This is kinda boring. Wish I had a way to kill some time while I wait for the next round.

While my first match of round two ended pretty quickly, the participants in the second match were fairly evenly matched, so that one dragged on for a while.

I watched it since the winner will be my next opponent, but I just can't get into watching the other matches, besides Ariella's.

The third match, which is currently ongoing, is also dragging on a bit...though, that's not becomes it's competitive, but because the stronger of the two participants is toying with the weaker one, it's an Ace versus a K-Rank.

Honestly, it just feels tedious to me.

Hm, maybe it's because there aren't any real stakes, thanks to the barrier around the arena, maybe that's why I'm not really feeling it.

It's just missing the thrill that comes with genuine life or death battles.

<I definitely wouldn't say it's a bad thing>

<The fact that the matches are dragging on gives you more time to rest before your next fight>

<And the barrier ensures that no one will die>

<That is undoubtedly a good thing>

Well, yeah, I'm not denying that.

I don't want to end up accidentally killing someone that I have no grudge against, and I certainly don't want to end up getting killed myself either.

All I'm saying is that these low-stakes fights aren't really grabbing my attention, that's all.

<Then, why is it different with Ariella Velle's fights?>

I mean, since I know her, seeing her in action is a lot different to seeing random strangers in action.

Plus, fighting her in this tournament is one of my goals with my participation in the competition, so it's only natural that I'm invested in the outcomes of her matches.

<I would have assumed you'd at least be interested in the fights of the other Aces>

Right, besides her, there are three other Aces in the tournament. Well, just two now, since I eliminated Kelsey Jaise from the competition.

Ariella will face one of the other two remaining Aces in the next round, the quarter-finals...well, assuming both she and that Ace win their matches in this round, of course.

But I doubt that won't be the case.

Ariella's match is next, and her opponent will be whoever wins the currently ongoing third match of round two. And like I already mentioned, it's an Ace fighting a K-Rank, with the Ace toying with his opponent.

Oh, looks like he finally ended it and put his opponent out of his misery. It's about time.

That went on forever, hope the rest of this round wraps up quickly, we're not even halfway through yet.

As the participants of the third match of round two stepped off the arena and headed back, Ariella and her next opponent walked out, approaching the arena.

Ariella stretched her arms up as she hopped onto the arena, a smile on her face as she laced her fingers and cracked them, the barrier forming as her opponent stepped onto the arena as well.

He's the only Mage participating in the tournament this year, the rest are all Combatants.

He's got quite the uphill battle ahead of him...a K-Ranked Mage against an Ace Combatant in a pretty unbalanced match-up.

As the countdown began, Ariella adjusted the straps on her gauntlets before preparing herself, taking a deep breath as she got into her stance, her opponent raising his hands as he assumed a more defensive stance.

The instant the countdown ended, he chanted something rapidly, several icicles forming around him before shooting out towards Ariella.

She did a couple of quick hops to loosen up, before sprinting forward as the icicles closed in on her, veering across to her right to evade one, before whipping her left arm out and striking the side of one of the incoming ice projectiles with the back of her fist, deflecting it away.

She swiftly got low as a rapidly spinning disk of ice came shooting towards her, before springing back up and racing across the arena to her left as the Ice Mage opened his mouth and unleashed a devastating frosty burst from his mouth, the wave of freezing cold air spreading out across the arena, forming a thin layer of frost over the floor.

As Ariella zipped in towards him from the right, a cold mist erupted around his right foot, a wave of ice spikes rising up and extending towards Ariella with immense speed.

She came to a swift halt and drew back her fists, chanting rapidly as the ice spikes began to close in on her, before unfurling a vicious barrage of rapid, fiery strikes as flames erupted and swirled around her fists, shattering the ice spikes to pieces, puffs of steam bursting out around her fists as the heat melted and vaporized some of the ice.

As she destroyed the ice spikes in a matter of seconds, she shot towards her opponent at full speed, who quickly backed away and raised a defensive wall of ice in front of himself.

His eyes widened in alarm as Ariella smashed right through the wall with a powerful knee strike, shattering the ice to pieces.

She lunged at him as he began to chant, lowering her right fist before driving it up like a spring, her opponent's mouth slamming shut as her fist collided against his chin with immense force.

His head jerked straight up as several thin trickles of blood ran down his mouth, a dazed look on his face as he shakily stumbled back, right as Ariella grabbed his wrist with her left hand and pulled him towards her while simultaneously driving her right fist towards his stomach, intense flames swirling around her fist.

Right as her fist closed in on him, he vanished from sight as the barrier triggered, teleporting him out, a burst of shimmering heat erupting across the air from the force exerted through Ariella's fist, the flames slowly dissipating as she relaxed and composed herself with a slow exhale...

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