A lot of things started to make sense in my mind.

From how she was able to dodge all of my threads and how she dismissed [Step of Suppression] so effortlessly. It all boiled down to the fact that she was able to change the structure of her body, turning it into a gas.

Masking her skill with her speed, she was able to hide the trick from my eyes.

It took a bloodied body and several carefully laid traps to finally realize what her skill was.

Its good that I know, but how do I handle this?

My mind started to work in overdrive.

Knowing how her skill functioned, I started to think of all possible ways to deal with it.

It was unfortunate that she left me with no time to properly think.

Rustle~

She arrived before me.

There was no trick this time and she directly confronted me head-on.

I clenched my hand and the threads that I had laid out moments prior closed in all around me, forming an inescapable net.

She didnt seem bothered by it all as her gaze looked at me with a cold indifference. As expected, the threads phased right through her body.

All of this happened in a split second and as the threads phased right through her, she attacked me.

She aimed her dagger directly at my heart.

The dagger inched just a few centimeters away from my chest before stopping. Her eyes frosted as she twisted her torso and swung toward her back.

Swoosh!

.Eh?

A confused voice came out of her lips as nothing stood behind her.

It wasnt an illusion.

I smiled faintly and pressed my pressed my hand forward.

Several threads shot out at once, all aimed at a different spot; Leg, neck, back, pelvis, and shoulder.

Unlike before I didnt aim for just one spot.

I wanted to seal all means of escape. And yet As if she had eyes at the back of her head, her entire body started to twist and bend in an unnatural way, deftly avoiding all of the threads.

Rolling on the ground, she pressed her hands down and pushed herself up.

That was when she twisted her torso and she threw a dagger in my direction.

Xiu!

The dagger tore through the air, a whistling sound accompanied its movement.

I had neither the time to think nor dodge.

All I did was step back.

The only thing I could do was watch as the dagger reached the top of my forehead, piercing the flesh.

Tink!

I felt a sharp pain at the top of my forehead as blood trickled down my face. It ran down my face, sliding down my cheeks as I lowered my head to stare at the dagger on the ground.

That was close.

My heartbeat was even and so was my breathing.

To my right I could see that the referee was tense, having almost interfered. It was a good thing that I was able to block her attack, focusing all my attention on the area around my head and increasing the gravity as much as possible.

I was able to escape defeat by just a thin margin.

Thud!

Angela landed on the ground before pressing her feet hard and shooting toward me.

I looked at her without much of an expression.

.Shes getting slower.

If before I couldnt see it, I could now see her. She was still fast, but not to the same level as before.

The curse was taking effect.

She seemed to have realized this as well as she grew more frantic with her attacks. With one dagger in her hand, she stepped forward and slid to my left side, bending down her body and slashing toward my torso.

Her actions seemed calculated to the minute detail, leaving me breathless and suffocated.

Not only was she fast but she took no breaks in between each one of her attacks.

Does she ever get tired?

Despite my mind being filled with thoughts, my mind moved on its own. As if it was already aware of what she was planning, a thick chain materialized from out of nowhere, coiling around my body and covering the most vulnerable areas around my torso.

This action left Angela with no other choice but to aim for a different area.

That area was none other than my head as she lunged down and pressed hard against the ground, cracking the pavement beneath and shooting for my temple.

Bang!

I raised my left hand lightly and threads appeared from out of nowhere, surrounding her entirely and shooting for her.

She didnt even bother looking at them as her eye fixed on my temple.

Sure enough, her body started to change, turning more corporeal as the threads passed right through her body. The dagger had also turned gaseous, and it soon arrived right at my forehead. It was a mere inch away from it.

In that split second when her body shifted back to her original form, my finger twitched. A purple hand appeared right before my face, phasing through the dagger and reaching out for Angela whose eyes shook fiercely.

I could tell that she was trying to revert her transformation back to gaseous, but it seemed impossible.

In order to turn her body back into a gas form, her body needed to be back to normal.

I understood this when testing her for the past several minutes, and took my chance right when she was changing between forms.

Ive got you

Unable to shift form and to move, I watched as the hand reached out for her face, dragging her head and forcing her to stumble several steps back.

.!

The dagger that had just been a mere inch away from my hand moved away as Angela scattered back, her face extremely pale and her body trembling.

I knew this was much chance and didnt waste a second.

Clenching my hands, threads appeared to surround the entire platform as they closed in on her from all directions.

Despite her helpless situation she tried to activate her skill, but it was too late. The threads reached for her, and just as they closed in on her, a figure appeared, forming a small dome around her.

Match over.

The voice quietly echoed through my surroundings as I stood on the spot.

I could barely keep my balance as the noise around me faded into a distant murmur. Standing there, overwhelmed, I couldnt help but let out a small, almost delirious laugh.

That was when I noticed something.

Since the moment that my legs had been injured, I had hardly moved from the area I had been in.

The winner is

I raised my head to look at the referee.

Julien Evenus of the Nurs Ancifa Empire!

***

Broadcasting Studio.

The match had been followed very closely by Karl and Johanna. The same was true for the audience who watched the two combatants fight with bated breath.

It was an incredibly intense battle that left many holding onto their seats.

Even Karl and Johanna found themselves speaking less and less as the match progressed.

In the end, a winner was announced.

<Julien Evenus of the Nurs Ancifa Empire!>

The studio was quiet for a short moment before Karl broke the silence.

F-Damn.

He came dangerously close to swearing but just in time managed to stop himself. But it couldnt be helped. The match had been that intense. He could even feel sweat form beneath his chair as he sat up a bit to adjust his pants.

Johanna on the other hand seemed to be doing better.

Her gaze was locked onto the broadcast as her eyes remained fixed on Julien who was bloodied all over. Be it his face or body, it was covered in wounds.

<It was a hard-fought match>

Karl began.

<.I didnt expect wed get a match of this quality so early into the Second Phase, but here we are>

With a chuckle, Karl turned to look at Johanna.

<What do you think? What are your opinions on the match? Please give us your expert opinion>

<.>

Johanna didnt answer immediately.

She sat in silence for a short few seconds, sorting through her thoughts. Eventually, replaying everything that had happened at the back of her mind, she started speaking,

<It was a difficult match. Especially for Julien since Angela was an extremely bad match-up for him>

<Haha, we all saw that. Their match-up was indeed bad>

<Indeed. With her unique skill, Angela was able to turn the tides in her favor. Not only that but if you noticed, Julien tried to use his Emotive Magic several times>

Johanna played the broadcast back to display the times when Julien tried to speak.

<We cant hear what hes saying, but I can confirm that he was trying to use the vocalization aspect of his Emotive Magic. Right when he did that Notice how Angela moved her hand. I believe she countered his move through sound dissipation>

<Ah!>

Karl smacked his hand in realization.

<So thats why he wasnt able to use his Emotive Magic!>

<Thats correct>

<Hahaha, I guess she was prepared. After all, she does come from the same Empire as that little monster. If you had to compare, who do you think is the better Emotive Mage between Julien and Caius?>

<Hard to say>

Johanna answered truthfully.

<I havent seen enough from both of them to know, but if I had to make a guess then itd be Caius>

<Why do you say that?>

<Simply because of his status. Hes from the Royal Family and has had a lot of resources since young. Compared to Julien who comes from a Barony, theres a huge difference>

<That makes sense>

The two of them went on to talk like this for a few more minutes before they shifted their attention back to the main topic.

Karl asked,

<How do you feel Juliens chances for the next few rounds are?>

<Not very good>

Johanna answered truthfully.

<.The injuries that Julien sustained during the fight arent light, and hell need to spend some time to recover. We dont know how much time he will have to recover, but even if he does recover, I dont see his chances being high>

<How come?>

<Because hes already revealed all his cards>

As if realization finally dawned on him, Karls mouth hung open for a few seconds. When he found himself unable to muster any words, he bitterly smiled,

<Indeed. He was quite unlucky. With all the other participants having access to his replay, theyll find everything out about him. By the time they fight, hell have it way harder than the rest>

<.Its unfortunate, but this all boils down to him ranking low in the First Phase which forced him to face up against a strong opponent>

<Thats true>

Karl sighed before shifting his attention back to the broadcasts.

It was then that he noticed something from one of the platforms and his eyes soon widened.

<May I have everyones attention!>

He pressed on the broadcast which displayed two figures standing on opposite ends. The platform was shattered and broken all over.

The two girls stood in silence, their eyes locked on each other, neither uttering a word as the tension between them hung heavy in the air.

Karls voice rang again,

<.Theres still a match worth watching!>