———————————————————————————
　　"Let's keep the show going, it's time for the second exhibition match! Here's hoping it's an intense as the previous fight! And let's see how my fellow announcer performs, shall we!?" Exclaimed Rion loudly, pumping up the crowd. 

  　　Oh, he's talking about me……heh, announcing and commentating on the matches of the main tournament was fun and all, but watching all the matches play out also made me feel kinda antsy and restless, itching to get in the ring and fight too. 

  　　"Hey, you need a bit of time to get to full power, right? I don't mind waiting around for you to power up," I offered my opponent with a grin. 

  　　"Hmph, don't patronize me. I don't need your charity," She huffed in response, as she tucked her hair behind her left ear with a confident smirk. 

  　　"As you wish, but don't come crying to me once I beat you in no time at all," I retorted smugly.

  　　"Keep talking, I'll make you eat those words," She countered, as the safety barrier activated around us. 

  　　Fuo Wesroh, one of the most powerful humans in the world……but she requires multiple steps and a bit of time to get to her full power. And since she so rudely rejected my offer, I won't make it easy for her to transform. 

  　　"It's Fuo of Abyss versus Belia of the Rustlands, should be a thrilling contest……let's get started, BEGIN!" 

  　　Immediately, Fuo, reached into her pocket, and activated a barrier around the safety barrier, a triumphant look on her face. What did she just……uh-oh. 

  　　It's an anti-spell casting barrier. Except for Elemental and Divine Magic, I can't use regular spells like teleportation or defensive barriers.

  　　Suddenly, several Werewolves, Werehyenas and Orcs appeared and shot towards me, while she simultaneously transformed, absorbed solar energy and formed an orb of artificial moonlight in her palm. 

  　　Huh, I think she's gotten a lot faster at doing that. I swiftly destroyed her summoned Monsters with a blast of Weathering Magic, before quickly flying up as several more immediately took their place, appearing right behind me. 

  　　Close call, but those Monsters are useless once I'm up in the air, so……ow! What the……!? Something stung my face! 

  　　I then spotted it, buzzing around me……a Pixie, huh? I fired out a lightning bolt as I began to try and zap me again, destroying it, before several more Pixies appeared all around me, firing their stinging solar beams at me. 

  　　Grr, they don't hurt that much, and I can easily heal the bits of damage they inflict, but this stinging pain is really annoying! 

  　　I blasted out a shockwave of Weathering Magic to destroy them, before letting out a startled gasp as something fell on me from above……an Orc!? 

  　　Before it's weight could could make me plummet back down, I quickly killed it with a blast of flames, stabilizing myself in midair as the weight pushing down on me disappeared, before quickly flying across to evade as a rapid solar beam came shooting towards me. 

  　　Ah, crap, she finished powering up. I have to admit, she's pretty good at using her Monsters. And the zippy way she flies is kinda annoying and difficult to read too, sort of like a fly. 

  　　She then rapidly shot towards me as she fired out a couple of ice arrows my way, which I used Weathering Magic to turn into water, before she closed in on me and formed an ice dagger, slashing at my neck. 

  　　I narrowly avoided it as it grazed my skin, before she spat out an ice needle from her mouth, which pierced through the top of my ear as I quickly tilted my head out of the way to avoid it hitting my eye. 

  　　I then opened a portal behind myself to try and get away, she swiftly responded by blasting out a deafening howl from her mouth, which struck my midsection right as I retreated into my portal, emerging at the other end of the ring. 

  　　Ughh, I feel sick. My body feels all numb and wobbly, and my ears are ringing too……this is the worst! 

  　　I fired out a barrage of lightning coated water blasts and wind enhanced fireballs at her as she shot towards me, evading some of my attacks and canceling the rest out with sharp bursts of her solar beams, rapidly closing the gap between us. 

  　　Damn it, I'm too rusty, she's not even faster than me! I'm definitely a bit slower to respond and react than I usually am, what a pain. 

  　　I could use a bit of Divine Magic to destroy her barrier, but I feel like doing so would be an admission of defeat……my power level, strength and speed are all significantly higher than hers, a little handicap shouldn't give her this much of an advantage! 

  　　Also, once my current supply of Divine Magic runs out, there's a pretty solid chance that I'll never be able to replenish it, so I have to use it sparingly. 

  　　As she closed in on me and drove an ice spear straight at me, I evaded her thrust, wincing as it gashed my right side, before I grabbed her spear and fired out a powerful lightning blast from my mouth at her. 

  　　She quickly spun across to evade it, gritting her teeth as I struck her left shoulder, before she suddenly summoned an Imp right in front of me, which snarled and swung its claws at my face. 

  　　I destroyed it with a pressurized water blast, before my eyes widened in alarm as she fired out a solar beam at me, which hit my midsection and sent my plummeting down and crashing onto the ground. 

  　　Ow, that really stings……okay, I'm just gonna unleash everything I've got right now, because I'm just that frustrated. 

  　　As she swooped down towards me, I rapidly blasted out several waves of Weathering Magic, causing her to abruptly halt and evade my attacks in alarm. 

  　　I then dropped down into a portal as she zipped across the air, emerging right above her and dropping down towards her. 

  　　She stiffened and formed an ice blade, slashing it up at me as I closed in on her, which I turned to water with my Weathering Magic and fired another another Weathering blast at her from point-blank range. 

  　　She quickly formed a thin layer of water above herself to block my attack, before I swung my fist down at her, easily bursting through the thin wall of water and slamming my fist onto her face, right as she fired out a solar beam and struck my chest with it, before the force of my punch sent her plummeting down rapidly. 

  　　Ow, my boobs! I really hate those solar beams of hers…… 

  　　She managed to halt her fall in midair, grimacing as her orb of artificial moonlight began to fade. Her solar energy won't last forever either……the longer this goes on, the weaker she'll get, and subsequently, the greater the advantage I'll have. 

  　　I swooped down towards her while forming a lightning coated water blade, swinging it across as she fired ice arrows up at me, deflecting them away with ease. 

  　　As she blasted out another deafening howl, I reacted in time and opened a portal beneath myself and flew into it before her sound wave reached me, before I emerged right below her, slamming my fist onto her butt and eliciting a surprised cry from her, before her heel slammed square onto the middle of my face, breaking my nose. 

  　　As I reeled back in pain, slightly dazed, I felt several strikes hit my torso, as she unleashed a furious barrage of punches and kicks onto me. Hm? Her strikes……they're getting slower and lighter bit by bit…… 

  　　She then slammed her elbow onto my midsection, before forming an ice blade and driving it towards my throat in an attempt to finish me off.

  　　Right before she could pierce through, I swiftly grabbed her wrist and stopped her, the tip of her blade piercing my skin.

  　　"Not bad, you almost got me……but unfortunately, you ran out of time," I smirked as I met her gaze. 

  　　"Kinda hard to take you seriously with that bloody nose," She responded wryly, before I fired out a blast of Weathering Magic at her, the safety barrier activating and teleporting her out. 

  　　Somehow, that wasn't a very satisfying victory……yeah, it's probably my broken, profusely bleeding nose. Also, several spots on my body are stinging like crazy thanks to her solar beams. Well, whatever, it's easy enough to fix……Restoration Magic! 

  　　There, that's a lot better……but the win still feels kinda hollow. I really didn't do well at all, guess that's what happens when I take it easy for months. Training doesn't affect my body in any way, so I don't bother with it, but I should probably spar every now and then to keep my senses sharp at least. 

  　　"And the winner is, despite a somewhat sloppy performance, Belia of the Rustlands!" Announced Rion, kinda annoying me a bit……yeah, I know I was sloppy, you don't have to spell it out, you know! 

  　　_____________________________________________

  　　Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

  　　Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.

  　　Join the Discord server, I plan to tease upcoming chapters and future story arcs here, and you can also discuss or ask me any questions about the story and characters. Use the invite link to join:

  　　https://discord.gg/sRbx9VbTVP