"Alright, it's the final match of round two, and then it's on to the semi-finals!" Announced Kilzachs, as the next pair stepped onto the arena.

"I won't lose, no matter what...," Muttered Ariodred, a determined look on his face.

"My chances of defeating him are likely slim, at best. But I don't intend to lose, not without giving it everything I've got," Jules thought to herself, keeping an eye on the countdown.

The instant it ended, she shot forward at full speed, triggered a burst of flames behind her to launch herself forward, before swinging her blade down towards her opponent, intense flames swirling around it.

He raised his right hand and caught the blade, his palm getting burnt as the edge of the blade cut into his skin, before several tendrils of black blood extended out of his back.

Jules swiftly backed away and got some distance, before sprinting across the arena as the tendrils zipped out towards her, chasing after her with immense speed.

She concentrated the flames around her sword, before spinning around and whipping the blade across, unleashing a blazing eruption of flames.

Her eyes widened in surprise as the black blood shot straight through the flames, not so much as a single drop getting evaporated.

As the tendrils surrounded and converged in on her, she blasted herself out of the way with a pressurized burst of flames, a couple of the tendrils grazing her sides and drawing out trickles of blood.

As her feet skidded across the arena as she landed, she unleashing a scorching wave of flames towards Ariodred from her mouth.

Wings extended out of his shoulders blades, before he spread them out and took off into the air, evading the flames, before swerving across as a slashing wave of flames came shooting up towards him.

Jules raised her blade, forming a massive, swirling sphere of flames over the tip of the blade, before taking aim and firing it straight up towards her opponent.

A red glint appeared over the middle of his forehead, before a powerful blast of red energy burst forth, shooting through the large fireball, the flames falling apart and dissipating.

As the flames faded, Jules unleashed a rapid, piercing beam of heat straight up towards him, which he blocked as black blood burst out of his right palm and formed a shield, the beam failing to pierce through.

Flames erupted around Jules's entire body, swirling around her intensely as she unleashed a fierce barrage of flame arrows.

Ariodred zipped across the air, weaving through the space to evade the projectiles, before firing out a drilling beam of red energy down towards Jules from his forehead.

She swiftly unleashed a drilling pillar of flames in response, before grimacing as the attacks clashes, Ariodred's beam cutting through her flames rapidly.

She leapt out of the way as the beam closed in on her, a stifled hiss of pain ringing out as it grazed her right shoulder, before she gritted her teeth and unfurled a fierce thrust of her blade in Ariodred's direction, firing out a piercing burst of heat.

He narrowly evaded the attack, which whizzed past his left elbow, before he took a deep breath and let out a slow exhale, Jules's blood running cold, as she sensed his intent to end the fight.

She instinctively backed away, before stiffening as she lost sight of him. She quickly spun around as she sensed a presence behind him, slashing at his throat with her blade, before her swing came to an abrupt halt as he formed a wall of black blood to his right.

As the blade collided against it, failing to cut through, several threads of blood extended out and wrapped around the blade, holding it in place.

Jules swiftly took her right hand off the blade, charging up a fireball, before the flames faded as Ariodred struck her wrist with the back of his fist, driving his other arm forward.

A sharp wheeze of pain rang out as he slammed his fist against her solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her as she barely managed to remain standing.

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him while simultaneously driving his knee up, her vision blurring sharply as he struck the same spot, his knee colliding against the middle of her torso and pressing in.

As he let go of her shoulders, he lunged forward as she stumbled back, before unfurling a rapid uppercut, striking her chin and knocking her out instantly upon impact.

Jules fell over, her back thudding the floor as she slumped against it, a bruise on her chin.

"Well, that wraps up the second round, the winner is Ariodred Phoenix!"

As the two competitors got teleported back to their respective teams, Aster rushed to Jules's side with a look on concern, Raven kneeling down beside her before he began healing her.

"Don't worry, she'll be just fine. Nothing more serious than a few broken ribs and a concussion," Remarked Raven, her expression easing as he healed her injuries.

"I knew she'd be at a disadvantage, but for it to be so overwhelmingly one-sided...both her opponent and that girl who defeated Nero, they're insanely powerful," Frowned Rione warily.

"Yeah, we're going to have our work cut out for us. We're real lucky that neither of them seem to be indiscriminate killers," Mused Aster, as he glanced at Raven.

"Even with my full power, I don't know if I can beat either of them. I was losing against the guy during the first contest, and as for the girl, we still haven't seen the full extent of what she's capable of. All we know is that, so far, she's dominated everything she's participated in," Sighed Raven grimly.

"Alright, we'll take a short break before we begin the semi-final round! The first match will be Aurora Pretorius VS Aster Stark, and the second will be Ariodred Phoenix VS Raven Kyzer!"

"Huh. I'm the only semi-finalist whose name doesn't start with the letter A," Raven thought to himself in bemusement.

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