The Ef'i fainted, but Khan didn't let her fall on the floor. He pulled her tail and bent forward to put an arm around her right shoulder and lay her down gently.
Green blood came out from the alien's mouth and nose. Part of her facial features had taken odd spots, but Khan soon stopped looking at her. A splashing noise reached his ears when he took a step back. His right cheek felt hot and wet, but his right hand ended up claiming the entirety of his attention. His palm and fingers had turned green, and he could even see pieces of the Ef'i's tail there.
Khan's battle had been the second to end. The audience didn't hesitate to focus on him and study his figure. They felt amazed to see him virtually unharmed for the second time, but they didn't hold back to show respect for his victory.
The Colonel's heavy gaze fell on Khan again, but no strange energy reached him at that time. Khan glanced at the young-looking soldier while wiping his hand clean on his uniform. The man smiled and nodded at that sight, but Khan didn't make any gesture.
Lieutenant Unchai and the older Ef'i approached Khan when he left the ring. The alien was as respectful as possible, while the soldier could barely hold back his excitement. Still, Khan went through those interactions without paying attention to them. Worries had filled his mind after the battle, and he couldn't quell them easily.
'She could deal with the chaos element,' Khan thought while approaching the metal wall to rest. 'I got a bit arrogant.'
No one had been able to deal with the chaos element on Ecoruta. The Global Army also valued chaos wielders a lot, so Khan had begun to think that he was virtually unbeatable among first-level warriors as long as he went all-out.
However, his last opponent had proven how counters to the chaos element existed. Khan had still overcome the Ef'i through a mixture of superior experience and prowess, but that was only the second battle. His next fight would probably feature someone at the same level or stronger than the female alien, and that wouldn't even be the end of the tournament.
The second rounds took a while to end, but their outcomes matched what Khan had realized after the first fights. Only another soldier had managed to win, and his condition was far from great. The Lieutenant that took care of him had to carry him to a medical bay due to the injuries suffered during his battle.
All the victorious Ef'i ended up focusing on Khan when he remained the only human contestant in the area. He had paid attention to their battles, but he didn't deign them of his gaze. He stayed deep into his meditative state while Lieutenant Unchai applied a smelly ointment on the cut on his right cheek.
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The Lieutenant had wanted to say something since the end of the battle, but Khan's pensive mood masked with an aloof face stopped him from voicing anything. The soldier didn't want to ruin his apparent concentration, especially since he was faring exceptionally well in the tournament.
"What will happen to the other soldier?" Khan eventually asked when the three-hour break was about to end.
"He won't forfeit," Lieutenant Unchai shortly replied.
"He can't recover in time for the third battle," Khan continued. "And he can't take special drugs either. He has no chance to win."
"He will still try," Lieutenant Unchai declared while placing his back on the metal wall. "Who knows? He might be able to injure your future opponent."
"Do you finally trust me to reach the fourth round?" Khan teased in an aloof tone.
"I know you'll do everything in your power to reach it," Lieutenant Unchai explained before lowering his face and continuing through whispers. "Your next opponent is strong."
"I know," Khan exclaimed as his eyes went on the male Ef'i staring at him from the other side of the area.
Khan had kept track of most battles. He had been unable to understand everything from his position, but he had gained a vague idea of his potential opponents during those inspections.
His next opponent had been the first to claim a victory during the second round. The Ef'i was fast and could use fire-based spells. His experience also appeared great.
"Don't hold back against him," Lieutenant Unchai suggested. "The fourth battle will happen tomorrow, but you might fail to heal if you suffer severe injuries."
"I'll win," Khan sighed while closing his eyes, "Both today and tomorrow."
Lieutenant Unchai fell silent, but he soon had to call Khan to make him reach a ring. The Ef'i had moved the stages again, and the large area only featured two of them now. Only two humans had remained, so it made no sense to have more of them.
Khan and his opponent entered the ring, but the audience's abrupt cheers made them glance at a tunnel. A sorry figure covered in bandages and ointments walked out of the passage and approached the ring with a Lieutenant marching at his side.
The enemy Ef'i didn't seem to mind that the Lieutenant had accompanied the injured soldier on the ring, but that gesture revealed the severity of his condition. The wounded contestant could have probably fainted on his way to the platform.
"He won't win," The Ef'i in front of Khan said in a bad human accent. "You won't either."
Khan felt almost able to read the intense battle intent on the Ef'i's face. The taunt brimmed with confidence, but it also had a deeper meaning. The alien wanted Khan to use his full power during the battle.
Khan smiled before shaking his head and letting the waves of mana in his surroundings fill his mind. A countdown appeared on the floor under him, and his figure shot forward when the stage turned green.
The Ef'i voiced a battle cry as mana shot out of his left hand. The energy turned crimson and gained scorching properties as it transformed into a long whip that swung in a straight line.
Khan felt forced to dodge to his left, but the Ef'i created another scorching whip with his right arm and swung it at him. Khan jumped to avoid the attack, and sizzling noises reached ears while the two spells remained on the floor.
The Ef'i laughed as he swung both whips toward Khan. The latter sprinted forward to get close to his opponent and avoid those spells, but the alien rotated on himself quickly and prevented him from getting close.
Khan ended up sprinting in a circle around the Ef'i. The whips continued to follow him, and the alien never stopped spinning on himself. The two threatening spells couldn't reach Khan, but he faced the same problem.
In theory, the alien had to get tired before Khan. Keeping two spells active while spinning so quickly consumed more mana than a simple sprint. However, the Ef'i didn't show any sign of exhaustion even after that exchange continued for a whole minute.
Khan eventually understood the nature of the issue. The scorching mana that came out from the alien's hands had hindered his inspection, but he managed to see past the whips after spending a minute running around his opponent. The Ef'i wasn't adding more mana to his spell. He was only protecting his palms from the fiery weapons.
That low mana consumption began to make sense and forced Khan to change his approach. He slowed down slightly and let the whips approach his back before slamming his feet on the floor and performing a backflip.
The Ef'i couldn't interrupt his momentum as abruptly as Khan. The latter jumped over the whips and sprinted toward his opponent as soon as his feet touched the floor. The alien tried to invert his rotation to swing his fiery weapons at Khan, but it soon became clear that time wasn't on his side.
Khan reached the Ef'i in no time and prepared himself to deliver a powerful rotating kick. Yet, the alien suddenly let go of the whips and unleashed a wave of flames that caught both of them in its fiery might.
Khan retreated while ripping apart his military uniform. Burning and fuming rags fell on the ground as he removed everything still on fire. A pitiful spectacle unfolded in his vision when he inspected his condition, but the Ef'i wasn't too better off.
Only a few rags had remained on Khan. His chest, arms, and knees were in the open now, which revealed his poor state. Burns filled his skin. Most of them were superficial injuries, but they didn't look good anyway.
The Ef'i had suffered similar injuries. His hands were a mess, and the same went for his arms. Still, he appeared able to endure the pain and move normally. He even managed to keep his grin on his face.
'Crazy bastard,' Khan cursed in his mind as the corners of his mouth curved upward.
Khan had sensed the arrival of the spell. He even had the chance to protect himself with the [Blood Shield], but he had held back after understanding how much mana the Ef'i had put in his attack.
The alien had held back and had relied on his superior body to suffer less than his opponent. Yet, the spell had unleashed most of its power at its center, and the Ef'i's hands had to endure it.
The Ef'i quickly summoned his fiery whips again, and Khan's smile widened at that sight. The alien didn't show any sign of pain on his face even after wielding his scorching weapons. He appeared crazy beyond reason, but Khan could relate with that approach. He could play that game even better than his opponent.
Khan promptly shot forward, and the Ef'i swung his whips toward him. The weapons created a cross-shaped hindrance that threatened to converge on Khan, but a red-purple light came out of his figure before they could land on him.
The whips shattered after facing the wave spell, but the Ef'i salvaged their base by pouring more mana on them. Khan saw the broken weapons on his path again when he reached his opponent, but he decided not to face them.
Khan ducked to sweep his opponent's legs, but the Ef'i didn't let that attack surprise him. The alien jumped and dodged the kick while slamming his whips downward.
Khan didn't expect the Ef'i to read his attack so well. The alien had been fast enough to dodge his kick and launch a finishing blow at the same time.
The sight was quite surprising for Khan. It was rare for someone to be faster than him, and the alien didn't fit in that category either. Khan's top speed remained unmatched, but the Ef'i had managed to surpass him during that short exchange.
Khan could kick himself away to dodge the attack, but the Ef'i was airborne now. The latter couldn't avoid anything in that position. Khan believed that he wouldn't get a better chance during the battle.
The whips began to fill Khan's vision, but his hands soon barged into the scene. The [Blood Shield] covered his palms and allowed him to grab the weapons without suffering severe injuries. His skin burnt and generated an unbearable pain, but he endured everything.
Khan moved the whips out of his way. The Ef'i didn't hide his surprise, but he still let go of his weapons once he understood what was happening. Yet, he reacted one second too late, which allowed Khan to create an opening where his leg could pass.
Khan used the floor as a foothold to throw a powerful kick at the center of the alien's torso. The latter spat a mouthful of blood as the attack pushed him in the air, and his eyes widened in fear when he saw that his opponent began to prepare another technique.
The whips dispersed when Khan threw them away and started to rotate on himself. His hands went on the floor as he used his movement to launch both of his legs upward.
Khan's timing was perfect. The alien would fall right into his kicks, but he had a different plan. The Ef'i pointed his tail downward, and crimson energy began to accumulate on its tip during his descent.
The large amount of mana accumulated on the tail worried Khan, but the alien's timing had also been perfect. Khan was already performing a handstand, leaving him no room to dodge the incoming attack. He could only activate the [Blood Shield] again and hope that his kicks would put an end to the battle.
A beam of scorching crimson light shot out of the tail when Khan's kicks landed on his opponent. The fiery attack reached Khan's back, but the blood vessels in that spot clotted before the impact and saved his insides.
The kicks flung the Ef'i away. The alien ended up outside the ring and rolled for a while before using his limbs to stop himself. He then tried to stand up, but a river of blood exploded out of his mouth and made him faint on the spot.
****
Author's notes: It's no secret that my mind is out of place. I'm taking it easy, so thank you for your patience again.
I'm writing, so another chapter will arrive today, and I'll do my best to do two more after dealing with Demonic Sword. Anyway, I hope you like the new cover!
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