"Simón isn't participating? Maybe all he wants is to compare our strengths," Winter thought, "Still, a match between S-ranks is hard to come by. I'm kinda glad I came," he added. Each team stood on each side of the mat, "Tommy and Erik, right? I've already got a good read on these two from the fight they had earlier, but I have a feeling Erik his hiding something," Samuel thought, "Four-on-four? Does that mean my opponent is that girl, right?" Araceli thought, "I hope they go easy on us," Dwight thought with a sigh. "Well, then!" Tommy began, "Let's get started!" He roared, his blue aura billowing up from his body as he grew bigger. "The ability to grow bigger? Looks like he prefers a battle of strength!" Samuel thought, his red aura billowing from his body. "Nice! I like that you keep it simple!" He roared. They rush in, lunging in at each other. Together, they throw a punch that clashes their auras and strengths. An eruption of mana rushes over the room with a shock wave. They step around each other, gripping their hands and attempting to push each other back. A streak of black rushes past them, "Fast!" Dwight thought, watching Alan speed in his direction. "Is his speed his strong suit? Close-quarters combat will put me at a disadvantage!" he thought, "Creating distance is my specialty, though!" He condenses his aura by his arms, creating arrows of mana. "And attacking at that distance!" Dwight adds, launching the arrows out. Alan narrowly avoids the arrow directed at him, "A mana arrow?!" He thought, "A ranger?!" Jonathan asks, "This isn't a one-on-one anymore!" Araceli replied, "Alan! You have to take Dwight out as quickly as possible!" Samuel yelled, struggling to hold his own with arrows whizzing past him. "The interior of this facility was fortified using essence stones of the highest quality-" Mr. Sears began- "Average Mythics wouldn't be able to make so much as a dent in the walls, but this place has been completely wrecked in a matter of seconds!" He commented, "It's regrettable that we're sending only our young Mythics into the battlefield," Mr. Sears thought. "Our opponents are the most powerful S-ranks in the world!" Erik thought, "We have to brace ourselves and be prepared to not just grab their wrists, but break them if we need to!" he added, his air glowing white. "He's just wasting his energy," Jonathan thought, "I'm not going to go for his wrist or back! I won't follow his silly rules," he thought. "The only rule I live by is the survival of the fittest!" Jonathan declared, raising his hand over his head as he rushed to Erik's back.
Catching a glimpse of Jonathan, Erik leaps away, sliding across the mat as he turned to face him. Barely avoiding the attack, the mat is ripped up by the force of the attack alone. "He had the intent to kill just now!" Erik thought, "But why did he hesitate?" He added, "Could he be scared?" He asks himself, "Damn it! I hesitated again," Jonathan thought, placing a hand on his heart. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Mythic," he added. "His name was Jonathan, right? I can't tell if he's got great judgement, or if he's just a coward!" Erik thought with a confused expression, "He doesn't seem aggressive, though," he adds, "Perhaps I really was mistaken," Erik thought back to a previous theory. "Perhaps Simón wanted us to go against each other so that he could test their strength," he reasoned. "He might want to see if they're prepared to fight the ants," he added. "If that's the case, I should really be a difficult test!" Erik decided, as his aura expanded. His hands grew fur and large claws. "A little taste of my true power should be enough!" He smiled. "The look in his eyes changed!" Jonathan flinched, "I need to get out of here!" He lunged to his right, but Erik leaped further to his left. Cutting him off with a swipe at him, "You're a pathetic coward! What a pity, you're probably one of the top S-ranks out there!" Erik growled, "Nothin' but monsters here. My match earlier was nothin', but child's play compared to this," Philip commented, "Nonsense! Your fight was cool!" Elliott replied.
With a cloud of dust and a loud thud, Erik turns to his left to see Tommy on the ground with Samuel nearby. "Looks like I'm the strongest of the two of us," Samuel smile with a thumbs up. Tommy laughs, "I can't believe I got drilled into the ground!" He began- "That's a first!" He adds. Dwight leaped back into a wall, crashing into it as Alan grabs his hands, "I won, right?" He asks. Erik sighs, "So I'm next? Y'all think I'm an easier target than Macey? Well, you've underestimated me," he explains, watching the three of them step toward him. With fluid motions through a dance-like motion, Macey strikes Araceli with precise and swift attacks. "Ugh! I thought she was just fast, but I was wrong!" She thought, struggling to block each attack. "I can't read her one bit!" Araceli adds. Macey holds a guard as her deep blue aura streaks with her hands. Holding up the right arm pointed to the left just above her chest, and letting her left arm hang around her stomach with it pointed to the right. "Macey Mears, I believe her nickname is 'The dancer,' because of how she swiftly killed one beast after another-" Winter thought- "As if she were dancing," he explained to Ultima. "I can see why, but that form-" Macey leaned forward, taking a forced breath in with her hand rising up to her chest- "It looks familiar!" She suddenly explodes into a fury of attacks, leaving streaks of blue behind each movement of her hands. "Yeah?" Winter asks. In a last desperate attempt, Araceli throws a right jab. Just as she was going through the motion, Macey bring her right hand above her head and swipes it down with enough force to leave a visible flow of air. Araceli leans back with a surprised expression, and Macey lunges to the side and dashes past her, "Touch!" Macey commented, touching Araceli's back. "I have to hurry! Erik needs my help!" She rushed in his direction, "Gotcha!" Jonathan thought, leaping after her from behind, "Huh?" She turned, seeing his figure, and her arms jerked back into a barrage of attacks into his face. "Woah! What the hell was that?!" Julian asks, "She's like a Gatling gun," Joshua commented, "How many times did she punch him just now? Ten, fourteen times?" Paz asks, "I can't believe she hit him so many times in the blink of an eye. No one could've blocked an attack like that," Julian explained. "Shit! I didn't mean to do that!" Macey thought, watching Jonathan lean back from the attacks.
"Great, Jonathan lost it again!" Max sighed as Jonathan stood up straight. Blood stained his mask and his eyes glowed a deep red. "I swear, he's a completely different person when he's angry," Joshua replied, "He doesn't turn into a different person, he just loses all sense of rational thinking," Max corrected, "He's not going to remember any of this," Julian commented. "A guy like him isn't fit for a strike squad," Max commented. "You never know when he'll start acting out on his own, or attack his teammates," Joshua responded, "Still, he's capable of clearing a B-rank dungeon all by himself," Julian replied, "If he can't work with a team to clear an A-rank dungeon, what's the point of him being an S-rank?" Max asks. "If he ever ends up attacking one of the Klato Mythics, you must stop him immediately. But leave him for now, this is just a test," Simón explained. "Now's probably the best time to intervene, though, right?" Araceli asks, "We can't afford to compensate for the damages he's causing," Violeta explains. Jonathan slams his fist into the ground, and Macey leaps away, putting up her guard. He appears behind her, throwing a kick at her head, "He's fast!" She thought, reaching for the attack with her right hand. An explosion of mana and air erupts from the attack, sending ripples of shock waves through the gym. Jonathan looks down with fear in his only exposed eye, watching Winter hold onto his leg. "Excuse me for intervening, but I think he's getting too carried away," Winter began, "This is a sparring session," he explains. "You bastard!" Jonathan roared, swiping at Winter. Within moments, Winter slammed him into the ground, restraining him as he sat on his knees over Jonathan's back.
"His movements just now-" Simón thought- "Violeta, are you sure that Mythic over there is a mage-type?" He asks, "Yes, according to the official statement that was released, at least," she replied. "I guess the quickest way to find out is to check for myself," Simón replied. "Ms. Mears, I think it's fair to say this is a loss for the Klato team," Winter joked, "Ya think so?" She laughed. "It looks like Mr. Finely was caught as well," Macey adds, "The Wido Mythics are overwhelmingly stronger than I thought. I wouldn't have been able to do anything if I had transformed," Erik thought. Samuel placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled with a thumb up. "At least they're friendly," he smiled back awkwardly. Winter stands up after making sure Jonathan was relaxed enough to control him self, and helped him up. "Sir, Mr. Alcabú would like to have a word with you," Violeta explained, "Hm?" Winter asks, "Your name is Mr. Greats, correct?" Simón asks. He looks surprised, "What? How can I understand him without the interpreter?" Winter thought, "I'd like to have a one-on-one match with you. What do you say?" He asks, "It must be the system translating these languages for me," he reasoned. Winter's face grows serious as he considered the offer. "His body language tells me the same thing, so the system must be translating more languages for me," Winter thought. "Does he want to see how skilled I am?" he added in thought, only seeing Simón's figure through his white aura. "I can't tell if he has another reason to duel me, but this is a good chance for me to test how much stronger I've gotten since the Demons' Castle!" Winter smiled. "He has the guts to smile, even with my offer?" Simón thought with a surprised expression.
"I agree to the fight, but under one condition," he explained in perfect Spanish, "What? He can speak Spanish?" Simón added in thought, his expression growing wider. "Under one condition?" he asks, "I'll accept your invitation only if you agree to not hold back," Winter explained. Simón scowled, "Is he being serious? He wants to fight me at full strength?" He thought, "What the hell is going on?" Dwight asks, "Sounds suspicious, but fun-" Simón began- "Julian here is an S-rank healer, so we won't suffer any serious injuries," he added in thought. "Alright, I'll accept the only condition. Julian, heal anyone who gets hurt," Simón explained, "Including him, who will be needing your assistance in a few minutes," he added. Winter sighs, and rolls his eyes with a soft smile. "That's the 10th S-rank Mythic everyone's been talking about?" Tommy asked, "He's got guts going into a match with Simón Alcabú!" He commented, "Will he be okay?" Macey thought, crossing her arms. "No, wait. He fought an A-rank Dungeon boss and over a hundred high orcs," she added in thought. "Are you okay being around all these Mythics today?" Erik asks, "Well, I can't always cover my nose, especially once we get to Kauai Island-" she began- "You Said you were an acquaintance of Mr. Greats, right?" Macey asks, "Yeah," Erik shrugs, "Shouldn't you be trying to stop him from accepting this fight?" She asks, "Normally I would, considering who is opponent is, but-" he mumbled- "Then why?" Macey asks, "For the same reason as you, Ms. Mears," Erik replied. Macey flinches, suddenly feeling, noticing their clashing auras. "Aren't you a little curious to see who wins?" He asks. "If Mr. Greats is really an evolver, then he might've become even stronger than the last time I've seen him," Erik thought.
Winter sighs, looking down. "Alright, then," he began, "Let's get-" Winter continued. Suddenly noticing a speeding attack aimed for his face- "Started," he finished, as Simón strikes an after image with a lung and jab with the point of his flat hand. Creating an eruption of mana and displaced air. Winter slides back, turning to face Simón, "He attacked as soon as I spoke," he thought, "I missed? I swear he was right there," Simón thought. "He's a mage-type?! What bullshit!" He laughed, "I'm not buying it one bit-" Simón- "His movements are agile, and his steps are silent. He may be able to deceive others, but not me!" He declared to himself, staring at Winter with his nose flared, a scowl, and a half smile. "I'll strip away that disguise of yours! Exposing you to the world to exactly what you are!" Simón took a wide stance, with his right-hand flat. Condensing his aura into a blade like structure. "I can tell without a doubt that he's on a different level than the others!" Winter thought, "But you can still see and react to his attacks," Ultima replied as Simón lunged for another jab with the point of his hand. "Yup!" He leans to the side, watching it pass by with a smile. "He's smiling again?!" Simón thought, gritting his teeth, "Shouldn't we stop them?" Daniel asks, "Looks like Simón Alcabú is taking this seriously," Samuel commented.
"Woah, his attacks are scary. My eyes can't keep track of them!" Dwight comments, "Mr. Greats is hanging in there, though-" Tommy mumbled- "His opponent is the strongest in Wido, so the fact that he's even able top avoid his attacks says something," he explained. Simón made a barrage of attacks with his right hand, and struck only after images. Winter avoided each attack with only his speed and foot placements. "That's not right," Macey thought, watching Winter speed around Simón with his hands in his pockets. "He isn't just hanging in there, he's urging Simón to attack him!" She thought. "Oh, looks like Mr. Greats got into a match while I was out for a smoke," Aaron commented, walking around the second floor of the gym. "He's dodging all of my attacks?!" Simón asks, watching Winter duck under his mostly horizontal swipe that was more angled up, "How can he be this lucky?" He thought, swiping vertically down at Winter. Only for him to stand up and step once to the side to avoid it, "I won't be able to hit him unless I go all out-" Simón though, swiping at Winter again- "I've changed my mind!" He watched a streak of aquamarine pass him, he turned his head to see Winter standing perpendicular to Simón in a bladed stance. "I'm going to kill him!" He thought, lunging in with a third jab.
~>System<{" [Warning!] There is an [Entity] Nearby With [Murderous Intent] Against The [Player] Nearby!"}>It rang<~
The jab passed by him, leaving a cut on Winter's cheek, "Murderous intent?" He asks, as Simón throws a left jab aimed for his face. A plume of displaced air and dust covers Winter, "My cheek is going to scar now," he thought and when it fades he is gripping Simón's hand. "If I kept playing around, I'll end up having to kill this guy-" Winter thought. A skull-like mask formed on his face in the cloud of mana- "If I was just a second later. I would have lost an eye," he smiled, his aquamarine eyes now glowing a blood-red with vertical-slit irises and red flesh sclera with black straight lines diverging from each iris. "How is he so strong?!" Simón thought, "And to make it worse, he could've ended the duel by grabbing my wrist, but he instead grabbed my hand!" He added with a nervous smile. "Are you playing with me right now?" Simón asks, "I'm sure you want to go for a little longer!" Winter smiled, pushing his hand away and putting his hand back in his pocket. "You bastard!" Simón roared, sending out a barrage of attacks with both hands. Without a sweat, Winter avoids each attack. Leaving five after images between each attack, just as Simón pulled back his right arm, finally finding Winter, he is restrained by Samuel and Alan. Out of instance, Winter leaped away. "Hey, what's going on?" Winter asks as Max creates an ice wall between them. Macey and Erik rushing over. "This needs to stop! That man is in charge of leading the Wido team in a few days!" Erik explained, "Oh-" Winter replied- "Nobody will be able to handle the consequences if something were to happen," Macey adds, "Okay," he responded with an indifferent expression.
"This sparring session has gotten too far. Let's call it a day," Erik explained to Violeta, "Okay!" She nods. "Did I overstep my boundaries?" Macey asks, "Not at all, I just didn't expect you getting involved," Winter shrugs, the skull-mask melting away. Tommy laughs, "I can't believe he went up against the great Simón Alcabú and walked away with a tiny cut on his cheek!" He explained, "Very impressive, Mr. Greats!" Tommy smiled. "I was expecting a longer fight," Ultima sighed, "Hey, you've got a spectacular build! My guild is chock-full of mages, and we don't have enough fighters-" Tommy began- "Mr. Greats, if you don't already have a guild in mind, how about you come and join mine?" He asks, "Hey, Coach Tommy! Mr. Greats is a mage-type!" Aaron yelled from the second floor, "What?!" he asks, "I got excited too," Winter thought with a sigh, replying to Ultima, "I now have a good grasp of how strong everyone is, though-" he began- "And with the close encounters with Mr. Sears, Mr. Finly, Ms. Mears, And Simón Alcabú, I was able to place some soldiers in their shadow," Winter thought, "Even though they're all S-ranks, they haven't noticed the soldiers hiding in my shadow," he added. "Not even Mr. Alcabú has sensed anything out of place," Winter smirked softly. "Mr. Sears," He began, "Yes, Mr. Greats?" He asks, "You asked if I would participate in the Khaui Island raid, right?" Winter asks, "Yes, do you have an answer for me?" Mr. Sears asks, "Yeah. I want to join the raid," he turns to face Mr. Sears, with a big smile on his face. Violeta steps toward Simón, "Mr. Alcabú?" She asks, stepping in front of him to see his face sweating bullets. With a terrified expression, his body was trembling, and his breath was uneven. "Sir!" Violeta yelled.