My System: An Evolved Computer I Made With My Unique Ability—

Lydia ducked once again before hurling a set of water spikes from her fingertips. Another set of vines came out of the ground, causing her to jump up while she swung her hand with purpose. To some, it appeared as if she was flailing around, but a second later, they began to understand what she was doing as a scythe appeared in her hand, cutting the vines before they could close in on her.

"Well, if you win, I might get an autograph. But I doubt it." Marie Pettigreen called out, smiling. Behind her smile was the confidence that she would win against Lydia.

Somehow, Lydia was holding her ground against Marie even though she was severely disadvantaged. The lack of water in the Coliseum, coupled with the slightly higher temperature of the morning heat, was getting to Lydia. Fortunately, Lydia's control over her superpower was far superior to Marie's. That's why she managed to keep up with her.

Meanwhile, Marie was undergoing a noticeable transformation while she continued to fling her vines at Lydia. Her hair had gotten thicker than normal, and her legs shifted into an aesthetically green color. More vines shot from her hair and appendages. Even her legs turned into vines and continued to dig their way to the ground.

"Finally," Marie Pettigreen uttered under her breath.

Compared to Lydia, Marie's superpowers work the opposite way. Her special skill, photosynthesis, allows her to extract energy directly from the sun. In other words, the hotter the day was, the stronger her superpowers became. If it were nighttime, Marie's superpowers would've been absolutely dampened. But since the sun had just risen, it was the most optimal time for Marie to use her superpowers. She was her most powerful if it was daytime, the polar opposite of Lydia, who relied on the presence of water in order for her to fully utilize her superpower.

A number of vines came out of the ground, shooting at Lydia and causing her to jump up. With a grunt, she used her scythes to slash through the vines.

Thack~!

To her surprise, the vines didn't suffer any damage at all. In fact, her scythes barely cut the vines that came at her. What was even more surprising was that she felt her energy drained the moment her attack connected. 'That's weird... I'm sure I didn't exert that much energy when I struck those vines.' Lydia said to herself.

Apparently, one feature of Marie's passive skill was that it drains water from the surrounding area. And since Lydia's superpower is mainly controlling water, it was absorbed by the vines when the attack connected.

'This is not going well. This is not going well at all.' Lydia furrowed her brows as she continued to talk to herself. Marie is basically her polar opposite, her weakness, and at this rate, she was going to lose.

In a split second, her gaze landed on Satoshi and the others who were part of the audience. Even though it didn't help at all, it gave her the small motivation she needed to push forward. Marie was right. She didn't stand a chance against her. If she wouldn't do anything different, she's bound to lose.

And losing will decrease her chance of successfully transferring into the school.

Marie shot more vines at Lydia. This time, she intended to constrict her movement by surrounding her with vines. And as if that wasn't enough, she continued her barrage of vines with the intent of stabbing Lydia. "Are you exhausted, Lydia? You can just say so. It would save both of us the trouble if you forfeit."

"Not happening," Lydia called out.

At this point, her scythe had been reduced to the size of a small dagger. It looked more like a miniature sickle than a scythe. Moreover, Lydia was on the verge of complete exhaustion. Even then, the fire in her eyes was not yet extinguished. She was determined to win no matter what.

With another hit, Lydia finally realized why Marie was significantly stronger than her. Stealing a glance up above, she noticed the sun, which was almost directly on top of the Coliseum. Her water scythe had become even smaller, and she was reaching her limit.

That's it!

A grin appeared on Lydia's expression. When Marie attacked her again with her vines, she didn't bother counterattacking. Instead, she dodged all her attacks, relying purely on her physical capabilities and totally suppressing her urge to use her superpower. If her hunch was right, then there was still a chance for her to win the match.

It didn't take long before Lydia found her pace, and she was dodging Marie's attacks like a pro. It was a gripping fight, and the audience could tell just how close it was. They couldn't help but hold their breaths in avid anticipation. No one could tell whether Marie or Lydia would win. Whomever it was who would rise up as the victor didn't matter, though, since the match was a feast for the eyes.

Once she got her momentum back, Lydia found the opening she needed. Before Marie's next round of attacks occurred, she extended her hand toward the sky. With her remaining energy, she controlled the existing water in the air, condensing them at the top of the Coliseum and blocking the sun from contact with Marie.

The changes could be seen in an instant. Marie's vines were severely reduced, and her attacks became sluggish. She gritted her teeth in frustration.

However, Lydia was in the same place as Marie. Both of them had already exhausted their energies, and their fight was near pointless since they could barely walk and attack each other. For a good minute, the two of them stood face to face each other, panting.

Then they both screamed and charged at each other like battle-crazed entities. Plume could foretell what would happen if she let it continue, and as a referee, she had the split-second decision to stop the match before they hurt themselves even more.

Fwoom~!

Before they could reach out for each other's throat (or each other's hair), Plume descended in the middle of the arena, holding out her hand in an attempt to stop the match. "That's it. This fight is now over." She announced, her firm voice echoing in the Coliseum.