The four squared off in the center of the Crashball court. Sol and Orla were in the inner section while Reena and Thorwyn stood in front of them on the outer section with the Wreckingball in their hands.
The game was best of 10 and each round would end when either the attacking side scored once or the defenders successfully stole the ball from them gaining them one point.
"Are you ready?" One of the orc kids who served as the referee asked both teams if they were ready. Upon seeing them all affirming they were, he said, "The moment the coin lands on the ground the round starts. Ready–!"
As the kid said that he tossed the coin in the air.
As the coin flipped into the air and started making its way down, Orla suddenly asked Sol. "Savior, do you know the secret to a good defense?"
"How?"
"The best defense…" Orla paused as she waited for the moment the coin hit the floor, "Is an even better offense!"
With a powerful kick, Orla burst forward at an incredible speed. Sending herself headfirst into Reena and Thorwyn.
"Hrgn–?! (What–?!)" Not expecting the sudden approach from the defenders, Thorwyn found himself face to face with Orla.
Before he could react, Orla had already spun around and her legs wrapped halfway around Thorwyn's neck. With a powerful grip she twisted to the side, taking herself and Thorwyn to the floor in less than a second.
"Thorwyn!" Reena yelled in shock as she found her teammate already knocked to the ground entangled with Orla.
"I'll be taking that!"
In her stupor, Sol rushed up and pulled the ball out of her hands.
The whole exchange happened so fast the kid acting as referee didn't register it at first, but when he saw Sol holding the ball he immediately declared.
"Defenders win the first round! 1-0!"
Even though the kids weren't able to keep up with their speed, cheers erupted as they understood who won.
Having won the round, Orna let go of Thorwyn and made her way to Sol while celebrating who got back on his feet but still frazzled by the attack.
Thorwyn made his way to Reena, who was just coming to terms with what had happened. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips pressed into a hard line as she jabbed her finger at Sol.
"You caught me off guard! That won't happen again!" She declared with a sharp frown.
Sol smirked, spinning the ball lightly in one hand. "I hope not. It would be too easy otherwise."
"You…!" Reena grumbled, but held herself back from saying more. It was already embarrassing enough to lose in such a manner and she didn't want to embarrass herself further. Instead, she turned to Thorwyn, fire burning in her eyes. "We can't let them win, okay?"
Thorwyn nodded with equal determination. While he didn't care much for the prize itself he didn't like losing and especially the way he was so easily dealt with by Orla.
With the first round over, the two teams swapped sides. Now Sol and Orla were the attackers while Reena and Thorwyn stood ready to defend.
The referee boy held up the coin again, his voice loud and clear. "Round two! Ready…!"
The coin flipped into the air, glittering briefly in the sunlight before clinking against the stone ground.
The instant it hit, both teams surged forward.
Orla once again made a beeline for Thorwyn, her speed blistering. She launched herself into another flying tackle, but this time Thorwyn was prepared. Lightning surged over his body, arcing across his arms and shoulders as she latched onto him.
This lightning wasn't his usual signature white lightning which came from his law technique but regular yellow lightning.
"Gh—!" Orla grit her teeth as the crackling current shocked her muscles, forcing her to release him. Her frustration showed in her eyes, but she immediately switched tactics. With a sharp spin she dropped low, sweeping her leg out and catching Thorwyn off balance.
"Hrgn–!" Thorwyn stumbled, his footing broken just long enough.
In that moment Sol, ball in hand, dashed past the two of them, heading straight toward the stone hoop. His movements were smooth as he passed by and he didn't even glance at Reena as she suddenly appeared in his path, arms outstretched to block him.
He smirked. Moving around her would be simple. A single sidestep and she'd be out of the way.
But then, with his [True Sight (Variant)], he noticed a sudden surge of mana, welling up inside her body like a storm about to break.
'What—?'
Even though Reena couldn't use her space magic, she still had access to her mana and could manipulate into raw mana attacks. And while most mages wouldn't bother with such attacks as they were weaker than actual spells, with Reena's massive mana capacity and control over mana she could create terrifying attacks.
In an instant, her entire body erupted with power.
BOOM!
A massive burst of raw mana detonated outward violently.
"—Tch!" Sol dropped the ball without hesitation, crossing his arms over his chest just in time. The force slammed into him like a hurricane, dragging him back across the stone court.
Normally such an attack wouldn't even catch his attention as he had a plethora of ways to block and dodge them such as turning into shadows, [Ethereal Traversal] or the green chroma from [Polychromatism], but all of those demanded mana.
Reena, having successfully gotten the ball out of Sol's hands, saw it rolling to the side and dashed toward it with everything she had. With her arm stretched out to grab it, victory was just a few feet away.
But Sol, having endured the raw mana blast that would have flattened most people, brushed it off with pure physical might sending the mana scattering in all directions. He straightened, his gaze instantly locking onto the ball and with Reena soon reaching it.
'Not on my watch!'
His body coiled like a spring, and then he launched forward with a powerful step that cracked the stone beneath his feet.
Reena, who was initially sure of their victory, was shocked to see him rush at her at such speeds.
'He's too fast!'
She saw him fast approaching and knew she didn't have a lot of time before he arrived. She forced her legs to move faster, but she knew it wasn't enough. Sol's speed far surpassed hers. He would reach the ball before she could even get close.
"Damn it!" she hissed under her breath, gritting her teeth.
Sol was only a mere three feet away from the ball while she was still ten feet away. Just when Reena lost any hope of winning the round a ray of hope appeared.
The air cracked with electricity as a flash of light split the court, dazzling everyone's eyes.
Thorwyn appeared in a blur of lightning, his hand slamming down over the ball before Sol could touch it. The arcs of electricity sizzled the air and as the light died down, the ball could be seen clearly pinned firmly beneath his palm.
Triumphantly, Thorwyn howled. "Awooo! (I got it!)"