Chapter 236: Chapter 213 : Martial Grandmaster Vs Combat Master (Part 3)

Ray’s fighting style wasn’t as flashy as Ralf’s, still, you wouldn’t find any person in the audience complaining. They sat enthralled and in silence as he demonstrated his skills.

Boxing, Wing Chun and Tai Chi; these martial arts embodied his preferred fighting style to a tie. Instead of kicks, punches dominated his attacks, and instead of fire, it was lighting that epitomised his offence. If Ralf’s general attacks could be labelled ‘big', Ray’s were light and quick, lightning-quick.

Speedy as they were, his attacks weren't too frequent, appearing as random flashes in a rumbling storm. Most of his time in the ring was spent evenly between evading - with the minimalist of movements - and redirecting - with the deftest of touches.

Tai Chi wasn’t exactly hailed as a renowned martial art. Most considered it useless, no more than esoteric dances. Ray disagreed. It wasn’t that the style was useless, it’s just that the requirements to make it practical were too extreme for most people to accomplish.

Nailing the timing, accurately calculating the moment-to-moment force calculations, and having the composure to follow through with a technique without faltering; not anybody could do this. Ray could though. After an inordinate amount of training, he had become an expert in the act.

But just as with his dodges, he couldn’t redirect every attack, nor could he keep up the parries forever, still, he was skilled enough to handle most attacks that came his way.

Of his attacking options, Ray utilised boxing the most. He opted for a closed Boxing stance, choosing jabs as his primary weapon with the occasional haymaker to keep his opponent on their toes. Instead of trying to end the fight immediately, he chipped away, looking for the right combination to open up his opponent’s safe-like guard.

Feints and fakes were more abundant in his arsenal, and so too were baiting openings. The mind games continued with Ray, and just like Ralf, he frequently switched up his style to surprise his opponent. Also, locks, grabs, and grappling attempts saw a noticeable uptick from Ray’s appearance onwards, most of which were initiated by him.

So, with all this said, how did he fare against Lamar?

The answer: more or less the same as Ralf.

He sustained fewer injuries than Ralf but at the same time, he landed fewer hits on his opponent. The difference was a hair's breadth, so inconsequential.

Lamar again mimicked his opponent’s style. The two didn’t move as much, staying in the centre, mostly circling the place as they traded probing attacks.

Ray’s attempts at locks and holds remained just that…attempts. Lamar was too slippery, always responding in time and perfectly at that. He returned the favour but saw no success as Ray proved himself to be just as slippery.

Lamar didn’t chase too hard though. He was content to let the clock run out. He recognized Ray as a fearsome opponent who deserved his full attention and caution, but at the same time, he wouldn't - couldn't - pass on the opportunity to trade blows with Silver.

He had been entranced by the fused being since watching the Combat Arena footage of him and had been anticipating a meeting for the longest time, so wouldn’t squander such a golden - no Silver opportunity. And so, he weathered the storm that Ray.

The seconds passed by agonisingly slow to his superhuman mind but finally, the two-minute mark had been reached. He slipped a punch before throwing himself back to end the exchange. Seeing Ray remain in place, he smiled and relaxed his stance.

Ray did the same, before sighing a lengthy sigh.

“Looks like you couldn't get the job done either," Lamar said with a chuckle. “It’s been two minutes, a promise is a promise.”

A wry smile crept onto Ray’s face. “That it is. Your wish will be granted at once…just don’t come to regret it.”

Saying his last words with an ominous undertone, Ray shut his eyes and tilted his head upward before running his hand through his hair. As he did, his shadow expanded, igniting with Endera Flames, which then quickly moved to engulf his figure.

Instead of dissipating as flickering flames, the vanta Psi transformed into the Black Coffin. The familiar sight wowed the audience but no more than what followed. To everyone’s surprise, the three Mimics’ Psi rushed to Ray’s side.

Fwooosh!

Tssss!

Bzzzz!

A tornado formed around the coffin, first made of pure wind before becoming a flaming vortex. Riding these winds were lightning snakes, which let off thundering crackles as they did. Snowflakes attempted to do the same but were barred entry by the intense heat, becoming steam in an instant.

The combination was a mesmerising sight. The crowd ate it up with gaping mouths and awe-stricken expressions. They were speechless at the impromptu performance.

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In reality, the Mimics' actions were arranged. Ray had secretly communicated instructions to Violet, who then shared them with Charlotte and the others. Sigurd, who was also informed of their demonstration, erected Psi barriers to protect the crowd and Lamar.

Blue, orange, red, violet...

The vortex flashed in various colours but only as it came apart ten seconds later did it reveal the most important colour.

The Black Coffin shattered to reveal Silver, who after a few seconds of idleness, ‘destroyed’ the surrounding vortex with an omnidirectional telekinetic blast. The Mimics’ Psi vacated the area at once but their elemental effects lingered on for a bit; wind, lightning and snowflakes swirling around the fused being's figure along with dirt, stone fragments and procrastinating blue and black Psi particles.

Taking in his image, all were reduced to silence. The flashy spectacle was something, but even more spellbinding was Silver himself. Just standing there calmly, eyes shut, he caused an invisible pressure to descend upon all who observed him, be it near or far.

In his presence, bathed in his aura of dominance and superiority, hearts - no, souls - were stirred into a frenzy. The mental signal played its part in this phenomenon but there was clearly more to it, as even Lamar, who was shielded from these EM waves was similarly affected.

Had he had hair on his neck, it would certainly be standing on end at this moment. His body tensed up, his heartbeat sped up and his breathing became shorter. When Silver opened his eyelids a second later, all these biological processes saw an uptick. Where confidence filled the duo’s gaze, certainty filled Silver’s. What he was certain of need not be questioned or stated. Gulps sounded in mass as the audience imagined themselves on the other end of his domineering gaze.

Lamar though, vibrated with ecstasy.

‘This is it! This is what I've been waiting for! How long has it been since I’ve got this feeling...since Dimitri, haha, Silver Silver Silver, I knew he could bring this out of me. Our battle will be spoken of in legends,’ the Martial Grandmaster thought, a giddy smile springing to his face.

“Ah?”

“This is him…Silver?”

“Whoa…”

In the passing seconds, the audience, both near and far, remembered to breathe and began finding their voices.

Silver let the crowd find their bearings. His gaze swept over the blackened and cracked tiles around him. He had mentioned in his message to Violet that they should try to avoid damaging the platform as best they could, but with the union technique being cooked up on the spot, he couldn’t quite blame them. Instead, he turned to them and conveyed his appreciation with a nod and an EM message. Having his fill of their smiles and ‘thumbs up’s, he refocused on his opponent.

“Silver, I presume.”

At Lamar’s start, the stands returned to silence. No one wanted to miss a single phoneme from these individuals.

“You presume, correctly. I am Silver..." the fused being calmly stated, before continuing his introduction internally, ’...the Undefeated.'

“Aha, excellent excellent. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while. To fight and beat the truly strong is what I live for. Ray and Ralf were tough opponents themselves...but they were slightly lacking, lacking something I hope you have. You’ve been hyped up to the Heavenly Plane, don’t disappoint me.”

Silver’s lips curled up but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. At the sight, all who saw it were briefly transported to the inside of a raging storm - at least that was what they felt like as chills and tingles zigzagged across their spines.

“Those are my words, Martial Grandmaster. You’ve proven worthy of my entrance, now prove you’re worthy of my stay. Victory will come to me in the end, all I ask is that you don’t fall too quickly.”

“Ahaha, enough words then, come, let’s have some fun, Combat Master.”

Words died down and fighting spirits revved up. The pair approached each other with slow strides. On the way, both fighters’ minds switched to their highest settings - they would need it. Anything less would guarantee defeat; their opponent was just that calibre of fighter.

Their expressions turned blank as all wandering and irrelevant thoughts were swept away. In their world, only the platform, each other and paths of victory existed. Silence reigned supreme in the area - and the Academy at large - as everyone strained their senses to capture what would happen next. People were tense, at the edge of their seats.

Silver and gold, the Combat Master's and Martial Grandmaster’s gazes remained locked throughout their approach. This staring contest ended with Lamar’s defeat as his eyelids flickered shut.

The end of this contest signalled the start of the next, much more important one. Silver pounced at the sight and the final round of the match began with a…blink.

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