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tossing them over the Shadowfist to his left.
    The other two Shadowfists lunged, but Mazik stepped under the dagger to his right and batted it away. Then he wrapped his arms around the Shadowfist and squeezed.
    Mazik could feel an unnatural buzzing sensation against his skin. Not the real one. He picked the duplicate off the ground and turned, using it as a shield. He watched as the third Shadowfist stumbled erratically. “That means . . .”
    Mazik dropped the Shadowfist he was holding and fired on the one tearing Mazik’s robes away from his face. The gray cloth fell to the sand as spell after spell riddled Vigg’Somala. There was a flash, and three new Shadowfists supplanted the old ones.
    Mazik grinned and stalked forward. “Would you like to try again?”
    Up in the stands, the crowd was going wild.
    The three Shadowfists charged, but a burst of alteration propelled Mazik past the one to his right. He wrapped his arms around it from behind, and felt the telltale sensation of an illusion.
    The illusion hung limply as Mazik lifted it off the ground, and it gave no reaction when the other two penetrated it with their daggers. But one of them tried to swerve around the illusion and attack Mazik, and it was at this one Mazik fired the spells hovering behind him. The real Vigg’Somala was hurled away, and the others disappeared.
    Mazik pursued, firing on the downed assassin. Another flash of light, and three Shadowfists rose. Mazik blocked their attacks and slapped the dagger of the one to his left. It winced. Mazik grinned and grabbed the man by both wrists.
    “Stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself!” said Mazik as he forced the larger man to punch himself in the face. Up in the stands, the crowd roared with laughter. The dagger tumbled out of Vigg’Somala’s hands. Mazik kicked the larger man in the knees and picked him up. Vigg’Somala cried out as one of his illusions struck him in the back, and Mazik let him drop.
    Mazik’s spells exploded all around Vigg’Somala, sending him tumbling again. Mazik loomed over him like the devil’s enforcer, a crescent slash of a grin on his face. “Do you surrender?”
    “ Faug-nuere nik lodssf nuks id—Disappearance. ”
    And Vigg’Somala disappeared. Mazik couldn’t help but laugh. His eyes glowed blue, and another cloud of mana immediately rushed out around him. Within a few seconds he had found Vigg’Somala, running at full speed toward the Gate of Life. Mazik took aim.
    “ Mazik Missiles! ”
    The spells struck and exploded, ripping apart Vigg’Somala’s barriers and tossing him to the ground. He flopped to the sand face first and twitched.
    A whistle cut through the noise. The announcer raised his arms. “The match ends in a knockout! Contestant Kil’Raeus wins!”
    *      *      *
    “Well, this is going well so far,” said Raedren as he leaned back, the muscles in his back unknotting.
    “It is.” Gavi shook her head as she watched Mazik retrieve his robes and knives. He spun and fired a spell into the air, which exploded in a dazzling display of color. The cheers increased.
    “But technically we need to beat two people each, so this only puts us on track.” Gavi fought down a grimace. “And if either of us actually have to beat two, we might be in trouble.”
    “Agreed,” said Raedren.
    “Who’s next?”
    Raedren took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. “The Brotherhood of the Steel.”
    Now Gavi did grimace. She rubbed the arrowhead necklace she always wore, which now bore her name inscribed on the back. “I hope he can keep this up.”
    *      *      *
    “He has defeated two opponents so far, each powerful duelists from the greatest adventuring guilds in this city! Defying the odds, doing the impossible, and doing it all with fight still left—contestant Kil’Raeus is on a roll!”
    The spectators cheered as the announcer whipped them into a frenzy.
    “But will he be able to keep it