Erik and Mia stood facing each other, their swords at the ready. The atmosphere was tense, and the sound of their breathing was the only thing they could hear, despite the chaos in their surroundings.
Erik knew that he was almost done, as the thug in front of him was too strong. Mia was quick and agile, and he could not match her strength.
Until now, he resisted, thanks to Nathaniel's power, which gave him enough speed and power to counter her blows, but his meager mana was almost empty and he didn't know how long he could go on like this.
At the same time, Mia was left stunned by Erik's skills. It wasn't an everyday occurrence that a 16-year-old kid could fight for so long against someone her age.
He was indeed on the losing side and had many wounds on his body, but the feat remained.
However, it was apparent to her expert eye that the kid would reach his limit soon.
She had been trained to be ruthless and efficient, and she did not doubt that she would take him down sooner or later.
Without warning, Mia lunged forward, her sword flashing in the room's light. Erik parried her attack with difficulty and backed down slightly to gain some distance. Mia was quick, and he had to be ready for anything.
Erik backed and started circling the woman, who did the same as currently; Erik's defense was tight; their eyes locked in a fierce stare. The awakener noticed Mia's eyes were cold and calculating, and he knew she was trying to anticipate his moves.
He decided to take the initiative and swung his Flyssa towards Mia. She parried the attack with ease and retaliated with a swift thrust.
Erik managed to dodge the attack, but he felt the wind blowing on his skin due to the sheer strength the woman unleashed.
The two fighters continued to trade blows, each trying to gain the upper hand. Erik was a skilled fighter, but Mia was faster, stronger, and more agile. She managed to land a few more hits on Erik, but he could deflect most of them with his sword.
Erik began to feint sometimes, trying to throw Mia off balance. It worked for a while, and he managed to land a few hits on her, too, much to the woman's surprise, but they were shallow at best, and Mia was too skilled to be fooled for long.
However, Erik's fatigue began to set in as the fight continued. He had been fighting for what felt like an eternity and knew he couldn't keep it up much longer.
<Fuck… If it weren't for all those level-ups, I would have already depleted my mana reserves by now…> he thought while observing his opponent.
On the other hand, Mia seemed to be getting stronger as the fight went on. Her movements became more fluid and precise, and she pressed the attack more aggressively.
"I have to admit, kid, you're lasting longer than I expected," Mia said with a grin. "I thought I'd have you on the ground by now."
Erik gritted his teeth, pushing himself harder. "Glad I made a lasting impression on you then," he replied, lunging forward with a swift feint.
Mia easily parried the move and countered with a slash that Erik barely managed to dodge.
"Lasting impression? Hahahahahah," she laughed, circling him with a predatory look in her eyes. "Yeah. It is indeed a lasting impression, but you're still not good enough to survive this encounter."
Erik knew she was right. Mia was a skilled fighter, and he would not have been her match in other circumstances; those level-ups saved his life.
They continued to exchange blows, each move calculated and precise. Erik was getting even more tired, his movements slowing down, and his mana at rock bottom. Mia noticed his weakness and took advantage of it, pushing him back with each attack.
"You're getting sloppy," Mia taunted, landing a solid blow on Erik's shoulder. "Just give up already. It'll save you the embarrassment of losing to a street thug."
Erik growled in frustration, his vision starting to blur. He knew he couldn't keep up much longer. But he refused to give Mia the satisfaction of winning that way.
"Can't you stop talking, please? You didn't stop for even a second since the fight started," he said, gritting his teeth. "Seriously, your bullshit is worse than being stabbed!"
Mia's eyes narrowed, laughing at what Erik just said. "Very well," she said, lunging forward with renewed vigor. "If things are like this, then I have no more reason to keep playing with you," she said, a little bit offended by Erik's comment.
Mia became getting more aggressive, her attacks becoming more ferocious by the second. Still, Erik kept resisting, and they continued to battle, with Erik giving it his all despite his exhaustion.
The awakener could feel his muscles straining and his body protesting with every movement. He knew he was in trouble.
He tried to summon all his strength to fight back, but it was useless. Mia was just too powerful.
With a swift movement, the woman swung her sword toward Erik's head. He managed to dodge the attack, but it left him off balance. Erik stumbled backward, his hand clutching at his Flyssa, and fell to the ground.
He knew he would probably die now, as he couldn't do much in that position, and his opponent was already on him. Mia pointed her weapon at him; she grinned triumphantly, holding her sword at his throat.
"Looks like I win," she said, smiling down at him.
Erik gasped for breath, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew he had lost, but he refused to accept it, and he raised his sword again, ready to fight to the bitter end.
Mia stood over him with a cruel smile on her lips. She raised her sword to deliver the final blow, but Carl joined the fight before she could strike.
Anderson's father stepped forward to face her. The air around her began to stir as she raised her hands, calling forth a gust of wind to knock back her new opponent.
Carl, however, was not deterred. He lifted his hands, generating small explosions from his palms and dissipating the wind the woman generated.
Mia's eyes widened in surprise as Carl closed the distance between them incredibly quickly, landing a powerful blow that sent her tumbling to the ground.
"You think you can just waltz here and ruin our moment?" She snarled, her hands crackling with energy. "Well, think again. I won't allow you to do as you please, old man!"
Carl charged toward Mia with a ferocity that took her by surprise as she said those words, leaving the woman stunned. She had seen his power during his fights against other people but didn't face him head-on.
Mia swung her sword at Carl in a retaliatory attempt, but he was too quick for her, dodging the blow effortlessly.
He retaliated with a swift punch, but Mia managed to dodge it at the last moment, using her power to create a gust of wind that pushed Carl back.
The man stumbled but quickly regained his footing, his eyes locked on Mia.
The two circled each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. The thug lunged forward, her sword glinting in the club's light and a mad glint in her eyes, but Carl was ready for her.
He sidestepped her attack and punched her on the side. However, the woman retreated just in time to avoid the subsequent explosion.
Though Mia grunted in pain and retaliated with a blast of wind that sent Carl flying across the room.
Anderson's father landed hard on the ground, his head ringing from the impact. He struggled to get back to his feet, but the woman was already upon him.
She raised her sword to deliver what she believed was going to be the final blow, but Carl managed to block it with his hand by using his power which generated a small explosion that knocked Mia and her sword back.
The woman stumbled but managed to stay on her feet. It was clear to her that this man was a skilled fighter with a good power of his own, and Mia knew she had to be careful.
Those explosions were nasty, and she saw what they could do to the human body.
However, that didn't deter her, and she charged at Carl again without fear. The two kept trading blows; most ended up hitting the empty air.
The exchange between them was like a dog fight, with Mia trying to sever the man's head several times and Carl using not only his brain crystal power but even Anderson's claymore to kill the woman.
However, it was clear to Carl that he only needed one explosion to end the fight. Anderson's father swung the claymore with a lot of strength behind it, but Mia ducked and avoided the move and retaliated with her brain crystal power, knocking him back.
More often than not, the move worked, but Carl was quick to dodge any subsequent attack, his own power creating small explosions that kept her at bay.
Though it was from here that things changed, Mia charged again at Carl but didn't take Erik into account. The young man rushed behind her and plunged his blade into her side, creating a grievous wound as she kept her focus on Carl.
Of course, this greatly shocked the woman, who turned to look around only to see Erik smirk, and at the same time, Carl took advantage of that and landed a fatal blow, making her entire right arm, including the shoulder, explode.
Mia staggered back, blood pouring from the wound. She looked at Carl with surprise and shock.
"You... you're good," she gasped before collapsing to the ground.
Carl looked down at her, his heart racing from the intensity of the fight, while Erik got a notification.
[HOSTILE INDIVIDUAL KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED, STARTING CONVERTING PROCEDURE.]
[3...2...1...0]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE. 6805 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED TO THE HOST.]
[LEVEL UP.]