Chapter 334: Aria Vs Ava

Chapter 334: Aria Vs Ava



It wasn't a fight.

Not even a 'smackdown.'

Just an adult kicking a baby in the face.

Aria was a ninth-class Spell Weaver specializing in nature.

Ava was Zenith Warden with two abilities.

Zenith Replenish and Zenith Soothe.

Replenish helped allies, restoring their Aether reserves, not the Wardens themselves, while Soothe only did, as the ability's name stated, soothe pain, discomfort, and the like.

Her body naturally had incredible healing properties, but that wasn't even close to being enough.

She was more or less guaranteed to lose.

The only chance she had of winning was if she could shoot Aria fast enough, breaking her force shield and causing their professor to interfere.

Yet she wasn't given the chance.

"Root Surge!"

Just before she could pull the trigger, roots sprouted out of the ground and gripped her legs in their spiky embrace, crashing her to the ground as they snatched her up.

She fell face first, but she didn't lose her hold over the gun, her body automatically healed itself, allowing her to keep her wits about her and lock her only weapon close to her chest.

"Incapacitate!"

But, again, Aria showed no 'mercy.'

As she tried to aim her gun at her friend, the roots holding her upside down suddenly flung her on her back, knocking the wind out of her.

While her force shield protected her from the impact, the momentum of said impact wasn't canceled out, so she still felt pain-a great deal of it.

The pain went away a moment later however, as she had already healed.

Letting out a scoff, Aria raised her hand, and the roots followed her movements.

Ava realized what was going to happen next, but for the final time, she couldn't stop it.

Her palm swished left, and the roots-

Bang!

Smacked Ava into the ground, causing dust to fill the air, and a gunshot-like sound to echo in the arena, a result of her force shield absorbing the impact.

Bang!

She didn't stop.

Bang!

Even though Ava had no chance to move...

Bang!

Aria didn't stop.

Bang!

Not giving her a chance to breathe.

Bang!

And with every 'slap' from her hand, Ava's face paled even further.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The poor girl was running out of Aether at a fast pace due to the constant hurt and healing cycle, her core overworking itself.

Aria was using much of her reserves as well, but not as much as Ava, so if this was a battle of attrition, she would've won the fight with no sweat.

It wasn't, however.

Without asking a single question, they loaded her on the stretcher, nodded towards Emir, and

rushed out quietly as they came.

Emir, who welcomed their courtesy and professionalism, nodded back at their departure and returned his attention to the students.

"She'll be fine, no need to worry... Now next up, Arthur, Xavier Jr. Platform three, c'mon!"

The blessed flinched once he was called, but unlike a certain tsundere, it wasn't out of shame but anger, more concentrated than Sofia's; his eyes now burning with flames locked onto his

professor.

'...Hm?'

Slightly tilting his head, Emir, who quickly noticed the look, inwardly asked:

'Why?... Rather how?'

He knew why. It was because, in the protag's eyes, he let the fight play out for too long.

So yeah, what he wanted to know was how.

Weren't the systems inside the little protagonist's neural network supposed to work together

and quell his naivety?

Or were they now less effective at doing that since they lost the main component that made Arthur listen to them?

A girl. At least the voice of one. A very annoying voice at that.

...Most probably.

Ticked off at remembering that squeak incarnate, Emir clicked his tongue, which caused the

one staring at him to snap out of it and quickly rush over to the platform as Xavier Jr was

already there, waiting, shield and longsword in hand.

"I've given you a chance, don't waste it."

Arthur, who mistook Xavier's words for mockery, took his bladed staff and stood opposite his

opponent.

"I'll show you who gave who a chance!"

Emir raised his brow, not because the reply was good-no, far from it—but because of what

that reply implied.

'Huh... he grew a backbone of sorts.'

[You think this shift is because of the bitch I ate?]

[I don't think that I know that. It looks like he'll become some Chinese protag with a mix of

Korean, not a Japanese one.]

[I don't know which is worse.]

[Me neither Ly, me neither.]

As he said that, their conversation ended, and he glanced at both students, checking if they

were ready.

They were.

And so...

"Begin!"

Emir commenced the match to begin.

But as Xavier stepped forward, planning to attack before Arthur could write down a single

rune...

He slipped.