UNLIMITED SPEED

Moses and Pete walked up the stage, neither of them saying a word to each other.

The surface of the stage continued to repair itself even as they stood on it. It took multiple seconds before the whole process ended.

During that period of time both individuals limited themselves to stare and observe the other person, both dashing forward immediately after the inscriptions on the stage dimmed and disappeared.

Both men seemed hell-bent on not wanting to speak to each other, as an instant later they arrived at each other's paths.

A sword appeared in Moses's grip, his face expressionless, while orange flames flickered and enveloped the blade of his sword, Pete retrieving his weapon.

A spear suddenly appeared in Pete's grip, Moses immediately adopting a serious expression at that sight.

Parrying the spears' blade with his sword, Moses tried to grab it, but Pete had moved it from his hand's path.

The ground suddenly shattered beneath Moses's feet, which managed to disorient him for a few instants, Pete taking advantage of that moment of weakness.

Pete Instant spun on the spot, his spear cutting the air to slice Moses's torso area, but Moses wasn't an amateur in fighting, he wasn't among the top of his class even the whole academy for no reason.

The spear managed to get a few inches close to Moses's body but a yellow barrier of sorts flickered into existence stopping it in its tracks. Moses's previously prepared inscription had activated and saved his life.

Surprise tried to overtake Pete's mind but he pushed it to the deepest depths of his mind and jumped backwards, his left hand holding his spear behind his body, while his right hand pointed at Moses's standing figure.

A yellow magical circle expanded on Pete's palm, over fourty sharp stones shooting out of it, all aiming at Moses who was already prepared.

Moses's right hand shot outwards and drew a series of yellow lines in the air, a second barrier appearing to reinforce the first one which he had prepared a while before the banquet began.

As an acolyte of the study of inscriptions, he had to constantly remain prepared in case potentially dangerous events occurred.

The sharp stones arrived an instant later all converging towards Moses's body.

Clanging sounds immediately resounded in the whole room, as the stones weren't able to pierce the first barrier, only spreading slight cracks on its transparent surface.

A slight smile appeared on Moses's face as he shot out of the cloud of dust that had formed from the previous attack.

His figure crossed an area of over fifty meters in an instant, his flaming sword stretched behind him.

Raising his sword up in a downward slash, Moses tried to sever the man's right arm, but he of course knew he wouldn't be able to complete that action, because he could sense a foreign flow of mana around him, Pete was about to cast a spell.

So Moses decided to make the sword's attack a feint.

His down-slashing sword suddenly vanished from his right hand, his figure adopting a crouching position immediately after.

Dragging his left leg behind his right, Moses threw his left fist at Pete's abdomen.

The man's figure shot backwards, while surprise and shock ravaged his mind, his spell casting being disrupted in the process.

Pete's grip inevitably loosened from the spear, while his body struck the veil of the stage, and surprisingly it stretched at the point of impact!.

The audience gasped in surprise, while Moses immediately stopped in his tracks.

Pete's body and the veil shot out for a few tens of meters until the power of the punch got exhausted, then the veil sent his body flying forward an instant later.

Moses readied his sword, but from the looks of things it seemed he wouldn't be able to handle the moving body, so he jumped sideways dodging Pete's body, but not without casting a fire ball on his figure.

An explosion resounded, as a charred crater formed on the ground, black smoke filling the whole place, while the smell of burnt meat spread inside the stage.

Moses could do nothing but wait, the turn of events hadn't been something he had expected at all.

Eventually a shout spread out in the whole room, the smoke clearing instantly as an angered aura filled the whole space.

Pete's pitiful figure appeared in Moses sight at that point.

The man had multiple patches of burnt skin, some parts of his skin were missing, and most of his attire had burnt and there was a caved-in spot on his stomach which bled.

His previously short black hair was gone, revealing a nearly bald head, which also had burnt patches of skin, his breathing remained roughed as Moses stared at him, his head shaking in pity.

"We don't really have to continue this fight," Moses eventually said, but no response returned to him, his voice ringing out once more.

"You might die if we continue. It's not worth it," Moses tried to make the man stop since his aura continued to flare without any signs of wanting to stop.

"I refuse," Pete simply stated, then he shot forward, the ground creating spikes for him which bent forward towards an already prepared Moses.

Moses's aura also exploded outwards, an orange glow escaping his body, while he decided to move more Mana into the spell he was about to cast.

Pointing his palm towards the incoming Pete and his envoy of moving spikes; a small magic circle flickered on his palm, as he cast a very simple spell, only that within it was more power than normal.

A small orange ball exited the magic circle, Moses's clothes immediately catching fire due to the Intense heat the spinning ball emitted.

His skin even began to burn after a few moments of prolonged exposure to the balls power, so he sent it forward.

Pete's instincts screamed at the sight of the fire ball, multiple walls springing out of the stage to block the rapidly moving spell and prevent it from touching him.

The ball of highly condensed heat eventually touched the first of the four walls raised, and a spectacular explosion resounded.

A blinding orange radiance filled the stages insides as the walls and the spikes were instantly obliterated.

The fear of death inevitably gripped Pete's formerly anger-filled mind, while he watched the scene of an intense heat wave rapidly approach him, his life flashing in front of his eyes, regret spreading inside him.

The veil instantly ballooned up due to the explosion, as the audience, including the remaining participants bent for cover.

But before the explosion could escape the insides of the stage, an intense aura exploded outwards, filling the entirety of the rooms space. Multiple noble's holding their breaths due to it, though no one was hurt

A gust of wind seemingly blew inside the stage, as the smoke that had filled its insides instantly cleared to reveal a calm Alex floating in front of petrified Pete, his left hand outstretched.

While a transparent green ball wrapped around Moses's surprised figure.

Alex had saved both their lives, easily at that.

"No one is allowed to die in the fights, and i advise you to refrain from using highly destructive spells, to ensure your safeties of course," Alex's calm voice filled the room.

During that period Noah managed to get a rough idea of his power, and he shook his head in wonder when he sensed that it was far higher than the beginning of tier 3.

The audience calmed down at that point, but their eyes couldn't leave the obliterated ground.

The explosion had levelled the stage and even caused a slightly deep crater to form in it. But the inscriptions had kicked in, though it would take a while for its complete repair.

Five men immediately rushed to the scene, most of their attention on Pete who had already passed out from the shock.

Alex left the stages area at that point. His eyes falling on Moses when his consciousness wrapped around him, his voice ringing out in his head.

"You shouldn't have done that Moses," he said.

"I apologize for my rash action," Moses replied with a slight bow.

Alex floated towards the pulpit his voice ringing out. "We'll have to wait a few minutes to watch the last fight, please bear with me," He bowed. The nobles engaging in short discussions to pass the time