Chapter 88: Henry vs Paul and Ashley vs Kayla.
After their match finished, another match was announced. It was a fight between Henry Gorgon and Paul Ainsworth. As their names echoed through the arena, the crowd slowly settled before cheering once again.
Paul was from Ian's team, and many people recognised him. He had been given a direct spot in the top sixty, so he had only fought once before. Because of this, some people felt unsure about his true strength.
Meanwhile, this was Henry's first match since the hunting competition. Many students from the Earth Department were eager to see him fight again. They knew his reputation and understood how dangerous he could be in close combat.
Both of them arrived in the arena as the crowds from their departments cheered loudly. The cheers mixed, creating a loud wave of sound that filled the entire arena. Henry walked calmly, his heavy footsteps leaving faint marks on the ground. Paul walked more lightly, his eyes focused as he studied the battlefield.
They stood opposite each other, maintaining distance. The referee stepped between them, glanced at both fighters, and then raised his hand. He started the match and said clearly, "Begin."
Paul heard this and immediately used burst, disappearing in a flash. He arrived far away from Henry, creating a safe distance instead of attacking. He did not rush forward. Paul knew that Henry was almost unbeatable in close range, so he had decided to fight from afar and rely on his speed and spells.
Then, many large fireballs were conjured around Paul. The flames burned brightly as they floated around him. With a wave of his hand, he attacked Henry from a distance, launching the fireballs one after another.
Henry saw the attack coming. A shield formed in his left hand, while a big axe formed in his other hand.
The shield looked thick and solid, while the axe was heavy and sharp. Without hesitation, Henry charged at Paul. As he moved forward, he blocked the fireballs with his shield. The flames exploded on impact, but they failed to slow him down.
Henry continued charging. He closed the distance between them, his steps strong and steady. Paul reacted quickly and used burst again, creating distance once more.
Henry charged forward again, but Paul once again retreated. Paul was making good use of his speed, refusing to let Henry get close.
Suddenly, earth spikes began to conjure under Paul's feet. The ground cracked as sharp spikes shot upward. Paul dodged them, but he was a little late to react.
One of the spikes grazed his foot, cutting through his boot and drawing a small amount of blood. Paul clenched his teeth and immediately used burst to retreat again as Henry chased him relentlessly.
To the audience, it looked like a cat-and-mouse chase. Paul was constantly running, while Henry kept chasing him without stopping.
None of Paul's attacks was damaging Henry at all. Henry used his shield to block most of them, and the attacks that slipped past were stopped by the earth armour covering his body.
His defence was nearly impenetrable. With every step Henry took, the ground trembled slightly. He also conjured many spikes to stop Paul from retreating freely. The battlefield slowly became more dangerous as spikes filled the arena.
Both of them moved back and forth. Henry swung his axe with power, each swing leaving cracks in the ground. Paul dodged skillfully, narrowly escaping each strike. Sparks and broken stone flew every time the axe struck the arena floor.
Both fighters were using their advantages efficiently, but there was no clear result. Their efforts seemed equal. Henry continuously charged like a wild beast, showing no signs of slowing down. Paul escaped every attack, but he could not find a way to harm Henry.
After a few moments, the whole arena was ravaged by Henry's attacks and spikes. There was not a single place left without cracks or spikes emerging from the ground. The floor was broken, uneven, and dangerous. Then Paul appeared once again as he escaped Henry's axe by a narrow margin.
Paul took a deep breath and looked around. Almost all of the arena was covered in spikes. His expression changed slightly. He realised that he could no longer use burst freely. He did not know when it happened, but he had been lured into a trap by Henry.
Everyone had thought Henry was attacking mindlessly, but he had planned everything carefully. Every swing, every spike, had slowly taken away Paul's escape routes.
Henry saw that Paul had nowhere left to go. With his axe and shield raised, he charged forward once again. Paul conjured many fireballs and attacked Henry desperately, but not a single one penetrated Henry's defence.
Henry was a true earth mana cultivator who specialised in defence. With his extraordinary strength and strong physique, he had become one of the best students in the academy despite being a single-elemental mana cultivator.
Henry closed the distance. Paul was now cornered. Paul knew he could not block the attack. His heart pounded as he raised his voice and said loudly, "I give up."
But when he said this, Henry had already swung his axe with full force. He could not stop it in time.
The axe reached only a few inches away before it suddenly crumbled to pieces. The weapon shattered into fragments midair. Paul was saved at the last moment.
Sweat ran down Paul's back as he breathed heavily. His legs felt weak as the danger passed. Then the referee, who had saved him, arrived in front of Paul and carefully examined his condition.
After checking that Paul was fine, the referee announced loudly, "The winner of this match is Henry Gorgon from the earth department."
The earth department students burst into cheers. They chanted Henry's name again and again. The sound filled the arena with excitement.
Henry and Paul then left the arena as another match was decided.
It was a match between Ashley Lopez and Kayla Parnell. One was the second-best student of the water department, while the other was the second-best student of the Puppeteer department.
Both of them arrived in the arena as their names were announced. They faced each other and looked directly into each other's eyes. There was no fear in their eyes, only complete confidence in their abilities.
The referee started the match and said loudly, "Begin."
As soon as the words left his mouth, many puppets appeared in front of Kayla. They formed a defensive line around her. Kayla ordered them to attack, and the puppets charged forward.
Ashley saw this and conjured many water streams around her. She attacked the army of puppets with them. Each water stream struck with force, destroying a puppet on impact. Meanwhile, a water whip formed in her hand as she moved toward Kayla.
Kayla frowned when she saw Ashley approaching. A wind cutter formed in her hand, and she launched it toward Ashley. The attack flew forward, but Ashley moved sideways and dodged it.
Ashley's water streams were now mostly used up, but they had destroyed nearly half of the puppets. The remaining puppets rushed toward her again.
Suddenly, Ashley conjured water under the puppets' feet. The water merged with the ground and created a mud pool. Henry's earlier fight had created many cracks and holes in the arena, and Ashley used those cracks to form the mud.
The puppets slowed down as the mud restricted their movement. This gave Ashley an opening.
She conjured several water streams and launched them straight at Kayla. A few puppets moved to protect her. Kayla conjured several wind cutters and faced the water streams head-on.
Then a windstorm formed around Ashley and carried her upward. Suddenly, large amounts of water formed inside the storm. The heavy water overwhelmed the wind. Water was heavier than wind, and it compressed the storm.
Ashley came out of the storm unharmed. A water whip was in her hand as she closed the distance. She swung the whip at Kayla.
Kayla used flight to move into the air and dodge the attack. But suddenly, the whip twisted midair and changed direction toward Kayla. Kayla was caught by surprise and could not dodge in time.
The whip struck her, sending her crashing to the ground.
Kayla slowly stood up. Right in front of her, many water streams formed. They bombarded her. She managed to block a few, but most hit their target. When the attack ended, Kayla was barely standing. Her breathing was heavy as she looked at Ashley, who stood a few meters away.
Ashley, now confident in her victory, slowly moved forward with a water whip in her hand.
Kayla did not move. Then, many wind cutters formed around her. Using the last of her mana, she attacked Ashley.
Ashley dodged the wind cutters with precision as she moved forward. When the last one passed her, she was right in front of Kayla.
Suddenly, a punch landed on the back of Ashley's head.
Ashley stumbled forward but quickly regained her balance. She turned around and saw a puppet standing behind her. Kayla had used herself and her last attack as bait so the puppet could land a blow.
Kayla knew it was not enough to win, but she still wanted to land a hit.
Ashley realised she had underestimated Kayla's planning. She swung her whip, destroying the puppet instantly. Then she looked at Kayla, who was now completely out of mana.
The referee appeared beside Kayla and announced, "The winner of this match is Ashley Lopez."
The water department crowd burst into cheers as Ashley left the arena.
She had secured her spot in the top sixteen beside Aiden, Aaron, Peter, Jeremy, Jack, Victoria, Ian, Olivia, and Henry.
Now only six matches remained.