Alice and her friends watched from Celeste's suite as Blair's body was being picked up by Coliseum staff members, while other people were focused on repairing the immense damage caused by Blair's lava aura.

  “Damn, she lost,” Rachel muttered.

  “Yeah, Zalgo added, “That Kaitan guy was something else. Now I wonder about the next match…”

  The girls watched as the crowd in the arena began cheering loudly again, their attention now solely on the arena as Marco spoke again.

  "The next match is ready to begin! From the south corner... Akumu Xerosi!"

  “Ayy, Akumu in the house!” Nika cheered, excited to see Yuki's other sister in action for the first time.

  “Yeah, this should be interesting,” Rachel replied with a nod.

  "That's right, folks!" Marco continued shouting, basking in the attention of the excited audience. "And representing the north corner we have...Rica!!"

  The girls watched as a female goblin walked into the arena, the green-skinned, red-haired opponent sizing up Akumu with a grin.

  "Ladies and gents, you're in for a real treat!" Marco boomed. "This fight promises to be a real doozy!!! Are you all ready for it?!”

  "Sì!" The crowd roared in response, excitement radiating through the arena.

  "Let's not keep them waiting any longer, shall we?!"

  Marco's voice echoed once more as he continued his announcement. "Let the fight....BEGIN!”

  The girls watched as Akumu squared up against Rica, the two opponents facing each other with intense focus.

  Rica circled Akumu, studying her opponent's stance. A smirk formed on Rica's face, her eyes scanning Akumu for exploitable weaknesses.

  "You look a bit too carefree to be going up against the likes of me, human," Rica taunted.

  Akumu smirked back, amused by Rica's confidence. "Hehe, you think you have the upper hand? I wouldn't be so sure, li'l goblin.”

  Rica let out a scoff, her smirk growing wider. "Heh, you seem rather cocky for a human in your position. But you're about to find out that underestimating me was a grave mistake.”

  Akumu chuckled, her smirk not faltering. "Oh, I'm not underestimating you, goblin. I just don't think you can handle my moves. But feel free to prove me wrong."

  Without waiting for Rica's reply, Akumu conjured her scythe, twirling it in her hand before throwing it at Rica, the scythe spinning like a tornado from hell.

  Rica nimbly dodged the spinning scythe, her smile never leaving her face. "Nice try, human. But you're going to have to do better than that if you want to hit me!"

  Rica closed the distance, launching a fierce kick aimed at Akumu's face. Akumu focused all of her aura into her head, taking the kick like a champ as her head jerked back slightly from the force. All the while, the scythe did a U-turn like a boomerang, ready to catch Rica off guard while her foot was still connected to Akumu's face.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  As Rica landed her kick, the scythe slammed into her back. Her face contorted in pain as she flew forward and hit the floor. "ARGGGH!! What the...a boomerang?”

  Akumu smirked, taking advantage of Rica's surprise. “Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

  Rica rubbed her back, annoyed but undeterred. "You play dirty, human...but two can play that game. I won't go easy on you now!”

  Akumu chuckled, her smirk growing wider. "I wouldn't want you to hold back. Let's see what you've really got, my little green friend!"

  Rica growled, her determination flaring. "Oh, you've asked for it now! I'm not holding back!"

  She dashed forward to make her foot meet Akumu's face again, but Akumu's well-trained eyes caught the goblin's blur of movement and raised a hand to block the kick. Rica kicked her hand, doing no damage as Akumu's aura was focused there, but followed with another quick spin kick at her left cheek, sending Akumu back a few meters, doing extra damage as she had no time to redirect her aura to her face again.

  Akumu stumbled back, holding her now-imprinted cheek where Rica's kick landed, wincing in pain from the impact.

  "Heheh, that footprint looks nice on ya," Rica taunted with an accomplished smirk.

  Akumu shook off the pain, smirking back despite the red mark on her face. "Heh, you've got a strong kick, I'll give you that. But do better next time.”

  Rica smirked, amused by Akumu's defiance despite the pain. "Oh, I will. You'll be seeing stars soon enough.”

  Akumu smirked back, unfazed. "Bring it.”

  Rica narrowed her eyes, grinning slyly. "Oh, I will. You can bet on that."

  She lunged forward again, aiming for another swift kick to Akumu's gut.

  Akumu tensed, focusing her aura to her abdomen, prepared to defend against the incoming kick.

  Rica's kick collided with Akumu's aura-reinforced abdomen, momentarily stunning her as the force of the impact sent her a few meters back, though the pain was manageable.

  Akumu let out a small grunt, the impact slightly jarring her. Despite the pain, she managed to keep her footing. "Nice kick. You've got some power in those little goblin legs.”

  Rica shrugged, her smirk growing wider. "What can I say? I'm a natural-born kicker.”

  Akumu chuckled, rolling her shoulders. "I can see that. But you're gonna have to do more than just kick if you want to take me down.”

  Rica smirked, her competitive spirit flaring. "Oh, you underestimate me, human. I've got more up my sleeve than just kicks.”

  Akumu smirked back, her determination unflinching. "I'd expect nothing less. Let's see what else you've got."

  Akumu threw her scythe again, the force of the throw letting off a gust of wind.

  Rica skillfully dodged the flying scythe, a smug grin on her face. "Heh, nice try, human. But you'll have to do better than that!"

  Again, the scythe returned like a boomerang, heading for Rica's back.

  Rica, quick on her feet, deftly sidestepped the returning scythe, her smirk widening. "You're getting predictable now, human. Gotta mix it up more!”

  Akumu smirked back, her expression not faltering. "Hah! Trust me, I've got more tricks up my sleeve. You haven't seen them all yet."

  She focused her aura in her right hand and raised it, a pitch-black hand raising out of the arena floor underneath Rica.

  Rica noticed the rising hand and quickly leaped backwards, avoiding the unexpected attack. "What the...?! What was that?!”

  Akumu cackled, her eyes glinting with determination. "Just a little surprise I've been saving for later. But I guess I have to bring it out a bit early.”

  Rica landed away from the hand, her curiosity piqued. "Hmph, you're full of surprises, aren't you? But don't think you can catch me off guard for long.”

  Akumu crossed her arms, a hint of excitement in her eyes. "Oh, I'm just getting started. You haven't seen anything yet."

  She then swung her hands frantically, with two demonic claws now raising from the floor going straight at Rica.

  Rica's eyes widened as she dodged the unexpected demonic hands again. "Whoa! What the hell is this?!”

  Akumu grinned, enjoying the surprise attack as she kept manipulating the claws with deadly accuracy. "Ehh, just a little trick I picked up. You think you're the only one with surprises?”

  Rica grumbled, slightly annoyed by the unexpected surprise. "Yeah, yeah, I get the point. You're full of surprises. But two can play that game.”

  Akumu smirked, her anticipation growing. "Bring it on then! Let's see what you've got.”