Both step back after landing a punch on each other at the same time. Kicking off the wall with his charged momentum, Enrico attacks again, landing an Impact Zero on her stomach. Smiling as she's hit, her fist is wrapped in thunder and she returns the blow even harder. Not wanting to back down, he uses Charged Impact with maximum force, striking and causing destruction on the wall behind her—yet she still doesn't retreat.
"Thunder Punch, Level Two."
Danyana's hand is now wrapped in even more lightning, and he's sure that if it hits, it will cause massive damage. Even so, he faces her head-on. Preparing another blow, he takes his signature stance and combines it with his charged punch. Their fists collide, sending both flying in opposite directions.
'Damn, even being in the same circle there's already a gap… this reminds me of Chalés…'
Name: Danyana Stormclaw
Magic: Thunder, Circle 2 – 56%
Magic: Wind, Circle 2 – 49%
Mana Amount: 357
Unique Ability: Animal Instinct / ???????
Soul: 98
Seeing her stats, he's surprised. In the original story, it was only revealed she had one ability—but thinking about it now, it made sense not to know, especially since she dies in the Infernal Academy arc literally a few months from now, when the first year is ending.
Without giving her a break, he attacks quickly and creates his fire clone. Mounting two kicks, her body becomes wrapped in lightning, and she catches both his legs. Preparing to throw them both somewhere else, she lifts them by the legs, but the clone disperses that leg and reappears a second later, landing a Charged Impact by stomping on her stomach, forcing her to release Enrico's leg. Using that momentum, Enrico grabs the clone's hand, is spun into the air, and thrown toward her.
"Wind Magic: Beast Claw."
Raising her hand into the air, she brings it down quickly, sending five two-meter wind slashes toward him, forcing him to use Charged Impact midair to dodge.
"Multiple Fire Arrows."
Forming his bow, he uses his enhanced magic, firing four arrows that split into many, creating a rain of arrows toward Danyana. Both her arms become wrapped in wind, and with a push, the arrows are deflected. Looking toward Enrico, she only sees the clone where he was.
"Surprise."
A kick with Charged Impact lands on her face, finally drawing blood in this battle—but upon seeing her own blood, she seems even more excited. Her hands move faster, wind swirling around them, and Enrico barely gets far enough away to end up with only three slashes on his chest.
"As I thought, you're strong—so let's raise the level."
Seeing her vanish, he instantly swaps places with his clone. Looking at where he was, he sees the clone sliced in half. When she disappears again, leaving only a trail of electricity, he's ready.
When Danyana slashes again, she realizes she's hit the clone again. That means he can swap places with it—though it makes sense. Still, she's too excited by finally having a real fight to stop attacking.
'If any other Rank 10 besides me wanted to fight, I wouldn't be so focused on finding someone strong.'
Since last month, none of the other Rank 10s wanted to fight. They said fighting each other would be a waste of time, but she knew they were simply being selfish—wanting to keep their rank and only fight when they were sure they'd win.
To Danyana, they were all just careful, boring idiots who didn't want to battle and grow through fighting. To her, you can only truly discover your potential when in real danger. The only ones she respected were Rank 1 and Rank 9—but neither fought her: Rank 1 simply looked at her as if she weren't worth the time, and Rank 9 was weaker than her and never challenged her, spending all their time studying to further their alchemy after already accomplishing something impressive.
"Come on, Enrico—show me something that makes me want to evolve."
"You should keep calm, kitty—otherwise you might end up dead one day."
Dodging another blow thanks to swapping with the clone, his only option was to wait for an opening.
'Tsk, at this rate everyone will see my current limits… If it weren't for water magic…'
Since the beginning, Enrico had been using his water magic in healing mode, so he was holding up well and showing clear differences between himself and others—but it still wasn't enough. If he really wanted to fire them up, he had to go far beyond—become a real wall they'd have to overcome.
Stepping on the ceiling, he moves to the side, away from the spot Danyana destroys with a punch. Without wasting time, she moves toward him, forcing him to swap in midair.
'To make matters worse, my clone's and ring's time are running out—I have to end this soon.'
Creating his bow, he manages to fire three arrows that connect into a triangle, trapping her for a second. Not wanting to waste the chance, he creates his best arrow.
'Flaming Shot.'
Firing the arrow, it tears through the air. Seeing it coming fast, she steps aside but is forced further away by its power. Taking advantage of that moment, Enrico appears behind her, his fist covered in flames.
"Charged Impact."
Landing the blow, Danyana is slammed into the ground. Raising his hand, he summons several fireballs without stopping, blasting the spot where she is. Pulling one last arrow in the air, he fires it with a lot of mana, causing a mini explosion on the ground.
Everyone watching is stunned—especially Elowyn, who was sitting—and those who just arrived. It was incredible, and his friends—except for Elowyn, who was about to try fighting again—were all running to congratulate him. But Enrico raised a hand as if asking them to stay back.
"This is the best—thank you for giving me this fight. And as thanks, I'll go at my maximum."
After a second, a small burst of mana erupts from the crater, making the surrounding pressure heavier.
"RRRAAAGGHHZZTT."
From inside the crater, at incredible speed, she rushes toward Enrico in a transformed state: her hands and feet now covered in fur with tiger-like markings, her eyes and teeth animalistic. Even though parts of her form were still human, one could say she was a monster.
Danyana had activated her Unique Ability.