After the exciting battle between Princess Lilla and Arthan, a new confrontation was preparing in the combat arena of the City of Waters. This time, the challenge would be between Kal, the great surprise of the tournament, and Shiera Felwave, heir to the powerful Felwave clan. All the people in the arena were in a big buzz, anxious to see this battle between two such promising adversaries. Kal had defeated experienced opponents with skill and cunning. As for Shiera, she was heir to the unique blood magic, and defeated in seconds one of the favorites to be champion Sniffer in her previous fight.
When the combatants entered the arena, rounds of applause echoed everywhere. Kal seemed indifferent to the buzz, with his usual calm demeanor. Shiera waved confidently to the crowd, exhibiting her beauty and dexterity even without a weapon in hand. In the center of the arena, the referees read the rules. Shiera and Kal positioned themselves facing each other. Lord Felwave frowned, expecting to see his daughter triumph easily. But Suzanna was biting her nails anxiously, fearful of what Kal might be capable of uncontrolled.
The emperor was curious to see both their skills. But Kal was a mystery, and certainly greater than he appeared. His eyes, the color of the sun, seemed sharper with each blow. The referee shouted "Begin!" and the fight restarted. Right away in the first moments, Kal retreated cautiously, fearing Shiera's devastating blood magic, which had finished Sniffer before. However, to his surprise, Shiera made no mention of using her ability. Instead, she remained on guard, with a slight smile on her lips, as if waiting to see what Kal was capable of.
This disarmed Kal for a moment. Was she bluffing? Or holding some trick? He needed to provoke her into action to reveal her true intentions. Carefully, Kal advanced and delivered some test blows, which Shiera skillfully defended with an ornamented dagger. She responded with precise, yet contained attacks. She continued studying the opponent without revealing everything from her repertoire. The exchange of blows intensified. But neither had yet delivered the fatal blow, both focused on assessing each other's abilities. The audience watched anxiously, unable to predict who would prevail. The battle had barely begun....
The exchange of blows intensified more each minute. Shiera spun on her heels, dodging and blocking each of Kal's attacks with her ornamental dagger, a macabre smile spreading across her face as if she was immensely enjoying herself. However, Suzanna noticed something strange happening to Kal. His eyes, which always reflected a peaceful yellow tone, were taking on an increasingly intense glow. And to her surprise, a small smile also emerged on the young man's lips, which had previously shown so few emotions.
It seemed the intense battle was awakening something dormant within Kal. He now invested with more vigor and speed, making his style much more aggressive. Shiera responded with equal intensity, both immersed in a martial delirium. At that moment, Suzanna understood her fear. Kal and Shiera were beginning to give in too much to the ecstasy of the fight, risking losing control. Their powers, if unleashed without restraint, could bring great harm.
The tension grew in the stadium. Kal's eyes shone in an increasingly intense yellow tone, while his posture became firmer and more battle-ready. On the other side, Shiera no longer contained herself either. Her scarlet eyes gained an advanced crimson glow. She seemed on the verge of invoking her powerful gift of blood magic. Lord Silvus watched attentively, expecting his heir to reveal all her potential in the arena. Suzanna was worried, fearing Kal might completely lose control. Kal and Shiera stared fixedly at each other, like two wild animals attacking. Sparks of magical energy began to emerge around their bodies, so much power they emanated.
Magic sparks began to emerge around their bodies, such was the power they emanated.
Silvus Felwave rose from his seat, looking at the people around him, and said:
"Everyone thinks the only ability of blood magic is to use one's own blood to kill the opponent."
"However, blood magic is more powerful than that. It allows its user to have complete control over their own blood."
"Allowing them to create weapons with it and even intensify the flow and strength of blood to increase physical attributes."
"A Felwave with mastery over this magic can become as fast and strong as a god," finished the old man with a great evil smile on his face.
The stadium fell silent before the sudden evolution of the fight. Scarlet glowed in Shiera's eyes as powerful blood magic invaded her body. Her agility and strength multiplied in an awesome way. In a blur, she crossed the distance separating her from Kal in the blink of an eye. Before anyone could react, Shiera slashed a deep cut in Kal's abdomen with her dagger. He gasped in pain, surprised by the opponent's hallucinatory speed.
"Shit!" Suzanna screamed in horror. Lord Silvus shook proudly at his daughter's demonstration of power.
Kal retreated staggering, a bloodstain spreading across his robes. Without reacting in time, he could only observe Shiera's ethereal figure floating before him, thanks to the gift she had invoked. The confrontation took an unexpected turn. Would Kal be able to respond to this attack, or would Shiera finally emerge victorious? The outcome was approaching.
The confrontation within the arena reached new heights of tension and emotion. Aided by her tremendous blood magic, Shiera Felwave pressed her attack against Kal with surreal speed and strength. However, with each blow exchanged, Kal seemed to better adapt to this new dynamic, anticipating the opponent's movements with greater precision. He had quickly tied a fragment of his own sleeve around the wound in his abdomen in order to stem the bleeding. The pain was still intense, but he would not let it interfere with his performance.
Seeing this epic duel unfolding, the audience in the Arena grew more excited with each moment. They shouted, applauded frenetically, completely caught up in the emotion of the tensest fight of that edition of the great Waters City Tournament. It was no wonder. Kal and Shiera showed themselves to be two of the greatest revelations of the competition, dominating techniques and abilities never seen before in combat. This one would certainly be remembered as one of the most legendary years in the history of the event!
The fight took an increasingly surprising turn. Shiera realized that, even injured, Kal could already follow much of her overhuman movements thanks to blood magic. It was then that she decided to use the full extent of her unique power. With a quick gesture, Shiera opened a cut on her own finger and made a thin drop of blood emerge, which she controlled through mana and thought. With mastery, she guided the scarlet projectile towards Kal. Not to inflict another wound, but in a way to hit his hand precisely as it held the sword.
The precision of the blow was perfect. The blood drop pierced Kal's fingers, forcing him to involuntarily drop his weapon. It fell to the ground amid shrieks of amazement from the flabbergasted audience. The outcome seemed drawn. Without his sword, how could Kal react? Shiera now had clear advantage in this fantastic duel! The stadium fell silent as Kal picked himself up and let out a colossal roar. It was an absolute howl, like the furious roar of a cornered lion. His pupils, which had previously shone yellow, now projected an intensely luminous brilliance and blinding light.
Kal picked himself up, still staggering, but his warrior spirit burning like flames. He stared down Shiera with an indomitable determination etched on his face.
"I cannot lose this fight!" he exclaimed in a booming voice.
He remembered the promise made to Lilla to reach the finals. And nothing, not even the opponent's advantage, would make him break it. The audience went wild with emotion. This turn in the fight promised to be even more surprising than they imagined. Without weapons, Kal would have to draw on all his talent and stubbornness to reverse the disadvantageous situation. Shiera smiled confidently, but was far from declaring victory. The battle still had many surprises!
The intensity of that fight took on hitherto unimaginable proportions. After his powerful shout, Kal seemed to have reached new heights of speed and reflexes. In the blink of an eye, he had regained his sword from the ground. And in an even faster blink, he attacked Shiera with a thunderous thrust, breaking for the first time the perfect sequence of blocks she had sustained until then in the fight. Lord Silvus could not hide his surprise on his face. He frowned, perplexed, at what the modest opponent of Shiera was capable of doing despite his mastery over the most powerful magic of the empire. He turned to Suzanna and inquired incredulously:
"Is this boy really the one Tiberius spoke so much about? The same one you have been training?"
Suzanna merely nodded, sketching a discreet smile. She had long sensed Kal's hidden potential, even if not even he himself knew how far he could go in that historic moment.
The battle reached increasingly intense levels. Shiera realized she would need to resort to even more powerful techniques to defeat Kal. With a gesture of maximum concentration, she invoked the art of blood she dominated like few others:
"Blood Magic: Crimson Chrysanthemums!"
Thousands of tiny bloody droplets appeared around her, floating in the air under her mental control. With a flick of the wrist, she launched the scarlet projectiles against Kal in a lethal manner. The young warrior, despite his injuries, focused with mastery. He felt the projectiles directed at vital points and dodged with superhuman agility. However, many others struck him violently, opening deep gashes in his muscular chest. Kal tasted the bitter flavor of pain, but did not retreat. Suzanna closed her eyes, fearful. Lord Silvus rejoiced, convinced that no living being could withstand the power of his family.
The interaction between Kal and Shiera showed that, beyond being great warriors, they were worthy opponents of each other. Despite bleeding and cornered, Kal smiled at Shiera, surprising everyone:
"At last you used your strongest ability. I thought I wasn't worthy of seeing it."
Shiera laughed, recognizing the noble attitude of her opponent:
"I wanted to have a worthy fight, not a quick one. It seems you have given me that."
She continued pressing her attack with her rain of bloody projectiles. But Kal, despite the growing difficulty, still managed to dodge gracefully, demonstrating superhuman reflexes. The audience went wild with each movement, enchanted by the dignity and talent displayed by the adversaries. Even Lord Silvus began to see Kal in a different light. For Suzanna's viewing, it was clear this battle would go down in history. Regardless of the final outcome, Kal and Shiera had already entered the Tournament annals as two of the greatest revelations of all.
The fight reached its climax after an epic confrontation. With mastery, Shiera managed to hit Kal with several of her projectiles, dropping him exhausted on the arena floor.
"It seems it's over. It was a good fight," said the girl, turning to leave victorious.
A rain of scarlet drops fell upon Kal's injured body, covered in blood. Suzanna bit her lips anxiously, eager to see if Kal would manifest the divine power he had shown before. Lord Silvus smiled satisfied, convinced of his daughter's victory. But Emperor Mordret observed everything expectantly, intrigued by the challenger's resistance. The referee approached to officially declare Shiera the winner. But was Kal truly defeated? Or did he have another surprising card up his sleeve, as he had been demonstrating throughout this epic battle?
The entire stadium held its breath at that moment. When Shiera's victory seemed decreed, the unexpected occurred. An intense golden glow filled the entire arena, temporarily blinding those present with its brilliance. Shiera turned, sensing something strange in the air. Even Lord Silvus and Emperor Mordret could not hide their astonishment, feeling the energy emanating from that supernatural glow. Suzannah clenched her fists, wondering how far Kal's still unknown powers could go. When the light dimmed, anyone could see.
The wounded body of the young warrior radiated a yellow glow, while the wounds closed before their eyes. Kal rose. Shiera gritted her teeth, knowing the fight was not over. And the crowd exploded in frenzied screams, realizing this battle still had the greatest surprises of all tournament history in store. Kal's transformation was surprising and inspired a feeling of peace and majesty. His silvery hair now exhibited subtle golden reflections at the tips, while his gaze emanated a multifaceted glow in tones of gold, sky blue and other celestial hues.
Luminous golden marks also appeared on his face, sealing the wounds. And his aura, now serene and harmonious. There was in him an air of justice and balance. His power seemed to have reached a new, higher and more spiritual level. Shiera frowned, feeling the almost divine energy emanating from him. Lord Silvus and the Emperor exchanged surprised looks. And Suzanna could not hide a smile feeling great nostalgia, as if understanding better the nature of her disciple's transformation. The crowd contemplated Kal in sacred silence. It seemed this warrior now carried a greater destiny. And the outcome of his battle would be even more meaningful for all.
The fight took an even more surprising turn. Before even touching the ground after taking a step, Kal disappeared in the blink of an eye. Then reappeared immediately in front of Shiera, who widened her eyes in shock. No one had been able to follow that movement made at the speed of light. Lord Silvus and Emperor Mordret, despite being experienced, powerful warriors, could not believe it. Their pupils contracted, trying to be sure of what they had just seen. Even their sharp senses were unable to keep up with how fast Kal had moved. It was as if he had transcended the barriers of time and space. The crowd cried out in unison, realizing this was no longer a mere combat, but something far beyond their comprehension. An almost divine battle was taking place in that arena!
An even more monumental burst in this fight that was already beyond surprising. With just one quick blow, Kal hit Shiera, throwing her far without time for any defense. Before even touching the ground after the attack, he disappeared again. And reappeared in front of his opponent without anyone being able to follow the movement. For the first time, Shiera showed fear and confusion. She was incapable of understanding or dealing with the superhuman speed and ability Kal had demonstrated after his transformation. He maintained a serene and calm demeanor, as if fully dominating that new power. Even Lord Silvus and the emperor were surprised, seeming minuscule compared to the magnitude of that epic battle.
Suzannah had understood the magnitude of the transformation that had occurred in Kal before anyone else. For her, who had witnessed this manifestation once before, it was clear that this almost divine being was far beyond everyone else there. Realizing the potential danger his absolute power could represent if the fight continued, Suzannah asked the Emperor to end it, declaring Shiera the winner.
"Please, Mordret. The one in combat is no longer the same Kal. He is a greater entity we cannot comprehend. We must preserve everyone's safety."
The Emperor, wisely, banged his hammer to decree Shiera's victory. A wave of relief seemed to pass through Suzannah and the entire stadium. Kal, although victorious, seemed to understand the decision. His gaze turned to Suzannah, as if thanking her for the wisdom of interrupting that confrontation before his unknown power became a threat. The legend had been written. But the mysteries surrounding Kal had only just begun to be revealed.
Even with the Emperor's decision declaring her the victor, Shiera's victory did not fully calm the spirits of those more closely involved in the events. In the Houses of Healing, Lilla received the news apprehensively, worried about Kal's state after facing such a strong power. At the Aquarion palace, Relon became aware of the latest developments, silently pondering the mysteries surrounding the young warrior.
Meanwhile, in the stands, the attention was drawn by a hooded man and woman who withdrew from the scene displaying an enigmatic smile. Their looks seemed to show something beyond mere joy at Shiera's victory. Would they be allies or enemies of the new heroes born that historic afternoon? Only time would tell. For Kal's destiny and the others involved in the plot seemed destined to become increasingly intertwined from then on.