Assimilate All Talents

"This is it then! Sudden death! Winner takes all!" the orc child who had been refereeing shouted, his voice trembling with excitement. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined he would be the one overseeing such a legendary game of Crashball.

The roar of hundreds of orcs shook the very stone beneath their feet. Bets were doubled, side wagers flew across the crowd, and the air was thick with deafening anticipation.

The players themselves were eager for the final round, none of them willing to settle for a draw. But while Orla was here solely for the thrill of Crashball, and Sol and Thorwyn were enjoying themselves with a competitive spirit, Reena's face carried a different expression.

'This is my last chance. I have to win!'

She would admit she'd had fun, but unlike the others, she had something more pressing in mind. She needed that victory, and the favor Sol had promised. Orla's prize was secondary, a sweet bonus if she could get it, but Sol's favor was what truly mattered.

"Let's finish this," she said, her voice burning with determination.

"Grr-woo! (Yeah, let's!)" Thorwyn barked in agreement, his fur bristling with sparks of anticipation.

On the other side, Sol rolled his shoulders, shaking off the dull ache that lingered from the earlier rounds. With only his body to endure each attack, pain had piled on, but his rapid regeneration mended him quickly enough before the next round began.

"Last round, Savior. No holding back," Orla said with a dangerous smirk.

"I wasn't planning to," Sol replied, lips curling upward as he spun the ball effortlessly on one finger.

The referee flipped the coin into the air. The moment it clattered against the stone, he shouted, "BEGIN!"

...

Thorwyn immediately launched bolts of lightning across the court, forcing Sol and Orla into sharp zigzags as they dodged. His attacks didn't land, but they slowed the pair down just enough for Reena to finish gathering her mana.

"Take this!" she shouted.

The energy in her hands fragmented into countless tiny, compressed spheres. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of shimmering mana projectiles streaked toward Sol and Orla like a storm of arrows.

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"Get behind me!"

Sol tossed the ball to Orla, then sprinted ahead with fists raised. His arms blurred as he punched into the storm.

Each strike tore through the air with piercing force, shattering mana projectiles one after another. The crack of each impact reverberated across the arena as Sol carved a path forward. Orla followed close behind, shielded by his onslaught.

Even with his monstrous body, the projectiles tore shallow cuts across his fists and forearms. The attacks were sharp and forceful, but none could pierce deep enough to reach bone.

With a final punch, the last of the volley exploded into harmless sparks. Sol swerved aside to recover, letting Orla surge forward with the ball at her feet.

She was a step away from kicking it into the ring—

"Grn-rrgh! (Got you!)" Thorwyn snarled, bursting from the side.

He slammed into her with full force, tackling her off course before she could make the shot. Sparks erupted as the two tumbled across the stone, limbs entangling in a brutal grapple that sent them skidding dozens of feet.

This was the core of their strategy they developed over the past ten rounds. Keep Orla locked down. She was too experienced in Crashball to be left to her own devices. If given space, she would use tactics and plays that neither Reena nor Thorwyn knew about and had difficulty countering. The best option was simple, keep her busy so she couldn't make any crazy plays. And Thorwyn was perfect for the job, as he could break away and rejoin the game faster than Orla could.

The two rolled violently to a stop, Orla cursing under her breath as she wrestled with Thorwyn's hulking frame.

"Awoo! (Go, Reena!)" Thorwyn howled as he dug his claws into the stone, locking Orla down.

"On it!" Reena called back.

Reena dashed forward using mana to propel herself forward as she found it was much faster to launch herself with mana than simply running with her low agility.

But she was too late as Sol had long since caught back up and was closer to the ball. He grabbed it and ran charged straight at Reena.

'Oh crap! He's too fast!' Reena's mind screamed, it would be dangerous to collide with him directly. She hesitated for a moment, but then clenched her teeth and shoved the fear aside. 'Screw it! I'm not losing here!'

She didn't back down. Instead, she forced herself to push harder. Mana erupted from her skin, condensing into a barrier around her body until she blazed like a comet. The ground cracked beneath each step as she hurled herself forward like a cannonball.

'Oh crap.'

Sol's mind echoed Reena's previous thoughts as he didn't expect her to actually meet him head on. He had thought his charge would make her dodge out of the way, but instead she was aiming to plow straight through him. He could risk it and meet her head on but he was worried of losing the ball in the clash. Acting fast, he slammed his foot down and vaulted high into the air, the ball still tight in his grip.

Gasps erupted from the crowd as he soared overhead, the hoop clear and perfectly aligned in his sights. All he had to do was throw it and he was confident he wouldn't miss. For a heartbeat, it seemed victory was his.

"Ha! You're exposed!" Reena shouted.

Even as she hurtled forward, she twisted her body and unleashed another mana volley. Dozens of bolts of pure mana erupted upward, a storm of glowing spears that lit the sky. Without a moments hesitation she sent them upwards at Sol.

Not a moment later she crashed into the ground, carving a crater where she stood. But her projectiles were already launched, soaring upward in a deadly rain.

And being stuck midair, Sol had nowhere to go.

"—Tch!" Sol clicked his tongue as he raised his arms, bracing for impact.

The first bolt smashed into him piercing into his arm. It wasn't able to penetrate deeply but before he could even shake it off, he was hit by another and then another. Alone they weren't a big problem but against the sheer volume of the attacks forced him to twist and reel midair, unable to maintain his trajectory.

His [Invincible Physique] kept him intact, his skin turning aside the worst of the blows, but the sheer number of projectiles battered him mercilessly. Each hit forced him to twist, staggering his form in the air, wrecking his trajectory.

The crowd gasped as more projectiles shredded into him, knocking him off balance.

Below, Reena refused to relent. Her teeth ground together, her arms shook violently from the strain of channeling so much mana, but her eyes never wavered.

'Just a little more… just a little more!'

The barrage struck like storm of blades. Sol clenched his jaw, enduring the onslaught, but the final projectile slammed against his side with enough force to spin him violently midair.

The ball slipped from his grasp.

"Now!" Reena shouted