Selection 3/4

The heat was rising in the arena. 

Aiko's gaze was fixed on Kenta Matsuda, her opponent. 

In front of her, Kenta stood ready, his fists clenched, sweat already running down his forehead. 

The two fighters looked at each other, each trying to gauge the strength of the other. 

Around them, the audience held their breath.

Aiko (thought): "He's tough, but nothing I can't handle."

Kenta (thought): "I have to win, I have no right to lose to her. Not here, not now."

The director lowered his hand.

— Start!

Kenta reacted immediately, his body moving with surprising speed. 

He charged straight at Aiko, his fists charged with energy. He threw a first straight punch, aimed at his opponent's face. 

Aiko, her eyes bright with concentration, dodged with disconcerting elegance, leaning slightly to the side.

Kenta's fist slammed into the void with a hiss of air. 

He quickly followed up with a roundhouse kick, looking to take Aiko by surprise. 

This time again, she anticipated his movement and ducked, letting the blow pass over her head.

Aiko: "Not bad," she murmured with an amused smile. But you're going to have to do better."

Kenta, frustrated at seeing his attacks fail, released a wave of mana, focusing his energy into his legs. 

In an instant, he jumped back, creating distance between them, before extending his hands towards Aiko. A magic circle appeared under his feet.

Kenta: "Pierre explosion!"

The arena floor suddenly fractured, and sharp shards of stone were thrown in all directions, heading straight for Aiko. 

The power of the attack shook the arena, and several spectators shielded their eyes from the dust raised.

Aiko dodged the first stones with almost inhuman grace, her movements quick and precise. 

However, a faster fragment managed to graze her, lightly cutting her arm. A thin line of blood appeared on his skin.

She glanced at the cut, then at Kenta, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

Aiko: "You are much more entertaining than I thought. But it's my turn."

With a quick gesture, Aiko disappeared from Kenta's sight, her body dematerializing in a dazzling blur. 

Kenta, surprised, desperately tried to locate her.

Kenta (thought): "She's fast… Much too fast!!"

Before he could react, Aiko reappeared to his right. 

She struck with a flaming punch, her fist surrounded by blue flames, directly into his ribs. 

The shock made his entire body tremble, the fire eating away at his outfit to the point of releasing black smoke.

Kenta screamed in pain as he felt the burn invade his side, but he didn't let it get him down. 

He spun around and delivered a well-placed elbow strike to Aiko's face. 

This time she blocked the blow with her forearm, a spark of interest in her eyes.

Aiko (whispers): "Interesting…"

She jumped back, creating distance in turn. 

Kenta, panting, clenched his fists, his side burning with pain. 

He knew he couldn't beat her with conventional attacks. He had to try something else.

Drawing from his remaining energy, Kenta planted his hands on the ground.

Mighty stone spears erupted from the ground all around him, spinning wildly like lightning bolts of sharp rock. 

The energy emanating from the attack was impressive, and even Aiko, amused until now, seriously braced herself for the impact.

The stone spears flew towards her, each blow seeking to pierce her. 

But Aiko, her eyes fixed on Kenta, moved with disconcerting agility, dodging each attack with inhuman precision. 

The speed of her movements left trails of light behind her.

She dodged one last spear and reappeared right in front of Kenta, her gaze burning with excitement.

Aiko: "I have to admit it was impressive. But I'll have to wrap it up."

Without warning, she struck with overwhelming force, her fist splitting the air in a wave of searing energy. 

Kenta, exhausted from his previous attacks, could only raise one arm to protect himself. 

The blow sent him flying across the arena, crashing violently into the stone wall that bounded the field. 

Pieces of debris flew all around him.

Kenta's body fell heavily to the ground, limp. 

A dull pain invaded his entire being, but despite everything, he tried to get up, coughing up blood in the process.

Aiko looked at him, an amused smile on her lips.

Aiko: "You reassure me. I was afraid of being bored... Would you give me this last dance?"

Without waiting for a response, Aiko disappeared again. 

This time, she appeared high above Kenta, floating in the air. 

A plate of magic appeared beneath her feet, which she used to propel herself towards her opponent. 

Flames erupted from her body, igniting her entire being as she descended like a flaming meteor.

Kenta, seeing the attack coming, tried to raise his arms to protect himself, but it was too late.

The impact was devastating. 

Aiko's kick, charged with power and fire, crashed into Kenta, knocking him to the ground with such force that the arena itself shook. 

A huge crater formed around it, the intense heat melting the stones near the impact.

Silence settled for a moment in the arena. Spectators watched, dazed, unable to comprehend the scale of the destruction.

Aiko, satisfied, turned around and started walking towards the exit of the arena.

Aiko (mocking): "A good dancer is supposed to be strong on his feet."

But to her surprise, a faint noise behind her caught her attention. 

She slowly turned around to see Kenta, his body in tatters, his clothes burned, but still standing. 

He staggered, but refused to collapse.

Aiko: "You are… incredible. But you're going to have to give up…"

Kenta (panting): "You're not the only one… who wants to be selected!"

Aiko looked at him, smirking.

Aiko: "You're right. So let's make a deal. If you survive this, I'll give you my place."

The flames around her reignited, but this time they took on disproportionate intensity. 

His white hair began to catch fire, and a blinding light emanated from his right eye. 

The sky above the arena turned black, the temperature rising so sharply that some spectators stepped back, feeling their clothes begin to smolder.

Black claws, long and sharp, appeared on his hands, emitting heat so intense that they seemed to melt the air around them.

Aiko (murmure): "Ascension divine…"

But before she could complete her attack, a commanding voice rang out across the arena.

Mr.Ken: "Aiko, that's enough!"

Aiko's transformation stopped instantly. 

The flames died down, the sky became clear again, and the aura of destruction that surrounded the arena disappeared.

Aiko turned her head towards Kenta, paralyzed with terror and exhaustion.