Both storms collided.
FWOOOOOOOSH!
The clash of wind against wind. Power against power. A battle of elemental fury that shook the very air around us.
It lasted for several seconds.
Then Zenos's storm swallowed the shaman's whole.
CRAAAASH!
It didn't stop there. The victorious tempest only grew larger. More terrifying. And it continued moving in the shaman's direction.
After devouring his pathetic attempt at weather manipulation, it proceeded to devour its master as well.
The shaman didn't even have time to scream before the vortex consumed him entirely.
Back while we trained, I had realized something important about Zenos's fire tornado. It wasn't pure flame. It was a fusion of fire and wind working in harmony.
So I trained him specifically on that. Made him concentrate solely on mastering that single spell. Understanding its components. Separating them. Recombining them at will.
The result?
He could now use fire attacks. And wind attacks. Both separately and together.
It was a beautiful sight.
The shaman's face as the storm approached. That expression of pure, primal fear. That already dead jerk looked like he would again die for real.
And it had.
Not just him either.
A few meters to the right stood both enemy girls.
Their faces shifted between looking at me and looking at Zenos. As if they had witnessed a ghost materialize before them.
The leggy one's expression said she had already accepted defeat. Her shoulders slumped. Her will broken.
But the shorty wasn't finished.
She hissed through clenched teeth.
"Gladiator! Close the distance! He's a mage dodge his attacks and focus on landing a killing blow!"
I smiled when I heard that.
Looked directly at her. "Wrong move, girl."
I gestured toward Thalia behind me. "See, your gladiator was close to my teammate. That means I wouldn't have used my spells. Couldn't risk harming her."
I tilted my head. "You could have used her as a shield. Closed the distance while I hesitated."
I shrugged.
"Dirty strategy, sure. But it was your only hope."
I reached down. Grabbed the axe I had buried in the ground earlier.
"Anyways..."
I hefted it onto my shoulder.
"That wouldn't have changed the result."
I turned to face the charging gladiator. "ZENOS! Fire tornado!"
The air itself became heavy. Oppressive. Sparks began forming just inches from his raised palm. Dancing. Gathering.
Slowly, the energy accumulated. Started rotating. Faster and faster.
Until finally a tornado of pure flame erupted into existence.
It was twice the size of my height. Though still ten times smaller than the monstrous storm from before.
The gladiator was closing in. Fast.
Zenos fired.
FWOOOOSH!
I watched the scarred warrior bend his legs like a frog. Coiling. Then launching himself to the right in a desperate dodge.
He made it. A vicious smile spread across his face.
Then vanished.
Because he saw what awaited him.
Zenos had already closed off every escape route.
Five more fire tornados roared toward him from the front. Blocking every path. Cutting off every direction.
He couldn't move left. Couldn't move right. Couldn't retreat. Couldn't advance.
All he could do was stare at his defeat.
I registered his final sound.
A single, bitter click of his tongue.
TSK.
Then the flames consumed him.
FWOOOOOOOSH!
All five tornados converged on his position simultaneously.
"AAAAAARGHHHH!"
The gladiator's screams of agony echoed across the arena as fire devoured him from every angle.
And what did I receive for this magnificent performance?
Nothing.
Silence.
I looked around at the crowd.
They were staring at me. But not with admiration. Not with awe.
They looked at me as if I were the villain.
My hands tightened on the axe.
Rage bubbled up from somewhere deep inside.
I began walking toward the petrified girls. Slowly. Deliberately. Each step filled with barely contained anger.
I didn't bother looking back at the gladiator. Didn't care if he survived.
I knew he couldn't.
So that's how it is. The crowd wants to treat me like a villain?
Fine.
Then I'll show them the villain I've been hiding.
I stopped a short distance from the two trembling girls.
My voice came out different now. Theatrical. Manic.
"You both have hurt my heart, you know." I placed a hand on my chest dramatically.
Then I turned to the taller one specifically. "And what was it you said earlier? 'Give him as much pain as possible'?"
I clicked my tongue.
"Elena, Elena, Elena..." I shook my head sadly.
"My poor soul was shattered by those words. It hurt me. Truly, it did."
I spread my arms wide. "I thought seeing my beauty, my magnificence that you would have mercy on me. That you might say with love and care: 'Please surrender, handsome stranger.'"
My expression darkened. "But no. You chose violence. Chose to hurt me."
I turned to face the crowd. "Just like these peasants. These spectators."
My voice rose looking at the girls as i wasn't sure crowd could hear me. "You are all FILTH. You are all BLIND. You scream for a winner! You demand entertainment! But when a true victor stands before you when greatness manifests in the flesh you forget how to speak?"
I laughed. Hollow. Bitter.
"You hurt my feelings, Elena. You ALL did."
I lowered my head. "My ego demands a cheer. Applause. Recognition. But all I receive is the quiet respect of fear."
I sighed dramatically. "Disappointing. Truly disappointing. I expected better extras in my story my saga."
I looked up at the sky. Expression broken. Lost.
Then my voice dropped to something cold. Something dangerous.
"Fine."
I lowered my gaze back to the girls. "If they insist on seeing me as a criminal for a crime I never committed... If they demand I play the villain in their little narrative..."
A smile crept across my face. "Then I must show them one."
My grip tightened on the axe.
"Otherwise, I'll feel like I'm serving a sentence for a sin I never got the pleasure of committing."
I launched the axe.
Hurled it with all my strength toward the distant girls.
"WIND SHOT!"
Behind me, I felt the attack coming. Zenos's magic. The wind pressure was immense my clothes whipped violently as the gale passed.
It caught my spinning axe. Accelerated it to impossible speeds.
The weapon became a blur. A missile of sharpened steel riding a current of arcane wind.
The girls saw it coming.
"I SURRENDER!"
"I YIELD! I YIELD!"
Their screams meant nothing to me.
The shorty collapsed to her knees. Tears streaming down her face as she realized the horror approaching. But she knew she wasn't the target. The trajectory was aimed at her partner.
The leggy one didn't move.
Her soul had already departed. Left her body standing there like an empty shell. Just staring at her approaching death.
But then—
Their bodies glowed.
A protective light enveloped them both.
And they vanished.
WHOOOOSH!
The axe didn't stop.
It continued its trajectory. Screaming through empty air where the girls had stood moments before.
Until it reached the edge of the arena.
CRAAAASH!
The blade embedded itself deep into the reinforced wall. The impact shook the entire structure. Sent tremors through the stands.
Fear rippled through the stupid audience.
The girls had been teleported to safety. Saved by the academy staff.
I knew it would happen. They weren't fools who would let participants die in their tournament.
Then a judge's voice echoed across the arena.
"Minus points awarded to participant Eren for violation of combat regulations specifically, attacking opponents after the conclusion of the match."
I was completely unbothered and ignored him.