The coliseum's energy shifted as the next round began. I could feel it in the air—the pressure, the intensity, the presence of someone powerful. Brianna noticed it too; her usual cheerfulness was replaced with a cautious tension.
As the other teams were eliminated one by one, it was clear that one combatant stood out. A lone figure entered the arena, his presence commanding the attention of everyone watching. He wore a flowing, deep crimson cloak, with runes stitched into the fabric that glowed faintly. His eyes were sharp, and his expression calm, almost indifferent, as if the battles thus far had been nothing more than trivial skirmishes.
"This guy…" Brianna whispered, "He's not like the others. Be careful."
I nodded, sizing him up. I didn't sense any fear or hesitation from him—just pure confidence. This was someone who had faced countless battles and emerged victorious every time.
The announcer's voice cut through the tension. "The final match of this round! On one side, Siobhan and Brianna! On the other, the enigmatic prodigy, Callan 'The Absolute'!"
The crowd roared, eager for what was sure to be a clash of titans. Callan's eyes locked onto mine as he slowly drew a sleek, silver blade. It gleamed with an eerie light, hinting at the power it held.
"I've been watching you, Siobhan," Callan said, his voice calm but carrying an edge of curiosity. "You're strong. Too strong for the usual riffraff. But let's see how you handle someone who's your equal."
His words were a challenge, and I welcomed it. For too long, I'd faced opponents who couldn't push me to my limits. But now, this was different. Callan had an aura of absolute certainty, as if he knew he could match me no matter what I threw at him.
The signal for the match to begin blared, and immediately, Callan vanished from sight. My eyes widened—this wasn't mere speed, but spatial manipulation. In an instant, I felt the air behind me shift, and I spun just in time to block a strike from Callan's blade. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the ground.
"Spatial distortion?" I muttered, quickly summoning a blade of my own, a dark sword wrapped in swirling shadows that cut through reality itself.
Callan smirked. "Close, but not quite. I control spatial vectors—everything that moves, I can manipulate."
He flicked his wrist, and I felt my own sword become heavy, as if the gravity around it had been altered. Before I could adjust, Callan's blade was already swinging toward me. I barely managed to parry, the force behind his strike shaking me to the core.
"So, he can control momentum and direction," I realized. This was going to be tricky.
I switched tactics, summoning a sword that could distort space, creating voids that absorbed attacks. But before I could launch a counterattack, Callan warped the ground beneath me, causing me to stumble as it tilted unnaturally.
He followed up with a barrage of slashes, each one aimed with deadly precision. I countered by conjuring a blade of pure energy, capable of generating force fields, but Callan's control over vectors allowed him to bypass even that, redirecting the flow of energy away from his strikes.
Our exchange was a blur of clashing steel, flashes of light, and spatial distortions. For every blade I summoned, Callan had an answer. He would nullify my attacks by altering their trajectory, and whenever I tried to create distance, he would close it in an instant using spatial warps.
This wasn't just a physical battle—it was a war of wits, a contest to outmaneuver the other's abilities. Callan pushed me harder than anyone ever had, forcing me to adapt, think faster, and use my powers in ways I hadn't considered before.
Brianna watched anxiously from the sidelines, her hands clenched into fists. "Come on, Sion… you've got this…"
Callan suddenly switched tactics, amplifying the gravity around us. My movements slowed as the air grew heavy, and I could feel the strain in my muscles as the pressure increased. He lunged forward, his blade aimed directly at my heart.
But I wasn't done yet. Tapping into my reality skill, I conjured a sword that could rewrite the laws of physics in localized areas. With a single swing, I nullified the enhanced gravity, returning the environment to normal. The sudden shift in conditions threw Callan off balance, and I seized the moment, closing in with a flurry of strikes.
Yet, even when on the defensive, Callan remained composed. His vector manipulation allowed him to deflect my strikes at impossible angles, twisting the flow of combat to his favor. Every time I gained an advantage, he would counter with a move that forced me to rethink my strategy.
"You're good, Siobhan," Callan said, his voice betraying a hint of excitement. "But how long can you keep up?"
He vanished again, this time warping space in rapid succession, creating afterimages as he danced around me. I couldn't rely on just brute force or straightforward techniques—I needed to get creative.
I closed my eyes for a split second, focusing my reality-warping ability not on weapons or attacks, but on the arena itself. I altered the terrain, turning the flat battlefield into a maze of shifting walls and platforms, each one designed to restrict Callan's movement.
"You think a few walls will slow me down?" Callan taunted, but I was already one step ahead.
I infused the maze with my energy, allowing me to control its layout in real-time. As Callan attempted to warp through it, I shifted the walls and floors, turning his spatial warps against him. For the first time, I saw a flicker of frustration in his eyes.
But he wasn't done either. With a burst of energy, he shattered the maze, turning the debris into a storm of projectiles. I countered by summoning a blade that could absorb and redirect kinetic energy, catching the shards mid-air and sending them flying back at him.
The battle reached a fever pitch as we clashed again, our blades meeting with earth-shattering force. Callan's calm demeanor remained, but I could tell he was pushing himself harder now. I wasn't just facing a skilled fighter—I was facing someone who could mirror and counter my every move.
In the end, it came down to one final exchange. I condensed all my power into a single blade, a weapon of pure reality, its edge shimmering with countless possibilities. Callan did the same, focusing his vector control into a single point on his blade, creating a concentrated strike that could tear through anything.
We charged at each other, time seeming to slow as we closed the distance. The arena crackled with energy, the air charged with the sheer power of our clash. And then, in a flash of blinding light, our blades collided.
The force of the impact tore through the arena, leaving a massive crater in its wake. Both of us were thrown back, skidding across the ground as the dust settled.
When the dust cleared, Callan stood with his blade lowered, a smirk on his face. "You're the first person who's ever pushed me this far," he admitted. "But I think that's enough for today."
I felt the weight of fatigue settling in, but there was a sense of satisfaction in my chest. This battle had been a true test, and I could feel my power growing because of it.
Callan gave a respectful nod before turning away. "We'll meet again, Siobhan. And next time, we'll see who really comes out on top."
As he left the arena, the announcer's voice rang out, declaring our victory. But I knew this was just the beginning. There were opponents like Callan out there, warriors who could challenge me at every turn. And I was ready for them.
Brianna rushed over, a mix of relief and admiration in her eyes. "You did it, Sion! That was incredible!"
I smiled, wiping the sweat from my brow. "Yeah… but it's only going to get tougher from here."