Chapter 185: Defeat
Davi began charging his <supernova> then, he hurled Drako away.
"Alright, I’ll give you one more chance. Use your strongest move, I’ll show you that my fire can overcome even your ultimate ability."
"And why should I believe you?" Drako said, struggling to stay on his feet, though somehow his tone was still arrogant.
"Do you even have a choice? If you prefer, you can just give up," Davi smirked, belittling his opponent. "Or are you perhaps too afraid to fight?"
"Don’t you dare speak to me like that!" Drako roared back, trying to maintain his pride even as he staggered, his body battered from the beating.
Finally giving in to Davi’s provocation, he decided to activate the most powerful ability he had, using all of his remaining mana. A wild gleam shone in his eyes, fury and desperation mixing into a final burst of determination.
He slowly raised his hands, and the flames that once danced chaotically around him began to obey, tamed by sheer force of will. The fire stopped spreading through the air and instead converged into a single point between his palms, spinning and compressing with suffocating intensity.
The sphere that formed was no ordinary flame; its surface rippled like molten magma, each rotation releasing sharp cracks like bones snapping.
As the energy built up, the bright orange gave way to darker tones, blending into blood-red streaks and charred black edges. The sphere pulsed like a furious heart, throbbing with unstable power.
The air in the arena grew unbearably hot, and the ground itself seemed to melt under the sheer intensity of Drako’s summoning.
"You’ll regret underestimating me!" Drako roared, his voice distorted by strain. "This is my true strength!"
"Really, that’s it?" Davi mocked. "Besides, don’t you think this attack is a bit too slow? I’m practically falling asleep here."
"Shut up!"
The sphere of fire swelled, becoming a miniature sun, radiating heat so intense it would make anyone back away. With a guttural scream, Drako hurled the incandescent mass toward Davi, who remained still, a calm smile on his lips.
The Hellfire surged forward like a blazing meteor, consuming the very air in its path, ready to incinerate everything.
But Davi did not move. He simply raised his sword, and the energy he had been gathering condensed into a sphere before erupting as he unleashed his <Supernova>.
An enormous orb of fire burst forth, brighter than the sun itself, devouring everything in its path. When Drako’s Hellfire neared, Davi’s Supernova expanded. There was no violent clash, no deafening explosion.
For a moment, the flames seemed to dance together, until Drako’s infernal fire was completely consumed by Davi’s power, which continued to surge forward toward him.
Drako desperately tried to summon even more power, but his mana was nearly depleted. All he could do was defend himself, desperately trying not to die.
Drako dug his heels into the ground, his body trembling as he erected a makeshift flaming barrier. The veins on his neck bulged, the sweat evaporated before it could even drip, and every second of resistance seemed to shave years off his life.
But it was futile.
The barrier gave way. He screamed in pain as, for the first time in his life, a fiery attack severely injured him.
A dull impact, followed by a crushing wave of heat, swept across the field. The ground split beneath him, and his body was thrown backward like a ragdoll, landing heavily at the edge of the arena—mere inches from being eliminated.
When the light finally dissipated, Drako was sprawled on the ground, his chest rising and falling irregularly. His eyes, once filled with fury, now stared into the void with icy fear. His hand trembled, not from exertion, but from the realization that nothing he had done had even scratched his opponent.
Davi walked slowly toward him, his shadow falling over the defeated body. Drako tried to lift the sword lying beside him, but his arm wouldn’t respond. His breathing was weak, barely a whisper, and a tight knot formed in his throat.
"I... give up..." he murmured, his voice choking, unable to cling to any remnant of pride.
Davi merely looked down at him, still wearing that calm smile, before turning and walking out of the arena, leaving behind the man who, just minutes earlier, had believed himself invincible.
He had already surrendered, so Davi could no longer attack him. Besides, it was a good thing the fight ended at that point because Davi had used almost all his energy in that final blow. He had risked a bit too much just to teach that arrogant redhead a lesson, but he didn’t regret it one bit.
"The winner is Davi..." Just as the referee announced the victory, the silence in the stands finally broke. Stunned by what they had just witnessed, many began murmuring among themselves. Some booed Davi, while many others celebrated his victory.
But he had undeniably proven through that fight that he was strong—very, very strong. Some were already beginning to wonder if he was the favorite to win the tournament. If he actually won, it would be the first time in many years that a first-year student had taken the title.
Naturally, just as he appeared in the stands, some opportunists even tried to approach him. Now that he had shown himself to be so strong, many wanted his friendship, but he wasn’t interested. He already had his girlfriends and his group of friends; he barely had time for more relationships.
So he walked directly to Lina, who was staring at him with a mixture of many feelings: love, admiration, happiness...
"Sorry," but surprisingly, this was the first thing Davi said. "I wanted to defeat him using one of your abilities, but he ended up losing so early that I didn’t get the chance." He scratched his head, feeling embarrassed.
It was frustrating not to have had the chance to use ice against that guy.
Lina laughed lightly. "Okay, okay, stop worrying about stupid things." Then her face turned red as she thought of the next words she was going to say.
As always, the girl wore loose clothes that completely hid her body, but this time she at least adjusted her posture and puffed out her chest, which was enough to make them stand out through the clothes.
"Don’t you want to get your reward?" she finally said in an extremely shy tone.