Rising Against Fate

Oruchi tried dodging the attack by jumping towards his left, but he lost his balance and fell on the floor.

He had spent most of his years in magical research and training, so he wasn't even an average when he came to hand-to-hand combat. Due to that, he took a bit more damage than any regular magician would.

"Heh! Right where cowards like you belong."

Richi had a smug look on his face, which was a sign of overconfidence. But when one had the right amount of skills to back themself up, it was hard to see it as such. The audience would just think of it as confidence and faith in one's ability.

Even though he was confident about his victory, he wasn't foolish enough to take it easy just because of that. Not when this was the perfect opportunity to close in on his opponent and attack him when he was vulnerable.

Richi charged towards Oruchi using physical enhancement. By that speed, he would reach up to Oruchi in just two leaps.

"Snake prison!"

Right when Richi was about to reach him, Oruchi created a cubical cage around himself.

Snake prison was an inferior version of the Dark Cocoon that Razak could use. Dark Cocoon could block any physical or magical attack, and along with that, it could prevent any toxic gases and harmful soundwaves from entering. Due to that, it was considered a highly advanced magical spell. While in comparison, Snake prison could only block physical and magical attacks. Also, if we were to compare sturdiness, Dark Cocoon would win there too.

Oruchi knew that, so instead of relying on just Snake prison, he followed up with another defensive spell.

"Shadow Python!"

A large black python appeared around the cage and tried attacking Richi. It looked vicious, so charging forward without ascertaining the level of threat was dangerous. Not to mention the fact that he would need to break the prison before reaching Oruchi, and that would take some time.

Richi jumped backward to avoid the attack. The python just stayed around the cage and kept on hissing at Richi instead of charging towards him.

Oruchi used this opportunity to stand up and analyze his opponent. Richi was undoubtedly powerful, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was — he was so full of himself that any provocation, or other verbal methods of influencing the opponent, were useless against him.

'So, how do I deal with this?' He thought. Since his defensive spells were still active, he had some time to think things through.

However, based on what he found out, Richi would probably be able to break through the barriers sooner or later.

During the time Oruchi was thinking, Richi was trying to deal with the Shadow python outside.

He was trying to avoid its head and look for the opening. But the problem was, there weren't any openings. The python wasn't trying to attack him; instead, it was just trying to protect the cage. And somehow, it looked like the python had a brain of its own.

However, that was not the case. Oruchi had perfected this technique to the point where he could subconsciously control the python like a part of his body.

"Tch!"

Richi stepped back after several unsuccessful attempts to find an opening. He realized he was just wasting his time and giving Oruchi the opportunity to recover.

Oruchi sighed in relief. If Richi had continued, he wouldn't have been able to resist much longer. Also, he couldn't use another spell while Snake prison and Shadow Python were still active.

However, that relief only lasted for a few seconds. He soon realized another Vibration punch was coming at him.

"Vibration punch!"

Richi was pretty annoyed at this point, and the reason for that was apparent. He hated losing, and the inability to pass through the opponent's defense made him feel like a loser.

Oruchi was in a challenging position. He only had a few seconds to disable two spells and dodge the attack.

If it was someone who was physically fit, there was a chance that he might be able to dodge it. But for Oruchi, that was impossible. So, his only option was to look for a way to minimize the loss.

Oruchi quickly disabled the prison and used the Shadow python to push himself out of the path of Richi's attack.

He avoided the attack right on time, but he hit his head hard on the crack made during the last attack.

Oruchi was in a very tough position since arts like shadow magic needed a lot of concentration to perform. However, he was hesitant to give up because he had to get through this and defeat an imposter who was using his clan's art.

"Shadow Python."

This time he tried attacking Richi with the python, but it didn't work. Richi created a vibration shield and destroyed the python easily. It was easy, not just because there were openings, but also because Oruchi wasn't able to concentrate properly due to his head injury.

"Are you a fool or something? Either stop the bleeding before trying to attack or just give up."

This wasn't a provocation. Richi was just trying to advise Oruchi; however, because of his tone, it sounded like a provocation.

"I am not done yet!"

At this point, it was apparent that Oruchi wasn't thinking clearly. If he was, he should have realized that Richi wasn't attacking despite all the openings. In fact, he himself wasn't aware of his situation.

"Hundred mambas."

Several small, fast-moving snakes appeared out of Oruchi's shadow and attacked Richi.

"Idiot," he whispered in a low voice. Although, even if he had said it out loud, Oruchi probably wouldn't have heard it.

"Earthquake!"

Richi touched the ground before those snakes could reach him and activated the spell. Obviously, he also created a Vibration shield in front of him just in case. Although, he was sure that he wouldn't be needing it.

When he sent the shockwaves through his hand, Oruchi's snakes disappeared. It wasn't because of the shockwave, but because Oruchi was no longer able to concentrate enough to maintain the spell.

As soon as the snakes disappeared, Richi dashed forward using physical enhancement. This time, he was able to reach him without much problem.

When he touched his shoulder and sent the vibration through, Oruchi was knocked unconscious.

"Game over."

After saying that, Richi left the unconscious Oruchi on the floor and walked out of the stage.

"There you have it, folks! The winner of this match is Richi Shindo."