But... there was something strange.
'What is this?'
The cat felt something unusual. 'Fatigue?'
'How could feel tired from just a few kicks? This can't be right!..'
His breaths began to quicken, his muscles twitching slightly, and suddenly, his tail began to lose its strong grip on his opponent's arm.
Then he took a step back, trying to process what was happening, sighing, trying to calm himself.
But then—
Egologia slowly raised his head, his hunched body straightening, his face swollen from the previous blows, wearing a smile.
It was terrifying in itself.
"Oh... you're tired now?.. That's all you've got, right?"
Claude, who had been silently observing the entire time, felt that something was off.
'Could it be...?'
Yes, without a doubt. [Absorption]
The entire time, despite taking the hits... he had been absorbing.
He had been absorbing charges **maga** from his opponent, despite the pain, despite the violence.
Absorbing through the tail wrapped around Egologia's arm.
"It's my turn now, you arrogant cat."
In an instant, the pumping of maga within him surged!
His hands in a blade-like stance.
The air exploded under his speed as he moved with lightning speed, giving his opponent no chance to react! It had already struck his stomach!
A precise... ruthless... swift strike!
"Tsk! Damn... damn it...!!"
The blows began to rain down!
One after another!
A strike to his ribs—
A strike to his shoulder—
Then…
The finishing blow!
His fist now... launched toward the cat's stomach with full force!
BOOOOOOM!!
The impact sent him flying to the far end of the arena, like an arrow shot through the air!!
Everyone watched as he flew through the air before crashing hard onto the ground.
Silence fell for a moment before murmurs of astonishment rose among the leaders.
"How did he do it?"
That was the question lingering in everyone's minds. The competitors' gazes couldn't hide their unease, while some instinctively gripped their weapons and sharpened their abilities, as if realizing they were facing an extraordinary opponent.
Ash took a deep breath.
"Is there a trick to it? From my careful observation... I found no explanation. Was it just luck?"
Garoma shook his head, his frown deepening:
"Impossible... a beginner couldn't execute such moves without us noticing! Did he use some trick?"
Before they could delve deeper into their doubts, Claude's sharp voice cut through their thoughts with just three words:
"He surpassed the cat."
"Huh?!"
Ash smiled faintly.
"He's truly skilled! He surprised me... he deserves to succeed."
Garoma, with sarcasm,
"Oh, of course, of course... I suppose you, Ash, have already marked him for a while, right?"
Claude glanced at him, muttering to himself as he watched the paper in his hand:
'Two votes... one more to go.'
He turned to Garoma, that annoying chatterbox with his weird hair resembling scattered cow guts. He was the final judge, the decisive voice...
A tall lanky contestant jumped, opening his mouth wide.
What? Yes, he was going to spit!
He unleashed a spray of deadly saliva toward Egologia.
"I think I'm the attractive opponent here!"
Moving at astonishing speeds!!
He dodging the bullets, leap after leap, while the spray grew denser.
"Damn it! A scrawny guy like you, where does all this saliva come from?!"
Then Garoma, the chatterbox as usual, commented as he watched:
"Oh, this young man is strange, sharpening his saliva with maga. Clearly, he's undergone rigorous training."
Egologia, dodging the attacks leap after leap, reached the wall and jumped, pressing himself against it, channeling energy within him, and unleashed a flash of light!
In an instant, his broad palm struck the spitting bastard's face, a slap followed by the contestant being sent flying, crashing into the wall with force.
Egologia landed smoothly, accompanied by astonished gazes and comments from the competitors and leaders.
He muttered to himself...
'Without showing my maga... I succeeded? Damn, why didn't you tell me, Claude, that it would be this easy?'
Suddenly, a heavy voice pierced the atmosphere, breaking it with an odd tone:
"I see you."
The speaker was a young boy... Zora, the one no one had noticed throughout the battle.
The boy... Zora, the only son of the former ruler of the kingdom, that ruler who was overthrown in a bloody coup due to his heinous actions, which became known to all.
Yet, the child wasn't responsible for his father's sins. He grew up away from the palace, avoiding harm, but he couldn't escape the piercing gazes and biting words of people on the streets.
What set him apart was his powerful family legacy... Maga-Etherion, a force only carried by members of his lineage.
'Damn... I can hardly believe it again.' Claude, directing his words toward Ash, added:
"Hey Ash, since you reside in his district, are you responsible for registering him?"
Ash replied indifferently, raising an eyebrow:
"Oh, yes. And what of it? Let him enjoy his rights."
Claude wasn't convinced...
"He's a young boy, with a legacy of immense power... we shouldn't spoil his mind with these things."
Ash smiled, answering confidently:
"He decided it himself, and he has a mature tongue."
Before the discussion could continue, Garoma's excited voice interrupted them... "Let me watch... you chatterboxes."
He always the only chatterbox.
Egologia stood, staring at the strange boy, something unfamiliar surrounding him.
He asked cautiously:
"So... a boy like you, aren't you afraid, huh?"
He added...
"And you see me... you mean my speed? Huh?"
Suddenly, the boy's eyes glowed with a bright yellow, the ominous sour yellow...
Egologia stepped back slightly, surprised:
'What is this...!?'
Zora, in a calm but terrifying voice:
"I see something deeper in you, devil."
In an instant, there was no room for words—Egologia charged forward with furious speed, aiming to finish the strange boy immediately!
He formed his fist, ready to unleash a wave of rapid punches toward Zora.
But...
From beneath the boy's feet, the ground itself split!
A terrifying big plant emerged, pulsing with a deadly acidic aura, as if it were a living creature protecting him!
Egologia noticed it at the last moment, stopping before stepping on the deadly big plant, but at the same time, a massive plant-like hand shot out, unnaturally fast, trying to kill him!
Egologia dodged it with a quick slide backward, but... the toxic yellow aura spread through the air, like a deadly gas!
In that moment, Egologia realized this wasn't just a plant, but a destructive force!
And in the same moment, Zora waved his hand lightly...
And in the blink of an eye—the entire place exploded!