Mikage raised his hand and called out,
"Three... two... one... go!"
He dropped his hand, and the moment it happened, Akira stepped forward and vanished.
Yukiko's eyes widened.
"Isn't that... Shadow Step? He's a shadow user, sure, but isn't he new to this?" she muttered. "Where did he vanish to?"
Suddenly, she felt a presence above her. She instinctively looked up—Akira was descending fast, aiming to drop-kick her from the sky. Yukiko slid out of the way just in time. Akira landed hard, cracking the ground, but immediately, ice crept over his right leg.
Whispers erupted from the spectators.
"Is he crazy? Was he trying to kill her?"
"She's got good reflexes."
"For real, I'd have my face bashed in."
Akira smiled.
"Damn, I was aiming for that wooden blade."
Yukiko frowned. "Why would you do that?"
Akira shrugged. "If my hunch is right, you're only deadly with that katana. Without it? I'm guessing hand-to-hand combat isn't your thing. But hey, you're free to prove me wrong."
Yukiko tilted her head slightly, a faint smile forming on her lips.
"What a sly fox… He's trying to provoke me into abandoning my blade and fight on his terms—with brute strength."
On the sidelines, Mikage muttered, "Sometimes I find it hard to believe Akira's new to all this sorcery stuff…"
Akira looked down at his frozen leg.
Will Shadow Step still work if I'm partially trapped? It didn't work for Edward when he was caught... but only one way to know.
In an instant, he vanished again—reappearing right in front of Yukiko, delivering a swift kick. Yukiko intercepted it with her wooden sword, but the force pushed her back. She skated to a stop using a wave of ice.
More whispers from the crowd.
"Is Yukiko going to lose?"
"Nah… right?"
"Dude, she's getting overpowered…"
Akira grinned. "I knew it'd work. But Yukiko—that wood is sturdy. I couldn't even crack it. Is that really wood?"
She replied calmly, "It's wood, but not from any normal tree. It has mana flowing through it. It's a magical tree."
"Cool. So… I'll just have to cut it, then."
Akira vanished again, reappearing with a small axe aimed at her. Yukiko blocked the strike effortlessly. The blade of her sword didn't even dent.
"You're intentionally aiming for me, hoping I'll block with the sword," she said. "You're clever—but not clever enough. And by the way, your Shadow Step won't work anymore."
Akira blinked. "Huh?"
She continued, eyes locked onto his, her gaze now sharp and chilling. "So come up with something else. I'm getting bored."
For the first time, Akira felt something—murderous intent pouring from her like ice water down his spine. He jumped back, glancing at his hand—it was shaking.
Is she bluffing? That stare… it's cold.
He took a breath and raised his hand.
Spears of darkness formed above him.
"You want different? I'll show you different!"
He launched the spears.
Yukiko sighed. Calmly, she began walking toward the barrage.
She swatted the first spear away, but a dent appeared on her sword.
She began dodging the rest, moving so quickly it looked like she was teleporting.
From afar, Akira muttered, "What the hell...? Is she teleporting?"
Mikage shook his head. "To him, it probably looks like that. But no—it's just speed. It's the same way he looks like he's teleporting to regular humans."
Akira kept firing, but none of the spears touched her. Then suddenly—she was right in front of him.
"When did she—?!"
He tried to shoot again, but she weaved through his attacks effortlessly. She exhaled, releasing a mist that covered the entire arena.
"I can't see anything," someone whispered.
"This mist... it's freezing. Has Yukiko already won?"
Mikage smirked. "Akira… can you hold out thirty seconds?"
Inside the mist, Akira squinted.
It's so cold… I can't see anything...
He spotted movement and lashed out.
But it was just mist.
Is she... controlling the mist? Making it look like herself?
She struck him from the side—hard. He grunted in pain and swung back, but she was already gone.
"She's hunting me," he whispered. "But I'm starting to see it…"
More mirages moved. He tried to punch one, then another—all mist. Yukiko struck again from behind. Again. Again.
The crowd could hear the thuds but saw nothing.
Finally, the mist began to clear, and Akira managed to catch her sword mid-strike.
Yukiko blinked in surprise.
"I commend you," she said. "Still standing after all that."
Akira raised his shirt. A coating of darkness layered his torso like armor.
Mikage nodded, impressed. "Smart move. He reduced the damage."
Akira grinned. "You're not the only smart one here."
He created a cloth from shadows, wrapping both his and Yukiko's hands together. Then summoned an axe and chopped her wooden sword in half.
"Now you can't run."
From the sidelines:
"This is over."
"Yukiko's gonna lose?"
"Time to pay up."
Akira launched a barrage of punches. Yukiko was on the defensive, struggling to move with her hands bound.
But then—she twisted her body and deflected his arms into the air, jabbing him in the face, neck, and chest with rapid strikes. She flipped over him, tightened the shadow cloth, and threw him to the ground.
As Akira fell face-first, she created ice to cushion and trap him.
She leaned down and whispered,
"Looks like your hunch was wrong. Too bad."
The crowd erupted.
"Did you see that comeback?"
"Where's my damn money?!"
Akira groaned from the ground.
"I'm… so cold…"
Akira sat slumped in a corner of the arena, shivering. His breath came out in frosty puffs as he wrapped his arms around himself. Nearby, Mikage stood with a warm aura swirling gently around him.
Akira let out a long sigh.
"Man… that was embarrassing."
Mikage chuckled. "Embarrassing? You exceeded my expectations." He turned toward Yukiko, flashing her a grin. "Isn't that right, Yukiko?"
Yukiko glanced over while stretching her wrists. "Sure."
Akira rolled his eyes. "Alright, enough. I can handle myself." He summoned a cloak of shadows and wrapped it around his body, the warmth returning slowly. "You shouldn't waste mana on me—you should be getting ready to spar with her."
Mikage gave a confident smile. "Will do." He stood and approached Yukiko. "Ready?"
Yukiko flexed her fingers and replied, "Just a sec."
Around them, the crowd began to buzz.
"Wait, is Yukiko about to fight Mikage?"
"She just finished a match!"
"Isn't that kind of unfair?"
"She's fighting our school's strongest… I wouldn't bet against him."
"Yeah, no thanks. I like my money."
Akira gave a nervous chuckle. "Man, if I were Yukiko, I'd be discouraged by all that talk." He glanced toward Mikage. "Just how strong is he…?"
Mikage turned back to Yukiko. "You nervous?"
Yukiko smirked. "Not at all."
He raised an eyebrow. "Want to borrow another sword? Akira kinda wrecked the last one."
Yukiko cracked her knuckles. "No need. I was already thinking of going hand-to-hand against you."
Akira suddenly popped up between them and raised a hand.
"Alright! On the count of three—you throw hands!"
"Three… two… one… go!"
With that, he vanished in a blur, leaving the battlefield clear.
Mikage smiled. "Ladies first."
Yukiko replied with a sharp grin. "It'll be my pleasure."
She darted forward, touching the ground. Ice shot out beneath her fingertips, racing toward Mikage in jagged spikes. Mikage raised his right arm to block it, but instead of shattering against him, the ice latched on and began to spread, freezing his arm solid.
Yukiko veered to his right side, aiming to strike.
"Ah," Mikage smirked. "So you're going for the side I can't use right now… but I've still got my left—"
Before he could finish, ice snaked up and sealed his mouth shut. His legs froze beneath him.
Yukiko launched herself toward his left flank, forming an ice gauntlet around her fist and slamming it into his jaw with explosive force. A shockwave burst across the arena, blanketing Mikage's face in a cloud of mist.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
"Did… did Mikage survive that?"
"I know I wouldn't have."
Akira watched in awe. "She was holding back against me…?"
As the mist cleared, Yukiko's eyes widened.
Mikage stood completely still, unfazed. The spot where she'd punched him glowed molten red, magma bubbling faintly over his skin. The arena floor sizzled as the temperature spiked.
Yukiko instinctively hopped back.
The ice that bound Mikage melted instantly. He let out a long sigh, rubbing his cheek.
"Damn," he muttered. "I really need to stop letting people hit me first… my face is stinging." He looked at her and gave a thumbs up. "That hurt like hell."