The bird and the beast

   From within the circle came forth a huge bird of prey; a hawk. It appeard to be fully covered in silver. Just by looking at it, one could tell that its beak was harder than a rock and that its claws were as sharp as blades, even its wings didn't seem flying was all they could do. 

    At this point in the battle where pride was being cast aside, the same thought ran through the minds of everyone watching.

    "NOW THE REAL FIGHT BEGINS"

   "Go" at this command from Chris, the bird threw itself at Orie with incredible speed. Orie evaded the bird without problem but what came next was quite challenging. After evading an attack from above he found himself facing one from below.

   Not many can escape such attacks from Chris. He would use the bird to make his opponents dodge in a certain manner, then he would go in for the real attack when their balance had been compromised. It was quite an effective move, but just not for Orie.

   "How is this possible?" Chris thought to himself as he saw Orie make unusual movements to dodge his attack. Chris' attack was a low one that would normally force the target to move upwards in order to evade his sword was coming from the exact direction that Orie's body was going to from evading an attack from above. So he just could not understand how it was possible for Orie to dodge. 

   Chris was not the only one in disbelief. Everyone who had an eye for battle expected the attack to work but as soon as they saw Orie's unusual tilt, their reality was shattered.

   "Ellie Porter here"

   "Y'all thought he was done in the last match, huh"

   "I can assure you"

   "He's just getting started"

   "So just sit back and relax"

   "Enjoy the tension"

   "Enjoy the fight"

   "Anticipate the outcome"

   "and we'll be right back"

   After many failed attempts with different forms of the same move, Chris came to a conclusion.

   "This move doesn't work on him" he said to himself

   "and not just this move" he added

   "No move will work on him"

   "He is just too evasive"

   "The only way to beat him"

   "Is to overwhelm him"

    "SPLIT!!" Chris commanded and the bird split into two. Not only was there an increase in number, there was also an increase in speed. Orie was still evading but one could tell that it was not as easy as it was before.

    "AGAIN!!" Chris yelled and the birds were four.

   In the eyes of the spectators, Orie was fighting against one opponent who had four familiars but in Orie's own eyes, he was fighting against five opponents. Chris maintained the power and speed he was using before he had summoned the birds, and the birds were able to match that speed. 

   Four birds definitely made a difference. Orie who was evading all attacks began to block some of them. His movements were limited as strikes came in from many different angles. Those that watched him were all thinking the same thing.

   "IT MAY BE OVER SOON"

   "SPLIT!!" Chris yelled at the top of his voice and the birds increased in number again. The process is splitting did not affect the rhythm of his attacks so his opponent could not find any opening.

   "AGAIN!!" and the birds multiplied

   "AGAIN!!"

   "AGAIN!!"

   "AGAIN!!"

   "AGAIN!!"

   "AGAIN!!"

   Soon there were so many birds in the arena that people stopped bothering to count. There was no need to even ask if Orie could evade all that, he was definitely getting hit. 

   The birds circled Orie at tremendous speeds and attacked from all directions. He could not see anything in front of him that wasn't a bird. They were anything but ordinary birds, they were not made of flesh and blood, they were made for pure silver and their claws were shaper most blades.

   "It's over" as the people watched, that was the only conclusion that came to mind. What they were witnessing was such a sight that many paid no attention to sounds, they were all focused on what their eyes were seeing.

   Then suddenly, a sharp sound was heard. It wasn't loud but amidst all the noise that that flew through the air, it go to the ears of everyone and triggered silence. Then immediately after came what could only be described as a roar.

   No one had a hard time figuring out the source of the roar, everyone knew it was Orie. With a single roar he sent everything around him flying. The sound that tore through the air was the sound of him breathing in.

   The air around him was different, his red coat had turned black and lion heads were embroidered on it in gold. His hair which was already full seemed to be fuller than before, there wasn't much change in appearance but everyone assumed that they were looking at a different Orie.

   Orie did not appear to be in a hurry to launch his next attack. He finally got the chance to strike but all he did was to stand where he was and take a deep breath. His opponent on the other hand, did not take things as calmly as he did.

   Chris immediately motioned his hands and directed the remaining of his birds at Orie. With bullet speed, they threw themselves at him, so fast that many in the crowd did not see the form of impact that took place before dust and debris filled the air.

   The people's expectations was that the fight would get more interesting and last a bit longer, but what came after was a great disappointment.

   Faster than even the birds that he sent, Chris dashed in the dust filled area and the crowd heard the sound of a great clash as more dust and debris rose into the air.

   No other sound was heard after the clash. The spectators didn't know what to think of the situation, all they knew was that at least one of the fighters was out of commission. But if one of them was unable to continue, it was then a question of who was left standing.

    No one could tell if the dust was settling slowly or if time was playing tricks on them amid the tension but they all waited anxiously to see the result of the final clash. With the way the fight went, it was hard for people to tell if the result would go in favour of or against their bets.

   "Ellie Porter here" 

   "It's been exactly one minute since the last sound was heard in the arena"

   "Since then, we've been waiting for the dust to settle so we can see the last man standing"

   "As you can see, there is tension in the air"

   "Everyone is focused and quiet"

   "No one wants to miss the moment"

   "Wait..."

   "...I see someone"

   Normally, it would have comevas a great shock to see him emerge as the winner but as saw him standing over his opponent, it felt undeniable. The one who was revealed to be the last man standing after the clearing of the dust... Orie.

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