Parallel Memory

"Winner! Zero Elea of the Human race!"

The referee announced and the announcement was made in less than 10 seconds since he signaled the start of the fight.

Elowyn herself stood frozen, disbelief etched across her face as she felt the cold touch of Zero's sword against her skin.

Time seemed to freeze as Elowyn's illusion shattered like fragile glass. Her eyes widened with shock as she found herself facing the cold, hard reality of Zero's power.

The spectators, who had been caught up in the illusion's charm, were now fully awake and watching in confusion along with other spectators who were equally in confusion.

"Wait! What? I mean what happened?"

"Huh? The battle only started and what?"

"Did the human win?"

"What just happened? I closed my eyes for a second and a winner had already emerged. Don't you think it was a bit too fast?" …

The spectator didn't know what had happened either. Most of them were weaker than Rank-A and there were only some who had their speed stat to A.

Even for them, Zero's movement was very fast, not to mention other people who didn't even realize that Zero had moved until the referee's announcement.

Zero withdrew his sword and took a step back, his expression calm and collected. He nodded to the referee and then directed his gaze toward Elowyn.

"Thank you for the match," he said, his voice carrying across the arena.

Elowyn's lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but fear had tightened its grip around her throat, rendering her speechless.

She was confident and all confidence was shattered in a minute. She stood no chance and she greatly underestimated humans, no, she had greatly underestimated Zero.

There was nothing to say. It was her complete defeat!

Only when Zero withdrew his sword did the spectator begin to realize that the fight had really ended.

*CLAP! *CLAP!

They didn't get to see anything but even so, they clapped their hands. They knew that the reason why the fight ended quickly wasn't because Elowyn was weak but that her opponent was too strong.

Elowyn's defeat was unexpected, given her reputation among her own race and her rank. But Zero had proven that even against the trickiest opponents, his skill and determination were formidable.

"He is too strong!"

Misha exclaimed. She thought that she might get a glimpse of Zero's strength but the fight ended in seconds. They hadn't even fought properly.

"What exactly is his speed stat? Even Rank-A - could react!"

Hiro said. He could barely see Zero move and that was also a blur.

Zion was also dumbfounded. His target, which was Zero, seemed to be too far away. He couldn't even see him make a move, much less think that he could win against him.

Lisa was also fairly surprised but didn't think much about it. She had always found Zero to be ridiculously strong even when compared to the likes of Hiro.

Anyways, if your peer exhibits such power, anyone would feel a bit disappointed in themselves. Even if they were Top of the Top compared to their peers, when they look at Zero, they only feel inferior.

King Tranduil looked at Zero with a surprised expression. He wasn't expecting much from this fight but got to see another super genius from the human race. Although he knew that Zero Elea was Rank-A, he believed that his speed was not inferior to that of Rank-S -.

( Such talent! He should also be someone who can largely impact in the future war. )

King Tranduil thought. He thought that maybe he should consult with Elara about Zero.

Princess Elenia also widened her eyes in surprise. She already believed that Zero was fast as he was able to save Sylvia from her attack but turns out, she still underestimated Zero.

"His speed is almost equal to my base speed."

Princess Elenia muttered. Her Speed stat was Rank S -, which was greater than Zero. However, Zero speed stat wasn't far behind with A +. And the biggest reason why she was shocked was because Zero was in Rank-A while she was Rank-S.

Anyway, she took a mental note to remember Zero. Although she doesn't want to admit it, she has to admit that if she was the same rank as Zero, she wouldn't be able to defeat him.

Well, she does believe though that she could defeat him at the moment.

******

Zero left the arena under the curious gazes of spectators and geniuses alike.

Elowyn also left the arena but with her head held low. She was ashamed of herself and that she was defeated so easily.

At Dryad's side, they didn't know how to react. Should they criticize Elowyn but even they couldn't see what really happened. They didn't think it was Elowyn's fault but getting defeated in one second when the opponent was Rank-A was a bit humiliating.

Cyrrinthia, a powerful Rank-S Dryad, approached Elyown as she reached her seat.

"Elowyn," she said, her voice gentle. "I know you're disappointed, but you shouldn't blame yourself. That human is a very powerful opponent, even for me. I couldn't even see his movements properly."

Elowyn looked up at her, her eyes filled with disbelief. It was the same for other Dryads who only understood how ridiculous Zero was.

If even their strongest fighter has trouble seeing Zero's movement, you can understand why Elowyn - who is just Rank-A - lost so miserably.

"But... I thought I was ready for him," Elwoyn said. "If I had used a different tactic, I might have had some chance."

"You were ready," Cyrrinthia said. "But that human is just that fast. He could have easily counterattacked even if you had used some other skill. There's no shame in losing to him."

Elowyn took a deep breath and nodded. "I know," she said. "But it's still hard to accept."

"Of course it is," Cyrrinthia said. Who could accept that you are beaten in a second, especially if you are a genius like Elowyn. However, you could only accept as that was the fact.

"But there is no need to be sad about it. You could only work harder so as to not lose next time."

Elowyn smiled weakly. "Thank you," she said. "I appreciate that."

The Cyrrinthia put a hand on Elowyn's shoulder. "Now, come on," she said. "Let's cheer for our other fighters!"

With Cyrrinthia speech, it seem that the mood of the Dryads has been lifted. However, under Cyrrinthia joyous expression, she was actually worried.

( Would I have defeated him? )