2. Schadenfreude

The audience grew infuriated from the lackluster match the longer it dragged on. Within the crowd stood a slave girl chained and leashed with iron manacles around her neck and limbs. The owner of the leash, whipped the girl who looked not even ten years of age.

"Don't you dare fall asleep. Maintain that barrier, filthy trash!" No one around batted an eyelid as their booing continued shaking the entire colosseum.

Huddled together not too far from master and slave, the group of thugs cheered for the sight of my death. "No-mages like you deserve a thousand deaths! Kill him slowly and painfully!" Profanities spewed from their lips, whereas Arisa, in the center of the group was the only anomaly. She shouted for my safety before getting slapped around by the bullies.

I remember the day we met, she eagerly helped me find a job after my caretaker left. I spent countless weeks of rejection after rejection. "A no-mage will ruin our reputation. You don't even qualify to be a slave." Was all I amounted to before the sound of slamming doors, shunned away like a rabid dog. With her in my life, I began to have hope. Hope of living a normal life.

< >

There's nowhere left without ice. The previous shards that stuck to the arena floor melded together, forming a bumpy ice rink. For some reason, I always enjoyed snowy weather. I smiled at the thought of building a snowman as the last ice shard struck at my last remaining foothold. I rolled onto my side, skidding across the ice.

'I'll just wait for you to come to me then!' Using my daggers to steer my change of direction each and every ice shard missed, looking up I saw my opponent beginning to levitate closer to the ground. "Huh, cold!" My clothes started sticking to the ice. No wait, the ice felt alive, growing in an attempt to capture me!

"Time to die!" Unleashing the last of his power the opponent's elevation decreased until he hovered inches above the center of the arena.

The ice encased me from bottom-up while lying on my right side. Puffs of frozen air exhaled as I frantically used the remaining strength in my left arm, taking aim and finally throwing. Whether he let down his guard or was fatigued from mana depletion, my dagger met no resistance as his body dropped to the ground, dagger protruding like a flag in his chest.

As soon as the life from his body left, all existing ice magic dispersed. I never truly understood how magic seemed to be linked to the wielder, once dead not a single trace remained albeit the damage caused.

The announcer checked the opponent while I focused on the stands in the direction Arisa was being held hostage. From this distance, I could barely make out faces, but at least she seemed to be safe. Even if I make it out of this tournament alive, what's going to stop them from harming her anyways?

The announcer declared me the winner and called on the next number to pick their opponent. Many say luck is fifty percent of the battle and if that's the case I'm already laying in my coffin. Whoever thought up of these selection rules, pray I don't get my hands on you.

Next up, began climbing onto the arena floor. Short fellow this one, even compared to me. As long as he didn't have flight magic, I'll be able to manage or so I hoped. Bright blue light swirled around his combat boots. His specialty wind magic, a freaking speed enhancer.

To my surprise, he stood there staring at me as if sizing up an opponent. The announcer came around and asked for the second time. "Fighter, choose your first opponent!" The short guy raised his finger and pointed it straight at me and shortly after, the commencement of my next battle began.

Both daggers were handed back to me by a tournament employee who helped carry the flying ice mage's corpse off the arena. Both curved a foot in length with blood dripping off the one in my left hand.

The oriental bell sounded again and as I did in my first match. I went in for the instant knockout. Everything seemed to connect. My palm strike went straight into his chin but with no resistance, only an after image beginning to fade from the spot as dust swayed up.

"Ah-hahaha, you're done for!" Several meters behind me the short man laughed viciously. I felt a sense of unease as his finger pointed directly at me.

My mind said it saw nothing, however my instincts moved my body and face to the side. A strong current of wind brushed and hit my cheek, flicking my neck even more sideways. My right cheek was throbbing, most likely bright red from the pain. I gently rubbed my cheek barely able to avoid the feeling of dodging a curveball. I could anticipate his wind attacks, but any sudden change of direction was impossible to predict.

My opponent slanted his head as if impressed and the blue light encircling his boots shined brighter. Suddenly disappearing and reappearing from multiple angles around me. Fast enough to create several after images. It looked like I was fighting a whole squad of mages.

No matter how fast or unpredictable his magic, as long as I kept moving he would have the same amount of trouble trying to land a hit. I randomly ran at each and every after image striking with my daggers. The images faded away like phantoms, all of them fake.