Sacred Arts

14. With All Her Might

As the fourteenth battle concluded, the next battle quickly began. One after another, warriors either fell off the stage, admitted defeat, or were knocked unconscious. Matches fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen were all either very quick or intense battles. "Finally it's my turn," Jess said excitedly as she prepared herself for her upcoming fight, which would be the nineteenth match. As Jess stepped onto the stage, the crowd couldn't help but stare at her, captivated by her beauty.

Whispers filled the air as many wondered where she had been all this time. Jess observed her opponent making his way onto the stage, causing gasps as everyone recognized him as Fisher Wilbur, who ranked twelfth in the previous year's tournament. Fisher was a tall young man with short black hair and green eyes. He had a bowl cut and a scar on his face. Fisher was known for his arrogance and strength.

"I'll be honest with you, girl," Fisher said in a domineering tone. "I don't want to do this." "Please just admit defeat," he continued. Jess furrowed her brows and stared coldly at Fisher. "In your dreams!" she yelled in rage, releasing her aura.

A beam of light emerged from Fisher's hand, conjuring a sword in front of him. Fisher took a stance with the sword's tip touching the ground, standing tall with his hands resting on the hilt. "Well, if that's the case, come at me foolish little girl!" Fisher yelled. Channeling energy into her fist, Jess unleashed a massive destructive energy blast that hurtled towards Fisher. However, he remained unmoved, seemingly unconcerned by the oncoming blast.

The crowd watched closely as the blast appeared to hit him, but upon closer inspection, it failed to penetrate his defense, which was the aura surrounding him. "Is that all you have for me today?" Fisher mocked, laughing. "I believe it's my turn," he continued. Standing his ground, Fisher unleashed the force of his aura towards Jess, blowing her back. As the force pushed her closer to the edge of the stage, Jess dug her hands deep into the ground, anchoring herself to avoid being launched off.

"Stargazing Flash," Jess yelled, activating her movement technique. She vanished from sight, and for a moment she even lost Fisher's gaze. "What is this?" Fisher wondered aloud. "Oh, you have speed," he chuckled to himself. Suddenly, Fisher turned to face Jess head-on as she reappeared behind him, aiming a punch at his face.

Fisher swiftly evaded to the side and countered with his knee, striking her in the abdomen. Jess coughed up blood and clutched her wounded stomach with both arms. Fisher disappeared and reappeared behind her, sending her flying across the stage with a powerful kick to her back. "If you like speed so much, I'll show you speed," Fisher taunted. Jess crashed onto the stage, landing hard on her stomach.

She had to lie there for a few moments, in order to collect herself from the brutal force of the attack. Eventually, she managed to rise to her feet, wearing a smirk as she stared at Fisher. "Is that all you've got?" she mocked, panting heavily. "Not at all, in fact that's far from it," Fisher responded, irritated but composed. At that moment, Fisher vanished from Jess's sight once more, this time wielding his sword.

Jess struggled to keep up with Fisher using her eyes, let alone react to his movements. She could only catch glimpses of Fisher's afterimages as they circled around her, always one step ahead of her perception. Cuts began to appear on Jess's arm, blood pouring out from the wounds. Another slash marked her leg. One after another, new cuts and slashes were appearing on her body.

The pain made her cry out, dropping to one knee as Fisher's relentless assault continued. "I refuse to be the only one to lose here," Jess cried out, determined, as she endured the brutal attacks. Eventually, she fell onto her hands and knees, with sweat and blood dripping from her body onto the ground beneath her. "I think it's about time for our fun to end," Fisher declared, putting away his sword and charging towards Jess with energy condensing in his fist. Fisher punched out an energy blast that seemed to shake the entire earth.

As the energy blast hurtled towards Jess, her eyes glowed blazing red, and her aura intensified, surprising everyone in the crowd. Every spectator in the crowd felt the weight of Jess's overwhelming power pressing down on them. Many of the onlookers began to shake with fear as the aura Jess emanated made them uneasy. "What is this great power?" Amon wondered to himself as a bead of sweat dripped from the side of his face. Matthew's eyes widened in amazement as he witnessed Jess's newfound strength.

"Where did she get such strength?" he whispered to himself. The aura that Jess emitted was powerful enough to block the blast that Fisher had unleashed upon her moments earlier. Her power continued to surge as she fought her way back to her feet, standing tall once again. "You will not defeat me!" Jess declared. "Is she?" Headmaster Edward said as he began to inquire about Jess's abilities before getting interrupted by Master Jacob.

"We need to end the fight here," Master Jacob stated, swiftly rising to his feet. "Knock the girl out!" Headmaster Edward ordered Master Jacob, adding, "I'll stop the attack." "You grab the boy, just in case," he instructed Master Shawn. "Yessir!" Masters Jacob and Shawn responded in unison. The three masters moved swiftly.

In a climactic moment, Jess gathered all her energy in her palm and unleashed a terrifying blast of energy towards Fisher. The blast was so powerful it destroyed the stage as it made its way towards its target. Sweat dripped from Fisher's forehead as fear consumed him, causing his legs to feel heavy. He knew he had no way of countering or escaping this overwhelming blast. Helpless, Fisher cried out in desperation, "I don't want to die!" and collapsed backward onto the ground.

A deafening boom echoed through the arena, accompanied by clouds of smoke and debris flying in all directions. The worried crowd anxiously awaited the outcome, unsure of Fisher's condition. As the smoke finally cleared, everyone saw Master Jacob carrying Jess over his shoulder, while Master Shawn held Fisher in his arms. In the center of the stage, facing the direction Jess's blast had come from, stood Headmaster Edward. His arm was extended, hand open and bruised from stopping the attack.

The spectators in the crowd seemed relieved that Fisher was okay, but Master Jacob, Master Shawn, and Amon stared at Headmaster Edward with a shocked expression on their faces. Amon couldn't believe what he was witnessing. "The attack Jess unleashed was powerful enough to wound Headmaster Edward," he thought, as chills ran down his spine. Headmaster Edward looked at both masters, ensuring they were okay, as he panted and held his injured arm. The three masters met in the center of the stage to discuss what the next step should be regarding the tournament.

Headmaster Edward turned to address the crowd and the remaining warriors, declaring that the tournament would have to be put on hold. "My deepest apologies to everyone here, but due to a few issues the tournament will have to resume in one week," Headmaster Edward expressed. "Until then I urge all the remaining warriors to rest and not worry about the events that had happened today." As the crowd of spectators and warriors dispersed, Amon and Matthew remained. They sought out Headmaster Edward to speak to him, their minds filled with questions regarding the strange power Jess had displayed.