Proctor: The time has come for battle. The tournament will begin now, remember to show the crowd what you can do. There is a lot of people watching, so good luck.

She leads Red and Konna to two opposing gates. Their battle is about to begin.

--- Chapter 94 ---

The gates open as they wander onto the battlefield. The crowd begins to cheer. The announcer from the beginning begins to speak.

Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! The A-rank tournament will be starting now! For the first round, we have Red, from the Elune guild. And Konna from Zengoku. Now the fight will begin… NOW!

Konna: So, Red was it? No hard feeling ok?

She says with a smile.

Red: Right, no hard feelings.

He responds returning the smile. Red’s insignia flows around his body, forming into his spear form. The crowd “Oohs” at the fact he has insignia. He Dashes in with great haste. He stabs it with his spear, and she just barely dodges out of the way. Konna Punches his stomach, but the punch didn’t seem too powerful. She brings her fist around and punches him in the face, this time with a little more force. Red leaps back.

Red: You have speed, but I hardly feel your punches!

Konna: Oh you will, just you wait.

Red has a confused look, as she runs in she reaches her fist out to punch, oddly faster than last time. Red tries to dodge but its speed is too much. The punch connects sending a shock wave through him, its impact harder than her previous punch. She twists her body and punches him again, its power and speed somehow even greater than before. Red swiftly escapes.

Konna: It seems your starting to realize. My arcana, “Flow Striker”. Every time a hit you, my strength and speed doubles.

Red: Doubles?! Wow, that’s a pretty powerful ability.

She smiles and gets into a running position, then darts toward Red. She punches him, followed by a barrage of even more punches. Each punch more devastating than the last. Red glows a bright red, as his mode changes. He now has thick armor and two shields. His head shifts from side to side trying to locate her. Her speed is now incredibly high. He gets repeatedly punched all over, pushing him in every direction. His insignia armor denting.

Red: Think! You’re getting your ass kicked. There has to be a way to win.

Red stops and thinks. His eyes closed, breathing calmly and deeply. She hits, one, two three. Almost rhythmic. One, two.

Red: Three!

Red leaps into the air, and he sees her punch miss as she stumbles. Her face is shocked. She jumps back as Red lands where she was standing. Her movements seem much slower.

Red: Exactly what I thought! Consecutive hits bring up your combos, and in turn your power. But if you miss, your combo is reset!

She has a shocked face. Reds mode changes back to the swift spear mode.

Red: Now that I know how your arcana works, I can win.

She shrugs it off with a smile. She lifts her fists, ready to fight despite her disadvantage. They both run in, she punches forward, and he stops. He stabs his spear into her, sending her flying back. He twirls his spear around.

Red: That’s game.

She holds the wound and looks up.

Konna: Not bad.

Her wound begins to bleed.

Konna: I concede.

Announcer: And that’s it, folks! Red from the Elune guild is the winner!

Red walks up to her and helps her up. They walk off the stage.

Announcer: Next up! We have El from the Elune guild, vs Nubai from Maskrah!