Tato unleashed several boiling spouts of water around Zalgo, aiming to scald her from all directions.

  Zalgo jumped into the air, avoiding the boiling water.

  "You really play dirty, huh?”

  Tato smirked, her eyes locking onto Zalgo.

  "When it comes to combat, anything goes.”

  "I respect that. But don't expect to get away that easily!"

  Zalgo summoned three spears and threw them at Tato with incredible accuracy.

  Tato quickly dodged two of them, while blocking the third one with another water shield made from scalding hot water.

  Zalgo retracted her spears, holding them as she watched Tato carefully.

  "You're good at defending, I'll give you that. But what about offense? Can you attack as well as you defend?”

  Tato smirked, preparing her best attack.

  "Oh, I can attack pretty well, alright. Just watch this…”

  Tato shot a jet of scalding hot water at Zalgo at incredible speed, the water being powerful enough to pierce through the toughest rocks.

  Zalgo quickly dodged the water jet, but some of it came dangerously close, nearly hitting her.

  "Whoa! Now that's some serious firepower you've got there.”

  Tato grinned at the praise, her eyes glinting with determination.

  “Thanks, I've honed my Projection abilities. Now let's see how you handle this next move of mine.”

  Zalgo let out a sarcastic chuckle.

  "Go ahead. I'm ready for whatever you throw my way.”

  Tato smirked, confident in her next move.

  "Good. This one's called the 'Boiling Geyser'.”

  Tato summoned a large amount of boiling hot water and compressed it into a geyser, firing it at Zalgo at blazing speed.

  Zalgo quickly dodged the geyser, narrowly avoiding it.

  "Damn, you really know how to use that boiling water to your advantage, don't you?”

  "Of course. Water may seem harmless on its own, but when used strategically, it can be a very deadly weapon.”

  Zalgo let out a hearty chuckle, impressed by Tato's knowledge of water combat.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "I have to admit, you're quite skillful with water, I'll give you that. But can you handle my next move?"

  Zalgo took all four of her spears and made them whirl like a cyclone, sending them at Tato.

  Tato dodged some of the spinning spears, but the others managed to graze her body again.

  "Ugh... That stings…”

  Zalgo nodded, relishing in the fact that she was landing good hits on Tato's body.

  "You seem to be slowing down a bit. Getting tired already?”

  Zalgo chuckled, amused by Tato's tenacity.

  "You're certainly stubborn, I'll give you that. But how long can you keep fighting before you collapse from exhaustion?”

  Tato grunted, her breathing growing ragged from exhaustion.

  "I can...keep going for a...lot longer.”

  Zalgo raised an eyebrow.

  "You sure about that? You don't look like you can even stand straight. How about this?"

  Zalgo infused a large amount of aura into her spears and sent them flying at Tato, expending half of her aura for the attack.

  Tato dodged as best as she could, but the spears were fast, and one of them sliced her leg wide, blood spurting from the wound with the bone beneath visible.

  "Ah, damn it!”

  "Geez," Rachel said, "Zalgo cut Tato's leg right open, that's gonna need some crazy surgery to get fixed up."

  Nika nodded in agreement, her eyes glued to the arena. "Yeah, that's definitely gonna be one crazy wound to heal, but the Coliseum's medics are super good so she'll be okay.”

  Yuki agreed, observing the graphic display in the arena. "Yeah, I've seen them heal severe burns, broken bones, and shattered body parts, so a cut leg shouldn't be much of a challenge.”

  Nika crossed her arms, her focus still on the match. "For sure. We've even seen them heal major gashes and punctured internal organs. Those medics are like miracle workers.”

  Yuki smirked, her gaze locked on the arena. "Yeah, and not only that, but they can heal some serious wounds in just a few seconds. I swear, those medics are out of this world.”

  Back to the fight, Zalgo watched as Tato sat on the arena floor, her leg bleeding profusely. She knew the match was well over as she needs urgent medical attention now, so she casted her spears away and let her guard down completely.

  Tato remained seated, clutching her bleeding leg, her breaths ragged as the blood kept flowing. Her vision was getting more blurry, her ears rang and she began to feel woozy.

  Zalgo approached Tato, her expression a mix of concern and respect. "Tato, you need to forfeit the match so the staff can heal that gash, okay?”

  Tato's gaze was unfocused, but she managed to respond weakly. "Yeah... I... I think..." she winced, "I think I'm in no good condition to keep going at this rate."

  Tato raised a weak hand as she looked over at Marco, who looked ready to call an end to the match as it was from seeing the depth of her injury.

  "I...forfeit..." Tato said resolutely.

  Marco announced, waving his hand in the air.

  "Tato has forfeited the match! The winner is..." He made a pause for the suspense. "...Zalgo!". A massive cheer erupted from the audience. The Coliseum's medical team cut to the chase, picking up the severely-injured Tato and rolling her away on a stretcher.

  The girls cheered for Zalgo's victory, Yuki and Nika high-fiving each other, while Rachel leaned back on her arms and let out a deep sigh of excitement.

  Yuki smirked, her excitement still high from the adrenaline of the fight. "Damn, that was one hell of a match. And Zalgo's skills seem pretty good for a beginner Void Mage.”

  Nika nodded in agreement, her excitement evident. "Yeah, she's got some decent skills and a calm demeanor. It's like she was a different person in the arena.”

  Rachel chimed in, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Exactly! She was determined, composed, and focused on the task at hand. It's like a complete transformation from her usual laid-back self.”

  Yuki laughed softly. "Yeah, it's like she becomes a different person altogether when she fights. Her calmness and focus in the arena are impressive. It must be a hell of a transformation.”

  Nika nodded, her curiosity piqued. "Speaking of transformations, I wonder if other participants will show a similar change in personality when they start fighting. We've only seen five matches so far, but I can't help but wonder what the others are like when they're battling. Let's see.”