Chapter 52: Rival

"I'm gonna be honest, I didn't think you could've won this match up but I was pleasantly surprised," Esofy says.

Although Esofy is set to fight in another coliseum her fight isn't for a while so she watched mine. My next fight shouldn't be for another hour so I can see my family. In fact, they are coming to me.

"That was amazing!" Yafe says, with bright-eyed adoration.

"Yeah! How you made more of yourself and tricked the other person. Where were you? Was she even close to getting you?" Yafel beames a bright smile.

I pat them on the head. "Not even close," I say with a grin.

"You're growing up too fast, Aly," Dad says with a proud smile.

"Can't call you 'Little Aly' anymore can we?" Mom says mimicking Dad's expression.

Mom and Dad gives me a big hug. I chat with my family, explaining that I planned my strategy before the fight, while I made my way to the Kheshamo hall to see who I'd be fighting next.

I keep a split perception on the fights going on to see how my potential opponents fight and to see if I can learn anything from the fights. Esofy and Chyzu follow several paces behind my family.

"Who's next?" I ask, still not being able to see the illusory texts, It was annoying not being able to see what's shown.

"Areil, She's a lightning warrior, if you thought Uzu was a counter then she's worse for you, has a speed-related class," Esofy says. "If I didn't know any better I'd say someone rigged the tournaments to try and get you out early, looking at this"

"What makes you think that?" Chyzu asks.

"Aly may be up against Jowaru in her third fight. She is a juggernaut with a metal Bond and steel class, she's quite powerful with a major tier class, she's weak against lightning but that's the only time I've seen her lose" Esofy answers.

She actually seems easy, the musclehead type that I can just blind and pretty much win by default, if not then I can always use lightning magic, I am a general caster too, but the backlash will shock me too so I'd rather not do that.

My biggest problem is speedsters, Areil, she will be a problem if I can't hide from her with invisibility and blinding her.

"I know what you are thinking, Aly, but most warriors in the three hundred score have [Battle Sense] or [Battlefield Awearness], they'll get a sense of your general direction or at least have a feeling from where they'd get hit from," Esofy warns.

So I need to come up with good strategies to counter them, how can I defeat a speedster if they can get to me in the blink of an eye? For starters I can prepare by having my core produce speed essence, I'd need all the speed I can get. This fight will be quick, blind right off the bat, turn invisible, use [Echos of Reality] to create images and sound to hide or at least distract. Use Slow essence around her to slow her down too, probably will want to do that at the same time I blind her. Keep running in circles and summoning fairies, Perhaps I can summon fairies through my clone? I wonder how that will work? If I can I'll be much safer.

I could also try covering myself in a barrier of some sort. Areil will probably go for my neck so making some sort of barrier around my neck will throw her off, what sort of barrier will work though? It needs to be strong enough and not obvious. Water. If I use the spell to disperse the force throughout the water then it will at least slow down the attack. There's enough water vapor in the air to form a barrier so this should work.

With my plan set, I nod to myself.

"Let me try something," I say and lead the group out of the hall.

I summon my clone, watching the link. Every time I've used the link I always send mana or a spell to the familiar or clone, never through them. I imagine the link as just another limb to push the mana out and cast [Fairy Strike] The mana rushes down the link and building up in the clone before leaving and manifesting next to the clone!

This is going to be extra useful.

"You use a spell through your clone?" Chyzu asks her tail twitches awkwardly.

"Yes," I nod "Should be able to do the same with my familiar too."

"It's going to be tricky to know which one is the real you if they don't have some sort of mana sensing ability," Esofy says.

"Maybe one day you can make it more solid too, then you'll be able to be in two places at once!" Mom says with a grin.

"We already have one pair of twins, we don't need another" Dad sighs.

"Another Alysara will be so cool!" "Alysara can be just like us!" Yafel and Yafe say excitedly.

Actually, yeah, this will be very useful. I can simply have my clone make the mana batteries and I can sleep normally. In fact, I can simply have my assistant move things if I need and work on the spell crystals while I train at the dojo. It may even help evolve my [Create Clone].

I wonder if I can give my second mind a personality? Would I even want to? Would it be reversible? Would taking away the personality even be ethical? I don't exactly need to do it. Having a second mind does helps process information and helps to multitask.

We made our way back to the coliseum and I wait for my next battle.

The earth brawler that won last round is up against a tall person, despite looking to be about fourteen. Her styles of clothes are on the less decorative side, practically plain in comparison to the detail the other women had. She wore pants with a codpiece, proudly showing off her large hermaphrodidity. It's something I would be embarrassed to see if it weren't for Sense Mana giving me sight of it regardless of how covered it is.

The hermaphrodite has a strange dark type essence Bond that I do not recognize, her class is also of the same essence. She wields a supermassive hammer of dark steel-encased gold, the thing had to be crazy heavy! The hammer is the warrior's most decorated possession, depicting stylized imagery of mountains. The hammer looks more like a fantasy weapon with its huge size that reminded me that I was, in fact, in a fantasy realm and that such impractical weapons may not be so impractical here after all.

* * * * * * * * *

"And we have another young fighter, welcome Uloru!"

This was it. After years of hard work, this is Uloru's chance. She hadn't won her chance for the village representative but she did just barely make it into the top-ranked tournament.

Uloru waits for the Brawler to be introduced, warming up and entering a stance. Uloru wanted to be the youngest in the three hundred rankings, she should have been but that illusionist girl beat her to it. At the age of ten, that girl is the youngest in history to be in the three hundred rankings.

Uloru gritted her teeth in frustration. I work so hard to get here and some talented brat thinks she can take this away?!

Uloru looks at her spectating village, all of them are standing and cheering. Their village may not be the biggest, only having ninety-two members and they may live on a small island a stone's throw away from the mountainous ring that encircles the nexus but Uloru promised to make the rest of the islands recognize their strength.

They may only have two Kheshamos, a master and student but they are the highest level, a thirty-nine year old with a rank of three hundred and eighty-eight and Uloru with three hundred exactly, both her bond and class being level one fifty at the age of thirteen.

Uloru readies her hammer and waits for the signal.

"Start!" with the ringing of a gong, the fight ensues.

Uloru's gravity magic surges through her and her hammer, both being near weightless. The brawler rush towards Uloru, already covered in protective earth. Uloru swung her hammer, quickly accelerating the mass with her strength. The large hammer smashes into the Brawler sending the woman flying across the sands. Uloru didn't let up, jumping up and with a twirl and returning her weight back to normal she brought the hammer down onto the other warrior.

Stone shatters and the sands below gave up against blow, the Brawler's feet sinking into the sand below. The other women grunts at the powerful strike, and that wasn't even Uloru increasing the gravity on herself and hammer.

Using her chance Uloru batters down the earth Brawler, increasing the weapon's weight on strike and reducing it when she drew it back.

Pieces of stone flew in all directions that quickly evaporated as the spell could keep it stable anymore. The other warrior is completely on the defensive, stuck in the sand, and in a bad stance form. With her long handle, Uloru is beyond the attacking range of the woman. Wanting to end this quickly Uloru activates her [Inner Strength], feeling a surge of power she brings the hammer down and hears bone cracking. The Brawler screams in pain.

"I yield!" knowing she can't fight any further the earth brawler surrenders.

"Uloru is the Winner!"

Uloru breathes a sigh of relief. Her first battle won.

Joining her village in the stands Uloru watched the other fights, trying to get an idea of her future opponents.

"You did well, Uloru! You're going to win this one!" Uloru's Mother encouraged.

Uloru hoped that the metal mage with the storm of small blades will lose, she doesn't even know where to begin to defeat something like that.

The metal mage surrounds herself with tiny blades again and uses several shields to block water attacks from the non-caster water mage. The water mage dodges the blades shot at her with fluid motions but the metal easily lures her opponent into a trap. Several blades dug into the ground suddenly shoots up and cut into the water mage's legs, ending her ability to dodge. She gave up right then, realizing her chances of winning falling to zero.

Please lose before I fight you! Uloru hopes. Uloru had looked at the ranking and saw the metal mage has a score of three seventy-six, close to her master's score.

"Next up we have the youngest Kheshamo fighter in the three hundred rankings, Alysara! Versus the speed warrior Areil!"

"This is going to be a fast fight, Areil hard counters almost all mages and a lot of warriors too" Kadona, Uloru's Master says, returning from her scheduled fight.

"Maybe that talented brat will have to try hard at something in her life for once"

Kadona smacks Uloru upside the head. "Her score is higher than yours, she's had her fair share of hardships too. Control your jealousy"

Uloru held her head, feeling a bruise form.

"That girl fought and won a battle against a level three hundred monster, supposedly grand tier. She invented flying ships and a new thing called spell crystals. She's responsible for teaching those new storm wardens too. I don't know how much is exaggerated or even fabricated but where one Domr rests you can be sure several more are hiding nearby." Kadona finishes with a metaphor.

"How can a ten-year-old girl even do all of that?" Uloru says as she watches the speed warrior dash toward the Two Tailed mages. The blade stops, blocked by something Uloru couldn't see. A dark bubble forms around the warrior's head and the girl with golden tipped hair vanishes, only for two to appear running in opposite directions, they both started launching magic in the shape of unknown winged creatures. The warrior screams in pain as they hit. The warrior tries deflecting the attacks but coming from different directions made it an impossible task.

"Areil hard counter's most mages indeed, but her attacks are predictable and thus countable. Be wary of that one Uloru, she seems adept at countering warriors by taking away their sight." Kadona warns "Have you trained your [Life Sense] as you've been instructed?"

Uloru hadn't, favoring her other skills instead.

"Alysara wins!"

The crowd cheers loudly and fervently. First, she won a fight against a mage that was supposed to counter her, and now a speed warrior that wins against most mages, an underdog in both rounds and thought to be disadvantaged in the fight.

"That is why you need to work on your perceptive skills, Uloru. It's rare but you will encounter fighters that cast debilitating spells on you, especially in the three hundred rankings and the village representatives."

Uloru nods. "What do you think my chances are against her and against that metal mage?" Uloru asks.

"Not high, but not zero. You can throw off the metal with your gravity and give yourself an opening. You'll have to take hits and charge headfirst into the blades but once you're in, attack and don't stop. Irela is hoping that you will be discouraged from doing that and stay away which is exactly what she wants you to do." Kadona gives her advice for the metal mage.

"For the Two Tailed Illusionist, you'll have to rely one hundred percent on your [Life Sense], you might as well just close your eyes against her. You won't be able to trust your sight, but as long as she is living you will be able to know where she really is. She relies on misdirection and hiding, her defense is not being in a position to be hit so the strategy is much the same as with Irela's metal, full attack, don't worry about getting hit."

Uloru watches the rest of the fights in silence, but what she is really doing is doing some last-minute training in her [Life Sense]. With only three breakthroughs it's pathetically low level than what it should be.

Soon enough it was her turn to fight again and Uloru walks to the staging area to get ready.