The audience had long since left their seats, cheering loudly for Eric with chants of "Kyp! Kyp! Kyp!" and "Riptide! Riptide!" as he traded blow for blow with Hydrus. Halfthur's a.n.a.lysis of the most recent exchange had been close, but he'd missed the Wind Dart that Eric had sent directly into Hydrus after the stab. That had made it worth taking a blow from that enormous greatsword, Eric thought to himself as he checked his health.

Over thirty percent of my health gone from a single blow? Eric's eyes shot open as he hurriedly avoided Hydrus' attack, skipping backwards and sending a Wind Dart towards the fighter for his troubles.

Despite all the damage that Eric had dealt to Hydrus so far, the man was rapidly chipping away at the lead that Eric had built at the beginning of the fight. Despite the number of spells he'd landed on him already, Hydrus health was still just over thirty percent full. Meanwhile, Eric's healthbar was sitting just under half full.

I can't allow this to continue, Eric thought, sizing up the fighter in front of him. If they continued trading blows as they had been so far, then Hydrus would win with just over ten percent of his health remaining, and that was a.s.suming he didn't have any more skills hidden up his sleeve like Orc Charge. No, he had to throw away his doubts, and engage Hydrus in true close combat if he wanted any chance at winning.

Dancing in under Hydrus' guard, Eric knocked Hydrus' greatsword to the side, dodging his backfist as he sent a kick towards Hydrus' front leg. His stance still recovering from having thrown the backfist, Hydrus was forced to step backwards, moving his leg out of the path of Eric's kick.

This was the opening Eric had been looking for. Instead of completing the kick, Eric stamped his foot down just in front of Hydrus, entering into a stable stance as he used his left hand to launch a palm strike at Hydrus' stomach. Not expecting this sudden change in Eric's tactics, Hydrus was caught unprepared as Eric's palm slammed into his gut. Doubling over, Hydrus went pale as he saw Eric's athame approaching his face.

Jerking his head to the side, Hydrus managed to avoid taking a blade to the face, but Eric's dagger still managed to find its home in his neck. Before Hydrus could recover, Eric sent a Wind Dart through the athame, the resulting explosion of Wind sending Hydrus flying as Eric chased his heavily wounded opponent.

"And Kyp suddenly turns the tables with an explosive set of moves! What was that skill that sent Hydrus flying? I don't know, but the audience is definitely loving this!" Halfthur commentated.

The crowd truly was loving Eric's performance. The entire arena was now shaking with the roar of the crowd, as the audience cheered for Eric's victory.

Using Dashing Cut, Eric rushed over towards where Hydrus lay. Hydrus was down to eighteen percent, all Eric had to do was land a single combo on him and it was over.

However, Hydrus was not the type to simply lose lying down. As Eric approached, Hydrus flipped over and let out a mighty roar, the blade of his sword glowing a brilliant crimson as he launched a vicious upwards strike towards the oncoming half-elf.

Eyes growing wide, Eric attempted to dodge, but Hydrus' swing was more than twice as fast as any of his previous attacks had been. Bracing for impact, Eric used his athame to guard, but a short dagger couldn't do much to mitigate the damage from a greatsword.

With a short scream, it was Eric's turn to be thrown backwards, bouncing off the stage like a ragdoll as Hydrus climbed to his feet, his cold eyes glaring daggers towards the downed half-elf.

"Hydrus finally lands another solid hit on Kyp, and this is a big one! Hydrus' Savage Strike caught Kyp completely unprepared!" Halfthur shouted.

The crowd had gone silent, watching nervously as Hydrus advanced towards Eric who was still struggling to his feet. Eric winced as he stood up, this last strike had completely eliminated the lead he'd built early on. Both his and Hydrus' healthbars were hovering just under the fifteen percent mark, with Hydrus' bar looking slightly more healthy than his own. There was perhaps less than a two percent difference in the two's health totals. A single strike could easily decide the match.

Preparing to receive Hydrus' a.s.sault, Eric was surprised when he instead came to a halt mere metres away, his sword hanging powerlessly by his side.

"Your most powerful skill."

"What?" Eric asked.

"Your most powerful skill. The one you used against Barns and your teammate. Use it. I won't have my victory tainted by those who would say you went easy on me. Use your most powerful skill so that I may break both it and you and claim victory," Hydrus said with a gravelly voice.

"I don't know where you're getting this confidence from. But it won't end well for you." Eric's eyes went cold as he said this. "Fine, prepare yourself, Hydrus."

Closing his eyes, Eric took a moment to calm himself. Opening his eyes, he began to cast Multi-linked Wind Dart, taking care to draw the runes perfectly, observing each line and curve for imperfections.

Opposite Eric, Hydrus raised his sword, taking on a fighting stance with his sword raised high overhead. As the audience watched, dark crimson flames began to rise off the blade of his greatsword, floating into the air where they dissipated in small flashes of crimson light.

"It appears that Hydrus and Kyp have both come to an agreement. Both are preparing their strongest skills," Halfthur said after a moment, not daring to blink as he observed the showdown between the two fighters.

"I hope Kyp knows what he's doing," Wavesun muttered quietly to Alistair. "I'm fairly sure I recognize Hydrus' skill, and it's a strong one."

Alistair nodded, "Kyp has never once let me down. I have confidence in Lucy's student."

The audience had gone completely still, not daring to move a muscle as they stared towards the stage. As Halfthur's voice washed over them, a small child cried out, "Kyp! Win Kyp!"

As if this was the sign they'd been waiting for, the audience took up the cry, chanting the three words, first softly, but then harshly, the volume increasing with each new cry.

~

In Tonbura Village, an enormous magical crystal was displaying the match, projecting the view of the stage high in the air above the square. Hidden near the back, Lucy's knuckles had gone white as she beheld her student preparing his most powerful spell to go against the leader of NRG. Unconsciously, Lucy took up the cry, cheering with the rest of the villagers in the square, as they watched the two fighters prepare to attack.

~

"Come on, Eric," Mark muttered, watching his friend below from their place in the stands.

"Don't lose to that d.i.c.k," Ryan swore.

"Kyp! Win Kyp!" Gio took up the chant, followed by the rest of the group, each doing their best to make themselves heard over the roar of the crowd.

~

"Don't lose, Eric," Jun uttered, staring silently at a projection upon the wall as a priestess cast healing spells on his body. Across the room, Barns was watching nervously as he observed his boss facing off against Eric, ignoring the golden light of the spells being cast upon his own body.

~

"Kyp! Win Kyp!" the chants shook the arena, causing the stone floor beneath Eric's feet to shake as he finished his spell. With a grim smile, Eric looked towards Hydrus, who returned the look with an air of solemnity.

Watching closely, Eric watched as the flames on Hydrus' sword reached the hilt, coating the blade completely in crimson fire.

"You'd better not disappoint me," Hydrus said fiercely.

"Hmph," Eric snorted. "Don't regret this."

As if this was the signal they'd agreed upon, both fighters launched their skills at the exact same time, nine Wind Darts appearing around Eric as Hydrus' greatsword descended.

With a roar of wind, the Wind Darts coalesced, shooting towards Hydrus as he brought his blade forward in an overhead strike. With a flare of red flame, the crimson flames on Hydrus' sword ignited, summoning an enormous sword of crimson flames that slashed towards Eric.

Soaring forwards, the two spells met in the middle of the two fighters, the wind and flames colliding only metres away from where the two combatants stood.

With a mighty BOOM, the flaming sword slammed into the Wind Darts. As the audience watched, an enormous explosion occurred at the epicentre of the two skills, gouts of wind and flame soaring into the sky as flaming winds engulfed the two fighters, obscuring them from view.

Watching nervously, the audience went silent, waiting for the dust to settle to determine who had emerged victorious. As the cloud of wind and flame slowly disappeared, two figures could be seen: one upright, and one p.r.o.ne. Peering through the slowly settling cloud of dust, the audience let out a collective groan.

Hydrus was barely standing, blood dripped from countless wounds across his body, creating tiny trails as rivulets of blood flowed down his torn and tattered armour. His greatsword was embedded in the arena floor for support, allowing him to just barely remain on two feet. Staggering slightly, Hydrus managed to stand. Still gripping his greatsword tightly for balance, Hydrus stared towards his fallen foe.

Eric was in a worse condition than Hydrus. His leather armour more closely resembled a collection of burnt leather strips, haphazardly draped across his form, revealing the singed and b.l.o.o.d.y skin beneath. The Quickwind Dagger was still clutched in his hand, but its once polished exterior was now dirty with soot and blood. Even his falchion, unused this fight, had been unable to escape the destruction, as smoke emerged from the neck of the sheath.

Looking up at Hydrus, Eric flashed his opponent a sorrowful look as the blue light began to wrap around him. He'd truly thought he might win at the end there. But in the end, the slight difference between their two healthbars had been what had separated the two fighters. Hydrus had less than two percent of his health remaining, had their healthbars been swapped before the final exchange, perhaps it would have been him lying here and Eric on his feet.

Closing his eyes, Eric allowed the blue light to whisk him away, disappearing from view as Hydrus raised his arm high in triumph.

"Hydrus wins, Erick Kystfyr is eliminated," Halfthur said mechanically, as if he was still processing the events that had just occurred.

The crowd remained silent. Slinging his greatsword over his shoulder, Hydrus walked back towards the tunnel, leaving the stage behind as he slowly left the arena. As Hydrus disappeared, Wavesun elbowed Halfthur in the ribs.

"I know you're upset, but as they say in your circles, the show must go on," he whispered.

With a jolt, Halfthur snapped to his senses. Giving Wavesun a grateful look, he turned back to the crowd to begin the closing ceremonies.