Match Two
The level of combat had ramped up drastically to the point the front line viewers were trying to lean back in hopes not to feel too much of the heat that was spreading. An explosive battle, to say the least, as a Lava user confronted an Explosion user in a clash of brutal blasts and fumes. The arena itself was suffering a lot of damage, the shinobi sweating heavily as their concentration was pushed to the limit. Avoiding even the slightest of hits knowing that even one straight strike could leave tremendous damage with the power their opponent held. Suzume's eyes followed every of their minute movement, ready to jump in if such was needed, the stress and strain on her senses all to real as failing to intervene in time could well mean the end of a life at this point.
As the lava and explosions continued, fire, earth and lightning making the area tremble all around, signs of fatigue were slipping in. Movements were getting sloppier, follow up strikes missing. With half of the arena in ruins the duellists were feeling the consequences of their brutal assaults. The terrain had become difficult to navigate, demanding more effort from their physical endurance as pieces of rock floated between streams of lava. The formerly fast paced approach had come to a slow drift, anticipation rising as people leaned forward and held their breathe.
The last bout was happening. Kicks and punches being exchanged. The explosion user seemed to hold the upper hand but it might all have been a ruse as a critical strike was swiftly dodged and left him vulnerable. A healthy punch smashed him against a brick behind him, rocks pelting him and cleanly striking him. Blood gushing from his body, he sagged and went limp as exhaustion and pain overtook him. Victory for the lava user. But he didn't see it as such just yet. He'd grin, maddened eyes focused on his target. He'd conjure a ball of flame with a heat intensity that left little doubt about his intention. The ball of flame came down.
The brutality of the attack threw up dust, rock and fog. For a moment the crowd held their breath as even they could sense the hostilities of the moment, battle frenzy running deep. As the fog cleared, the defeated man had his back pressed against the wall as far as he could, disbelieve in his eyes. Before him stood the hermit, unnaturally calm despite the chaos, hand held up before her in a gesture to stop his activities. The lava user, now realising how far he had gone in the spur of the moment, looked about him as he snapped out of the frenzy.
"This fight is over.", she spoke as calmly as she was determined. She'd watch him nod in understanding as he took a couple of steps back. When tension had dropped she walked over to the lava user to take his hand and raised it, "This victory goes to Kai."
As the crowd went wild, medics jumped in to check on the health of the explosion user, patching up the most serious of his wounds before they dragged his exhausted body out of the arena. The winner of the fight followed shortly after under loud applause, and the hermit moved on to the next fight to monitor.
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Total: 1270