Delay the inevitable or admit his loss.
This was such a critical choice for Emery.
This 'battle' had really shown him the strength of the prodigy, Zach. Even though Emery poured all his efforts and tried his best in the situation, Zach was able to overpower everything he did without breaking a sweat.
What made Emery seethe with concern was the fact Emery was sure Zach still kept the power of his bloodline transformation hidden.
For a moment there, Emery seriously considered giving up on the match. Afterall he only needed to win 4 out of the 5 fights. Even if he threw this match, he would still have a chance to continue.
"Urghhh!"
Emery spat out a glob of blood near his feet, his body showing he could not take the battle of strength much longer.
He was pinned down with such power to the point he had to kneel while holding the blade with both his arms. The position really bothered him, as it reminded him of how helpless he was as a scared little boy way back before he joined the Magus Academy. With the blood coming from his hands, his shoulders and as his energy dwindled, it was clear all of his choices would lead to him losing.
No...
Not yet!
'I will not let it end here!'
Emery realized the only way to have a chance at winning was by using the second stage of his transformation.
With time against him, Emery decided to take the chance and search deep within himself, looking for his dormant knowledge that would let him trigger the second transformation.
[Fey Transformation – Second Stage]
Emery let out a roar of pain, as greyish fur slowly covered his body. The transformation made the grip of his mind over his body slip little by little, making him only barely conscious enough to stand, yet gave him a burst of power enough to push Zach back a few steps.
However, right before Emery really lost his mind, he saw how Zach still seemed unfazed.
The last thing he remembered was Zach's scathing remark right before everything went dark.
"Amateur… that's a mistake…"
Zach's eyes suddenly emitted a golden glow and brilliant red scales started to appear from both his hands, crawling up to his shoulders.
The sight of Zach still looking as unperturbed as ever in front of a three meters grey wolf made the audience cheer in admiration.
Emery was no longer conscious and the wolf was only driven by the instinct to attack everything in front of him without stopping. The wolf extended its claws and pounced so fast, even the dust around its feet started flying the moment it dashed forward, but Zach merely took one step aside and dodged the attack perfectly.
Right as the wolf stopped and looked around in slight confusion, Zach grabbed his broadsword with both hands and muttered a spell. A slight glow covered the blade before disappearing.
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Again, Zach took his battle stance and swung his sword, fire started to spread from the tip of the blade down to the handle. With such speed Zach took another swing and instantly chopped off Emery's damaged right shoulders and caused the wolf arm to fly several meters away.
Blood splattered around the arena and with each disoriented step the wolf took, blood started to gush from the open wound. Driven by rage and no higher thought, the wolf roared and pounced, trying to attack Zach with its remaining arm, but all of the creature attack was simply dodge easily.
When Zach saw an opening, he did not waste any time at all. He dashed at the creature, swung his sword and stabbed the wolf right in its chest.
Splatttt!!
The tip of the blade pierced out from the other side of the wolf's body, marking Emery's loss.
The pierced grey creature slowly returned from his wolf form to his previous human self. Bathed in blood missing one arm, Emery laid down defeated on the arena grounds.
Zach gave a sigh, put his sword back into the storage ring and walked out of the arena without a care in the world.
[The third match is over]
Right as the winner was announced, the crowds cheered again even louder than before. Some whistled and some pointed at Zach, while talking about him in a mixture of awe and fear.
While the crowds drown in their fun, Emery was quickly brought away from the arena by the medical acolytes and into the treatment room. Even though Emery has yet to regain consciousness, he was hauled into a pod to allow the medical acolytes to treat him better.
Just outside the treatment room, a group of people asked the medical acolytes for permission to enter, but they were ignored and told to leave. They were Emery's three friends.
"Let us in!"
"Please, at least tell us how he is doing right now! Will he be okay?"
It was obvious the medical acolytes made a pointed attempt at ignoring them and telling them their presence was not welcomed without actually saying anything. Seemingly attracted by the commotion, a man wearing magus robes walked towards them causing everyone to stop what they were doing.
"How is he doing right now?"
"We are still in the process of treating him, Magus Xion." The medical acolyte answered politely.
"Then, tell me, how bad is his current condition?"
"Loss of blood, piercing wound to the chest and a missing hand. I do not know if he was fortunate or his opponent purposefully did this, but the stab missed the heart and all vital organs. He will be fine, the loss of blood can be treated easily and the hand can be regrown in time. Don't worry too much, Magus."
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"I see. Good to know, then." Magus Xion nodded. Before he left, he realized he forgot to ask the most important question.
"How long will the treatment take, then? Would he be able to join the next match?"