Stella was special, in more ways than one.

  Some people attributed it to her unnatural advancement, just like with her friends. But that was only part of it, it wasn’t enough to encapsulate her potential. And everyone who had seen her fight, few as they were, could attest to that.

  Others believed that it was her class. They were sure that she had a unique class. But that wasn’t the case either—not that it wasn’t unique—it just wasn’t unique enough.

  Every class past the first one held a hint of uniqueness as they were tailored to the individual, but in a vast multiverse, there was bound to be some overlap.

  “Was it her skills?” some asked.

  No, that wasn’t it either. Everybody had access to the same skills and could do the same if they put their minds to it.

  Even magic didn’t make her special. Spell books were abundant in the System store and were even given as dungeon clear rewards. Stella herself had even confirmed that there were magicians in other places in the world through this very tournament.

  So, based on descriptions, there truly was nothing that made Stella unique. Even the people that knew that she used flame magic only imagined her as a typical mage that threw fire spells from a distance. And they weren’t wrong, but they also weren’t right. That included the people in the stands, who had also come to that conclusion after her initial bout with Jamie.

  Reality was often much different than an idea that you created in your head. All who had seen Stella fight after she got used to wielding magic would swear that she was only a mage under certain circumstances.

  When she knew she was lacking, or that the opponent was too much for her, she had to complement her currently limited spells through other means.

  When the heat in the arena began to increase, its edges reaching those in the stands, they began to realize that what they thought was a boring battle was anything but. They hadn’t seen anything yet, but expectations began to rise and with a deafening explosion, those expectations were met.

  ----------

  The temperature had risen so much around her that the very air seemed on the verge of combustion, flames were begging to be created.

  This area is mine now!

  With a small spark from her mana, Stella gave birth to an endless stream of flames that traveled to her feet with incredible speed.

  With a deafening roar, an explosion was unleashed against the arena floor, sending pieces of it flying in all directions. Those that had been too close screamed in pain as burning pieces of debris pierced not only the foggy divisions, but the skin of some of those who had yet to surrender as well.

  Following a rising trail of smoke, the spectators were barely able to glimpse Stella’s figure high in the sky before they were surprised by another deafening explosion. No debris was sent this time, so they were able to see as Stella hurled toward her opponent.

  People were so concentrated on the match, that neither those in the stands or those still in the arena noticed that the foggy divisions had been removed.

  Stella landed with such force that the arena cracked upon impact. Debris was sent more upward than outward, and since people had already gone through something similar seconds before, they managed to defend against what little fragments made it their way.

  But they were not prepared for what accompanied the impact. An expansive wave of flame spread from where Stella landed, leaving large swaths of burnt arena in its wake. Those in the stands cowered in retreat, already weary of Stella’s power, and even more of those that remained began to surrender.

  To everyone’s fortune, the wave of flame dissipated quickly.

  Dammit, he managed to dodge it, she told herself, quickly finding him amidst the destruction.

  Jamie had been observing Stella carefully since they decided to fight all out. Wow Stella, what have you been doing up until now that playing with fire comes so naturally to you? he thought to himself, a small smirk forming.

  Using nothing but his instinct, he waited for the perfect moment and jumped, completely avoiding the first impact.

  Before the wave flame truly shot out, a strange purple—almost transparent power flickered into existence, covering him completely. The thin barrier pushed the flame away and broke shortly after.

  Jamie had dealt with the initial attack as best he could. I highly doubt anyone else could have done any better, he told himself as he was landing, readying himself to respond.

  But Stella still wasn’t finished.

  Jamie landed with adept footing, trying to keep his eyes steady on Stella, but the flames raged everywhere, obscuring his vision. Where are you? Where?

  By the time he caught sight of her once more, she had already brought her right arm backward, raring to go and be brought down against him.

  Flames roared to life, engulfing the entirety of her arm, and threatening to engulf all of him as well.

  Jamie barely had enough time between when he saw the fist and when it was already before him. All he could do was to block the initial impact… because it was only the beginning.

  Catching Stella’s fist, Jamie yanked her to the side, hoping to shake her balance and bring her down, but something else demanded his attention. What the—

  Like an after image, an arm constructed entirely out of flame lingered where Stella had brought her arm back. When Jamie noticed it, the arm moved, but it also remained, the flame only growing weaker.

  Hastily, a purple, nearly invisible energy enveloped Jamie’s arms, immediately dissipating some of the heat around him. Just as the energy finished forming, an onslaught of flaming arms fell upon him. Each flaming arm mirrored the exact strike that Stella had delivered only moments ago. The interval between each strike barely allowing Jamie to react.

  With a flurry of swipes, Jamie hastily moved his hands, turning them momentarily into a blur of flesh, cloth and purple energy.

  As if catching literal fists, he grasped each of the incoming blows, bringing them low and releasing them. Less than a second after the fists left his grasp, the flaming fists were neutralized, dissipating into smoke and light strands of flame.

  Not willing to allow Jamie to breathe for even a second, Stella allowed herself to fall forward a bit, releasing a powerful kick in a spiral motion with her left leg. A small explosion from her heel gave her speed and another from her palm allowed her to remain stable.

  Jamie was almost finished dealing with the flame fists, when Stella’s kick was making its way toward his chest. Surprised, he quickly reacted, his power extending once more.

  For a second, nothing happened, Stella’s kick appeared to have missed its target entirely. Though, it was somehow exactly where she aimed, the one who had moved—without moving—was Jamie. Still, she quickly reacted. Partway between her still extended leg and Jamie, a spear of flame came into existence.

  Once that hits, it should be enough to destabilize him and I can deliver a true blow, but just in case, I should— Stella’s thoughts were caught off as she began to feel off.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Before her torso, an unnatural force was pushing her back, while behind her only standing leg, an equally unnatural energy was pushing it.

  “Shit—” was all Stella could say, as she felt herself hit the floor.

  “My turn,” Jamie said, breathing heavily, his clothes slightly singed from dealing with the flame spear.

  ----------

  Robert pulled a piece of debris from his cheek but seemed completely unbothered by the fact that he now had a wound on his face. While his face was stoic, internally he was in turmoil.

  Just like for everyone else, the first day of the tournament brought some surprises but nothing major. So, he was excited, if only a bit, because of what was happening. Having blatantly kept an eye on the people from Solace, he was more than curious as to their abilities.

  And through one match he would be able to assess the capabilities of two high priority targets.

  The beginning of the match had given him more than enough information already. If it had ended there, it would have been perfect.

  I would know the face of not only the “Blade of Solace,” but also of the “Wall,” and the “Flame.” With Cecilia’s perfect recall and our still functioning databases, it would only be a matter of time before we get names for each of them. And with that information we could even extrapolate possible candidates for the “Spark” and “Littler Light.”

  Robert mentally shook his head, making an effort to keep a stoic appearance. An appearance that his people could trust.

  But that was only if the fight continued as it did in the beginning. Not this, this-this is madness.

  Images of what Stella had done raced through his mind. It wasn’t just what she did, it was also how she reacted to everything. At no point during her flurry of attacks did she need to take a moment and consider what she was doing. She moved with a practiced ease that disturbed Robert to his core.

  He did question the fact that she had decided to turn the fight into a brawl while being a mage, but other than that, his worries held.

  Does that mean that she has fought such high intensity battles before? Battles that required her to react almost immediately. His thoughts stopped for a second, feeling the heat. Battles that required such firepower.

  That was one of, if not the single most important point of interest to Robert, the power behind each attack.

  The arena is huge, and yet… the heat still reached us. The explosions she used as mere movement aids. What kind of monsters are being created in Solace.

  Then his sight moved to his other target, Jamie, son of the General.

  To be able to deal with such attacks and remain as unscathed as he has. Just what are they doing?

  Robert took a deep breath in, fixing his posture.

  “When we return, we’re going to have to deliver a lengthy report,” he told the others.

  “Understood,” all his people answered, all their voices a bit shaky, all of them except two, Cecilia and Ryuji.

  Just when Robert thought that he had seen everything he had needed to see, and had calmed himself down, Jamie began to ramp up his efforts.

  ----------

  “My turn,” Jamie said.

  Taking in a deep breath, Jamie unleashed a burst of energy that engulfed all the flame on the arena. One second passed and nothing happened, two seconds passed, and Stella began to rise, cautious of her surroundings. Three seconds—Whoosh. All the flames disappeared—no—it was all the heat, the flames just followed.

  Stella, now on her feet, glanced around, more surprised than anyone else. “What did you—”

  “Did you forget that we’re in the middle of a fight?” Jamie said, cutting Stella off.

  Stella turned to look at him, sure that he was still a few steps away, but to her surprise, he was right before her, his foot already digging into her abdomen.

  Stella was sent flying against a couple meters. She tried to stop her rolling with small explosions, but the environment wouldn’t allow it, heat couldn’t be generated.

  When she finally stopped and tried to rise, she found herself flying away once more. This time, she didn’t have to make an effort to stop, she hit a barrier, the elven stands.

  She was visibly confused. Not only because of her flames disappearing, but also because of the kick itself.

  Was I lighter, or was his kick heavier? she asked herself, unsure of how each kick had sent so far away and recognizing an unfamiliar sensation when they connected.

  Using the wall as support, Stella rose to her feet, reassured by the distance that she was sure now existed between her and Jamie.

  “Not done yet,” Jamie said, appearing right before her.

  Grabbing her head with his left hand, his abnormally heavy left hand, he proceeded to unleash a series of devastating punches against Stella’s face and abdomen. He would have stopped quickly enough, but something was wrong.

  Where’s the damage?! he asked himself in surprise

  The impact of the punches was so great that even with his abnormal grip, he still managed to push Stella’s head against the wall, making it bounce more than once, and yet, she was practically unscathed.

  Suddenly, someone interrupted his musings.

  “We will get her, for the great Krisk’s desires are commands to the universe itself!”

  Jamie stopped with his assault, his face turning entirely toward the speaker.

  Do these guys not care about the fact that I am busy? he asked himself.

  The one who spoke was an elf that he had never seen, and from a simple glance, Jamie couldn’t make out anything special about them.

  Jamie was about to reach over and grab the speaker, but then all the elves began to repeat the same thing, only with slight variations. Jamie frowned at their actions, not because they were strange, he just questioned their priorities. But in the end, the message was the same, they would get “her.”

  Stella, feeling the pause, released an explosion she had already been preparing from before. It appeared that at some point, they had left the area that was suppressing her magic, or heat, she still didn’t know.

  I don’t know what they’re talking about, and I don’t care, she said to herself just before the blast.

  The sound of the explosion was deafening, even to Stella who had used it without issue.

  This is all Jamie’s fault, he made it hard to think clearly with all those hits, Stella reasoned, shifting the blame.

  The explosion dug briefly into the ground, but ultimately, the force sent debris flying everywhere. Due to the proximity, many elves who had gathered to sneer at Jamie, were caught up in the explosion. Those that didn’t die from the initial burst, died to the injuries.

  Jamie made a mocking smile, but it quickly vanished when he sensed danger.

  Many of the elves hurried, taking their wounded toward the underground area, completely dependent on its healing properties. But to their misfortune, the attendants only let some people pass, those that still hadn’t lost.

  For a moment, and only for a moment, most of the attention was on the elves, but then the fight resumed.

  Spears of flame appeared behind Stella as she shot them toward Jamie one after the other, making him back away as she cleared small amounts of blood from her face, and got her bearings.

  Suddenly, Jamie disappeared from where he had been, the spears of fire now traveling uninterrupted toward the beast folk. However, the spell wasn’t that powerful and it quickly dissipated.

  Jamie suddenly appeared right beside Stella, but she had expected something like that to happen. Instead of hitting her, Jamie’s strike hit a floating fireball that exploded on contact.

  The smoke and flame that rose from the explosion fell to the ground as if it were heavy. Now, behind where there once was smoke, was Jamie’s fist traveling toward Stella’s face.

  She barely managed to dodge it, only to realize that Jamie had disappeared once more.

  Teleportation? No, that can’t be, that’s magic. He would need to have practiced for years to be this fast. Maybe a skill, but how could a skill even achieve that? Does he follow a god? That would certainly explain him having teleportation. From what I’ve seen, the gods bypass certain requirements.

  Stella’s constant casting of flame magic had heated up her surroundings, and she used that very heat as a part of her. And for a brief moment, that heat faltered, overtaken by both greater heat, and greater cold, something that was undecided—or perhaps it was both.

  She felt that unnatural sensation coming from behind her. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to turn in time, she instead released a burst of flames that emanated from her upper back.

  But the flames didn’t do what she hoped—deterring a possible attack. Instead, the flames disappeared from the path of the approaching fist and Stella only felt as the wind escaped her lungs.

  A tinge of panic overtook her, and she spun around rapidly trying to catch her breath as she swiped against the air, releasing another burst of flame. She hadn’t done it properly and her mana core made her aware of it, causing her to spit out burnt blood.

  “Hadn’t felt that in a while,” she muttered to herself, and she wasn’t sure if she was talking about the panic or the bad spell cast.

  Ignoring the injury, she once again looked around, searching for Jamie. But once again, he was nowhere to be found.

  Once more, connecting to the heat around her, she felt it falter.

  She rapidly turned to her right, but by doing so she only helped Jamie deliver an even more concrete punch against her chest. A barely formed spell that was above her flickered out of existence upon impact. The few flames that had been formed fell and burned her skin.

  Shit, what is this? What is he using?

  Again, she felt the heat waver and tried to turn in time, only to receive another strike, this time to the face.

  I just need to—There it is again. She turned but didn’t find anything. What was that, then?

  Once more the heat faltered, but she was too slow. Before she knew it, Stella was on the ground, gasping for air, and all her spells failing her.

  “Each time I move,” Jamie said, walking carelessly toward her, “I bring a bit of it back with me. It not only lets me move more freely, but it also disrupts everything else.”

  “I wasn’t feeling the heat falter from a new movement, was I? she asked, weakly. “The heat was just struggling against the same thing. At least one of the times, right?”

  “I don’t know what you felt,” Jamie answered.

  Contrary to what her appearance might suggest, Stella was perfectly fine. She wasn’t angry, she wasn’t sad, and she most definitely wasn’t panicking, not anymore. No, she was actually quite satisfied with the match she had had up until now. She gave it her best, it was just that Jamie had been better than her and that was that.

  She felt her hand move, responding to her will to surrender, but just before she actually spoke the words, a question rose in her mind:

  Is this actually your best?

  The white flame of her eyes was rising, finally revealing its true form and color—an all-consuming blue.

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