Tiafell - The Femboy Elf Ch. 26

Author's note: Thanks for your patience. Chapter 27 should be published sooner after this one, so you won't have to wait long to see how this battle ends.

All characters are over the age of 18. Comments and feedback are welcome, enjoy!

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Chapter 26: "The Army of Five": Part 1

In an open field not far from Janazheim, an intense beam of white energy was launched into the sky, parting the atmosphere. Trista was panting heavily, holding her staff in front of her.

"Incredible!" Samora clapped her hands. "I have never seen anyone release so much energy all at once! That much holy magic would eviscerate Dred in an instant!"

"I've done it..." Trista wiped sweat from her forehead. "I have surpassed where I was before Dred took control over my mind. It's all thanks to you!" She threw herself at her training partner, hugging her tightly. Samora returned the hug.

"Hey, I should be thanking YOU! Because of our training, I am now stronger than Father was in his prime. At last, I am worthy of being his successor!" The witch complemented the younger woman. "You are the truly amazing one here, Trista. I may have surpassed Father, but you have soared beyond us both. I challenge anyone to find a mage in all of Elistria more powerful than you are!" She thought to herself.

"I'm glad I could be a good partner for you!"

"You are like your brother in many ways."

Trista pulled away. "What do you mean?"

"Like Tiafell, you share your life energy with those you make love to, unlike most succubae who steal it from others. Basically, you are sharing your strength with us, making our training even more effective." Samora explained.

"I... had no idea..." Tears streamed from Trista's eyes. "I'm so happy that I'm useful to you."

"You're more than useful, you're valuable!" Samora wiped her partner's tears away. "It's not your ability to strengthen us that makes you valuable, it's your loving nature. You are as sweet and kind-hearted as your brother, our dark world needs more people like that."

Trista melted into Samora's touch. "Speaking Tiafell, he and the others are there now, right?"

"Yes, they should be. I hope things are going well, I fear they will be forced to win King Escandar's approval through battle. They could even be fighting him and his Elite Royal Guard as we speak."

"They'll do it, I have faith in my brother and his friends!"

"So do I, honey. But they face an uphill battle. 'The Army of Five' have successfully fended off many Adruian soldiers by themselves every time they have tried to invade Gashua. King Escandar himself is known as the mightiest warrior in the kingdom, being the strongest of the five. He is undefeated in battle, even in sparring."

"You said so yourself, the point is to prove their resolve, not win. They'll do it!" Trista affirmed.

"You're right." Samora nodded. "Come on, we should get going."

"Alright!"

The two women's staves disappeared as they walked back to Ember. They mounted the witch's stead and continued their journey to Janazheim, the castle and the city's walls were visible in the distance.

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With Vasati's command, the exhibition match between Tiafell and his friends, and 'The Army of Five', began. Except for the mages, both sides charged toward each other, battle cries ringing out through the arena. Loud clashes of wood were heard in unison, with Nadia and Oletta engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

"Damn he's strong!" Tiafell thought as he pressed his weapon against the King's. "It feels like I'm up against an entire group!!"

"I should have crushed this scrawny, girly elf with my first strike, yet he's holding me back!!" King Escandar observed, shocked by the display of strength from the much smaller fighter. The two combatants continued to push against each other, neither of them gaining ground.

Meanwhile, the amazonian duo of Brion and Kanah met with the lancer Rhydra and her partner Serin. Rhydra blocked Kanah's axe while Serin parried Brion's claymore with her own.

"You two are definitely not amateurs, let's see how well your training holds up against us!" Rhydra taunted.

"Oh, don't worry, we'll teach you to never underestimate Steelweld!" Kanah roared, pulling her axe away for another attack.

Nadia and Oletta exchanged punches and kicks, all of which were blocked. They locked hands in a power struggle.

"You haven't been knocked on your ass yet, nice!" Oletta smirked.

"Oh chica, I'm not even beginning to get started!" Nadia grinned.

Hinako, who had not engaged Cirris and Mirya, sat on her staff, floating.

"We should relocate, don't want the others getting caught in our crossfire." The Oriental mage suggested.

"Fine with me." Cirris answered.

"Agreed, I think that is for the best." Mirya nodded. The mage twins mounted their staves and followed Hinako to an area dozens of yards away from the others.

"This will do." Hinako dismounted her staff, with her opponents doing the same. "Now, show me how much of your grandfather's talent you two have inherited. Hold nothing back, your lives may depend on it!"

"Very well!" Cirris was the first to launch an attack. He gathered energy into a ball above his staff, then hurled it. The ball separated into several smaller ones. Hinako dodged all of them gracefully, sending out ice crystals at Cirris, who swatted them away with his wooden sword. She felt wind blowing around her and noticed the orbs were coming back, being carried by the current. Mirya was holding her staff out to control the wind. Their opponent launched herself upward to avoid the impact of the orbs colliding, which created a small explosion.

"Not too shabby. Allow me to show you the proper way to use that technique." Floating in the air, Hinako raised her staff and launched a torrent of energy orbs that were like Cirris'. Mirya raised her hand, summoning a wall of earth out of the ground to shield them. The orbs hit the wall with tremendous force.

"The wall isn't going to hold for long, even if we reinforce it. Our best bet will be to conceal our movements somehow!" Cirris was watching Hinako closely.

"I have an idea!" Mirya spread the dust from the explosions over their fighting area. She then created barriers around herself and her brother so their breathing and vision would not be affected by the dust cloud, it also concealed their presence. "I think it's best we separate; she could take us both out at once if we stay together!"

"Good thinking, Sis, give her more targets to worry about. Let's go!" The twins ran off in opposite directions just as the wall crumbled. Though unable to see them, Hinako realized they had moved from behind cover.

"Hm, I cannot sense them. What are they planning?" She scattered her attack over the entire area rather than focusing on a single point.

"Damn, she certainly isn't making it easy for us." Cirris growled. "Luckily for us, she won't see this coming!" A flaming rock emerged from the dust below, speeding toward Hinako. She darted out of its path.

"Ha! Gave yourself away!!" The elite mage cast lightning from her hand down to the origin of the rock, only to hit the ground. Raising an eyebrow, she turned and saw several of the same objects homing in on her, which she expertly dodged.

"Are you even trying? A novice wouldn't be hit by these! I know the grandchildren of Marlon can do better than this!" She had become annoyed; it was too easy for her. Cirris flew upward, facing her. "It seems as though the smoke obscured your vision as well, were you hoping to hit me without being able to see?" Hinako scolded him.

"Who said we were trying to hit you?" Cirris pointed at the rocks, revealing to his opponent that she was surrounded. "Try to escape THIS!"

The male twin swiped his staff, which directed every flaming rock to fly forward. All of them collided onto Hinako at once with a deafening boom, trapping her in a tomb of molten stone. The encased mage was helpless, crashing onto the ground. A pillar of flames rose into the sky, raining tiny burning pebbles across the area. Cirris touched down next to his sister who cleared the smoke away.

"Did we go too far?" Mirya was concerned they had seriously injured her or worse.

"They say Hinako is 'The Modern Day Marlon', we've only pissed her off if anything. Let's take this time to plan our next move." Cirris and Mirya bought themselves time to rest and come up with a new strategy, knowing their opponent could counter-attack at any moment.

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Brion and Kanah blocked and parried the strikes of Serin and Rhydra while launching their own. Their elite opponents were fantastic fighters and had the edge on them, but the warriors of Steelweld were determined to stay in the battle.

During one melee, Rhydra thrusted her javelin at Brion, only to have it struck downward by Kanah's axe. Her cousin moved in to land a hit on the ebony warrior but was forced to jump back when Serin swiped at him, narrowly missing his face. He tried to counter but was blocked by Rhydra. The two amazonian cousins jumped back again to regroup.

"Shit, they really DO work well together!" Kanah growled.

"Stay focused, we must continue to observe them and find an opening." Brion told her quietly.

"You can watch us all you want, but whatever you come up with won't matter with your slow speed and reflexes." Serin warned.

"I know fighters trained by Lady Cleyene herself can do better than this! Come, try again!" Rhydra chided them.

Brion and Kanah glanced at each other, whispered a single word, then rushed to Serin and Rhydra, who raised their weapons in response. When they were within striking range, the younger battlers converged on Serin, choosing to double team her.

"Divide and conquer? A wise move, under normal circumstances." Rhydra thought to herself.

Brion slashed at Serin; his wooden claymore being swatted away by hers. At the same time, Kanah swung her axe at her, barely missing her head. As they prepared to attack her again, Rhydra thrusted her javelin at Kanah but missed. The female amazonian ignored the ebony knight and continued to help Brion take Serin on.

"You're a little bit of a handful, fighting both of you by myself is somewhat challenging!" Serin admitted. "But ignoring my partner will cost you dearly!"

Kanah did not see Rhydra's kick coming until just before the knight's shin connected with her collarbone. The short warrior slid along the ground until she came to a stop on her stomach.

"Kanah!" Brion shouted. Try as he might to defend himself, he was easily overwhelmed by the duo. Serin held his claymore down with her own, then Rhydra rammed her javelin into his right shoulder, sending him to the ground with his cousin.

"Brion!" Kanah screamed, crawling over to him. "Are you alright??" Brion groaned as he turned onto his side. His right arm hung limply.

"She dislocated my shoulder... pop it back in, will you?" Brion said through gritting teeth and sheering pain.

"Yeah, hold on. I just hope they will actually let me." Kanah took hold of his arm, twisting it into position.

"Go ahead, finishing you two off would be too easy right now." Rhydra shrugged.

"Consider yourselves lucky we are so honorable." Serin scoffed. "Anyone else would have already killed you."

"Gee, thanks." Kanah rolled her eyes. "Okay, one, two, three!" With a loud pop, Brion cried out when his shoulder was put back in place. Wincing, he twisted his restored arm around.

"Good as new, thanks." He gave his cousin a nod, then allowed her to help him up.

"Buy me some pizza later and we'll call it even!" Kanah smiled.

The two warriors of Steelweld prepared to go another round with Serin and Rhydra, realizing the uphill battle they were facing was steeper than they initially thought.

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Nadia and Oletta held their guard up, their arms showing defensive wounds.

"So, this is Subayaite? It's something else, I've never seen anything like it." Nadia complemented her opponent.

"You recognize it? Cool, not a lot of people know about this discipline." Oletta smiled. "Knowing about it won't be enough to beat me though!"

"Oh, don't worry chica, I'm still just warming up!" Nadia dashed in front of Oletta in an instant to deliver a roundhouse kick. The elite guard ducked and swept the dhampir's other foot out from under her. Falling onto her back, Nadia rolled away to avoid being stomped on. She was able to launch herself back up to throw punches that were expertly blocked. Sensing a very brief opening, Oletta landed a jab onto the vampire's face, stunning her. She then hit her with a series of fast punches to her chest and stomach, finishing the combo with an upward kick to the face that sent the vampire airborne. Nadia hit the ground with a hard thud.

"Be glad you're half vampire, babe, that move breaks the ribs of most humans!" Oletta bragged. "Feel free to tell me what a badass I am any time you want!" She put her hands on her hips and laughed.

"Oh, you are a badass, I won't deny that!" Nadia sat up, wiping blood from her lip. "But I'm pretty badass myself, as you're about to find out!" The vampire stood, then resumed her stance.

"Well, you can certainly take a punch, I'll give you that much." Oletta chuckled, raising her fists. "But you're gonna need to land a decent strike if you hope to convince me you're not full of shit!"

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Vasati observed each fight from a safe distance, analyzing all of them.

"Tiafell's friends are hanging in there despite being clearly outmatched." The elf looked toward Tiafell and Escandar. "Their battle is the most shocking! Of everyone fighting, those two are the most evenly matched! The members of the Elite Royal Guard are most certainly going to win, but Tiafell is holding his own against the King, I can't see a clear winner between them!" The fighters in question were locked in another struggle, the two trying to overpower the other. Though he was more than a foot taller and had a much bulkier body, the monarch seemed to have met his match in the slender bodied Tiafell.

"This elf is unlike any opponent I've ever faced! He has an unbelievable amount of power for someone so much smaller than me!" Deciding to take a chance, Escandar removed his right hand from his weapon to draw it back, then sent it toward Tiafell. However, the hybrid elf hopped back to avoid it, then jumped and kicked the King across his jaw, the strike almost knocked him down. He then attempted to strike at his larger opponent's exposed body but was blocked, Escandar had recovered in time to protect himself.

"You surprise me." Escandar grinned. "You are one hell of a fighter!"

"I would say the same to you." Tiafell responded.

"Impossible!" Serin was stunned.

"How is that scrawny elf holding his own against the King?" Oletta was distracted and blindsided by Nadia, who capitalized on her opponent. The dhampir unloaded her own flurry of blows. Serin and Rhydra paid the price in a similar fashion, both getting wooden weapons to the gut.

"Tiafell is our strongest fighter, but he never ceases to amaze even us!" Nadia declared.

"His strength inspires us to push ourselves even harder!" Brion added.

"If he has a shot of beating the King, we can beat all of you!" Kanah was getting pumped.

Initially caught by surprise, the three elite guards came to their senses and broke the momentum of their opponents, countering and sending them back.

"King Escandar inspires us the same way!" Rhydra roared.

"Savor the flavor, 'cuz you won't catch us off guard again!" Oletta screamed.

As if responding to her comrades, the flames around Hinako blazed and expanded, forcing Cirris and Mirya to retreat.

"She's taken control of the fire!" Mirya was shielding her eyes. Cirris unleashed a torrent of energy orbs at the flames, only to watch as they were absorbed.

"She's using the fire to protect herself! Stay sharp, there's no telling what" Cirris was struck by a lightning bolt that was fired from within the flames. He flew back and rolled across the ground, breaking his wood sword along the way.

"Cirris!" Mirya yelled, barely erecting a barrier in time to defend against the bolt that was launched at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Cirris weakly stood up, tossing his broken weapon aside. "Those shots are precise for someone standing on the other side of that wall of fire. How can she see or sense us from in there?"

"Our staves are made of metal; we're targets as long as we hold them!"

"Dammit, you're right!" The twins reluctantly discarded their staves, which vanished seconds after leaving their hands. "She won't hit us as easily, but our attacks won't have as much of an impact."

"It's a risk we'll have to take! Protect me while I use 'tsunami'!" Mirya closes her eyes to chant.

"Gotcha!" Cirris stood in front of his sister. Lightning bolts continued to fly around them, but only a few hit the barrier around the siblings. "Her aim is off now but it's still too close for comfort."

Each moment that Mirya took to chant her spell seemed like an eternity as lightning flew around them. Finally, her incantation ended, creating a roaring tsunami to appear behind them. Cirris manifested his staff to carry them into the air out of the cascading water's path. The current overwhelmed the flames and put them out, vanishing along with the fire.

"Do you see her anywhere?" Mirya looked around.

"Down there!" Cirris pointed to a hole in the ground where Hinako fell earlier. "She's gone underground!"

"It's okay, ground-based magic won't affect us up here!" Mirya was confident until several stone pillars rose from the dirt. "Unless she does that!"

"I can't believe it, I've never heard of anyone other than Grandfather using this spell!" Sweat rolled down Cirris' forehead.

Eyes opened from the tips of each pillar, each of them glowing. Rapid fire energy orbs blasted from every eye, bombarding the twin's barrier mercilessly.

Cirris flew around in zigzag patterns, attempting to outmaneuver the attacks. No matter what he did, the pillars were everywhere, and all of them were launching orbs at them. It wasn't long before the twins had nowhere left to run, having no choice but to hope their barrier could withstand the assault. The protective veil surrounding them was pounded heavily as hundreds of orbs peppered it. Cracks formed within seconds; their only protection was fading fast.

"Cirris, we can't defend against this..." Mirya lamented.

"I know, goddammit..." Her brother closed his eyes.

The shield protecting them shattered, leaving the twins helpless. Their bodies rocked violently as orbs hit them. Cirris was unable to keep them hovering and fell with his sister. They laid on the ground unable to get up, their outfits were ragged. Hinako appeared in front of them, her own outfit in tatters and her left breast fully exposed.

"Cirris and Mirya are unable to continue, Hinako is the winner!" Vasati shouted.

Hinako's staff disappeared; she then knelt to speak to the twins. "You'll be okay in a bit, just hold on." She held her hand over them, casting a warm healing light. "My offensive spells are matched by few, but healing magic is my most potent ability. Mine surpasses even Marlon's in his prime, you're in good hands."

"We didn't stand a chance..." Mirya was close to tears.

"I bet you think we let our grandfather down, huh?" Cirris gritted his teeth.

"Nope, on the contrary! With some more training, you two may become two of the most powerful mages in history!" The Oriental mage complemented them. "You've done Marlon and your mother proud!"

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you." Cirris looked up at her, then immediately looked away, realizing he looked right at her bare breast.

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Hinako giggled. "You two have proven your worth as far as I'm concerned. I may let you see everything else as a reward later, I'm not shy!" She winked.

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Recovering from the earlier distraction, Serin and Rhydra resumed their assault, though Brion and Kanah were putting up more of a fight thanks to being inspired by Tiafell.

"Serin, let's try 'Cyclone'." Rhydra suggested.

"Sure, let's do it!" Serin clasped her free hand into her partner's. Rhydra then began to spin in circles, lifting her comrade into the air. Spinning, Serin pointed her weapon outward. Gaining tremendous speed quickly, the duo was spinning so fast they seemed to merge into a single mass.

"How can we approach them now??" Kanah shouted.

"That's not our only problem, do you feel that?" Brion felt a pull.

"Yeah! It feels like we are being sucked in!"

The spinning duo had created a vacuum that was pulling their opponents toward them. Brion and Kanah felt the pull growing stronger as the cyclone spun faster and faster. Eventually, Kanah's body was lifted off the ground and flew forward, only to be immediately caught by Brion who grabbed her wrist just in time.

"SHIT!! Thank you!!" Kanah was trying not to panic.

"We're even. I've always joked that you were small enough to be blown away in the wind, but I never imaged I would actually see it!"

"Now's not the time for jokes asshole!"

Brion observed the vortex, ignoring Kanah's protests. "Instead of blowing us away, they are sucking us in. We'll be busy trying to stand our ground rather than mounting any kind of countermeasure. At that speed, being hit by Serin's sword could be fatal, even if it is fake. I don't see a way to counter this."

"Throw me!"

"What?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said throw me!!" Kanah yelled. "Throw me above them! I can hit them from above!"

"It's worth a shot. Look at you, coming up with strategies!" Brion chuckled. "It's risky, but it's our only option. Okay, get ready!"

Brion buried the tip of his wooden claymore into the ground to anchor himself, then hurled his cousin over the cyclone. Though the pull from above wasn't as strong, Kanah was still being drawn in but going toward the center instead.

"We've got you now!" Kanah roared, preparing to strike with her axe. However, Rhydra's javelin rose upward and repelled her. The female amazonian fell into the cyclone, spinning with the others.

"Kanah!" Brion called out to her, barely holding onto his weapon.

The spinning slowed enough for Kanah to be flung through the air and crash into the wall of the arena yards away. The female warrior bounced off and landed on the ground with a heavy impact, knocking her out.

"Kanah of Steelweld has been defeated!" Vasati declared. The rejuvenated Cirris and Mirya flew to her side with Hinako, who began working to heal her.

As Serin and Rhydra slowed down, Brion seized the opportunity to attack them before they stopped. Enraged, he threw caution to the wind with no consideration for strategy, he only wanted to get back at them.

"They'll be too dizzy to see me coming, I can knock them both out!" Brion readied his weapon.

"Foolish, and he's the level-headed one." Rhydra sighed. When Brion was within striking distance, the ebony elite guard rammed the hilt of her weapon into his gut, doubling him over. "Surrender, you have no chance against us alone."

"Never! Amazonians will die before surrendering!" When Brion rose to attack, Serin slashed the edge of her wooden claymore across his torso, sending him back into the dirt. Gritting his teeth, Brion feebly attempted to stand back up, only to fall onto his back.

"Brion of Steelweld has fallen, making Serin and Rhydra the winners!" Vasati announced. Rhydra picked her defeated opponent up and threw him over her shoulder, causing him to cry out.

"Fear not, son of Cleyene." Rhydra started. "Hinako will heal your wounds. You and your cousin have represented your people well; you have nothing to be ashamed of, my friend."

"Indeed, your strength is exceeded only by your iron will." Serin smiled. Once by Hinako's side, Rhydra gently placed Brion next to Kanah under Hinako's healing spell.

"Um, Hinako? Are you even going to attempt to cover yourself?" Serin was appalled by the fact Hinako was not attempting to conceal her exposed breast.

"Oh, come on, what's a titty among friends?" The mage winked, then giggled.

"I work with perverts..." Serin facepalmed. Cirris, Mirya, Hinako, and Rhydra laughed.

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"Looks like it's just you and the elf left." Oletta taunted, blocking one of Nadia's punches.

"Don't count us out yet! Tiafell and I are the strongest in our group!" The vampire fired back. "He's giving the King a run for his money, and I'm about to do the same to you!!"

"I get that demons and vampires are normally stronger than humans. However, 'The Army of Five' is made up entirely of humans, so don't count us out!" Oletta yelled, nailing a kick to Nadia's side that momentarily broke her stance.

"I know better than to underestimate humans, I'm half-human myself!" Nadia sneered. "The warriors of Steelweld, mages, and you guys have proven what you are capable of! But don't you dare take US lightly either!" With a surge of adrenaline, Nadia flew forth and landed a strike onto Oletta's nose, knocking her back. Keeping the momentum going, she followed with a few more jabs, forcing her opponent to defend herself.

"Daaang, look at Nadia go!" Kanah cheered, having regained consciousness, fully healed. She, along with the others who were no longer fighting, sat in seats inside a booth.

"That is certainly surprising." Serin said. "But what's more shocking is your elven friend. He is fighting His Majesty to a stalemate!"

"Though we can fight on par with him for a time, none of us can last this long against him in one-on-one matches." Rhydra added. "Not even Hinako's magic can stop him for long." They watched both remaining battles as best they could, with neither Tiafell or King Escandar showing a clear advantage over each other.

Nadia continued her barrage, leaving Oletta unable to do anything other than defend herself. However, the vampire began to slow down, becoming tired, which gave the elite the opening she needed hit her with a right cross that stunned Nadia. Instead of retaliating, Oletta used the chance to put some distance between them so she could recover. Her arms were covered with fist-sized red marks and her nose was bleeding from the initial strike.

"Looks like I'm making some headway!" Nadia bragged, panting.

"Nice! It's too bad you're getting tired though. I'm going to end this fight with my next attack!" Oletta pressed her palms together, gathering small particles of pale-yellow light into her body.

"She's gathering energy, or 'chi' as she calls it." Hinako explained. "It's a basic martial arts technique, but few have mastered it to the degree that Oletta has. By borrowing energy from the environment around us, she will temporarily become stronger, faster, and more durable."

"So, we're going THAT route? Fine, two can play at that game!" Nadia did the same, the energy forming around her turned purple.

"She's doing the same thing but converting it into vampiric energy. Come on, Fang Girl!" Cirris shouted, rooting for Nadia.

"GO!!" Nadia held her hands out, summoning a massive swarm of purple bats and sending them toward Oletta. The pixie-haired fighter ran forward with greatly enhanced speed and agility, moving through the colony without any of the bats touching her.

"I've never seen anyone dodge Nadi's bats like that!" Mirya was floored.

Oletta edged closer to Nadia, closing the distance. The dhampir summoned a pack of purple wolves which joined the fray. Unable to avoid them, she struck each of the pseudo-canines and was able to outrun the explosions that followed due to her increased speed. The blasts caused a chain reaction that set off all the bats, including the ones in front of Nadia. Though unharmed, she could not see anything around her due to the smoke.

"Fuck! Where is she??" Nadia desperately looked around. Unfortunately for her, by the time she saw Oletta, it was already too late. The guard kneed the dhampir in the gut and sent her flying helplessly across the arena at a wall. Nadia's friends gasped, concerned that she would not survive hitting the stone surface at such speed. However, Oletta was fast enough to run in front and catch her opponent, causing the two of them to fall to the ground and roll together. After stopping, Nadia curled into a ball, holding her stomach. The elite martial artists rose, raising her fist triumphantly. Her outfit was ripped so badly it was barely staying on her body, showing a lot of skin but no nudity.

"Nadia cannot continue, thus making Oletta the winner!" Vasati announced.

Oletta picked Nadia up and began carrying her to the booth. The vampire whimpered from the pain. Tiafell and Escandar, now the last two combatants, ceased their fight to watch.

"That was the most fun I've had in a while, babe!!" Oletta excitedly told her. "Stick around so you and I can play some more, 'kay?" She gave her a toothy grin. Nadia was only able to groan in response.

"Here, set her down gently." Hinako instructed her when they arrived at the booth. Oletta did so, allowing the mage to heal her.

"Hey, I like the fashion statement! Let the boobies breathe!" Oletta grinned devilishly, lightly patting the underside of Hinako's exposed breast.

"Olettaaaaaa! Not in front of everyone!" Hinako blushed, smiling coyly.

"As I said, perverts..." Serin shook her head.

"This only leaves Tiafell and the King." Vasati grew nervous. "Be careful, my old friend. His Excellency has gone easy on you so far, but now..."

Escandar laughed boisterously. "Looks like you and I are the only ones left. We have played around long enough, what do you think?"

"We have." Tiafell resumed a fighting stance.

"You and your friends have done well, facing superior warriors despite the odds being stacked against you. Bravery in the face of overwhelmingly terrible odds is what we were looking for, and all of you have it!" Escandar praised him and his friends as he took a similar stance. "But our fight isn't finished, and it won't be until one of us wins!"

"I feel the same way." Tiafell responded with a smirk forming on his face. Thin red mist formed around him.

"I must admit, I held back so I could measure your skills without hurting you. However, you've proven yourself worthy of my true power." Escandar confessed.

"I've been holding back as well." Tiafell calmed his energy to reign his demonic nature in. "But now, I'm going to give you my all as well! Get ready!!"

Tiafell and King Escandar stood still. The arena was silent as the spectators watched with bated breath. One thing was certain: the duel between their best fighters was going to be the main event, and it would be the most brutal yet.