(Amane's Perspective)

"Level Three Fire Magic - Pyrotoxin Flare!"

Akira sent a concentrated blast of concentrated plasma-imbued fire energy towards me, one that she could detonate at any given moment.

I smiled and rushed directly towards the projectile, ready to meet it head-on.

When I got close, Akira smirked and made a bomb-activating gesture with her hand, similar to the signature move of a certain character in a certain series. However, I was not so easily defeated.

"Space - Eliminate."

Right before the sphere of destruction detonated, I erased the space between myself and Akira. The spell could not erase space with objects inside them, but I purposely waited until the last second to use this spell just to avoid that.

Her eyes widened as I closed in, but unfortunately, she too had Space Magic.

"Space - Create."

Distorting space in between us, before I knew it, I was back to my original position, and my claws swiped down at nothing.

"Hm… nyot bad," I wrinkled my nose, sniffing the air.

"That was a risky move you did just now," Akira muttered. "One second late, and you would've been incinerated."

"Heh. It's my turn nyow," I said, then began my attack phase. "Level Three Shadow Magic - Eternal Nyightmyare."

Various phantoms flew towards Akira, who gritted her teeth and put up a defense. "Level Two Fire Magic - Wall of Flames!"

My nightmares began attacking her defense. They got burned away one by one, but they served their purpose of blocking Akira's vision just fine.

While she was dealing with my phantoms, I took this time to prepare my trump card. Around thirty seconds later, my preparations were complete. I had condensed enough mana to cast this spell - everything was in place. All that was left was for me to actually cast it.

"Level Three Time Magic… Chronofreeze."

Immediately, color drained away from the world, and everything stopped along with the flow of time.

I only had a few seconds to work with here, so I didn't waste any time and closed in on Akira immediately.

"Space - Eliminate."

Using this to speed up even further, I dashed directly through her curtain of fire - it did not harm me. Time was stopped, after all.

Right as time began to flow again, I arrived at my target, my claws extended and at her neck. Her eyes widened in fear as she didn't dare move an inch, even though time was flowing once more.

"I… I surrender," she said at last, and I giggled.

"Looks nyike nekos are the supwerior tribe after all!"

"AND the winner of the match is… Miss Amane!"

As I strode off the stage stylishly, Akira had no choice but to just watch and accept her defeat.

*****

(Xuan Kai's Perspective)

"That was pretty easy," I said once Amane got back. "The battle was pretty short. Nicely done."

"Welcome back," the other girls said in unison.

"Hehe, she claimed my 'bouncers' weighed me dyown!" Amane giggled, then walked over to me and cupped her… generous breasts.

"Nya~ Xuwan Kwai, do you like them?"

I blinked. "W-What kind of question is that?"

"Hm… well, if you nyike them, I'll keep them. If nyot, I'll get rid-"

"N-No, don't. Keep them. For the love of god, do not cut them off."

"So… that means you nyike them?"

"That's no- ugh, whatever, yeah, sure, I like them," I sighed, forgetting that Amane's mental age was still low.

"Yay! Nyow, headpat?" she tilted her head and wagged her tail cutely, kneeling down on the floor in front of me as she waited patiently for me to give her what she wanted.

I complied to her wishes, giving her the head pat. She meowed happily and suddenly began licking my hand. I quickly retracted it.

She blinked. "Nya?"

"Uh… why are you licking it?"

"It's a way members of the Neko tribe show affection," Lan Xiao Su explained with a smile. "At least, that's what I read off one of the books in the Library of Infinite Beginnings."

"Mhm~" Amane nodded in confirmation as she sat, two hands placed at chest-level in a catgirl-like gesture.

"I… see. Well, the next battle is beginning soon, so…"

Amane, realizing what I meant, returned to her seat. I sighed in relief.

"Master, are you in to getting licked? I can do the sam-"

"No thanks," I quickly cut Mei Gui off. "Do not copy what these girls do. They are all extremely bad influences. Especially Amane and Xiang Peng."

"H-Hey! Why me?!" Xiang Peng cried, having just taken a bullet despite not even being in the war.

No one bothered replying to her, and we all turned our gazes back to the screen, where the next match was about to begin.

*****

The next fight didn't take long to end. The winner was a young human teen the same age as me or so. However, he was far more energetic and hot-headed than I was. I would say he was the exact opposite of me, in fact. Power-wise too. Amane should be able to deal with him just fine, especially since he just sustained injuries, so there was not much to worry about.

"The next combatant will be Miss Lan," the IMF employee called out from the other side of the door to the room. "Please get ready."

By now, we were familiar with the process, so Feng Mian quickly took a look at the bracket, then searched Lan Xiao Su's opponent's name up in the profile database.

Name: Tai Yuan

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Role: Defender

Rank: Intermediate Mage

Elemental Affinities: Earth, Enchantment, Water

"Defender, huh… looks like you were placed into this category as well," I remarked, looking at Lan Xiao Su.

"Hm… defender. I suppose that just means I protect the support and help out everywhere from time to time, depending on the needs in battle?" Lan Xiao Su murmured to herself thoughtfully. "Hm… but I have one extra element compared to my opponent. I should be able to win if it's an all-out fight, especially since he's a defender as well. His attack power shouldn't be too high."

"That's logical. Don't let your guard down, though," Feng Mian warned. "He may have an artifact or something that grants him an advantage."

"Mm. Got it."

*****

(Lan Xiao Su's Perspective)

Roughly fifteen minutes later, I found myself standing on the stage, facing off against a young boy of large stature. He was pretty tall and chubby, like a living human wall. He definitely gave off 'defender' vibes. Still, it's not like he was scary or anything. In fact, he seemed quite kind and friendly.

Scratching the back of his head, he laughed awkwardly. "H-Hello, miss. My name is Tai Yuan… and, um, I look forward to the fight."

I giggled softly. He reminded me of my old self, nervous and afraid.

"Same here," I replied, loosening up to help him do the same. "No need to be nervous - it's just a competition. You fail this time, there's always the next."

Tai Yuan smiled warmly, so much so that his eyes could barely be seen. "Hehe… yes, I suppose you're right. Thanks."

"Now then, ARE both contestants READY?" the announcer asked loudly, voice's pitch uneven.

We both nodded, preparing our magic. I chose to refrain from using my gun here, since this was a good opportunity to practice my magic for combat.

"Well then! Let the battle BEGIN!"

Immediately, Tai Yuan smashed the ground.

"Level Two Earth Magic - Rock Surge!"

Sending three lines of underground rock pillars towards me, ready to jut out at any time, he looked at me intently, waiting to see what I would do. I couldn't see his eyes, but I could tell.

If he wanted a show, I would give him one. I needed to win this fight… I can't disappoint Xuan Kai!

"Level Two Water Magic - Fountain!"

Casting this spell on the ground below me, a sprout of water shot out from beneath the ground, lifting me upwards. I was able to stand and walk around at the top of this water fountain, far too high for the rock pillars Tai Yuan created to reach me.

As expected, three torrents of rock shot out of the ground moments later, but they were nowhere close to reaching me. I now had the high ground, and decided to push the advantage.

"Level Two Light Magic - Radiant Sphere!"

I launched an orb of light towards Tai Yuan, energy trailing behind it. This orb's destructive power wasn't big, but its true shine (literally) lay within its ability to blind enemies.

Tai Yuan frowned in concentration as he erected a barrier.

"Mizu Shield!"

Creating a dome of water around himself, my light orb crashed into his barrier and exploded. Since water reflected light, Tai Yuan was barely affected by my blinding attack. A good counter.

However, I wasn't quite done yet. The blind obviously didn't affect me, since I was the creator of it. Tai Yuan was stuck in a defensive position now, and I was going to capitalize on that, never once letting him turn this situation around.

Raising my palm out and directing it towards his water barrier, I smiled.