"He's mine!"
The first to make his move was Edward.
Immediately Jared declared the match to have started, the hulking being sharply dashed in the direction of his foe.
>VWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMM<
Perhaps it was to impress the girl he had laid his eyes on, or maybe he was simply in a hurry to test out his strength on this new opponent.
Instantly creating a blade from the Mana he exuded, Edward smiled as he wildly dashed.
However—
"Too slow."
—Even Edward couldn't react to what came next.
The Automaton's hand was already close to Edward's face before the boy could say a peep, and its metallic blow was planted on his face faster than he could process.
>BOOOOOMMMMM!!!<
Edward jerked backward, completely stunned by the Automaton's initial attack.
And then—
>BOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!<
Another kick from the platinum armored being sent the boy's hulking body flying away until it crashed into the ground beyond the remaining seven.
His descent caused a crater, devastating the area around him in an instant.
"Who's next?" Gawain, the Ultimate Automaton, folded his hands as he waited for the next challenger.
"T-two hits... he got rid of Edward in just two hits?"
There was always the possibility that Edward was simply weak, but no one doubted the bulky boy's strength.
The fact that he was able to move faster than everyone else showed just how capable he was.
Yet, the Automaton was faster.
"We better take this serious, everyone." Aloe sighed, now coated in complete light.
Golden orbs glimmered around her, and a witch's hat sat atop her head.
Her dress was pure gold, and her skin radiated energy. The woman had wasted no time before entering Mage Mode.
"I'm not done." She murmured.
"[Original Magic: Aurora Vidalis]."
Instantly, ruptures in space appeared, and darkness began to spread.
No—it wasn't that everywhere was getting darker... it was something completely different.
Right in front of Aloe, a sphere was forming. Within it were beautiful glimmers of light, like stars. They kept getting brighter as everything in the vicinity dulled.
"What are you doing?" Ciara asked, looking agitated.
"You don't need to know." She sharply responded with a smile.
No one knew the true nature of her Original Magic, but what she was doing was absorbing all the light around her—using the orb before her as a magnet.
This made everything around her slow down, and her speed greatly increased.
Of course, this affected everyone around her equally, so her allies and the enemy would still be on equally balanced terms when it came to speed.
Other than mere swiftness, Aloe had collected enough power to transcend her limits. The orb in front of her served as a second Mana Core—one that mimicked the effects of a Special Grade.
In essence, it had no limits.
Having dual Mana Cores—one being Gold Grade, while the second being Special Grade—made Aloe's power skyrocket beyond any normal degree.
In both speed and power, she had reached a transcended height.
Still...
"Not yet!"
... She wasn't satisfied with this.
"Fusion Mode."
Aloe called upon her familiar—a Golden Wisp that danced atop her head—and the two fused together.
>SHIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!!!<
It all happened so fast, but the results were dazzling.
Aloe now took on the appearance of a goddess—similar to a blinding sculpture of golden brilliance.
This was the result of using Mage Mode, Original Magic, and her Fusion Mode.
The Sphere that served as a second Mana Core floated above her shoulder, and her body was bursting with power.
With everything around her slowed down, and her own capabilities reaching new heights, Aloe Vida was confident in her victory.
"[Grand Blitzing Ray]." Rather than dispersing energy in a wide sphere of explosion, Aloe concentrated everything in a single direction and sent in charging at Gawain.
'My current speed far exceeds the speed of light, and he should currently be slowed down.
>VWUUUUUUUUUUSSSSHHHHHH<
The ray decimated everything in its path, turning the ground itself into char and molten magma as it raced to devour the target.
However—
"Not a chance."
—Gawain's hand stretched out and absorbed the blast directed at him.
>FSHUUUUUUUUU<
Every single ounce of golden energy—that was supposed to decimate the Automaton—was instead taken in without even the slightest resistance.
"W-wha—?! How?"
"You don't need to know."
Gawain sharply moved, closing his distance with Aloe in a flash.
Its body now radiated a golden aura, adapting Aloe's Light Magic as his own.
>BOOOOOOOOOMMMM<
Despite being flustered, Aloe easily evaded Gawain's attack by virtue of being faster. She rained down more Spells on the Automaton, causing it to dash around as it evaded every strike.
Whirring in retaliation, it summoned several blades and launched them in Aloe Vida's direction.
>VWUUSHH<
Unfortunately for the Automaton, the woman was fast enough to deflect each and every blade with her Magic.
"You're good," Gawain commented, now emitting greater power than before.
Aloe felt her opponent's energy rise, but she was determined not to lose her focus.
'You can do this, Vida! He's watching you!'
With that, the young woman calmed herself and steadied her Magic power, ready to return whatever resistance her opponent would give.
Still, no matter what it was, Aloe was determined to emerge victorious.
>VWUUUUSSSHHH<
Gawain's form changed—he too entered a state only Mages could adapt.
"T-this is—!!?" Aloe's eyes bulged at the occurrence unfolding before her.
As if it wasn't surprising enough that Gawain could move so fast even with her Original Magic's effects, it was now adopting a mode powerful state.
"Mage Mode?!"
>BOOOOOMMMMM<
With its newfound strength, Gawain summoned several more blades and added multiple volleys of Magic Missiles and projectiles to the mix.
These means of attack littered the sky where Vida was currently floating, surrounding her on all ends.
"There's no escape, and your defense's integrity has its limits."
>WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH<
Without wasting time, every single blade and projectile was launched at Aloe. Of course, she erected a strong defensive barrier, but sooner or later, it would break.
"Shit!" She gritted her teeth as she glared at the Automaton who also eyed her with a strange sense of animosity.
"Of everyone I've fought... you're the strongest." Gawain's voice warbled as it spoke.
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[A/N]
Some people have asked, so here we go.
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