Chapter 69: Victory or Defeat

  A thick curtain of fog swathed the arena, sealing it off like a dome. From within the depths, the droning of high-speed projectiles echoed. Then a swarm of ice shards burst out. They flew in an arc, circling Claire as Damon prepared to detonate them.

  Claire stood still, closing her eyes as the shards drew closer. Though her actions could be misconstrued as giving up, that was not her plan. She needed to return Damon’s sincerity with her own. She needed to use her final hidden card.

  She did not retreat. In fact, there was nowhere left to go. Damon had completely trapped her. She had been outmaneuvered. She placed her hands on top of her chest as she whispered under her breath.

  “Father… I’m using it. Please keep him safe.”

  Her eyes opened, glowing with a light gray luster. She gritted her teeth as lines of the same color emerged on her skin. The lines surfaced on her fingertips, toes, and crown, racing inward until they converged beneath her ribs, forming a spiral on her abdomen. Her Arcane Node began pulsating, the surging power travelling back down the lines.

  “Wind God’s Fury!”

  Bang!

  A chair flew back and hit a table, knocking over a few dishes piled with delicacies. The man who had leapt up onto his feet so suddenly was none other than Zoltan. He had rushed to the edge of the private room, grasping the railing tightly with both hands. He looked down at his daughter through the heavy mist. His eyes flickered with numerous emotions. Finally, he furrowed his brows and pursed his lips as he settled on concern.

  Foolish child, now is not the time to reveal it! Why would you use it in a friendly duel with your friend?

  “Haa…” He sighed and then looked up at Tidus floating above the arena. His lips trembled as he sent him a message through a Voice Transmission. It was a second-tier spell that utilized the wind element to relay messages within a short distance. Claire had notified him with a similar method, but she was unique thanks to her ability to control air.

  Behind him, the three Adepts from the Towers exchanged looks. Agatha spoke first.

  “Is there a problem? This is the first time I’ve seen you lose your cool.”

  Zeke smirked and said, “Yeah, Zoltan, what’s going on? Is it because your daughter is caught up in a dire situation? I guess you really are a doting father.”

  “If a simple duel rattles you so, how did you stay composed after your son’s… Untimely demise?” Agatha shot him a gloating look.

  Zoltan’s face darkened as he turned to face Agatha. “Madam Agatha, please watch your words. If you mention my son again, you will learn whether or not I can stay calm first-hand.”

  After finishing his sentence, he sat back down in his chair. It had been placed in the original location by one of the Academy attendants. Agatha’s face scrunched up as she glared at the back of his head, but she did not respond.

  “You know, I have to say…” Gabriel suddenly spoke up. “That Damon boy. It really is a pity we didn’t see his potential. He defeated my direct apprentice, and now it looks like he might even defeat your daughter. And he’s only at the mid stage of Node Awakening, too. I wonder… What is his secret? He must have something special.”

  Both Zeke and Agatha’s attention was caught by his words. They hadn’t put much thought into it, but now that they heard him say it, it made sense. They looked at Zoltan with curiosity.

  Unfortunately, Zoltan completely ignored Gabriel’s words and just focused on the duel. His eyes were glued to Claire’s face as her glowing gray eyes opened. She was really using it.

  Her Featherstride Physique only allowed her to control the surrounding air… The Wind God’s Fury ability allowed her to conjure her own. With it, she could overwhelm any peer. But her body wouldn’t be able to endure it for long.

  What a silly girl.

  Though his thoughts were the same as earlier, his face betrayed a hint of pride. He couldn’t help it. In his eyes, his daughter was the most amazing cultivator of her generation. Though he didn’t agree with her decision, he knew why she made it. When he was young, he had behaved in a similar way. That was the beauty of having a rival.

  Tidus hovered sideways within the fog, as though he were lying down. His right hand supported his head as he covered a yawn with the other. He had returned to his old self the moment the mist had shrouded him from public view.

  “These two sure are different from the rest of the pack.” He mumbled. He grabbed his storage pouch and inspected the contents. “No snacks? Tragic.”

  He looked down toward the northern end of the arena, where a group of cultivators continued to bustle while cooking dishes of sizzling meats and soft buns.

  Gulp.

  “I could quickly go and grab some food… Nothing will happen for a few seconds, right..?”

  Just as he decided to go pay a visit to Dylan’s food stall, a voice transmission entered his ears.

  “Claire is going to use her... Unique ability. Keep a close eye on the two. Make sure she doesn’t overstrain her body, and that the Damon boy doesn’t get injured. We can’t afford to lose either of them.”

  Tidus’s body rotated until he became upright again. He squinted down at Claire, closely inspecting the lines riddling her face and hands.

  “You stupid lass. What are you thinking? You should’ve saved it for Nox or Erik. Reckless. I guess that’s youth.”

  Damon watched Claire fall still with her hands on top of her chest. His ice shards were in position already, yet he hesitated.

  What are you doing, Claire?

  He glanced up toward where Tidus was hidden within the haze. Even if he could not see Tidus clearly, he sensed a dense mass of essence above, unmoving.

  Will he be able to stop the Lesser Shardburst in time if I detonate it now?

  Then he saw the changes. The lines emerging from her skin. Her eyes shone with a dazzling gray glow.

  So, you haven’t given up. Good.

  With a small smile, he clenched his raised left hand into a fist.

  “Lesser Shardburst!”

  At the same time, a cry resounded from the other side of the platform.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Wind God’s Fury!”

  What? Wind God’s Fury? What kind of spell name is that?

  Damon stared wide-eyed as the ice shards began emitting a bright red light. Then, one by one, they exploded and inundated Claire in smoke and flames. With his Mindsense, he could tell Tidus and Claire were still both in their respective positions. They had not moved.

  What happened? Is it over? Wait…

  The rumbling cloud of black smog rapidly expanded. Far quicker than normal. The dense smoke blasted past Damon, his hair and robes whipping from the intense gale. Residual flames also licked at him as they were pushed back as well. The powerful gust even blew away the blanketing fog, revealing the exact circumstances.

  Claire had her arms spread wide, and her feet were off the ground. She was floating a foot above the platform. She looked up to the sky, gray light emanating from her eyes, mouth and the lines etched into her skin. Her long blonde hair had come out of her ponytail, each strand floating upwards. Even the dust at her feet spiraled upward, as if drawn to her.

  She lowered her gaze until it landed on Damon. She closed her mouth, and her lips stretched into a captivating smile.

  “What do you think? This is my strongest ability. I wasn’t supposed to use it here… But you left me no choice.”

  “This… You’re flying. What is this ability?”

  “You’ll find out soon!”

  Damon closely watched her every movement, preparing to move at the slightest sign of danger.

  Claire slowly rose into the air until the sun was directly behind her back. Then, with her hands held at sharp angles, she sliced down at Damon as though they were swords. Wind blades shot out from her swings, flying at Damon with incredible speed and force.

  Though they were powerful, Damon did not have much trouble evading them. He had been ready, allowing him to leap or roll away from the attacks by the time they reached him. Looking back, he saw thin grooves carved into the white tiles of the platform. Apart from his own Shardburst, this was the first time he had seen the platform be damaged.

  With a frown, Claire stopped producing wind blades. Instead, she curled up into a ball with her eyes fixed on Damon. Then, she sprang toward him, leaving behind an afterimage.

  Damon’s eyes widened as he attempted to track her movements. Unfortunately, by the time he deduced her path, she had already arrived next to him. He jumped to the side, yet a blade of wind cut into his leg.

  Crack.

  His fourth barrier shattered. After rolling across the ground, he looked up at Claire, who had stopped. Having gained speed similar to Nolan’s, there was no reason for her to pause when she could have defeated him right then and there. Or so he thought.

  “Ugh.”

  Claire grunted as she clutched her right arm with her left hand. The gray lines disappeared little by little, as though they were being peeled off. Her right hand had gone limp.

  Is she injured? I see… There’s no way such power doesn’t come with a drawback.

  Having come to the realization, Damon crouched down, ready for the next onslaught of attacks. He closed his eyes, focusing solely on his Mindsense. If his eyes couldn’t track Claire, his mind could.

  He withdrew his widespread Mindsense inward, until it covered just the immediate vicinity. Being more concentrated, he could sense smaller details and movements decisively.

  Claire massaged her right arm for a moment longer before letting go. The feeling did not come back. She needed to finish the fight quickly.

  “What’s this? Claire suddenly burst out with speed reminiscent of an Auron! But she’s flying, not running! That’s even more dangerous!” Wesley screamed with reddened cheeks. The veins in his neck popped out.

  The shocked crowd erupted into chaotic cheers. They had been relatively quiet since the arena became shrouded by the fog, but now they could see the two participants once more. They could cheer for either side since they were both from the Academy. They cheered for whoever held the advantage, and encouraged whoever had the back foot. They were just enjoying the thrilling excitement of the match.

  Next to Wesley, Alan had collapsed onto his chair as he sweated profusely. Even with his lethargic countenance, his bright eyes followed the two contestants’ movements with extreme precision.

  “Come on, Damon… You can’t fail me now… I have my entire fortune riding on you… Come on… Don’t lose..!”

  Wesley ignored the idiot next to him. He knew he couldn’t rely on Alan. It appeared as though Alan had bet everything on Damon again, which brought him a sense of catharsis.

  Serves him right for derelicting his duties. I hope he learns his lesson. Heh.

  With a wide smirk, oddly similar to Alan’s signature expression, Wesley focused back on the duel.

  “Claire managed to shatter the fourth barrier of Damon’s protective artifact. He only has one remaining! How is he going to get through this? Has he already lost? But, wait! Look at his reaction speed! How is he doing that?”

  Oh? You dodged that? How about this!

  Claire zoomed around, cutting down at Damon with wind blades materialized from her intact left hand. But he had managed to uncannily evade all her attacks by the slightest margin.

  Wait, he’s moving before I even attack. How is that even possible? Can he see the future?

  No matter how fast she flew or how suddenly she attacked, Damon was one step ahead of her. By the time she chose to charge one way and strike from a certain angle, he had rolled in a direction that made it difficult for her to do so.

  This didn’t happen just once or twice. He did so without fail.

  That’s… Impossible!

  “Oh? This boy… He closed his eyes… Is he sensing her with Windsense? No wait, that’s not it.” Tidus stroked his long white beard in a sophisticated manner. “There’s no way he could do it so quickly. He’s reacting instantly when Claire decides on her plan of action. That is…”

  His eyes twinkled with an excited light, as though he were a child who had found a new toy.

  What is this feeling?

  Damon moved to the right by exactly three inches. A wind blade brushed past his back, his long hair fluttering from the gust.

  Ever since he had closed his eyes and placed all his attention on his Mindsense, the world had slowed down. The smallest changes in Claire’s movements, the constantly shifting air currents, dust settling on the arena, and even the flapping of a fly’s wings. He could see it all in his mind. They moved so slowly that he had more than enough time to analyze the patterns.

  Every micro-adjustment in her shoulders, hips, and breath announced her intention before her strike even began.

  But it wasn’t like he had complete control. In this decelerated world, he was the same. In fact, he moved much more slowly than Claire. Or even the fly. It was still difficult to evade her attacks. He had to calculate everything, including his own muscle contractions, so that he would waste no movements.

  It worked. He could do it.

  This feeling… It’s not that the world has become slow. It’s that my mind is thinking faster than everything around me. My thoughts… They’re accelerating!

  Claire threw everything she had at Damon, yet nothing worked. Because wind blades did not touch him, she tried to use wide-spread blasts. Even that had no effect. She tried to keep her movements minimal, staying within a few feet of him at all times. Yet, that only gave him the opportunity to retaliate.

  With a single well-timed arcane missile, her fourth barrier had been broken through. Now, both of them were on their final barriers.

  One more clean hit, on either side, and it would be over. They were teetering at the brink of victory or defeat.

  With fierce determination blazing in her eyes, she rushed forward once more. Around her left hand, a spiralling wind drill formed. This was her last attack. She couldn’t maintain her ability any longer.

  “Hah!”

  With a loud shout, she stabbed toward Damon’s chest. No tricks. Just speed and force. That was all she could muster.

  Damon, once again, jumped to the side, just enough for the edge of the drill to kiss his robes.

  After she missed, Claire stumbled a few steps before collapsing onto the ground. The rest of the gray lines on her body vanished. Summoning the last of her strength, she picked herself back up so she could face Damon on her feet.

  Her face was pale, marred by the deep frown and streaks of wetness. Tears streamed down her face, no matter how hard she tried to stop them. She didn’t want to cry. Not at the end, when she should accept her loss with grace. She turned her head away, ashamed to meet Damon’s gaze.

  In her peripheral vision, she saw two leather boots arrive directly in front of her. Unlike her trembling legs, his balance remained steady and unshakable. He truly was extraordinary. He was the strongest of their generation.

  As her tears poured ceaselessly down her face, she braced herself for his final strike.

  “Phew.”

  She blinked, unsure what his sigh implied. Then, his sonorous voice entered her ears.

  “I concede.”