She wasn't sure at what point had she sat again after that happened, nor how was she containing all the shadows in place, was the crazy old man using his skill again to restrain her?

 

"[Mistress....Please....contain.....your....mana....]"

 

Oh...had her own [Minions] betrayed her?

 

"[Please...think....about....the....plan....]"

 

Ah...Right, they had made a plan about how to deal with Akira, right..."Deep breath Elizabeth Starbright...Deep breath...." So she calmed down the raging mana in her mana circuits, and contained all the bad emotions, she felt her control over the shadows calm down, and slowly but surely she could flex once more the shadows in the Arena.

 

Almost all anyway, most of those near Akira were barred from her, not by Akira or the crazy old man, but by her own [Minions], she had delegated most of the control of shadows near Akira and Rena to her [Minions]. She wasn't sure what she would have done if not for that.

 

It took all her effort to not forcefully wrestle the control back from the [Minions], and as she had shown, she could circumvent that by moving shadows from the outside of the radius she had granted her minions total authority.

 

"Are you okay Eli-Eli?" But her always lovely Rossie mouthed the words at her from the Arena.

 

She couldn't help but turn her eyes to the empty seat next to their spots.

 

But she couldn't worry Rossie now, she was about to fight! So instead she just nodded at her.

 

"[Did Akira's mana or skills affect the shadows used against him?]" And focused on something more productive, like prodding her Royal Mages for information.

 

"[So far there is no evidence of corruption from the testing, no shadows seem to behave weird. So far the testing seems promising. We can move further in the planning...Please do not repeat this without informing us next time Mistress.]" Her Royal Mage spoke back.

 

Of course, she wouldn't, next time she tried to do that Akira wouldn't have Rena to defend him, it would be in the Arena. She would be challenging [Down], so Rena would not be able to save him.

 

"If that was all, then we can move...[Sylphie Starheart] vs [The Lost Healer] Fight!" Agatha started the next fight.

 

So instead of seething thinking about how no one seemed to want to go help Rena who was on the floor unconscious...She focused on the fight (While sending some orders to her [Shadow Dragons] to put a blanket under Rena and a pillow).

 

"Let's see how it goes," Rossie said on the [Arena], she was able to listen in thanks to her shadow dragons relaying the information.

 

"Thank you for the opportunity to prove my point." [The Last Healer] answered back to Rossie. Did they know each other? "[Nullify Pain], [Ability Boost], [Regeneration]."

 

And then the mad girl cast three spells one after another, the first one to nullify her sense of pain. That was usually used as anesthesia since it didn't have an offensive use... Unless you did like her and boosted your abilities beyond reason and cast a [Regeneration] spell afterward to heal the damage that is.

 

"GRAAAH!" And after doing so she started bleeding all over.

 

Elizabeth quickly cast "[Appraisal]" To confirm it, but the girl had increased her status points by almost twice the normal. And her body was suffering from the sudden increase.

 

The girl was barely D-Tier when they started and now she was on the cusp of Middle C-Tier.

 

Would this happened to her if she had jumped that many points in one go?

 

Elizabeth didn't know, but if anything she wondered how her Rossie would react, since the other girl didn't seem to be hostile towards her girlfriend. How would Rossie deal with this?

 

"It is a good increase in strength." Her Rossie said while standing there waiting for the other girl to hit her? "But you need to get more power if you want to make your point stand."

 

Her lovely girlfriend hadn't moved yet, and the other girl seemed to be lost in pain and adrenaline from the boost she gave herself.

 

"Rossie!" Elizabeth screamed while trying to think of a way to help her girlfriend without getting disqualified herself or getting Rossie disqualified.

 

"[Area]+[Affix]+[Diminish]+[Agility]+[Strength]+[Constitution]= [Weakening Field]" Rossie intoned and created a weird distortion in front of herself. The thing stuck to the berserker girl and then she started to visible slow.

 

Not enough to stop her mad rush of course, but enough that Rossie simply jumped out of the way. "First of all, you don't have any intent behind the attack." And if that wasn't enough Rosie started speaking to the other girl.

 

"GRAAAAAH!" Who seemed to be still under the bloodlust of her own making. And quickly focused on Rossie and rushed towards her again.

 

"Second, while the boost in strength is useful, you are burning more [Mana] healing than what you are getting, and if you can't even use your power well enough to recognize the disadvantage..." And to make a point Rossie made a visible Barrier in front of the other girl.

 

It was cast far away from her body, so the other girl only needed to detour to get over it...And yet she crashed straight into it and started bashing her fist into the barrier to try and break it.

 

At this point, the girl was crying tears of blood.

 

Was...was this even a fight?

 

"...stop it...I will avenge you Mary...just....stop it..." She heard someone mutter, and turning her attention she found the [Avenger] walking back to the barrier that cut the access into the Arena.

 

"See, even your boyfriend thinks you aren't made for this." Rossie pointed at [The Avenger] whose hands were covered in bandages and he had magical circles hovering and keeping in place his hands with a Barrier.

 

Had someone healed him then?

 

She didn't see Rossie do it, so maybe there were other competent [Healers] around. Not that she had seen Rossie do much [Healing]...

 

"...I...will....recover....my....honor....myself..." [The Lost Healer] said amid grunts as she kept walking toward Rossie.

 

Not that she made it very far, the area debuff Rossie stuck her in was draining her magic and in turn making it harder for her to keep healing her damaged body.

 

Rossie didn't wait while she kept trying to move forward, and even before she tilted to the side and fell to the ground she was there waiting to catch her.

 

"No, you will not. Since Elizabeth will deal with him before you even have a chance..." Rossie whispered to the [Lost Healer] as the girl's magic disappeared with the last vestiges of her mana. "[The Lost Healer] doesn't have mana anymore, nor does she seem able to continue fighting."

 

Then laying her on the floor Rossie turned to Agatha in the VIP room, "Do I need to continue this fight?" And asked as such.

 

Everyone in the arena turned to her in turn, it was obvious what they were thinking, since the last fight hadn't ended even after it was obvious who the winner was.

 

"[Lost Healer] do you wish to continue the fight?" Agatha asked, and the girl seemed to want to answer, but didn't find the strength to do so.

 

"Please Mary...No..." [The Avenger] at the side pleaded with tears on his face.

 

What had happened with those two?

 

"[The Lost Healer] has not said her intent to continue the fight, the victory goes to [Sylphie Starheart]," Agatha said and the barrier broke down, the first to move was [The Avenger] who ran toward the girl in the arena floor.

 

"HEALERS!" And Agatha ignored him as she called for healers to treat the girl.

 

"I'm back Eli-Eli!" And Rossie just jumped towards their seating while canceling the [Shift] when she was near enough to let her momentum carry her the rest of the way. "How did I do? Did I do well? I tried my best to not hurt the girl too much. Was I good?"

 

Who was this cute creature? How could someone be this adorable while speaking about not hurting too much someone?!?!?

 

"Yes, you did good Rossie. Good job." Elizabeth obviously didn't contain herself with the compliments either. Rossie had done a good job, she hadn't even attacked the other girl!

 

Really, she wondered why they had such a bad image of her girlfriend, she hadn't seen her hurt anyone so far and everyone acted like she was a demon!

 

Granted, she may have turned somewhat demonic (And more hot) one time...But that hadn't been her fault!

 

"With that out of the way...Next is...[The Sage]!" Michael stood and shifted as she jumped into the Arena, he landed softly as winds carried him to one side of it. Show off.

 

"Who are you fighting?" Asked Agatha as Michael eyed everyone around.

 

"If I decide to fight someone that is unconscious is that valid?" Asked Michael, starting a round of whispering and a glare from Agatha.

 

"You will not be allowed to fight a downed student unless they accept it. If not everyone would gang on the defeated students." Agatha answered in a steady voice.

 

"But the one I want to fight didn't get downed, she fainted on her own a few minutes ago." Michael's answer made everyone turn their gazes toward where Akira was.

 

The bastard was resting his feet atop Rena's body, it took all her sense of control to not start sending another spear of shadows toward him...Also, it helped that Rossie's warm hand was on top of her leg distracting her.

 

What was she doing? Nothing of course.

 

If anything the pink-haired girl seemed intent on testing how much she could worm her hand under her skirt in public while Elizabeth fought inside her brain for what to think about.

 

"..." Agatha for one wasn't quite sure what to answer at that.

 

"If you challenge Rena I WILL INTERCEPT that challenge." So she said as much, she was sure that Akira wouldn't do it, and was sure no one else would do it.

 

"You don't have to do it, Lizzy, this one will wake up if you kick her hard enough towards the Arena," Akira said while throwing a popcorn kernel towards Rena's head.

 

"Some of us have decency, I will not let anyone take advantage of an innocent girl," Elizabeth answered back with a glare to Akira, then turned towards Michael. "So? Will you challenge Rena?"

 

"While a wonderful show of [Heroism] the board of judges has decided that should someone challenge an unconscious student the challenged student will have sixty seconds to prepare...Should no-one intercept the challenge." Agatha said in a tired voice, "Of course, their legal guardian can decline the challenge should they-"

 

"I will not decline any challenge towards Rena." Akira said before Agatha finished speaking, "She needs to learn how to deal with the consequences of her actions...Also, I will not allow anyone to intercept her challenges."

 

HE WHAT?

 

HE COULDN'T!

 

"...Noted Mister Akira," Agatha said, she didn't contest him on that. "Do you wish to renounce any other advantages that Miss Rena is supposed to have?"

 

And she asked icily, oh...

 

"Hmm...Now that you mention it, yeah why not. This bitch ruined my mood by saying in public that I [Raped] someone, imagine. Me? The true [Hero] doing something as hideous as [Raping] someone?!? Preposterous!" Akira went on and on about that.

 

Making it more obvious by the second his true nature, wasn't he even trying to hide it anymore?

 

"So yes, Rena is no longer allowed [ANY] advantage, she is hurt? Well bad luck bitch, better spit on it and carry on." Akira said while kicking Rena's body once more.

 

She felt some of her mana drain away as the blanket her shadow dragon covered her with was coated in her shadows, blunting the damage toward Rena.

 

"...Noted Mister Akira." Agatha said while shaking her head, then turned once more towards Michael, "So? Will you challenge [The Demon Slaying Sword]?"

 

Agatha seemed tired, and only wrote something in a notepad.

 

"What? Are you crazy? Of course not. I don't want to be killed yet." Michael said while shaking his head vigorously. "So please stop sending those vibes my way. I didn't even thought you had [Space Magic] !"

 

What?

 

"Eli-Eli...your [Bloodlust] is leaking," Rossie said at her side.

 

Her Bloodlust?

 

Oh....Elizabeth took a deep breath and checked where her mana was, she found that she had made more shadow spears and dispersed them, then noticed a few chains made in the shadows, those she left lying around.

 

Her perception seemed to have expanded once more, so she closed all those extra eyes that had opened in the ceiling, and going one by one she started dismissing the extra shadow dragons that had raised all around the arena.

 

"Thank you," Michael said in the arena, "So as for my challenge...I will challenge...[The Fluffy Menace]!"

 

The what menace?

 

"Of course you will." Agatha sighed and then announced "[The Sage] vs [The Fluffy Menace]...Fight!"

 

And without waiting a second a buff-looking man jumped into the arena all the while in the air he shone with a bright white light. And then...[That] was standing on the arena floor.

 

The Arena barrier came up and the laughter of Michael got cut off with that, in one side was standing a sage-looking blue-haired man. And on the other side was this 4-meter-tall yellow clown costume with a bird theme and a silver metal bat covered in spikes.

 

"...so cute..." And at her side, she heard her girlfriend mutter those words.

 

That was cute? She didn't think it was cute, but if Rossie said it was cute surely there must be something cute going there?

 

...she was not seeing it though.

 

No matter how she tried to find it, "Are you ready for your match Eli-Eli?" Asked Rossie at her side bringing her out from her attempt of finding cute in that fluffy one.

 

"Yes, my shadows weren't affected by whatever weird skill Akira has," Elizabeth said as the fighting started.

 

Michael started by casting [Fly] and was staying away while trying to pelt the clown-bird man. Who in turn was using his metal bat to fling everything away or back to Michael.

 

It seemed that his bat wasn't merely decoration, she wondered how he tweaked his [Shift] to make it show with fresh blood in the bat, that was an interesting application (If one that seemed to waste extra mana).

 

" Are you sure you want to do this here?" Rossie asked her, she didn't want this plan to move forward, mostly because it put her in a direct conflict with Akira in a public setting.

 

Both Rossie and her shadow minions wanted her to do an assassination and be done with, but she needed this to be public, mostly so there wasn't a risk of Rena jumping in. She could barely manage it if it was only Akira, having Rena jump in would make everything harder.

 

"Yes, we need to do this like this. Lest Rena joins and makes everything more complicated." Elizabeth answered, "Besides, I need to make sure we don't need to explain what happens to Rena, if it starts in public away from us then Akira will not have a way to pin it on us should he survive."

 

And that was the crux of the matter, would Akira make it alive?

 

She hoped that he didn't, but the man was a cockroach, she was also wary of his [Unique Skills], those weren't showing on his new status screen. But she still remembers them, Unique Skill: Regressor & Unique Skill: Transmigrator.

 

If he somehow managed to activate them...It would mean that he could get possibly get a second chance, or worse...Run away (Again).

 

And while she wouldn't mind it should he decide to run away...

 

"I'm sure everything will be okay Eli-Eli!" If his [Soul] pulled Rossie...

 

She wasn't sure if their link would be enough to stop Rossie's soul from joining him in another reincarnation in another plane, or if their link would rip her soul in pieces from the strain.

 

And more importantly, should Akira manage to run away, more than likely Rena's soul would go with him.

 

"Do you wish to continue the fight? " Agatha asked and Elizabeth turned her attention to the match, Michael was on the arena floor with a metal bath from [The Fluffy Menace] pointing at his neck.

 

He was defeated by a yellow clown? What the hell?

 

"I yield," Michael said, and then both turned off their shifts. "Good fight."

 

And like nothing had happened they shook hands and went on their merry way towards the bleachers to sit and speak. Agatha seemed amused at that event, and didn't say anything besides "The winner is [The Fluffy Menace]." With a smirk on her face.

 

Then turning her attention towards the list she moved on to the fights, some lasted longer. Some lasted less, Akira at some point went up and picked a fight with [The Avenger].

 

But the kid didn't accept it since [The Lost Healer] had grabbed his hand while unconscious and didn't let go.

 

"Hah, and here I let you have a go...Pathetic." Akira said while earning himself a win by default.

 

You could see the pure and unadulterated hate in the [Avenger], but his friends didn't let him go and he himself didn't want to wake up [The Lost Healer].

 

And so after that, the next fights ended faster and faster, as the most powerful were left and so the number of people you could challenge without incurring in losing points was diminishing.

 

At least till her turn finally came.

 

"Next is...damned planes..." Agatha cursed under her breath and sighed, "[The Stardust Weaver]...please select your opponent, and remember the rules...Rules are important."

 

Agatha pleaded at her, she teleported toward the Arena floor in one [Shadow Step], one second she was in her seat with Rossie as Elizabeth Starbright and the next she was [The Stardust Weaver].

 

"I challenge [The Warden Of Justice]", the words tasted like sand in her mouth. But she said them evenly as her HUD gave green lights as the test was finished. "And since I'm challenging down and Rena no longer has any privilege...You will not yield this challenge, will you? [Hero]?"

 

Before Akira could even utter a word or do anything, she left her challenge in the air, striking directly at Akira's Ego.

 

His demeanor changed as he looked her up and down.

 

"Now why would I let this bitch have you? No...You will be [Mine]." Akira said as he jumped and [Shifted] in the air, landing on the ground with one knee touching the arena while the other leg stretched behind him. He had one hand firmly on the ground for balance as his other hand went to his sword.

 

As he stood he drew the sword and pointed it at her "SuperHero landing, this means the victory is mine already." Akira said.

 

And she couldn't help but wait with anticipation for Agatha to start the combat. There was a horde of shadow dragons waiting for this, and she wouldn't let them wait longer than needed.

 

"You will go down, and Rena will be free." So she now waited for the start of the combat.