Kojo was knocked to the ground. He rolled away just in time to avoid a water tendril where he was moments ago. Keo appeared behind him and slammed him into the ground. She then tried forcing her fingers into his lower back.
(She's trying to cripple you.)
"Not gonna happen," Kojo yelled, creating an air bubble around him which expanded, knocking Keo away.
"There's no way I'm gonna become a cripple this young," he said, jumping to his feet. Keo spins the bident, and water begins to materialize all over the arena, swirling around her as the amount increases.
She then swung at Kojo, making a large wall of water move toward him. She makes another one at the opposite side, but Kojo freezes them. Ice spikes shoot out from all directions.
"Jeez," Kojo tilted his head, narrowly missing a spike which cut his cheek.
Keo stabbed the ground with her weapon, causing a magic circle to glow under her. A large wave of water burst out in all directions, filling the arena.
Cloud.
Kojo floated above it and made a dozen magic circles around him and began to shoot fire arrows at Keo, who stood on the water. Water bullets shot from magic circles around Keo, canceling out Kojo's fire.
"Looks like the rising star of Opal is in a bit of trouble," Zang said, floating above them.
Kojo's attacks became less potent, while Keo's were increasing in destructive force.
A water bullet hit, destroying the cloud Kojo was on and causing him to fall. Keo made a whirlpool around her and shot upward to meet him.
Poison King + Mist.
Kojo threw a smoke screen at Keo, who dispelled it with a swing of her bident, only to be brought down by a slash from Kojo's claws. She landed on the water and jumped back as Kojo shot into the water. He immediately jumped out.
Quicksilver.
He rushed at her the moment his feet touched the water's surface. The two began exchanging blows, rocking the water with the force of their attacks.
Summoning.
Keo raised her bident and summoned a horde of aquatic beasts to attack Kojo. Kojo ran around, slicing them. A kraken broke the water's surface, its tentacles rising over the top of the arena.
The hooded man looked at a tentacle and let out a low whistle.
Kojo was being slowed down by piranha-like beasts which latched onto him, while the kraken sent him underwater with a strike. Keo watched from the top of its head. Massive fireballs suddenly appeared in front of the kraken and broke into smaller fire blasts shooting at the kraken. Kojo shot out of the water, running up one of its tentacles to get to Keo. It made a swing at him, but he cut that tentacle apart with a wind blade.
"This is going nowhere," he said, jumping into the air to avoid another swing. A cloud appeared, facing the kraken, and he stood on it.
Quicksilver x 10.
He shot himself like a bullet, going through the beast and coming out the other side. He used the arena wall as a pad to launch himself at the head of the sinking beast, knocking Keo off and plummeting into the water.
The two continued to exchange blows even as they were underwater. Explosions of fire, lightning bolts, and stray shards of ice spears and earth spikes caused the water to rock uncontrollably as if caused by a strong storm.
"That kid's gonna pull through somehow," Duke Philip said.
"You can do this," Lin said.
"He has to get through this," Koniko said in a worried voice.
The water began to evaporate.
"I see. Keo is a water mage, so he's doing away with the water to reduce her advantage," Leo said.
"True, but look," Yuki pointed out.
Magic circles appeared, replenishing the lost water.
"That strategy is going to slow him down at this rate," she said.
Kojo increased his attack speed to force Keo into defense mode, knocking them out of the water. Keo dropped her bident. Kojo then went in for the kill. Keo smiled.
Kojo realized too late that it was a trap, and Keo stabbed him with an ice spear. Spears shot out from all directions, impaling him. She then called forth a massive bolt of lightning that knocked him into the ground and parted the waves around him. She landed on the water and began to spin her bident. She then stabbed it into the water which immediately froze.
"Partial Manifestation: Frozen World," Keo said as the arena morphed into a landscape like a frozen tundra.
"Reflection: Blue Moon Lily On The Frozen Lake."
The ice under her took the shape of a lily, with ice spikes extending all around. Smaller ice protrusions formed, shooting out in all directions from the bigger spikes.
"What is this?" The duke yelled.
"Oh? You don't know?" Vicentia said.
"That's one of Keo's trump cards. She is able to manifest her inner world into the physical realm, having complete control. The Blue Moon Lily: Reflection causes whatever that happens on the surface to be repeated under the ice. However, this is a tournament, so I told her to only use it when she's being backed into a corner and not go all out, lest it breaks the opposition's spirit and makes the fight boring. As we speak, those spikes are shooting out of the ice sheet she's standing on, and it's only going to stop..."
The rising ice spikes stopped.
"...when the spikes have touched the arena floor."
"No," Sharone cried.
Keo walked on the ice, moving toward the exit.
"Your contender is as good as dead. He put on a splendid show, but his legend ends here."
"I think you've spoken a bit too soon," Yuki said.
The ice around Keo cracked then overturned, causing her to go under and Kojo to come up. He rose on a cloud and suspended a few feet.
(I don't have enough information on the type of magic she's used, but she's managed to manifest her own domain completely separate from the rest of reality. Or at least partially. I've however been able to analyze this spell. Whatever is done on the surface gets reflected underwater.
....
Why are you smiling?)
"I saw her panties," Kojo said dreamily, remembering the smooth white linen under her skirt, drool dripping down his mouth.
(Is that seriously what you're thinking about?)
Kojo shook his head.
"Right, this is a battle."
(Pervert.)
Sysia sighed.
Magic circles appeared all over the water's surface, cracking with electricity. The sky clouded up, and the place darkened.
"Mjolnir."
Lightning struck the magical circles, illuminating the arena with a yellow glow.
Something suddenly broke through the ice. The spell stopped. Kojo fell. Keo pushed the bident deeper into his shoulder.
All Kojo could hear was a ringing in his ears.
That's when he began to freak out. Keo used the bident to throw him to the ground and struck him with the lightning she had absorbed into the bident. She landed and began attacking Kojo systematically, cutting and stabbing his points before knocking him away, appearing there and stabbing him into the ground.
Kojo saw the girls shouting, the duke yelling at Vicentia, who only smiled.
"Oi," Keo said, stabbing him again and lifting him up.
"Who said you could wound me?" She demanded. Blood dropped to the ground.
Kojo saw she had a large wound on her left side.
"You actually thought you could beat me?" She said, her face still betraying no emotion.
"You, a worthless nobody and a man at that."
Lightning converged on Kojo, lighting him up.
(Kojo, let me—)
"No, Sysia," he thought, trying to pull the bident out of his shoulder.
(But—)
"No."
He stretched out his hand, dispelling the lightning. Ice spikes materialized and stabbed him in the back.
She pulled the bident out of his arm. She then hardened her fist with arcana and punched him into the wall, shaking the arena.
There was silence.
"Out of respect for your skill and your feat of wounding me, I won't attack further." She turned.
"Just stay there. If you're lucky, the healers can save you." She looked over her shoulder at his wounded form.
"Pitiful," she said as she walked away.
"Hey," Kojo said.
Keo looked over her shoulder, her eyes widened in shock, and she turned around to see Kojo standing up, his mangled arm healing up.
All wounds closed, and he used it to wipe blood off his mouth.
"I honestly don't give a fuck what you think. I'm in this to win. Plus, I didn't say you could walk away from me."
He extended his claws and made his fighting stance.
The crowd cheered.
The girls sighed in relief, and the duke sat back down heavily.
"Tch." Keo rushed at Kojo and swung, but Kojo blocked it, creating a shockwave.
"I must say, you have good taste in underwear. I never thought I'd see someone wear white panties to a bloodbath."
Keo's face turned red.
"Why you—" She jumped back and charged at Kojo.
The hooded man watched the exchange.
"Hmm, you've managed to survive this long. I must say, you're a tough one. But by now, your Arcana is depleted, and fighting an opponent who's stronger than you while being wounded is taking a toll. I'm sure your standing right now is an act of will," he said, watching as Kojo began struggling again.
"Oh, Kojo, whatever will you do? If things continue this way, then you'll bite the dust," he smiled sinisterly.
(Kojo, you've run out of magic.)
"Dammit," Kojo barely dodged a swing from Keo, which knocked him back. He crossed his arms in front of him to block another attack but was stabbed in the side.
He dropped to one knee.
"Give up. The wounds you had before have barely healed. Getting wounded any further will make your demise inevitable," Keo said.
"Aww, aren't you a sweetheart, caring for your enemy?" Kojo said with a smile.
"Suit yourself." Keo made a jab, but he rolled under her and turned, only to be forced back by a barrage of attacks.
He tried fighting back but left more openings, which Keo took advantage of to stab him.
"Is this going to be my end?" he wondered.
(Stop thinking that way.)
"There's a lot I wish I could have done. I haven't even broken my virginity yet."
(You would if you weren't such a wimp.)
"And this stupid voice in my head won't let me reminisce in peace."
(That's because you're not going to die.)
Kojo bent back to avoid a jab, then tried to take advantage of Keo's blind spot.
Keo spun the bident and jabbed it at Kojo.
At that moment, his mind went blank.
Runes appeared in his mind.
"(Caliburn)."