The Villain's Sword Is Sharp

Well, he went to return to the stands, but stopped when he heard the official sitting at the announcer's table,

"Today's battles are finished. The group stage fights will continue tomorrow, so please arrive on-time."

Isaac glanced up into the sky where a sea of white words shimmered. They were the group stage tables.

He saw that Johan was joint 3rd in his group, Eva and Erik were tied at the top of group F, and he and Hayden led group H on 4 points each. He scribbled down all the tables in his notepad, then headed home.

*************************

The next day, Isaac was back at the Ring of Life and Death.

The first round of fights passed quite easily for him: his opponent was weaker than both Élea and Daniel, so he dispatched them quite easily.

However, he continued to only show the tip of the iceberg. He diluted his Qi until it was at the level of middle stage, and he didn't use the Nihility Intent Anima. He even fought with a very 'classical' sword style, not using his left hand to strike at the opponent.

Other notable things included Johan's second victory, and Daniel Falkanger not even turning up, meaning he lost by default. However, the fight between Eva and Erik was easily the morning's most significant event.

Isaac replayed the scenes in his head...

Eva and Erik faced each other in the ring. The moment the referee gave the signal to begin, she used her movement Anima to bolt forwards and seize the initiative. She rushed at Erik as the whole crowd chanted her name, and her palms glowed an aggressive blue.

Meanwhile, a pair of violet metal gauntlets enveloped Erik's hands and a smirk covered his face. He also clashed head on with Eva and the 2 engaged in a savage close-ranged brawl.

Hand-to-hand fights such as this were usually decided within a few moves, so most people expected Eva to win once she attacked first and seized an advantage. She launched a flurry of attacks mixed with feints, threatening to eliminate Erik immediately. In fact, the referee was on the verge of stepping in and saving him.

Just two strikes. Two precise, heavy-handed blows. That was all it took Erik to demolish Eva's interweaving web of deadly attacks.

The first attack was aimed at her wrist as she tried to strike him. He'd perfectly read her attack, and his gauntlet smashed into her wrist, causing her hand to crunch backwards at an unnatural angle. While Eva was trapped in a moment of pain and shock, Erik's second strike arrived swiftly.

A great overarm punch connected with the side of Eva's head, sending her flying back.

At the side of the ring, a bead of cold sweat ran down the referee's temple. If he was just a moment late, Eva's skull would've been crushed and it would've been his responsibility. Thankfully, he'd reacted in time to Erik's lightning-quick counterattack...

Isaac opened his eyes, ceasing to recall the fight. Eva had gone to get treated after that, but what was truly important was Erik's shocking display of might. Isaac knew Eva was not an easy opponent from their spars, but Erik had seen through her moves like they were glass, then shattered them with a single punch.

One punch to break the wrist, a second to defeat his opponent. It was cold, ruthless and effective: 3 qualities which made a great fighter.

Isaac gazed downwards at the open notepad in his hands. He poured over the tournament tree drawn there and plotted his optimal course...

However, his thoughts were interrupted by the official announcing,

"Group A will now fight again. Please come down to the stage."

Another round of fights began and Johan drew this time. He was now on 5 points after 4 fights, putting him second in his group. However, he shared that position with the person he'd just drawn against.

Later, in group F, Erik steamrolled his opponent. Eva had also returned and won despite her broken wrist. However, it was a rather pyrrhic victory as it was a fierce fight and she picked up more injuries. At least she had 6 points now, putting her behind Erik's 8 and ahead of 3rd place's 4.

Soon it was group H's turn again.

"Group H, please come down to the stage. Isaac Dahl will fight Hayden Stromberg in ring 1..."

Isaac walked directly towards ring 1 after hearing his name get called. He and Hayden's paths converged before they reached the ring, and Hayden whispered a few choice words into Isaac's ear,

"I still remember you, so don't think you'll get off lightly. I'll break your face so badly even your mother wouldn't be able to recognise you – though I doubt vermin can recognise their offspring anyway. At least, not if they've never met before."

Hayden snickered, but Isaac's expression remained a picture of tranquillity. It was as still as a lake on a breezeless afternoon.

After failing to get a reaction, Hayden didn't hurl more insults. He dropped the mockery and spoke in a vicious tone instead,

"Fine. Let's settle this in the ring, then. In a minute's time, you'll be getting carried away in a stretcher."

People usually talked big to hide their own nerves or insecurities. Isaac could tell Hayden was quite tense as they separated and walked to opposite sides of the ring.

However... he wouldn't mind Hayden laughing a little longer so long as he didn't laugh last. After all, sometimes one had to lose battles to win the war.

Isaac didn't have any more time for thoughts, though.

"On your marks. Begin!"

Isaac walked forwards slowly, while Hayden sprinted into the centre of the ring. He wanted to take control of the fight, while Isaac planned to defend and counter like he had done against Daniel Falkanger.

However, Hayden had watched most of that fight. He knew not to be careless when attacking Isaac, so he continued to approach Isaac slowly.

Isaac had to run to his right to avoid being trapped in a small part of the ring, but Hayden responded quickly. He also moved around the ring, keeping Isaac trapped. Eventually, Isaac stopped running. Since he was on the outside of the ring, he had to run further than Hayden to achieve the same result. Continuing like this would simply wear him out.

He couldn't keep running around the ring, but he also wouldn't wait until Hayden trapped him. He sprinted forwards to engage with his opponent.

A translucent orange sword appeared in Isaac's left hand, while a shield of ice suddenly formed in the air in front of Hayden. He was also tightly gripping a cylinder of ice in his right hand. Both sides of the cylinder extended rapidly. In just a few moments, the cylinder had extended into a long rod of ice which Hayden held with both hands. One end of the ice rod was shaped into a deadly sharp tip. Hayden angled this tip towards Isaac.

Isaac immediately recognised it as the Permafrost Pike Anima. It was sharp, had good range for a melee Anima, and possessed a slight freezing effect for whatever it hit. This effect was nowhere near as strong as Eva's freezing palms, but it was dangerous nonetheless.

The Permafrost Pike's key disadvantage was the weakness of its body. The icy rod itself was not too strong, and Isaac might be able to cut it with some clever swordsmanship.

He tried to do exactly that. The pair clashed, and Hayden used the superior range of his pike to keep Isaac at bay. He slashed and jabbed, trying to wound Isaac. However, Isaac was too mobile. He repeatedly evaded Hayden's attacks, slashing at the body of the spear whenever he had an opening.

Unfortunately, none of these attacks worked. Hayden was using quite an unusual tactic: his ice shield floated around the spear, protecting it from Isaac's attacks. Whenever he targeted the spear's body, the shield would fly in from nowhere and block the attack with a *Clang*.

Isaac's attacks would slice great splinters of ice out of the shield. However, the shield would recover after a moment or two. Hayden just had to feed the Ice Shield Anima some Qi and it would mend itself.

The two were stuck in an impasse: Hayden couldn't strike the agile Isaac, but Isaac couldn't destroy Hayden's pike. He also couldn't get close and injure Hayden directly, since the pike would stop him whenever he tried to.

However, Isaac began to notice some slight flaws in Hayden's spearmanship. Whenever he slashed, Hayden's movements would be slightly too exaggerated and leave a gap.

Just as the fight began to settle into a slow-paced deadlock, Isaac took a risk.

He dodged a swipe from Hayden, then dashed forwards. The pike changed directions and swiped towards his side, but Isaac used his sword hilt to hit the pike's body. He knocked it downwards, pushing it down into the earth.

Then he raised the sword and grabbed it with both hands, pushing it towards Hayden's head.

He realised something was off at the last moment. Hayden's expression was confident instead of panicked, and Isaac caught movement in the corner of his eye. He immediately twisted his blade, using it to protect the side of his head.

*CRASH*

A shield of ice hurtled into Isaac's head. He just about manged to block it, but the impact sent him flying and the sound of the collision made his ears ring.

He quickly tried to get his bearings, and saw a pike piercing towards him. He rolled to the side, and the pike stabbed the earth beside his head. He kicked the pike's body, trying to get it out of the user's hands. However, his kick wasn't strong enough.

Hayden kept his grip on the pike and pulled it out of the ground. Then he lunged towards Isaac again.

Isaac threw himself backwards, and the spear punctured the ground between his legs. He scrambled to his feet, but the spear had already been withdrawn and readied. The sharp end thrust at his stomach before he could get his balance.

Isaac couldn't dodge properly. He could only roll backwards and try to escape.

He rolled, sprung to his feet, and brandished his sword. But... Hayden wasn't coming after him? He just stood there, smirking at Isaac.

Isaac looked around in confusion. Just in front of him was a white line, curving around in a circle. It was the line which marked the edge of the ring.