The Transmigrated Author
Chapter 76: A Quick Finish (2)

[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: Main Stage]

I stood on the platform, waiting patiently for the match to start. But looking at Carlos, a smug grin plastered on his face, watching me with predatory eyes.

As the announcer's voice boomed through the arena, he moved a bit closer.

"Bet you're regretting stepping onto this platform, nobody?" His tone dripped with condescension. "This isn't your little practice range - it's the real deal. Muller versus some rando? Hardly a fair fight."

I kept my expression carefully neutral, refusing to give him even the slightest of annoyance. Let him waste his breath, He'll need all the air he can get from me.

The announcer began the traditional countdown, I held out my crossbow armed and ready.

"Three…" Carlos smirked, his wand beginning to glow.

"Two…" He mouthed something, a taunt no doubt.

"One… BEGIN!"

Before the word had fully left the announcer's lips, Carlos was in motion. Words of power flowed from his mouth, and his wand danced through the air, weaving magical patterns.

"Flames of fury, heed my call!" he screamed, voice rising in intensity.

WHAM!

Twin circles flared into the air, spitting out blasts of crimson fire that seared the air. The heat washed over me, the stench of burnings smoke sharp in my nostrils.

[Sixth Sense (Passive) Has been activated!]

SHAW!, SHAW!

But I was ready. I sidestepped the first blast, my body weaving through each blast of fire, as I hoped he'd be running out of mana with each shot.

As the flames hissed past, missing me by inches. Should I use Mitigation to deflect these blasts? Each shot was a projectile... if I could thread them back through my portals carefully, might it create the opening I needed?

Fire rained down from the same conjured portals, each blast forcing me to move even farther away from him.

The platform was soon a scorched landscape, the relentless assault turning the pristine white surface into a blackened battlefield.

"Hah!"

Carlos's laughter echoed over the roar of the flames.

"I knew you were nothing but a low-rank with a miracle run for the ages! All those sloppy dodges... how long can you keep that up?"

His taunts to piss me off were probably working. I gritted my teeth, weaving and twisting, desperately trying to replace an opening in this relentless barrage.

When is this guy going to hit his limit? Even powerful mages had their mana pools. This frustration was so annoying - just one moment, one slip-up, and I could probably close in on this guy but he was not even allowing me to get any shots off.

The moments stretched into what felt like an eternity. Carlos's attacks, while repetitive, showed no sign of weakening.

haah...haah...

My breath came in ragged gasps, the heat becoming oppressive. Had I underestimated him? This wasn't about showcasing power, it was raw attrition, a battle to outlast the other.

My mind raced, searching for weaknesses, for patterns in the rain of fire. But the flames and Carlos's mocking voice blurred my focus. I'd built my strategies on outwitting my opponents, not outlasting them. Was this the end of my quest run?

I had to do something or else he's gonna scorch me when I'm not looking.

Instead of maintaining the exhausting evasion, I lunged forward, crossbow raised. Risky... reckless, even. But Carlos's relentless attacks had trapped me in a cycle of defence, and I needed to break free.

TAK!, TAK!, TAK!

Arrows flew from my crossbow mid-stride, forcing Carlos to react. He flinched, not expecting the sudden aggression.

"...Tch."

Two, maybe three arrows found their mark before he reacted, his fingers weaving a hasty shield spell. The rest of the arrows clattered harmlessly against the mana barrier.

Fuck... these mages and their ratty tricks.

His focus had only been delayed for a moment, but it was enough to see the potential for a counterattack.

Instead of retreating, I pressed forward, trying to close the distance before he could cast another portal of flame.

As I ran towards him a smile suddenly crept up on his face and I realised something...

He saw it coming.

A new portal was summoned directly in my path, ready to unleash another fire blast.

SHAAAW!

[Projectile Disarm Is Ready!]

With a split-second decision, I activated my 'Projectile Disarm' ability, aiming to disrupt the flow of his attack. The timing was crucial, it felt like an edge between success and failure...

[Parry Unsuccessful... You've Missed!]

…And I missed it, Shit.

WHAM!

The blast of fire slammed into me with brutal force, the heat pushing me back. I stumbled, feeling my skin burning. Carlos's laughter rang out, laced with cruel satisfaction.

"HAHAHA!"

cough! cough!

"Giving up already?"

Damn it. the pain was burning in my chest, but there was no time for self-pity. I was getting sloppy. There's no way I'm going to get cheesed like this!

My eyes stung, my vision blurring from the sweat and smoke. But beneath the pain, a cold resolve hardened within me. I would endure once more.

Carlos's taunts faded and I forced myself to focus. Think, that's all I had to do, think. There had to be a weakness, a pattern, anything I could exploit. I refused to be simply outlasted. Every blast, every near miss, it was information... something was there, just out of reach.

Carlos once again started firing away with his blasting flames leaving me to dodge even more. It was not until a single thought passed through my mind, could the portals themselves be the key?

They seemed to be the source of the fire blasts, conduits of raw magical energy. If they were somehow disrupted, wouldn't that stop Carlos's attacks?

As I dodged another blast of flames, it hit me. He wasn't dismantling the old portals.

The ones conjured at the fight's start were still the only reason he was able to maintain his reserves. Carlos was focused entirely on his assault, not on the keeping of his magical constructs. My breath quickened... could this be it?

[Piercing Shot Has Been Activated!]

[Quick Shot Has Been Activated!]

[Mana Percentage: 93%]

A desperate plan took form. I activated two abilities at once, a risky gamble. 'Piercing Shot' to imbue my arrows with exceptional force, and 'Quick Shot' to out speed his attacks. My first shots were aimed not at Carlos, but at the portals.

TAK!, TAK!, TAK!,

They jerked slightly under the impact of my arrows. Carlos reacted instantly, his face was shocked as he understood what my plan was..

Another portal materialized its fiery blast aimed directly at me. I was ready. Sprinting forward, I released another volley of shots, these aimed directly at Carlos himself.

TAK!, TAK!, TAK!

His focus trembled. With a growl of frustration, he deflected my arrows, but the momentary distraction was all I needed.

He was struggling to maintain the portals now. His brow furrowed in concentration, and I could see he was sweating under the pressure. This was all I needed.

Seizing the opportunity, I stopped dodging and charged forward. My crossbow became a blur, each shot was aimed at destroying the portals.

He moved the portals away, a clever maneuver... but it only delayed the inevitable. As his fiery blasts resumed, I continued my relentless assault.

TAK!, TAK!, TAK!,

Enhanced with my abilities, the arrows slammed into the portals, forcing them to shift and move under the strain.

Carlos's hands trembled, the effort of maintaining them clearly growing more difficult. Beads of sweat rolled down his face, his earlier arrogance replaced with a desperate focus.

TAK!

CRASH!

One portal shattered under the piercing shot, its mana disappearing out with a hiss. Carlos flinched, as he realised I had figured him out. Another portal was summoned, and then... it too vanished.

He was overextending himself, losing control. My relentless focus was breaking his rhythm. Still, he fired desperately with his remaining portals, trying to force me back, to buy himself time... but it was too late.

TAK!, TAK!

The final portal shattered. A ragged gasp escaped Carlos's lips. He was vulnerable, by the look on his face it seemed his magic depleted, his eyes widened with a terrified realization. And for the first time since the fight began, it was my turn to advance.

He didn't even try to run. And in that moment, standing before him, I knew I'd won.

A cold fury burned through me as I stood across Carlos. He looked defeated, a pathetic shadow of the arrogant mage who had taunted me moments ago.

There was a strange sense of satisfaction in seeing him like this, seeing how far I'd pushed him. But this wasn't simply about winning at this point. It was about the insults, the relentless ridicule... All I ever wanted to do was beat the shit out of him.

I'd never been the type for mercy, not in a world as unforgiving as this one.

tap... tap... tap...

My walk towards Carlos was slow and steady. Every step echoed with all the anger burning within me.

All he could do was watch, his battered hand shakily forming the familiar weaving pattern of conjuring a portal.

wham!

It was pathetic. Another portal was summoned a miniature circle of its former intimidating form. He pushed what little magic he could muster towards it, a desperate last-ditch attack.

[Succesful Parry!]

With a smile, I activated 'Projectile Disarm', my hand swatting through the air with disdain. The unstable portal shattered, the fiery blast scattering before it could fully form.

Horror washed over Carlos's face, This was the face of his defiance crushing the last remnants of his pride.

CLICK!

My crossbow clattered to the side, no longer needed. Now, it was time to get close and personal.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Carlos gasped, his voice barely above a ragged whisper

"I su-"

BANG!

He started, a pathetic attempt to surrender, but his words were cut short as my fist connected with his jaw, followed by a flash of black lightning crunched through the arena.

[Critical Hit!]

"...argh...argh..."

He howled in pain, as his attempt at a defensive spell dissolved as he recoiled now on the ground vulnerable.

I stood on top of his body I crouched, clenching my fist ready to beat the life out of him.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Blows rained down on him, each one fueled by a greater feeling of satisfaction. His face was a bloody mess, his pathetic attempts to shield himself useless.

Gone was the arrogant smile, replaced with tears of agony and blood flowing out of his face.

[Critical Hit!]

[Critical Hit 2x!]

[Critical Hit 3x!]

With every punch, black lightning flashed from my fists that vibrated through his bones and sent shockwaves of pain through his battered body.

This was no longer a tournament match, This was just a beautiful feeling.

My hands felt the splatter of blood dropping onto his face with each strike, continuously hammering him.

This was the price to pay for being a dog to a human.

BANG!, BANG!, BANG!,

My attacks continued until Carlos was nothing more than a whimpering, broken mess on the platform.

With a growl of disgust, I dragged him up by his ruined face. A strangled cry escaped his bloodied lips.

uggh...uhh...h-h-el-p...

The scent of fear mingled with the coppery smell of blood. I saw the guards ready to intervene, concerned. But they hesitated, uncertain of how to react in the face of such rampant brutality.

"...!"

With a snarl, I hurled Carlos towards the edge of the arena. He landed in a crumpled heap, barely a few paces from the edge. Muttered moans drifted from his direction, along with desperate, scrabbling attempts to crawl away.

_________

Authors Notes:

- Casting a medium for a portal is the same price for most mages but those who are skilled at summoning portals can use about 1% of their mana.

- Regular Mages have to expand about 5-8% of mana each time they summon a portal but maintaining the portal expends a lot of energy and mages tend to lose their control after using 60% of their mana.