Harem System In A fantasy World

"That was impressive," he admitted.

Mayumi lowered her stance again.

"You are still treating this like a game."

"You are wrong. I am just trying not to injure you by doing more than what is necessary."

"You will never understand my strength if you continue worrying about that."

Elion stared at her for a moment.

She was not speaking out of pride alone. To Mayumi, his restraint was not kindness.

It was disrespect.

She had spent years sharpening her body and technique to compensate for something everyone else considered a crippling weakness.

Every position she had earned had probably come after forcing others to acknowledge her through battle.

If he defeated her without allowing her to show everything she possessed, she would never be satisfied with the outcome.

Elion released a quiet breath.

"Very well."

The relaxed casualness in his posture disappeared as he straightened his back and adjusted his footing.

He no longer held a sword, but the moment his left hand rose before him, Mayumi felt as though an invisible blade had been pointed directly at her throat.

Her body reacted before her thoughts did.

She jumped backwards.

A thin blade of water passed through the space where she had been standing.

It struck the stone behind her, carving a smooth line several inches deep into the reinforced arena.

Mayumi’s eyes widened slightly.

Three more water blades formed around Elion.

"You wanted me to use magic," he said. "Do not complain now."

The blades shot forwards.

Mayumi moved immediately.

The first passed beside her shoulder.

She knocked the second aside with a mana-coated palm, causing it to burst into countless droplets, while the third forced her to twist through the air before landing several metres away.

The droplets did not fall.

They remained suspended around her, and Mayumi noticed too late.

With his new understanding of Laws and Wills, keeping the water spell from dispersing even after casting and missing was child’s play.

He didn’t even need to think to command the spell to do as he pleased. It came to him as easily as breathing did.

From that point on, it was just a matter of refining his control, and even that was far better than it was supposed to be.

"...!" The sight caused not just Mayumi, but most of the spectators in the room to stare in awe.

That kind of elemental control meant one thing: Elion was a High Mage or higher!

None of them had been able to read into his strength by now, but the evidence was right before them.

Even Marilyn was pleasantly surprised, even though this just reaffirmed the simple fact that Mayumi didn’t stand much of a chance.

The water gathered around her ankles, changing form from its fluid nature, hardening into two dense restraints.

She tore one foot free through sheer strength, but the brief delay was enough.

Elion appeared directly in front of her.

Mayumi’s fist shot towards his face in an effort to deter him, but he simply tilted his head aside and tapped two fingers against her shoulder.

A wave of water mana spread across her arm.

The limb became unbearably heavy. Not numb, but so weighed down that she could barely lift it.

She attempted to strike with the other hand, only for Elion to place one palm against her abdomen.

There was no violent impact.

A controlled pulse of mana entered her body, disrupting the circulation of her reinforcement technique.

The silver glow beneath her skin flickered.

Mayumi’s eyes widened.

Her physical strength dropped sharply as the mana reinforcing her muscles scattered.

Elion stepped behind her and pressed two fingers against the back of her neck.

"Do you surrender?"

Mayumi remained still for half a second. Then she threw her head backwards.

Elion moved aside before the back of her skull could strike his face.

"You are surprisingly violent."

Mayumi spun and kicked towards him.

Her movements had slowed considerably without the reinforcement technique, but they remained precise.

Elion caught her ankle.

She used the trapped leg as an anchor, jumping from the ground and aiming another kick at his head.

Elion caught that ankle as well.

For a brief moment, he stood holding both her legs while she hung upside down in front of him.

The sight caused the training hall to fall silent.

Mayumi’s expression finally changed.

A faint trace of embarrassment appeared upon her face.

He was holding her like a child!

Elion looked down at her.

"Are you going to surrender now?"

"No."

She twisted her body violently, attempting to escape his grip.

Elion sighed.

"You really are stubborn."

He released one of her legs, turned with the remaining momentum, and tossed her towards the opposite side of the arena.

Mayumi twisted in the air and landed on her feet, though she was forced to slide backwards to disperse the force.

The moment she stopped, several streams of water rose from the cracks around her.

They wrapped around her arms, waist, and legs before tightening.

Mayumi strained against the restraints.

The water stretched but did not break.

Every time she attempted to tear one stream apart, it divided into several thinner strands that wrapped even more tightly around her body.

She gathered mana into her muscles again, attempting to restore her reinforcement technique.

Elion closed his hand.

The water surrounding her compressed, and her disrupted mana scattered once more.

Mayumi dropped to one knee, but she still attempted to rise.

The spectators watched in complete silence.

Elion walked towards her slowly.

"You have already shown everyone what you are capable of."

Mayumi looked up at him, breathing heavily.

"I can still fight!"

"I know you can."

"Then release me!"

"No."

Her eyes narrowed.

"You said you would stop holding back."

"I stopped underestimating your determination," Elion corrected. "That does not mean I am going to stand here until you destroy your own body."

"I know my limits."

"Your left shoulder is beginning to tear, your right wrist is fractured, several muscles in your legs are strained, and your reinforcement technique has started damaging the mana channels around your abdomen."

Mayumi froze.

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