The water giant raised his massive arm, which cast a dark shadow over Mako's entire body, and quickly slammed it down hard on top of Mako.
The ground shook a bit from the force of the impact, and for a heartbeat, silence fell over the crowd as nobody believed Mako could survive such a strong attack.
However, somewhere amidst the crowd, Bill knew that this fight had only just begun, as a small smirk appeared on his face now that he was able to witness that move being used on someone else.
"I knew that kid wouldn't last a hit against Rico," a person from the crowd said in glee.
The reactions were divided. Some cheered, delighted by the quick finish, while others groaned in disappointment, wishing Mako had lasted at least a little longer.
Rico continued to laugh deeply through his giant water body as he raised his arm to see Mako crushed and splattered all over the concrete, but to his surprise, Mako was nowhere to be found.
"Looking for someone!" A sound reverberated behind Rico's towering water body.
Rico shifted the water around him to quickly turn the water giant around, only to find Mako standing unharmed with his fist cocked back and glowing with a fiery aura.
'How did he dodge my attack? I'm sure that I hit him!' Rico thought with a puzzled look as he stared at Mako.
Mako didn't hesitate. He unleashed a blazing jet of fire at the water giant, and the moment it struck, the surface of Rico's watery body began to bubble and boil away in bursts of steam.
Rico retaliated in anger as he began moving towards Mako, the fire still not affecting him. He raised both his massive arms and slammed them down onto Mako once again.
[Phantom Shift has been activated]
Once again, Mako dodged Rico's attack and reappeared a few feet away from his fists, blasting him once again with a constant stream of flames.
Rico snarled inside the watery body, his towering arms lashing out and extending into furious whips that crashed across the arena floor. Each strike left cracks in the concrete, spraying water everywhere, but Mako was never there to take the hit. He blinked in and out of danger, using his Phantom Shift to stay just out of reach, always reappearing with fire at the ready.
Again and again, streams of fire shot from Mako's hands, boiling away more and more of Rico's watery armor. Steam hissed into the air, rolling across the ring like a thick fog. The crowd roared with Mako's every dodge; nobody could believe what they were witnessing.
As the fight dragged on, Mako began to read the rhythm of Rico's movements. He slowly began to adapt to the timing of the water giant's swings and the speed of his strikes, slipping past them with his own agility. This was crucial, as it meant he no longer had to rely on Phantom Shift every time, allowing him to conserve more of his energy.
For Rico, his massive form, which granted him immense strength and fortitude at the cost of his energy and stamina, had now backfired as Mako had turned this fight into a battle of endurance.
The shallow pools around the ring were being drained quickly as he pulled more water into his body, replenishing the water that was boiled off and reinforcing his collapsing limbs. But every time he rebuilt, Mako was there, burning, boiling, and forcing him to waste more energy.
Rico stomped in fury, sending a shockwave of water crashing across the ring, trying to catch Mako in a flood.
[Flame Wheel has been activated]
The flames cut right through the water, boiling the wave into more choking steam.
Rico's once-massive form had dwindled. His swings grew slower, heavier, and more desperate. He pulled water from the pools again and again, but each refill lasted less time than the last. His body groaned and rippled under the constant assault, struggling to hold shape.
"Stand still, damn you!" Rico's voice thundered from within, furious and ragged. He fired jets of water from both of his arms, sending water everywhere across the ring.
[Phantom Shift has been activated]
It looked like the water jets had hit Mako, but yet again, it was just an illusion as Mako reappeared a few feet to the right, completely unharmed.
That last attack had finally sapped Rico's energy, and he couldn't maintain his water body any longer.
The water around him quickly collapsed, but Rico wasn't knocked out just yet. He didn't have the energy to maintain a giant water body, but he could still fight one-on-one against Mako.
Rico formed two small water whips around his arms and looked up, ready to continue the fight, when all of a sudden, Mako vanished from his view.
Before he could react, a blur struck him from above. A crushing blow smashed into his head, driving him to the floor. The impact echoed, and in an instant, Rico's vision went dark.
[Phantom Kick has been activated]
For a moment, the arena fell silent. Then the crowd exploded into cheers as the announcer's voice rang out, declaring Mako the victor.
'Who is this guy?!' The thought rippled through the stands, echoing in the minds of countless spectators who had just watched their bets vanish.
Meanwhile, Bill's phone buzzed nonstop, credits flooding in from the massive payout. Across the arena, the few who had dared to bet on the underdog were grinning ear to ear, celebrating their winnings.
The chant started small, then grew louder and louder.
"BLAZE! BLAZE! BLAZE!"
[A Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]
[+500 EXP]
[User has leveled up!]
[Rewards: Random Attribute Increase, +2 Attribute points]
[Agility has been elevated to 17]
[Current Level: Level 7]
Mako stared at the system's holographic screen as he walked back to the bench, exhausted from spamming so many abilities to finally be able to take Rico down.
'500 EXP for defeating one opponent!?' Mako said to himself in disbelief, as he didn't expect such a massive EXP gain.
Mako had defeated a level 3 ability user in a fight before, which was Bill in their duel at school, but he didn't receive straight-up EXP for defeating him, as he was in the process of completing a quest.
This was the first level 3 ability user that Mako had defeated other than Bill, and he was quite happy with the rewards he was receiving.
'Open System Interface,' Mako commanded the system.
[User: Mako Grey]
[Health: 132/200] ⓘ
[Energy: 85/500] ⓘ
[EXP: 200/6400] ⓘ
[Level 7] ⓘ
[Strength: 15] ⓘ
[Agility: 17] ⓘ
[Perception: 12] ⓘ
[Intelligence: 12] ⓘ
[Mentality: 12] ⓘ
[Stamina: 12] ⓘ
[Charisma: Locked] ⓘ
[Fortitude: Locked] ⓘ
[Attribute Points: 6] ⓘ
Even without the boosts of his high-tier combat knife, Mako's stats were looking a lot better than when he faced Bill in their duel.
However, a fact that Mako seemed to overlook was that his strength alone hadn't been enough to secure his victories. Both Bill and even Rico had held the upper hand in their respective fights in terms of stats and overall battle experience. It was only because they underestimated him, and because his Phantom Skill Set served as the ace up his sleeve, that he was able to catch them off guard and win.
Victories like these were always numbered, as sooner or later, people would figure out what Mako was doing.
Mako popped a healing pill and a rejuvenating pill so that he could quickly recover his HP and expended energy, and while he was resting on the bench in the corner, observing as the next two fighters were called out for their duel, the guy with the scar on his cheek and jet black hair approached him.
"You surprised the hell out of m,e kid,