Chapter 252 Thea Vs Josinia [III]

Kalon was right about the fact that the pair were waiting.

Josinia broke the pattern first.

She stopped feeding earth into another wall and let Thea’s next water line come towards her. For a moment, it looked like it was going to hit her.

Then at the last step she twisted off her line, planted her feet hard, and snapped Travelling Spark through her lead arm.

White-blue current jumped the gap and hit Thea across the ribs. The shock locked Thea’s shoulder for half a second and forced a sharp sound out of her.

The crowd noise changed at once.

Lightning from the debut fighter with the empty profile was not in anyone’s expectations.

Phones that had been up for clips stayed up for a different reason now. They had to catch this on camera!

Thea took the hit with her teeth gritted and stopped focusing on using only water.

She pointed two fingers at the stone ridge Josinia was already raising and put a ranged Death Pulse into it. This was the Death side of her Ouroborus life and death skill.

The earth did not crack from impact. The skill took the life out of it. Colour and density dropped from the slab in a dead grey collapse, and the whole ridge fell apart before it could cover anyone.

Several people in the front rows shoved back from the rails without meaning to.

Someone swore loud enough to carry.

Both affinities were public now, and the crowd gasped in disbelief.

Josinia went forward behind another spark, trying to force a clinch before Thea could line a second pulse.

They met near the centre of the cage.

Josinia’s fist caught Thea’s cheek and snapped her head sideways. Thea’s knee drove into Josinia’s thigh hard enough to buckle the stance.

Spark flashed between them at short range and left a burnt black line across Thea’s costume sleeve.

Thea’s palm slapped flat against Josinia’s stomach and pushed enough Death into the contact that Josinia’s next breath came shallow and wrong.

They broke apart because staying close meant one of them was going to drop.

Blood showed on Thea’s lip. Josinia’s white hair stuck to the side of her face in wet clumps.

The hall was past the anime jokes. Whatever laughter had carried the introductions was gone under the simple fact that both women were trying to finish the fight.

Chants for both women crashed against each other from opposite sides of the arena.

Kalon tracked the fight from outside the cage wall.

Josinia still had power in the spark, but her earth work had already spent too much mana in the early minutes. Every wall and spike had a cost, and she was paying for it now in slower footwork.

Thea’s water was still live. Death Pulse did not need the same volume of mana to be activated, as the skill more relied on the cycle of life and death.

Josinia committed everything to one forward break. Lightning ran her arms. Earth lifted under her boots for a launch step meant to put her on top of Thea before another pulse could form.

Thea did not run from it. She met it. Water wrapped her right fist in a tight hard shell as she stepped in and threw the cleanest strike of the match, a rising blow that caught Josinia under the jaw while the spark was still loading.

Josinia’s head snapped back. Her boots left the floor. She hit the cage mat hard and tried to roll onto her side.

She was too slow.

Thea did not chase with anything flashy. She put one boot on Josinia’s lead arm to pin it, aimed two fingers at her chest, and held the Death Pulse at the edge of release where Josinia could feel the skill waiting.

The threat was clear enough from the seats.

Josinia’s free hand lifted once. Then it dropped to the mat.

Kalon was already moving to the cage door before the hall had fully processed the stop.

"Enough."

His voice was loud and amplified by a microphone strapped to his chest.

Medical staff came through the gate at once.

Thea stepped off Josinia and let them reach her, chest rising hard, costume torn at the sleeve and marked with grit and blood.

Josinia was conscious. Her jaw was tight. Most importantly though, she was smiling.

She stared at the lights overhead while a medic checked her pupil response and another braced her shoulder.

The death prevention field hadn’t needed to be activated this time.

Kalon took the mic again once he was sure both women were stable enough for the call.

"Winner, Seraph Thea of House Bluegale."

The hall finally let out a devastating cheer. It hit the cage from every side at once, Bluegale chants mixed cheers for Josinia as well.

Although the girl had lost, no one could deny the fact that the young lady was beautiful, entertaining, and incredibly strong. Strong enough to go head to head with one of the countriee greatest prospects.

Thea stood near her corner and did not celebrate hard. She looked at Josinia on the mat, then at Kalon, and only after that at the stands.

Josinia turned her head enough to meet Thea’s eyes and gave a small nod through the medic’s hands. Thea smiled and nodded back at her, both women showing respect for eachother as friends.

Kalon had been given the result he needed for the organisations fight.

A real fight. A clear winner. Two hidden affinities shown that made the crowd go crazy. A full underground house that had filled immediately, still with people left outside hoping to find a way to sneak in.

Outside the cage, staff were already moving toward exit routes and media points. Inside it, Thea helped Josinia sit up once the medics allowed it, and the first night under Intergalactic League closed on the image of both costumed fighters still in frame, showing respect to each other, rather than animosity.

Kalon lowered the mic.

The debut card had done its job.