Kapitel 28: Water vs Tian Fen

Amidst the cheers of the spectators, Tian Fen quietly made his way back to his waiting room.

The moment Tian Fen stepped through the gate, it closed with a resounding noise.

Clapping, the referee took everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, how about we spice things up a bit?" With a chuckle, he conjured eight red balls, each engraved with a letter. Following that, he produced a pot and deposited the red balls inside.

"As you can all witness, the upcoming matches will be drawn randomly." The referee raised the pot, displaying it to the entire colosseum.

Greeted by cheers, he singled out one of the spectators. "You, there. You shall have the honor of determining the order."

The spectator had greenish-yellow skin and pointy ears. Stell didn't need to guess that he was an elf variant.

Wearing an eager expression, the spectator nodded and teleported to the center of the arena. The referee approached him, setting the pot before the spectator.

"What do you think of the event? Who do you think will win?" The referee asked the spectator with a curious expression.

"The event isn't bad. I believe there's room for improvement, though. For instance, it might have been more effective if the natives weren't incentivized with rewards for each kill. Nonetheless, I can't say for certain." The elf responded earnestly.

"It might have been. We will consider the suggestion." The referee laughed as he asked the elf. "What about the favorites?"

The elf, seemingly eager to address numerous inquiries, responded with enthusiasm and sincerity. "Water. I believe that Water will deal with everyone. If there is anyone close to him, it might be group G. I think that Swordsman and others seem too ordinary. Even group G is a big gamble."

The referee nodded, refusing to continue dwelling on the topic. "Well, how about we choose the first fight?" He smiled as he looked at the elf.

"Sure." The elf excitedly reached for the pot, grabbing a ball inside. After poking around, he found the ball he wanted. Pulling it out, he revealed it to the colosseum.

It was a red ball with the letter I engraved.

"Oh my!" The referee shouted to the sky. "It seems like our dear Swordsman will have to prematurely end his rest! Such an unfortunate situation! Hopefully, he didn't expend too much energy already!"

With the referee, the audience started cheering already.

"Are they paid to cheer every time that guy talks?" Felix looked oddly at the scene.

"With so many people, it's impossible to have a dead atmosphere. Especially in a place like this where everything is hyped." Stell laughed, enjoying the cheers. Somehow, he liked the attention, even if it wasn't directed at him.

What he enjoyed, even more, was Tian Fen's trouble. He was supposed to fight him the next day, after all.

Although he couldn't see Tian Fen clearly from his seat, Stell was sure that he was calm, unbothered by the situation.

"No, maybe he is swinging his sword now that no one is there to complain." He laughed aloud, quickly followed by Felix. "I won't be surprised."

"Now, now." The referee waved his hand, calming the audience. "We should learn who is Mr. Swordsman's opponent."

Just as the elf was reaching for the pot, the referee caught his hand. Then, the referee looked at the sky before laughing. "But first, we have to hear a word from our sponsor!"

As the giant hologram appeared in the sky, the audience started booing, even throwing trash.

However, the trash hit an invisible barrier, sometimes splashing on the people who threw it, sometimes piling up at the edge of the stands.

As the referee spent the next minute talking about a new drink, Stell wondered whether his next opponents would be hard to deal with.

Earlier, his group lucked out, fighting against the weaker group. However, no weak group was left.

He only hoped to not meet Water or Tian Fen so early.

After the referee finished advertising, he allowed the elf to pick the next ball. With an excited look, the elf randomly chose another ball. Lifting it, the ball with the letter A was shown to the entire colosseum.

"OH MY, OH MY!" The referee shouted in excitement. "THE UNLUCKY SWORDSMAN IS FIGHTING THE FAVORITE! THE INCREDIBLE WATER!"

With his shout, everyone cheered, happy to watch Water again.

Felix almost started trembling from excitement. "It's Tian Fen against Water! Holy! That's going to be awesome! I can't wait!" He would have been jumping from excitement if it weren't for the cramped room he was in.

"I can see that." Stell grumbled at Felix's excitement. Still, he understood. After all, even he wanted to watch that battle.

Master Swordsman versus Master Elementalist.

Truly a sight worth being excited for.

"After waiting for so long, aren't all of you excited? We will finally watch Water again! Do you want to stop the pause?!" As the referee shouted, the overwhelmingly loud 'YES' was heard.

"Then, let us start the battle. The intriguing Water versus the calm Swordsman! WHO WILL WIN?" As his words echoed in the arena, two gates opened.

Sporting a casual ensemble consisting of a white t-shirt and blue shorts, Water leisurely walked toward the arena's center, his smile captivating numerous female spectators.

On the other side of the arena, Tian Fen calmly and steadily walked out. Tian Fen didn't stand out at all, as if he was just a small fry.

As they reached the center, the referee hyped the scene before announcing the commencement of the fight.

Water looked at Tian Fen, chuckling. "You don't seem worried."

"Why would I be?" Tian Fen answered.

"We'll see why." Water laughed as he waved his hand, summoning a wave that rapidly approached Tian Fen.

Tian Fen calmly looked at Water before raising his sword, slashing at the wave, splitting it into two.

"Not bad. Rose couldn't withstand even one." Water laughed, unbothered by his negated attack. "What about this?" He waved three times, summoning three waves that traveled at different speeds.

Tian Fen didn't move as he slashed at each of the waves with terrifying precision. "You've got reflexes and skill. Which planet are you on? Wanna join my guild once I reach Second Order?"

Water smiled at Swordsman's display.

Tian Fen shook his head, causing the corner of Water's lips to slightly lower.

"I see. The invitation still stands. You can contact me whenever you want." Water said as he swiped with his hand several times, creating several waves that combined into a massive albeit slow one.

"Let's see how you'll manage this!" Water chuckled as he replicated the action, generating another colossal wave. When the two waves converged, they conjured a scene reminiscent of a tsunami.

Tian Fen closed his eyes, concentrating. As his aura turned sharper, the wave approached.

Then, just as the wave was about to sweep him, he opened his eyes, slashing vertically with his sword.

The tsunami was split cleaved into two as if it encountered the might of gods. As the two halves passed by Swordsman, he watched his aura continue flying.

Water moved his head, allowing the aura to pass just by him, scarring his cheek.

"You brat!" Water's expression turned frosty as he realized how close he was to death.

"You might be strong, but you aren't even First Order. Can you deal with the might of the sea itself?!" Water exclaimed, clapping his hands and conjuring water from the air.

Tian Fen looked at Water without moving. He didn't even raise his sword. Seeing the unmoving Tian Fen, Water laughed. "Hahaha! What arrogance! Do you think that you can win without moving? You think that you can split the sea? Even if you can, I'll summon another one!"

With a laughter laden with frustration, Water persisted in producing an enormous water bubble, striving to muster as much water as possible. Even if it depleted his resources, he remained determined.

'Swordsman is a worthy adversary. The others don't appear overly challenging. However, regardless of my efforts, he'll merely cut through it. The sole approach to victory is to summon something he can't sever. That is, by submerging him in an unending sea of water.'

As Swordsman waited, Water finished conjuring an enormous pool of water. Throwing his hands down, he made the water rapidly approach Tian Fen.

Tian Fen looked at the rapidly watching water before shaking his head. "So that's my weakness. I see."

With that, he didn't even attempt to resist, allowing the pool to engulf him.