announcers haven't even announced the fight yet. Put down your pointed weapon."
Mars tried to talk to his stoic opponent, but his words couldn't make a difference as the man looked on coldly.
"Alright. Well, since you don't have any courtesy, I might as well finish this quick then."
"LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!"
The referee's voice rang out, and Mars dropped into a low stance.
"Third Form. Exploding Rush."
And as if he had kegs of explosives underneath his feet, each step propelled him forward, detonating him across the battlefield, cutting the distance between him and the mage in a mere instant.
The mage's eyes went wide. His staff whipped up, a spell forming on his lips faster than most casters could ever manage, glyphs sparking to life around the staff's head.
But Mars was faster.
Mars's fist was already there, wreathed in flame, and with a single punch into the chest of the mage, he struck true, blasting the man off his feet, his half-formed spell scattering into dead sparks as his body skidded across the court and rolled to a stop well outside the boundary line.
The mage spat out a mouthful of blood, the punch having caused internal bleeding, requiring immediate aid from the medic team.
And so, with one hit, Mars was the winner.
"Winner, Mars!"
The Coliseum took a moment to process what it had just watched, and then broke into a confused mixture of roars and laughter.
"And with that, we have a new tournament record, folks! Jonathan, I'm being told this match lasted FOUR seconds, with Mars taking the top spot for the new record!"
"What an amazing showing! Everybody knows a mage is weak in close combat, making it all but over the second Mars closed the distance!"
"WOO! WOO! YEAH!" Mars spun to the crowd, his arms spread wide, flames still licking off his shoulders. "Oh yeah, I'm getting dinner tonight for FREE, baby!"
He hollered as he excitedly walked off the battlefield, betting slips waving and feet stamping in the stands behind him.
"That was fun. And since I finished so fast, I can see how Amy's doing. Poor lass has to buy me dinner now. But, I mean, I'm sure she can win as well. Who's her opponent anyway?"
And as he peered down across the Coliseum, he spotted Amy a few fields away.
However, what he saw was something he didn't expect.
Amy, pushed to the back of the battlefield.
Vines lay scattered across the court in severed pieces, twitching where they had been cut. Her face was somewhat pale, as if she was burning through her mana extremely fast.
Glyphs flew off her staff in waves as her green aura spread out, her bloodline summoning nature, creating defenses and entanglements.
But the person she was facing left no room to maneuver.