Her opponent struggled against the tightening roots, his aura dimming under their grip.
Each movent only caused the vines to constrict further, draining his strength like a sieve.
She floated down to the ground, her feet brushing against the flower petals that sprouted in her wake.
"Seems like you're in a bit of a bind," she quipped, her voice light yet filled with underlying power.
Rak roared, his muscles bulging as he attempted one last desperate attack.
Flas burst from his mouth, scorching the air around him. But the vines absorbed the heat, glowing brighter and tighter with each passing second
"Why won't you burn!" he snarled, eyes wild with rage and disbelief.
She took a step forward, her expression serene but firm. "Nature has its own way of dealing with fire," she said softly. "And today, it seems you're on the losing side."
With a final flick of her wrist, the roots tightened one last ti, pinning him completely to the ground. The demon's eyes widened as he realized his defeat was imminent.
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, their excitent visible as they watched the tiny fairy dominate the massive demon with such ease.
"Unbelievable!" shouted a man from the front row, his voice nearly drowned out by the roar of approval around him. "She's amazing!"
A group of children in the stands jumped up and down, waving small flags with her crest on them.
"Ashmae! Ashmae! Ashmae!" they chanted in unison.
Even those who had initially been skeptical couldn't help but join in the applause.
Her performance had been nothing short of srizing—a perfect blend of elegance and power.
Rak lay defeated, his body slackening as he finally accepted his loss. The flas around him flickered out, leaving only wisps of smoke curling into the air.
"Rest now," she murmured gently. "Your fight is over."
The crowd's cheers grew louder, filling the arena with their admiration for her. She turned to face them, raising one hand in acknowledgnt.
Flowers burst into bloom at her feet as if celebrating her victory alongside the crowd.
The competition continued , and to no one's surprise, all three siblings had made it to the semi-finals.
Joining them was a dark horse contender who narrowly clinched victory in a hard-fought match.
The announcer's voice bood across the arena.
"The first match of the semi-finals: Ashmae versus Ash!"
A mont later, a patch of earth near the center cracked open, and roots twisted upward like fingers reaching for the sky.
From the center of the bloom, she rose in her usual fashion.
Then, the gate on the opposite side creaked open, and Ash stepped through.
No flashy entrance.
Compared to the previous dramatic arrival, he seed painfully ordinary—so much so that murmurs rippled through the audience.
"He's the weakest among the trio, right?" soone whispered from the stands, loud enough for a few heads to turn.
Ash didn't mind the comnts. He didn't even glance toward the stands.
His sister was already waiting near the center, her feet lightly touching the moss-covered stone beneath her.
"Big Brother Ash!" she called out sweetly, swaying on her toes. "I didn't wanna fight you yet... I was saving my win for Ashley! She's such a show-off, and I really wanted to squish her face first."
He tilted his head a little and gave a small smile.
"You'll have to settle for mine, then."
Ashmae let out a small sigh, but a tiny smile crept onto her face. "Hehe… I was kinda hoping you'd say that. Let's both do our best."
The announcer's voice bood again, giving the final cue.
"Begin!"
Dozens of magic circles lit up around him. In a blink, they unleashed a volley of light red arrows.
Ashmae narrowed her eyes.
With a snap of her fingers, swirling leaves surged forth.
The mont the arrows struck, the leaves exploded on contact, nullifying the barrage in bursts of red and green sparks.
But Ash wasn't done.
Without warning, a sigil materialized beneath Ashmae's feet.
Boom!
A towering pillar of white fla erupted skyward, engulfing her in an inferno so intense that heat waves rippled across the stadium.
This fla burned far hotter than Raks' attack.
Gasps echoed through the crowd. A few even stood up, jaws slack.
"Did he just... burn his own sister?!"
But as the flas receded, the arena went silent.
Ashmae stood at the center, unhard. Surrounding her was a pulsating do of interwoven vines, charred at the edges but intact.
Inside, she exhaled slowly, eyes still locked onto her brother.
"Whew... that was super close," she mumbled, puffing out her cheeks. "So that's the magic Daddy gave to Aunt Lucy, huh…"
"So you recognize it?"
"Nope! But Mommy always said Daddy used those circle thingies for his magic. I just put the pieces together!"
"Wanna learn it? I can show you," Ash offered with a shrug.
"Nuh-uh," she said playfully. "I don't need magic. I'm already super strong 'cause of my bloodline!"
"Father will be sad, you know," Ash smiled. "The whole magic thing is his symbol, after all."
But even as he joked, the air around him vibrated.
Magic circles—dozens of them—began to form in a wide radius. Each one glowed in different colors.
"I don't have to worry about that, Brother. It seems you've already got that covered."
Vines erupted from the ground. One nearly caught his leg, but he vanished , reappearing on the far edge of the stage.
"Teleportation now?" she muttered, snapping her hand to the side.
In response, a cluster of spiked thorns burst from the floor beneath him.
Ash leapt back, flipping effortlessly as multiple magic circles swirled to defend him, forming barriers that absorbed the attacks.
He landed in a crouch, sliding backward with his hand pressed to the floor.
Another set of circles lit up.
From them ca elental beasts—one wreathed in fla, one carved from ice, and one made of swirling water.
They grew larger and larger as they got closer, until they reached thirty feet tall and smashed through the vines.
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