THUD.
The sound landed dry and heavy as Eliza crashed flat onto her back, The force of the impact caused the ring floor to shake. For a brief moment, the entire training hall fell silent, and all that could be heard was the melody coming from the gramophone.
And soon after, the music ceased, making the silence even more deafening—which jolted Megumi.
"Ah— S-she won?"
"C'est pas possible… Y-yes… I think she did…" Anne blinked, standing beside her, still processing.
"YES! Asuka!" Megumi shot both fists into the air.
Her shout shattered the silence completely. Further ahead, Kaido clenched his fist, celebrating, a broad smile spread across his face while looking at Asuka.
With her chest rising and falling, Asuka remained quiet in her stance, her knuckles trembling slightly from the force of the impact. A bead of sweat traced down her temple as she stared at Eliza's.
"Hah... hah..."
… she's tough.
"...ghh…" Eliza slowly raised an arm and placed it over her eyes, her breath ragged and heavy as she tried to steady herself.
She remained lying on the floor of the ring with her hair spread out around, when Lili approached the ropes and leaned over the edge, smiling.
"Oh là là, ma chère soeur… you got defeated by Kazama?! Quelle honte!"
Eliza's heavy breathing suddenly stopped. She slowly pulled her arm away, exposing her narrowed eyes as she looked up at Lili. Slowly, the crimson glow in Eliza's eyes intensified. At that exact moment, a sudden, freezing breeze began to sweep into the training hall.
"Hmph... don't be ridiculous."
The freezing breeze intensified, forcing the open windows to rattle violently against their frames. Without moving a single muscle, Eliza's body began to lift, levitating as a dark purple aura cloaked her form.
Floating mid-air, she smoothly rotated vertically, stepping back onto her feet to lock her gaze directly onto Asuka.
The temperature in the hall plummeted, sending a shiver down everyone's spine. Megumi rubbed her arms against the sudden chill, looking thoroughly confused.
"So... so it's not over?"
Anne quickly pulled her closer to help her warm up, gently rubbing her back.
"It seems... not," she murmured, eyes glued to the ring.
Slid back into stance, Asuka expression tensed as she braced herself for what was coming. Kaido's face clouded with worry, he cast an anxious glance toward Lili.
"Lili!"
She looked back at him, waving her hand dismissively.
"Don't worry, chéri. It's not like she's going to eat her."
"Hm... I wouldn't be so sure about that," Eliza said, a dark smirk tugging at her lips, while tilting her head.
The vampire rushed forward at a normal pace before exploding into a sudden burst of speed, almost turning into a blur.
"Nani...?" Asuka gasped, her eyes widening as the distance between them closed in a fraction of a second.
Instinctively, Asuka raised her arms to brace for a frontal impact, But Eliza vanished at the very last second, slipping out of her line of sight.
"Heh…" A mocking giggle echoed through the air.
Asuka's head snapped to her right, tracking Eliza's laugh, but her instincts screamed—a heavy rush of air was coming from her left. Eliza was already driving a straight punch aimed directly at Asuka's abdomen.
THWAM!
The force rattled through Asuka's guard like a battering ram. She barely managed to slide her guard in time, blocking the strike by a hair's breadth before being forced backward.
"Ghh...!"
"Well, well... You're right, sorry for underestimating you. Now it's for real—see if you can handle it."
Eliza began to walk forward calmly, completely unfazed. And Asuka slid her back leg away, lowering her hips into a deep stance to reinforce her defense.
"Dark Wave," Eliza whispered.
VRAAASH—!
With a swift motion, she unleashed a small wave of dark energy that tore along the floor, racing directly toward Asuka's legs.
"Eh?!"
She flinched, caught off guard by the projectile. But her body reacted before her mind could catch up, throwing herself to the side.
The moment her feet hit the ground, she looked up—only to find Eliza already high in the air, descending upon her with a leg extended, aiming for her chest.
There was no time to dodge. Asuka's reflexes kicked in as she seized Eliza's leg mid-air, her muscles straining while she redirected the vampire's momentum with intent to slam her down.
"Haaah—!" Asuka roared.
Before hitting the ground, Eliza stretched out her arms to break her fall. Using the momentum, she hooked her legs around Asuka's torso and used the rotation to reverse them both, sending Asuka crashing…
THUD!
"Aah!"
As Asuka hit the floor, she completely lost her breath. Before she could even process—Eliza utilized the end of her flip to land gracefully, planting her feet firmly onto Asuka's torso, pinning her down.
"Ghu...!" Asuka winced, the pain shooting through her ribs, and she closed her eyes.
Gasping for breath, air filled her lungs once more. Her eyes flew open as she lunged both hands forward to grab Eliza's ankles. But Eliza leaped backward, dodging the grab.
"Heh... too slow," Eliza chuckled. Her feet touched the ground—and she immediately swept her arm forward forward, unleashing another wave of dark energy.
VRAAASH—!
Seeing the darkness ripping toward her, Asuka pushed off the floor and sprang backward in a swift handspring, landing firmly on her feet just as the wave passed under her.
"Eliza! Stop ruining my floor!" Lili shouted from the side, angry.
Eliza snapped her head toward her, blinking at the sudden outburst. Seizing the distraction, Asuka lunged forward, sliding her body low as she reloaded her fist from below, aiming a uppercut.
But Eliza reacted with a knee aimed straight at Asuka's face. Asuka ducked just in time, immediately countering with a low sweep. Eliza leaped into the air to avoid the leg, using the momentum to deliver a mid-air kick straight to Asuka's chest.
Asuka blocked the strike with both hands, but as Eliza descended—
SLAP!
Asuka swung her arm, slapping her hard across the face. The slap spun Eliza's head to the side, but she used the rotation to counter-attack immediately—THUNK!—delivering a heavy hip check that shoved Asuka back.
The impact caused Asuka to take a few steps back. Leaning slightly, she took a deep breath and tried to keep her composure as fatigue began to weigh on her muscles.
Eliza stood perfectly poised, her purple aura flickering around her. She looked down at Asuka with a patronizing smile.
"If you're already struggling to breathe, Kazama, you might as well lie down. After all... I've barely even started."
"Huh?!" Asuka raised an eyebrow and then put her hands on her hips. "Hmph... you talk just as much as Lili."
Dropping her hands, Asuka immediately snapped back into her fighting stance and beckoned to Eliza with a brusque gesture.
"Koi, baka!"