The roar of the crowd was deafening, a cacophony of cheers and jeers that echoes through the grand arena. In the centre of the battleground, Kael stood, his eyes blazing with an inner fire that matched the flames dancing at his fingertips. His opponent, Sylfine, the Nexarian rookie, moved with grace and
precision that belied her lack of magical prowess. Clad in dark armour, she wielded twin blades forge by the Nexarian swordsmiths, their edges shimmering with a dull ominous glow.
Kael thrust his hand forward, sending a torrent of fire spiralling towards Sylfine. She rolled to the side,
her movement fluid and practiced, and came up on her feet in a single, swift motion. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled one of her blades at Kael. The weapon cut through the air, nullifying the fireball that Kael conjured to intercept it. The blade embedded itself in the ground at his feet, sizzling as it absorbed
the residual magic.
"What is with this girl? She is turning all of my attacks into nothing and I cannot even defend myself against her properly. If I am not careful, I will lose to her."
"My offense against her is futile, my defense is nothing to her. What do I do?"
Undeterred, Kael summoned a wall of fire to encircle Sylfine, hoping to trap her. But she was already moving, her remaining blade slicing through the fire as if it were nothing more than mist. She closed the
distance between them with astonishing speed, her blade aimed at Kael's heart. He barely had time to react, conjuring a shield of fire that flared brightly before being extinguished by Sylfine's blade.
Kael was oblivious to the history of Nexaria, even Noelle did not bother to inform him about all of the kingdoms of Tellus and their special abilities. Nexaria throughout the years has produced powerful warriors compared to an average human. Their physical strength was more than impressive but nonetheless, these superior humans were still inferior to those with magical abilities. Who needs a builder whilst you can speak your thoughts into creation?
The elementals, or rather, the first men to wield elemental magic, mainly, fire, water, air, and earth, became the enemies of the Nexarians and overtime, they found a way to fight the mages on a somewhat same level. Their discovery of anti-magic weapons put them at the top once again but anti-magic was believed to be lost to the tides of time… That was the case until now.
Sylfine somehow managed to bring back the power that was believed to be lost, compared to the rest of the rookies, her ability to use anti-magic and her physical strength makes her the best rookie that the ANTs have produced this year.
The two combatants danced around each other, Kael's fiery attacks clashing with Sylfine's relentless assault. Each strike, each parry, was testament to their skill and determination. Sweat dripped from Kael's
brow as he struggled to maintain his magical defenses against Sylfine's unyielding offense. Sylfine, for her part, fought with a cold, calculated fury, her eyes never leaving Kael's.
Out of desperation, Kael gathered all his remaining strength and unleashed a massive wave of fire, hoping to overwhelm Sylfine. But she was ready. With a swift, decisive strike, she plunged her blade into the ground, creating a barrier that absorbed the firestorm. As the flames died down, she lunged forward, her
blade aimed true. Kael fell to his knees.
"Is this how weak I have become?" the voice in his head came without a warning this time. As before, he was dark as if he had no body, one can only tell from his glowing eyes that it was a human, this Dark Kael was of no emotion.
Kael's heart pounded in his chest as he faced Sylfine. "Magic is useless against you."
"Yes, it is. What is your plan? Give up or lose your head on that spot."
She wasn't wrong. Killing a participant is not against the rules in this round. Kael smiled, as he had planned to fall to his knees so that Sylfine would drop her guard. She had two
swords and lost one, the threat here is the sword that she wields. It was a dirty plan but nonetheless, all is fair and in a war.
With a swift motion, he disarmed Sylfine, relieving her of her last sword, and threw it far from her because if he were to hold on to it for long, it would drain his mana until he died and even in death it would continue to drain it.
Sylfine's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly recovered, her lips curling into a sinister smile. "So you want to fight with your bare hands, Kael? Very well," she hissed, her voice dripping with malice.
Kael lunged forward, his fists aiming for Sylfine's midsection. She dodged with an inhuman speed, her movement fluid and graceful. Kael's training in hand-to-hand combat had been rigorous, but Sylfine was
no ordinary opponent. She countered with a series of rapid strikes, her hands moving like vipers. Kael blocked and parried, feeling the sting of her blows through his armour.
They moved in a deadly dance. Kael's muscles burned with exertion, but he pushed through the pain, his mind focused on finding an opening. Sylfine's attacks were relentless, but Kael noticed a pattern in her movements. She favoured her left side, a slight hesitation before each strike.
Seizing the opportunity, Kael feigned a punch to her right, then pivoted and delivered a powerful kick to her left side. Sylfine staggered, her balance momentarily disrupted. Kael pressed his advantage, launching
a flurry of punches that forced Sylfine to retreat. She snarled in frustration, her eyes blazing with fury.
With a roar, her adrenaline increased as if she had control over her glands, but Kael was ready. He ducked Sylfine's attack, and closed the distance between them, his fist connecting with her jaw in a bone-crunching blow. Sylfine reeled back, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"Keep going," said Dark Kael. His voice louder than before.
Kael didn't let up. He grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close, his eyes into hers. "This ends now," he growled, his voice filled with determination. He delivered a series of rapid punches to her midsection, each one driving the air from her lungs. Sylfine gasped, her strength waning.
"Take out her heart," said Dark Kael.
Kael wasn't himself at this point. Sylfine forced an awakening inside him, inviting darkness into this world.
With a final, powerful strike, Kael sent Sylfine crashing to the ground. She lay there, defeated and gasping for breath. Kael stood over her, his chest heaving with exertion. He had won, but the victory felt hollow.
He knew that this battle was just one of many in the ongoing war against darkness.
As he looked down at Sylfine, he saw not just an enemy, but a reminder of the relentless struggle that lay ahead. He extended a hand to her, a gesture of mercy and resolve. "It's over, Sylfine."
"I am vulnerable right now and you extend your hand?" Her eyes were filled with tears but her face was bright red, perhaps she was blushing or it's because she couldn't breathe until now.
The overseer of this round announced Kael as the victor of this round and he moves to the final round…