Chapter 119
The arena was silent for just a moment. A crisp breeze rustled Kamisato Ayaka's sleeves as she stood poised, hand resting lightly on the hilt of her fan-shaped tachi. Across from her, Childe cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as a grin spread across his face. The announcer's voice rang out over the field, but neither fighter paid it any mind. Their focus was solely on each other.
"This will be a fun one..." Childe stated.
And then...the match began.
Childe was the first to move. He lunged forward, his hydro vision igniting as twin blue blades materialized in his hands. The moment his foot hit the ground, the arena floor erupted in a spray of water, launching him forward like a spear.
Ayaka's eyes flashed. The air around her turned ice-cold. With the precision of a falling snowflake, she vanished into a whirl of frost, her Senho dash carrying her smoothly across the battlefield. Childe's first strike carved through empty space, water slashing the air where she had been.
"Fast," he mused, pivoting instantly.
Ayaka reappeared behind him in an instant, blade already descending in a crescent arc. Childe barely managed to twist, raising his hydro blades in a cross to catch her strike. Ice met water, sending a sharp gust of frost outward. But Ayaka wasn't finished. With a flick of her wrist, she pivoted the angle of her katana, deflecting his guard and forcing him to stagger back.
Childe smirked. "Alright then, Princess. Let's make this fun."
A geyser erupted at his feet as he activated Riptide, spraying the battlefield with droplets of energized water. Ayaka leapt backward just in time, but Childe was already in pursuit. He reformed his blades into a massive polearm, spinning it overhead before slamming it down. Ayaka dodged to the side, but the impact sent a shockwave through the ground, knocking her off balance for just a split second. That was all Childe needed.
He surged forward, aiming to end this quickly with a heavy downward strike. Ayaka, however, remained calm. In that split second, she twisted, her feet gliding across the ice forming beneath her. She parried his strike with an elegant flourish, using the force of the impact to spin gracefully away. Then, with a sharp exhale, she raised her free hand.
Frost bloomed around her.