Kael took a breath and dropped his stance for a second.
"This should work," he muttered, focusing his energy.
He activated the copied skill from Cynthia Elarquist an advanced debuff technique laced subtly into his aura. At first, Elsa didn't notice. Her shots were still fast, still precise but a moment later, her footwork lagged, her arrows started veering slightly off course.
Her brow furrowed.
"What the...? My body feels… slower?"
She grit her teeth, barely managing to block a slash with her bow. Kael pressed forward, slashing again and again, and she was on the defensive now, staggering under the pressure.
"Debuffs? How the hell do you know how to use debuffs?!" she snapped.
Kael didn't answer. He slashed down harder. Elsa flinched but with a surge of mana, she reversed their momentum. Her bow flared with energy, and she spun in place, using it like a blade.
CLANG!
Her mana-infused strike knocked Kael back, dust kicking up from his feet as he slid across the stone floor.
Elsa steadied herself and took a breath.
"Fine. You want me to go serious?"
She narrowed her eyes and raised her bow.
"Sylvenmire Bow Technique 1: Exploding Arrows."
As the words left her mouth, her magic pulsed violently. She loosed the first arrow it whistled through the air and BOOM exploded just before reaching Kael. He raised his blade just in time, blocking the shockwave, but more were already coming.
Explosions rained around him as he ducked and deflected. Flames and heat blew past his face as Kael rolled and tumbled, each blast scorching the arena floor.
Then she shouted again.
"Sylvenmire Bow Technique 4: Blinding Light!"
A searing flash exploded from her next arrow, lighting up the arena like a miniature sun. Kael shielded his eyes.
But he wasn't unprepared.
The moment the light struck, Kael grounded himself and whispered under his breath.
From beneath his training gear, the snake tattoo curled around his left side pulsed shimmering faintly.
His sword began to thrum.
The blade was suddenly cloaked in shadow tendrils of darkness curling from its edge. Kael's irises turned jet black, and the shadows around him seemed to crawl with sentience.
With calm, chilling precision, he raised his weapon.
"Shadow Arts Form 3: Monarch Slash."
He swung.
The black slash tore through the air like a rift in reality meeting Elsa's radiant barrage in mid-air.
BOOOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted wind, smoke, and light consuming the center of the arena. The force of it shook the stands. Debris scattered. Dust filled the air.
The crowd rose to their feet.
"Who won?" "Was that a double knockout?" "I can't see anything!"
But Kael wasn't fooled.
He narrowed his black eyes. The smoke meant nothing.
She's still standing, he thought.
He moved without sound. Without warning.
He whispered, "Shadow Arts Form 1: Shadow Slash."
And like a phantom, he appeared behind her as the smoke cleared his blade already mid-swing, black aura trailing behind it.
As the crowd caught sight of them again.
Kael stood, his sword resting just an inch from Elsa's neck, who stood frozen with wide eyes, her next arrow halfway drawn.
The arena went dead silent.