The Third Round

  As I expected, he is the top hunter of his stage, so I can’t let my guard down. I defeated the previous two easily, but their moves were smart, and I had to think about every attack carefully. After all, there’s a saying—a smart person never takes their opponent lightly. So I won’t underestimate him.

  The third round is between Kelix and Travis.

  “If both of you agree, shall we begin?” Eden asked.

  Both of them replied at the same time, “We’re ready.

  As soon as the signal was given, we attacked each other without hesitation. I knew he was the top hunter of the Third Stage, which meant both his strength and intelligence were exceptional.

  Our fists clashed again and again, the sound of impact echoing through the arena.

  He wasn’t holding back, and he didn’t waste time analyzing me either—he had already watched my previous fights.

  There was no time to think of a plan like in the earlier rounds. This fight wasn’t just about power anymore; it was about intelligence and tactics.

  The training here is truly something else. It prepares hunters for every aspect of battle. I never thought these maniacs could think so clearly in critical moments. Power alone doesn’t always win a fight.

  Sometimes, intelligence decides the outcome.

  Travis moved with incredible speed. His attacks came one after another—fast, precise, and controlled. None of them were rushed. Every move was already calculated.

  But I was ready.

  I wouldn’t stop.

  Travis suddenly stepped back, a faint smile appearing on his face.

  “You’re very good at observing, newbie,” he said, his sharp eyes fixed on me. “You analyze my moves and choose the right moment to attack according to the situation.”

  He tilted his head slightly, still watching me carefully.

  “You’re amazing… and interesting. No one has ever analyzed and responded to my moves this quickly.”

  His smile slowly turned confident

  “So I impressed you”.

  “Yes you make me impressed and I also get more happy when I crumble you “

  “Ohh sorry travis it’s not gonna happen soon ,as i am not that bad you said I am a fun and interesting person so I think you want to have some fun before your crumbling dream of me “.

  We both threw our punches at the same time.

  Our fists collided mid-air.

  Boom!

  The impact was so powerful that the ground beneath us trembled like a small earthquake. Dust and small stones jumped from the arena floor, but neither of us stepped back.

  We kept fighting.

  Travis raised his hand and water surged forward, twisting like a rushing wave.

  I answered with fire.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Steam exploded between us as the two elements collided. In the next instant, Travis lifted his arm again and a bolt of lightning ripped through the air toward me.

  I stomped the ground.

  Earth surged upward just in time, forming a thick shield in front of me. The lightning crashed into the stone barrier and spread across it, racing through the rock instead of through my body.

  Light flashed violently.

  Cracks of thunder echoed through the arena before the energy drained straight into the ground.

  The thunder faded.

  The shield smoked.

  Then I raised my hand.

  Lightning gathered around my arm—far stronger than the one Travis had used.

  I released it.

  The bolt shot forward like a spear of light. Travis reacted instantly, summoning an earth shield of his own. He braced himself behind it, holding the barrier with both hands.

  But my lightning was too powerful.

  The force slammed into the shield and drove him backward, his feet carving deep lines through the ground as he struggled to hold it.

  That was the moment I needed.

  While he was busy defending against the lightning, I moved.

  In a flash, I shot into the air and appeared right above his head.

  Lightning gathered in one of my hands.

  Fire roared to life in the other.

  Both elements burned and crackled with terrifying power.

  And then—

  I brought them down together.

  The flames blasted outward and scorched the back wall of the stadium, leaving black cracks across the stone. The impact was powerful enough to shake the arena.

  But no one in the audience was harmed.

  From the very beginning of the match, Eden had already placed a transparent protective shield around the arena. The moment our punches first collided, he strengthened it, knowing our attacks could easily destroy the stadium.

  And he was right.

  Every clash between us left deeper scars on the arena floor and walls.

  Travis staggered slightly as the flames burned across his body. The fire had injured him a little—not as much as I had expected, but enough to slow him.

  “What happened?” I said, breathing steadily. “I thought you wanted some fun. Why do you look so surprised… and tense now?”

  Travis was breathing heavily. Parts of his clothes were burned, his palms bruised and cut from blocking my attacks.

  But he was the top hunter for a reason.

  The moment my feet touched the ground—

  Whoosh!

  Travis rushed forward at full speed.

  Before I could react, he appeared behind me and locked his arm around my neck, choking me from behind. With his other hand, he drove a brutal punch straight into my abdomen.

  “Ahhhhhhhhh—!”

  Kelix groaned in pain as the blow knocked the air out of him.

  But Travis didn’t stop there.

  Without wasting even a second, lightning crackled around his fist and he slammed it into the same spot on my abdomen.

  The shock of electricity surged through my body.

  Pain exploded through my stomach and chest.

  I struggled to break free, trying to pry his arm away—

  But his grip was too strong.

  I was struggling to break free from his grip. His attacks had weakened me, and I couldn’t endure it much longer. I had to escape quickly.

  Then I realized something.

  He was concentrating his aura into both of his arms to maintain the chokehold. That meant the rest of his body had less aura protecting it.

  So I acted.

  I froze his legs with ice, locking him in place. At the same time, I ignited fire in my palm. Carefully controlling the flames so they stayed only in my hand, I grabbed the arm he was using to attack me.

  Travis felt the burn instantly.

  He tried to endure it, tightening his grip, but my fire continued to scorch his skin slowly. Both of us were pushing our limits. The more we focused our aura on specific parts of our bodies, the faster our energy drained.

  I had to escape soon.

  I wasn’t as trained as him. If this continued, I would lose.

  Then I felt it—

  His grip loosened… just a little.

  That was my opening.

  With one hand, I yanked his choking arm downward. At the same time, I drove my other fist upward, smashing it into his jaw.

  Before he could recover, I grabbed his attacking hand and forced it away from me.

  The choking hand loosened, and I immediately twisted it behind his back. Before he could react, I grabbed his other hand as well and froze both of them together with ice.

  There was no time to hesitate.

  I lifted him into the air and slammed him down hard.

  The impact was brutal. The ground shattered beneath him, a massive crater forming where his body struck. Dust and fragments of stone burst outward across the arena.

  If I hadn’t done it quickly, he would have broken free. And stopping him again would have been much harder.

  Travis struggled on the ground, trying to move.

  I didn’t give him the chance.

  I stepped forward and punched his face, then released a bolt of lightning that crashed into him, pinning him to the ground.

  “You’re trying to say something, Travis? Trying to break my focus?” I said, breathing heavily. “It’s fine. This is fun. I expected this much from you. It’s a good match… and you’re a good opponent.”

  I sat beside him for a moment.

  That was my mistake.

  Suddenly, Travis shot up.

  Before I could react, he shoved me hard. I slid across the ground all the way to the boundary of the arena.

  I wasn’t ready.

  That’s why overconfidence is dangerous.

  Travis dropped to the ground again, gathering flames in his hand. Fire spiraled around his arm, ready to strike.

  But I moved first.

  I used earth magic and forced the grass from the ground to twist together, forming a long whip. With a sharp flick of my arm, I sent it flying toward him.

  The grass whip wrapped tightly around his legs.

  It strangled around them like a living rope.

  And I pulled.

  He fell to the ground, and his fire attack shot off in another direction.

  I pulled the grass whip with all my strength, dragging him toward me. As he came close, I grabbed his neck and lifted him up.

  With my other hand, I merged water and lightning, forming a crackling surge of energy. Mixing elements like this is rare—usually only Elites can do it.

  But now, I could too.

  The attack struck him, and everyone watching fell silent in shock.

  Travis dropped to his knees.

  I grabbed his leg and slammed him from side to side repeatedly. The ground cracked with each impact.

  After a few moments, his body went still.

  He couldn’t move anymore.

  I stood beside him, breathing heavily.

  Maybe… I went a little too far.

  I look straight towards Eden everyone is so shocked that at one moment I am the one who is losing now the table turns and I win now.

  Eden announced the winner and I headed towards Travis and said “thank you for today, it's a good match" Travis grabbed my hand and chuckled but he couldn't say anything because he was so beaten up and still lying on the ground.

  Now I regret it ,but he got well after some rest because I beat him as my opponent not as my enemy.

  Eden now gets it from this fight that I can use powers and control them well. He tried to find that from the above fights he knew that something is off but he didn’t expect me to use it like this and be so perfect and in control in the above fight.

  I just use some basic moves to show the real ones later and it goes as I plan now it’s me and Eden. I show you what I am, so you can’t take me lightly.