Chapter 64: Quarter-Finals (III)

  The blue glow from the several dozen shards of ice flying straight toward him made Thomas lose hope. Still, he did not give up until the very end.

  With a loud shout, he channeled his arcane power into his arms. Fresh golden-green spores materialized from his hands before scattering into the air. Immediately after, thick vines emerged from around him, enclosing him within a green dome covered in golden runes once more. However, the vines were obviously not as tightly knit, nor were the golden runes shining as bright as earlier.

  Large droplets of sweat continued to drip down his neck as he crouched within the shell, bracing himself to withstand an additional Shardburst.

  The golden runes in his eyes rotated with a mysterious radiance. Should I use that ability? But if I do… No. It’ll be better to hold that back. It’s too volatile for a friendly duel.

  The runes stopped spinning and flickered for a second before returning to normal. Thomas shook his head and considered how to fight Damon from now on, given that he managed to survive this next attack.

  Seriously, how is he just a mid stage Initiate? How does he have the arcane power reserves to cast two of those incredibly destructive spells? Wait, why hasn’t it exploded?

  Right as he had this thought, five clear Ice Spears punctured their way through the cocoon. The bracers on his arm activated just in time and blocked all five attacks. Then, with a sharp, high-pitched whine, it broke in two.

  Ah… He got me. A wry smile appeared on Thomas’s face. He waved his hand, and his shell of vines broke apart into spores and vanished into the air.

  The encircling ice shards fell onto the platform and melted without exploding. Damon grinned at him from where he was standing.

  “Wow!”

  “Let’s go, Damon!”

  “I knew you could do it!”

  “Chin up, Thomas!”

  “I won! I’m rich! I’m RICH!”

  The moment Tidus declared Damon the winner, the audience broke out into rowdy cheers, louder than ever before.

  “Older Brother Damon, I always knew you could do it!” Even Dylan jumped up and down in joy, spilling the drinks on his tray all over the man in front of him. He did not mind, though, joining Dylan in jumping as he yelled excitedly with a wooden slip tight in his grasp. He had been the one shouting that he had won.

  “Another impressive showing from Damon today! Beginning the match with his powerful explosive spell, Shardburst, he had Thomas running around in the palm of his hand from the very start!” Spittle flew out as Wesley yelled at the top of his lungs.

  Beside him, Alan smirked so much that he looked utterly roguish. Though he had won his bet, the odds weren’t as good as the previous match and therefore the winnings weren’t as high. Even so, he could not restrain his delight.

  “At the beginning, it almost looked like the ice shards had been shot in the wrong location. But Thomas suddenly appeared there instead! Can you run us through the minute details, Alan?” Wesley asked with an inquisitive tone, though from the lack of curiosity in his eyes, it could be seen that it was for the audience.

  “Well, Thomas has the Goldspore Sprite bloodline. It allows him to produce and control the Goldspores, which act as a sort of catalyst for his spellcasting. Thanks to these spores, he can create something similar to illusions. He used two in this fight; one of himself standing at his original location, and the other concealing him from view. Though not completely invisible, he is much harder to spot. This ability is most advantageous in forest terrain.” Due to his joy at having won his bet, Alan was more talkative today.

  Seeing that his commentator partner was actually responding properly for the first time, Wesley’s eyes blazed with intense enthusiasm. “Right! I wish that I had a special bloodline as well! But, unfortunately, I come from a common background. Now, Damon had somehow seen through his concealment and attacked his real location. Thomas managed to survive by the skin of his teeth thanks to summoning what looked to be two vine giants to shield him. Is that also a bloodline ability?”

  “Yes and no. No, because his spores are only a medium for him to cast spells, they don’t create the vines by themself. However, I also say yes because the spells he uses are special techniques passed down through his lineage, spells that utilize the spores with the greatest efficiency.”

  “I see! Also, I’m curious about the end of the duel. What exactly happened?”

  “Damon seemed to cast the spell Hailswarm without the exploding rune components. It misled Thomas into thinking it was a second Shardburst. However, it was just a deception to force Thomas to raise his defenses once more and cover his sight. Once that was done, Damon instead used five spiralling Ice Spears to pierce through the shell and destroy the barriers in one go.”

  “Wow! Damon is a combat prodigy, a Runemaster, AND he’s good at battle strategies as well? What ISN’T he good at? Isn’t that right, everyone?” Wesley pumped up the crowd with his over-the-top adulation, causing the Colosseum to tremble from the reverberation of the booming roars.

  Damon and Thomas grinned as they shook hands on the stage, much to the satisfaction of the spectators. Watching two powerful peers from the same Academy get along right after a duel made them seem less prideful and more likable. They continued to cheer loudly as they descended from the platform together.

  Claire approached the two with a large jump. “That was a good match! Congratulations on your win, Damon!”

  “Thanks, Claire,” Damon responded with a small smile.

  “Wow, Claire, you only care for Damon, don’t you? No words of condolence for me? I am heartbroken.” Thomas scoffed as he grasped his chest, pretending to be hurt.

  “Shut it, Thomas. I expected more from you, to be honest. You just turtled up and hid for the entire fight.” Claire stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

  “...” Thomas glared at Claire with a frown, yet could not come up with any words to retort.

  “Nice fight, you guys. You three got me pumping for mine. Come on, Nolan, finish off your opponent quickly so I can pummel Nox into the ground!” Lilith walked over with Nolan. She smashed her right fist into her left palm and twisted it back and forth in a grinding motion, producing cracking sounds from her knuckles. Though she was quite tall, her slender arms made her actions look cute, rather than menacing.

  Damon turned to face Nolan and advised, “You have to be careful. Remember what I told you.”

  “With Senior Tidus watching over the duels, we won’t have as much to worry about,” Thomas spoke up.

  Meanwhile, Nolan just nodded to both of them before climbing the steps up to the platform.

  Erik had already ascended and was waiting at the centre of the stage next to Tidus. Nolan hurried his pace, arriving next to the two in a flash. With the next set of contestants on the stage, the enlivened audience quietened down to only a low murmur. A strange tension settled down in the arena, one that had not existed during the previous two matches.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “You two, I’m going to warn you. Though the rules have not changed, do not take it too far. It won’t be pleasant for anyone who tries. Now go back to your sides and prepare for my signal.” Tidus warned both of the boys, though his gaze lingered on Erik.

  With a respectful bow, Erik turned around, his expression not changing in the slightest. He just walked back to his spot with leisurely and steady steps. It was as though the warning did not concern him at all.

  Nolan withdrew his bladed boots and put them on before retreating to his starting location. As soon as he arrived, Tidus shot a beam of purple light into the sky. As it exploded into a flower of sparks, he vanished from his location before appearing in the air above the stage.

  After crouching, Nolan shot straight toward Erik, leaving behind several afterimages. Erik began chanting as he clapped his hands together, before spreading them out. Between his palms, an arc of lightning crackled into existence. At the same time, a surging wave emerged from directly in front of him, crashing down toward the incoming Nolan.

  The long blades beneath Nolan’s feet began glowing with a white light. He jumped up, completely leaping over the pounding waves. The bright light climbed up his leg, covering his entire lower body in the blinding radiance. He fell back down, his right leg extended high in preparation for an axe kick.

  Below, Erik smiled as he pointed his palms at Nolan, and the rumbling lightning shot out in a thick bolt. Nolan met the attack by swinging down his raised leg, the shining blades meeting the pillar of lightning straight on.

  The collision between the purple bolt and white blade did not result in a mighty explosion as one might expect. Instead, the blade cut cleanly through the lightning, as though it were cutting through a solid object. Nolan smiled as he continued his descent, a surge of confidence tightening his focus as his leg whistled through the air. However, that smile froze when he saw Erik’s expression.

  Erik did not seem distressed about his ability being severed in half. In fact, his lips had stretched so wide in a grin that almost all of his teeth were visible.

  “Now!”

  The moment he yelled, the bisected pillar of lightning burst into a massive cloud of forking electrical discharge. The tiny streaks of purple lightning flashed with brilliant light as they inundated the entire area right above the platform, where Nolan had been falling.

  Loud gasps rang out from the spectators at the sudden change from Nolan’s domination to what looked like his inevitable defeat. Even from their seats, they felt the tingle on their skin, and all the hair on their body rose toward the storm. They expected that such an enormous eruption of lightning, considered the most aggressive and powerful of the elements, would destroy all five of Nolan’s barriers. They were not mistaken.

  The lightning cloud shrank inward, instead of dispersing. Erik’s eyes widened in shock as his creepy grin vanished. The purple forks of lightning were being sucked into Tidus’s mouth, who hovered in place as he held up Nolan by his collar. The moment the last strand entered his throat, he closed his mouth before letting out a burp.

  “No! My Mystic Lightning!” Erik yelled in alarm and anguish, his face distorting as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

  Gently placing Nolan back down on the platform, Tidus said, “My apologies, young friend. In my rush to protect the participant, I could only absorb the lightning. Unfortunately, I can’t give it back now. But don’t worry, you still won the match. I declare Erik Aurelius as the third victor moving onto the semi-finals!”

  Within the ornate grand hall in the Verdant Sigil Castle, a figure completely covered from head to toe in a thick black cloak stood up abruptly. Magnos stood up at the same time, his eyes fixated on them, his fingers twitching as though he were a jungle cat prepared to pounce at the slightest sign of weakness from its prey.

  “What is the meaning of this, Magnos? Senior Kaspar?” An androgynous voice rang out from deep within the hood of the black cloaked individual.

  “Calm down, you two,” Kaspar responded with a gentle smile. “What do you mean, Hikari? Your descendant achieved victory in his duel just now.”

  “You know well what I mean! That Mystic Lightning of his was consumed by that Adept!” The voice turned deep as they grew angry,

  Still being completely polite, Kaspar responded in a soft tone. “As he said, it’s just an unfortunate accident that happened during his rush to protect the child from our Academy. Surely your Violet Mist Tower had suitable replacements prepared for your descendant. Why are you making such a fuss? It’s not like he died or was grievously injured.”

  “Regardless, that doesn’t allow you to do whatever you want! I demand compensation!”

  “Hikari. That’s enough. Our Adept might have taken the liberty to do something he shouldn’t have, but you know it’s not a big deal. Just state what you want without the act.” Kaspar’s smile died down, and his expression settled into a neutral indifference. He looked at the cloaked Hikari with emotionless eyes.

  This look caused a shiver to run down Hikari’s spine, their arms covered in goosebumps. Within the darkness of their hood, they licked their chapped lips. “Senior Kaspar, actually… Not just me, but the Four Tower Coalition has something they need you to agree to.”

  “Oh? What is it?” Kaspar raised one eyebrow as he glanced between Hikari and Fabian.

  Hikari and Fabian looked at each other before turning to face Kaspar again, their fists clenched tight.

  “We demand that you allocate entry spots to the new demi-plane your Assembly discovered recently.” Hikari’s voice, which had returned to the androgynous tone, began to trail off in a high pitch as they finished speaking.

  The room fell into silence, and not even the sound of breathing could be heard. After a moment, only the gulp of someone swallowing with a dry throat resounded.

  A minute later, Kaspar finally responded. “So, you four have already found out about the demi-plane? I won’t hide it from you anymore, then. Why should we give you the opportunity to enter?”

  Fabian rose as his eyes twinkled with a dangerous light. He then snarled, “Opportunity? What opportunity? We aren’t here to ask nicely. We’re demanding you give us the spots! Our Towers had long been established in this area before your Assembly even came to exist! We allowed you to settle down here, on the basis that you facilitate trade between our territories. Instead, you used the wealth to gather strength, and now you try to lord over us! We’ve had enough. Though your Assembly may be more powerful than any single one of us, you can’t defeat the coalition!”

  Another moment of tense silence followed Fabian’s outburst. Magnos also stood up, glaring at only Fabian with his hands clenched into fists.

  “I see. Is that what your predecessors told you about our Assembly? I guess it’s not technically incorrect. However, let me tell you one thing. Your Towers did not ‘allow’ us to settle down here. Just like you’re trying to do now, we forced our way in by using our strength. Back then, your Tower Masters were too afraid to fight us for this territory. What makes you think you have the capability to do so now?” Kaspar asked back in a flat tone, his voice still soft and gentle. However, the coldness in his eyes caused both Fabian and Hikari to break out into cold sweats.

  Fabian and Hikari were both Wardens who had only advanced within the past century. Even after several decades, they remained at the early stage of the Inner Fortress realm. Their bravado faded as they faced Magnos, who was at the mid stage, and Kaspar, who was known to have reached the late stage when their predecessors were still alive. However, they could not be certain as they couldn’t even see through Kaspar’s cultivation realm. It just seemed incredibly vast and boundless compared to their own.

  “We… We can’t say for certain who will come out on top if a war begins. However, our Four Towers Coalition will not yield. Give us half of the entry spots for the first opening of the demi-plane, and then we won’t ask for any more in the future. Will that be acceptable?” Hikari’s voice turned smooth and feminine as they attempted to find a common ground.

  After several minutes of excruciating silence, the heavy pressure suddenly disappeared as Kaspar smiled again. “Why didn’t you just say so from the start? I’m willing to agree to that proposition. You two even came all the way here in person, so it would be impolite of me to refuse.”

  Both Hikari and Fabian heaved a large sigh. After nodding at each other, they looked toward Kaspar.

  Still speaking in a silvery tone, Hikari asked, “Thank you for your consideration. So, when is the exact timing for the opening? What is the realm limit, and approximately how many can enter?”

  Kaspar stroked his beard a few times before replying. “The realm limit is most likely going to be the Node Awakening realm. The spatial rift at the entrance is very unstable and will require a lot of resources and effort to keep open. We estimate that a maximum of 100 Initiates will be able to enter. Your Towers can split 50 spots by yourselves. As for the timing… It will open in three and a half years.”

  “Do… Do you know the size? And what of the atmospheric essence?” Fabian asked with a trembling voice. This was the most important question. The size of the demi-plane was directly correlated to the abundance of resources within, along with the potential to find secret inheritances from a higher plane of existence.

  “More or less. The demi-plane is… Around the size of our combined territories. The purity and concentration of atmospheric essence is around five times higher than in this world.”

  Magnos already knew the information, so he did not react, but both Fabian and Hikari fell back into their seats after hearing those words. This demi-plane… It was definitely worth the risk of coming to the heart of the Assembly in person.