Chapter 278 - End of Round Three

The jaguar was forced to change tactics. It hurriedly pushed off against the dull spikes while watching out for newly-emerging icicles.

"Can't hit me? Come on!" Tilgron's roared with laughter. 

But the jaguar's confidence was still showing full force. Zipping around, the jaguar quickly readjusted and found the easiest path to the tiger. "So you're just a cold coward hiding in ice?" 

Tilgron disregarded the banter and roared again. A row of icy spears suddenly threw themselves at the jaguar, though they weren't blue like the icicles near Tilgron. The ice sped across the ground and did its best to catch the speeding jaguar.

But suddenly, Tilgron looked back. The jaguar suddenly rushed Tilgron's flank and crashed through the weakest point of defense. Cuts littered the jaguar's paws and forearms, but it was too late for Tilgron to flee from inside the cage of ice he had made. 

Fire kicked up around the two cats as the jaguar's fangs sank into Tilgron's side and its claws carved into Tilgron's side and hind leg. 

Yet Tilgron didn't cry out. The tiger made no roar or pained cry. Instead, Tilgron snickered.

The same blue ice from earlier hastily rushed over the jaguar's face. Before the jaguar could let go, the glacial blue ice engulfed its head. More and more fire poured out of the jaguar's mouth and into Tilgron's side, but Tilgron's smile said everything. 

Tilgron tanked the flames and even the swiping claws. In exchange, sharp icicles impaled the jaguar's hind legs. Next, more blue ice began to gather around the jaguar's rear.

"The match is over."

Blinking, Tilgron sighed. He dropped everything. First, the jaguar's hind legs were freed, followed by the jaguar's head. 

But just as the ice melted around the jaguar's head, another flaming, electrifying claw swiped across Tilgron's unguarded side. 

"I said the match was over," Inka repeated, looking to the newly freed jaguar.

"What? How was I supposed to know while in the ice?"

Shaking his head, Tilgron spared the jaguar no more attention. He began walking back without wasting his breath.

"And you think he would free you without my interference? How bigoted can such a young cultivator be?" Lady Inka refuted, stepping up to the jaguar. 

Bowing its head, the jaguar claimed, "I didn't hear you. I'm being honest, Lady Inka."

"Even then, you still deserve a punishment."

SLAP!

The jaguar flew across the arena. And again, Uutrai appeared to catch the flying beast before it could damage the walls. Yet Uutrai didn't catch the jaguar. Rather, Uutrai slapped the jaguar's back and harshly threw the jaguar into the ground. 

Roooaahh…

"That should be a good enough lesson…" sighing and shaking his head, Uutrai nodded to Inka. "Aren't you the only person throwing attacks outside of the arena?"

"For now, but you never know until it happens. Thank you for your help thus far, Uutrai," Inka chuckled and looked back to the kings. "Brak, please take care of the trash that you brought us. Numbers 5 and 6, please."

Brak nodded and sent Drogat to retrieve the broken jaguar off the arena floor. Yet Drogat instead threw the smaller beast, letting the jaguar crash down near the wolf corpse and the shaking badger, regardless of its many, already broken bones.

The final two competitors took to the sky as well, landing across from each other. Of the two, Shraal's crane was larger but Guadel's wasp wasn't much smaller. They stared for a moment before nodding and respecting their opponent from the start.

"If you two are ready… then begin."

The thumping of the wasp's wings thrummed as it charged at the large bird. And as expected, the crane took to the sky while the wasp followed. It was the first all-aerial battle.

Wind essence gave the long-bodied crane enough agility to match the zippy wasp. It also helped the crane to whip up wind blades and small torrents whenever the wasp tried to get too close for comfort. When the wasp got near, the crane would throw out some harsh winds with blades hidden among them. 

But the wasp could adapt quickly and constantly reposition itself with pinpoint accuracy. And things only heated up as the wasp doused itself in fire whenever it got close.

To the crane's detriment, keeping the wasp back forever wouldn't be possible. However, the crane was more than ready for that as well.

When the wasp finally broke through the onslaught of wind blades and small yet powerful tempests, its flaming stinger was the first thing to threaten the crane. 

Without warning, a stream of water fell onto the stinger and the rest of the wasp. The flames were lessened as the crane went in for the victory, turning the tide of the moment and the battle.

Though the wasp's stinger was quite powerful, its other means of attack weren't on the same level. It could spit some flames but that did little to nothing against a crane with wind and water essence. It was agile but had fully committed to its charging stinger and had gotten in close. And the price for getting too close was half of a wing. 

Losing altitude fast, the wasp did its best to readjust and prepare for a hard landing. But it also had to keep an eye on the diving craving going in for the kill.

"The match is over. Shraal is the victor."

Zooming past the wasp, the crane threw out one last tempest. Those winds, however, acted more like a cushion than like knives, helping the falling wasp land safely.

"Thank you…" the wasp bowed its head in gratitude.

"Your welcome." That was all the crane said before turning and flying back to the stands.

Inka picked up the piece of wasp wing and carried it back to the wasp. She helped reattached the piece with light essence before sending it off. "Kings, representatives, use the intermission wisely."

Able to talk and chat without looking away from a fight, Oli turned his attention to Tilgron's burns. Vant was helping apply ointment to the worst and final claw wound but it didn't seem to be as bad as Oli had originally expected, at least not after Vant's immediate treatment. If anything, Oli was curious to see what would come next from those two, his future companions and rivals from Rot Region.