Part XX Crimson Shield

Lazuro opened his eyes and realized Selene had lunged at him. Not wanting to leave the arena, Lazuro jumped in a circle, using Selene's shield as a foothold. Upon landing, Lazuro no longer felt the heat wave. He immediately stepped forward to distance himself from Selene.

"What the hell is that?" Lazuro gulped at the appearance of Selene's shield.

"Crimson Turtle, a rare beast that possesses two elements."

Everyone was whispering, having just learned about the Crimson Turtle. Even the third-years had never been taught about this type of beast.

"Of course you're confused. My father explored beyond Gatewood and found this beast for me. Now you will all see the power of the Greattower family." Selene pointed her shield at Lazuro. "Crimson ball."

Selene stomped her shield on the ground and created a roughly spherical, imperfect sphere. The sphere glowed fiercely as the energy from Selene's shield entered it. It transformed into a ball of lava and flew swiftly toward Lazuro. Lazuro dodged by jumping to the side, causing the ball to collide with the protective energy surrounding the arena.

"I'll definitely die if I get hit by that," Lazuro said after seeing the smoke from the arena barrier.

"Right, in this tournament there's no rule against killing your opponent. So I suggest you surrender." Selene offered.

"Give up, okay?" Lazuro sighed. "I've given up and lost so many times, so I'll give it a try now."

"Okay, if that's what you want! Shield Charge!"

Selene lunged at Lazuro with her shield. Lazuro jumped to the side to avoid it, but Selene didn't stop pursuing. This time, she was more aggressive with her shield. In the chase, Lazuro once again felt a wave of heat creep up on him. The wave obscured Lazuro's vision, so he didn't realize she was already close to him.

"Not good!"

A powerful slash struck Lazuro's body, sending him tumbling and bleeding profusely. Selene stood over Lazuro, pointing the tip of her sword at his head.

“Surrender!” forced Selene.

Lazuro felt excruciating pain in the front of his body. His hands trembled, and his vision began to blur. His body seemed to be telling him to surrender. However, his mind was telling him otherwise.

"That beast is so strong. If this is all I have to do, I want to go home. I really want to go home and see them."

Lazuro gripped his leaf sword and swung it swiftly at Selene's stomach. Selene didn't hesitate, blocking Lazuro's sword. Selene's distracted state forced Lazuro to kick her in the back, sending her tumbling forward. Lazuro also grabbed Selene's leg and pushed her down, using the opportunity to escape.

"This bastard!"

Lazuro stood with his sword pointed at Selene. Once again, a wave of heat erupted from Selene's shield. The wave was excruciating as the heat pierced Lazuro's wound. Lazuro nearly dropped his sword, unable to bear the pain. Seeing Lazuro's helpless state, Selene fired a lava ball at him.

"Go away, you useless loser; you're not my son. How could I possibly like Lazuro? He's a disgusting, skinny kid."

Negative words from people he thought were close to him in Japan flooded Lazuro's mind. Anger and resentment filled Lazuro's heart and gave him incredible strength. This power was demonstrated in a sword swing that sent Selene's lava ball flying.

"How…"

Not just Selene, everyone began to wonder.

"I'm a loser and useless. But is that a reason to kill me? Then me too. Kill!"

Lazuro zigzagged toward Selene, drawing his sword back. Taking a breath, Lazuro stabbed his sword blade into Selene's shield. A single breath accompanied by a stab from Lazuro sent Selene flying. The girl was surprised by the incredible energy that had pushed her away. Using her shield, Selene tried to balance herself.

"That technique!" Fiore stood up from her chair, seeing Lazuro imitate her technique.

Lazuro ignored the commotion and focused solely on Selene. Using the same movement, he stabbed through Selene's shield. This time, Selene anticipated the attack.

Lazuro knelt down to steady himself. Selene's pose worked, as the moment she thrust, Lazuro's sword was slightly pushed back. However, Lazuro didn't stop. Lazuro continued his relentless attacks, eventually managing to injure Selene's back. Annoyed by Lazuro's random attacks, Selene stood up. She raised her shield.

"Lava area!"

A magic circle appeared as Selen thrust her shield. The entire ground area turned to lava, except for Selene's foothold. Lazur stopped moving and groaned from the heat.

"Stop this, are you crazy?" Fiore became impatient and stood up from her seat.

"Fiore, don't interrupt the match," Djuana said.

"But she…"

Djuana glared at Fiore, causing him to return to his seat. Lazuro, meanwhile, remained standing, groaning.

"No… I don't want to lose. I don't want to lose!"

Lazuro leaped toward Selene and delivered a powerful kick to her shield. Selene's body was dragged until her feet hit the lava ground. This caused Selene to groan and loosen her grip on her shield. Seeing this, Lazuro, who had spun around and landed on the ground, swung his sword, successfully delivering a counter-slash. Selene fell to the ground and quickly used her shield as a cushion to avoid being hit by the lava. Lazuro stood, pointing the tip of his sword at Selene.

"Give up!"

Selene looked angry and frustrated. However, she could do nothing as her shield had become a cushion while Lazuro stepped on her sword-wielding hand. Everyone gasped, amazed that Lazuro, of unknown origin, had managed to corner Selene, a noble. However, at that moment, Lazuro created an anticlimactic scene by falling on top of Selene. Selene pushed Lazuro's body away and rose from the arena. Djuana finally declared Selene the winner of this match.

***

Lazuro woke up and found Fiore beside him.

"You finally woke up." Fiore held Lazuro's face. "You're okay, right? Your Mysticbreaker's healing power is truly amazing. Even though you were badly injured and burned yesterday, the scars are now gone."

"What happened?" Lazuro asked.

"Don't you remember fighting recklessly? You even copied all my moves against that mutated person. You're truly insane." Fiore prodded Lazuro's forehead with her index finger.

"So that's how it is. I'm sorry if I copied your moves. It's just that I don't have magical abilities or special techniques like you guys." Lazuro bowed.

"Never mind, let's not make a big deal out of it. Then how about you eat?"

Fiore brought him a box filled with sandwiches. Lazuro wolfed them down until he choked. Seeing this, Fiore quickly handed him a glass of milk to soothe his throat.

"By the way, how was the match? How many days was I unconscious?" Lazuro asked.

"You were unconscious for three days. Unfortunately, you're at the bottom of the rankings. Tomorrow is the final match. There's a kid from your class named Tristan who will be facing Aicelia."

"Tristan and Aicelia, that was truly amazing."