Miss Lyra walked up to her students to choose who would go to represent them. She had a very bright smile on her face, which contradicted her normally cold demeanor. "Good job, everyone, you all did well," she spoke to the five students. Henry whispered to Lukas, "Dude, what did you do to her? I thought you said you took care of her."
"Yes, I only erased her memories of her being a member of the cult," Lukas whispered back.
"So... first, I'd like Henry to represent us in the first round," Miss Lyra said as she smiled at Henry.
"What a beauty," Henry thought, captivated by her bright smile. "Yes, Miss Lyra, I'll do my best," Henry responded with a smile.
"And now, it's time for the tournament's first round! We have Henry from Arcane Citadel versus Bradford of Mana Pearl Academy!"
The crowd erupted into cheers as Henry and Bradford took their places on opposite sides of the arena. Henry, a tall and confident fire mage with flames flickering around his fingers, met his opponent's eyes with a determined gaze. Bradford, a wiry figure with stormy gray eyes and crackling arcs of lightning dancing around his hands, grinned challengingly.
Henry took a deep breath, the heat of the flames at his fingertips warming his face. His robe, adorned with fiery sigils, swirled with the energy of his magic. He focused on the duel, casting a sideways glance at Miss Lyra. The memory of her bright smile still lingered in his mind, adding a layer of resolve to his determination.
Bradford, on the other hand, was brimming with energy. The lightning crackling around his hands illuminated his sharp features and electrified his demeanor. He stretched his arms out, sending brief flashes of lightning into the air, a show of his readiness.
With a nod from Edric, the duel began.
Bradford wasted no time. With a sharp motion, he raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning that screamed across the arena. The electric tendril raced towards Henry, but with a swift gesture, Henry conjured a wall of fire that intercepted the lightning. The two forces collided in a spectacular burst of energy, sending sparks and steam into the air.
Henry smirked, his eyes alight with the thrill of the battle. "Is that all you've got?"
Bradford's eyes narrowed as he prepared for his next attack. "Let's see how you handle this!"
He leapt into the air, his body surrounded by crackling electricity. With a shout, he conjured a storm cloud overhead, from which a series of lightning bolts rained down on Henry. The bolts struck the ground in rapid succession, creating a dangerous and chaotic pattern of electrical discharge.
Henry's eyes blazed with fierce determination as he conjured a ring of flames around himself, which flared brightly to protect him from the incoming lightning. He began to move within the ring, the fire swirling around him in a defensive vortex. Each bolt of lightning that struck the fire barrier was absorbed or deflected, creating a dramatic dance of fire and electricity.
With a roar, Henry leaped forward through the inferno, his figure silhouetted against the roaring flames. He extended his hand, and a large fireball shot towards Bradford with intense speed.
Bradford saw the fireball coming and quickly conjured a barrier of electricity to deflect it. The fireball collided with the barrier, causing an explosion of fiery sparks that momentarily blinded both mages. Bradford used this opportunity to close the distance between them, launching a quick barrage of lightning bolts.
Henry stumbled slightly but recovered quickly, thrusting his hands forward to unleash a wave of flames that surged toward Bradford. The intense heat of the fire made the air shimmer and ripple.
Bradford grinned, his eyes flashing with excitement. He conjured a powerful lightning storm, directing a concentrated bolt of lightning straight at Henry. The lightning bolt crackled with ferocity as it sped toward its target.
In a dramatic display of skill, Henry performed a nimble sidestep and countered with a stream of fire that arced through the air and met the bolt of lightning mid-flight. The collision of fire and lightning created a massive explosion, sending waves of heat and shock through the arena.
The two combatants were briefly obscured by the dust and debris of the explosion, but soon enough, they emerged from the cloud of smoke, both looking slightly singed but unscathed. They faced each other with a renewed intensity, each recognizing the other's prowess and resilience.
Bradford's expression turned serious as he raised both hands, summoning a swirling tempest of lightning and thunder. The storm above grew darker and more violent, the bolts of lightning weaving together into a massive, crackling vortex.
Henry took a deep breath, feeling the heat within him grow even fiercer. He spread his arms wide and summoned a towering inferno that shot up into the sky, meeting the tempest of lightning with a brilliant clash of fire and storm.
The arena was engulfed in a dazzling display of elemental forces as the fire and lightning swirled together in a breathtaking battle of power. The heat of the flames met the chill of the storm, creating a roiling tempest of energy that shook the very ground beneath them.
Bradford, with a fierce shout, directed the full force of the storm towards Henry. The lightning bolts shot down with the force of a hurricane, striking the fiery inferno and causing a spectacular display of explosions and shockwaves.
Henry gritted his teeth and raised his arms, channeling all his strength into a massive firestorm that surged towards Bradford. The flames roared with a primal fury as they met the storm's lightning, and for a moment, the two forces clashed in a titanic explosion of heat and energy.
When the dust finally settled, both mages were standing in the center of the arena, breathing heavily but unyielding. The intensity of the duel had left their robes singed and their faces marked with exhaustion, but neither was willing to concede defeat.
Bradford's eyes gleamed with a fierce determination. "You're good, Henry. But let's see how you handle this!"
He raised both hands high, calling forth a final, overwhelming storm of lightning that crackled and roared with a thunderous fury. The storm converged into a single, massive bolt of lightning that shot towards Henry with an unrelenting force.
Henry's eyes widened, but he quickly raised his hands and summoned a colossal wall of fire to intercept the bolt. The two forces met in a breathtaking explosion of light and energy, creating a blinding flare that illuminated the entire arena.
When the light faded, both mages stood amidst the smoke and debris of their duel. Bradford was on one knee, panting heavily and looking up at Henry with a mixture of respect and exhaustion. Henry, though equally worn out, stood tall and resolute, the flames around him flickering with a proud intensity.
Edric stepped forward, his voice ringing with the finality of the match. "And the winner of the first round is Henry from Arcane Citadel!"
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, their excitement echoing through the amphitheater. Miss Lyra's bright smile returned, and she clapped enthusiastically for Henry, her approval clear.
Henry bowed respectfully to Bradford, his own smile reflecting the satisfaction of a hard-fought victory. "You fought well, Bradford. It was an honor."
Bradford yelled, "You fool! Don't you dare take pity on me; the fight isn't over yet. We've got two more chances to win." Henry ignored him and walked away.
As Henry made his way back to his fellow students, Lukas and the others greeted him with cheers and high-fives. Miss Lyra approached him, her smile as radiant as ever.
"You did wonderfully, Henry," she said, her voice warm and approving.
"Thank you, Miss Lyra," Henry replied, feeling a surge of pride. "I did my best," Henry said. Miss Lyra's smile made him forget all his worries.
"And now, we have Eldermyst Academy vs. WyvernWood Academy."
The two participants sent out from both academies faced each other as Edric announced their names.
"We have Rorluk vs. Edwardo," Edric announced again.
Rorluk, a tall and composed water mage, wore a deep blue robe adorned with intricate patterns of waves and sea creatures. His eyes were calm and focused, a reflection of the vast and serene ocean. Edwardo, a lithe and agile wind mage, sported a light, flowing robe in hues of sky blue and white. His eyes sparkled with the restless energy of the wind, and a faint breeze seemed to follow him wherever he moved.
Edric, standing between the two mages, raised his hands to signal the start of the duel.
As the signal for the duel to begin was given, Edwardo took a deep breath and summoned a powerful gale that roared through the arena. The wind whipped around him, growing in intensity as he focused his energy. He thrust his hands forward, sending a concentrated blast of wind towards Rorluk.
Rorluk reacted swiftly, raising his arms to summon a wall of water that absorbed the force of the wind. The wall shimmered and rippled as the wind crashed against it, sending small droplets into the air. With a graceful wave of his hand, Rorluk redirected the water into a swirling vortex that advanced towards Edwardo.
Edwardo's eyes narrowed as he saw the water vortex coming at him. He leaped into the air with a nimble twist, the wind lifting him effortlessly. From his elevated position, he conjured a series of slicing gusts that cut through the vortex of water, causing droplets to scatter like rain.
Undeterred, Rorluk moved gracefully, summoning a series of water whips that lashed out towards Edwardo. The whips arced through the air with fluid precision, aiming to ensnare the wind mage. Edwardo, evading the whips with agile twists and turns, used the wind to propel himself further away, staying just out of reach.
Edwardo grinned as he landed on the ground and raised both hands, summoning a massive windstorm that surged across the arena. The wind howled and roared, its power creating a swirling tempest that threatened to overwhelm Rorluk.
Rorluk took a deep breath and raised both arms, summoning a towering wave of water that surged to meet the storm. The wave crashed into the windstorm, creating a spectacular clash of elements. Water and wind collided in a frenzy of spray and gale, creating a mesmerizing dance of forces.
Using the distraction of the clash, Edwardo charged forward with the wind propelling him at high speed. He aimed to close the distance between them, summoning a series of razor-sharp wind blades that sliced through the air towards Rorluk.
Rorluk reacted quickly, forming a barrier of swirling water around himself. The wind blades collided with the barrier, creating a series of hissing impacts as the water absorbed the force of the attack. With a graceful gesture, Rorluk dissipated the water barrier and countered with a powerful wave of water that surged towards Edwardo.
Edwardo was momentarily pushed back by the force of the water wave, but he quickly regained his balance, using the wind to stabilize himself in mid-air. He raised his hands and unleashed a concentrated whirlwind that spun violently, drawing the water towards him and dispersing it into a fine mist.
As the mist settled, Rorluk seized the opportunity and conjured a massive tidal wave that surged towards Edwardo with immense force. The wave roared as it moved across the arena, a wall of crashing water that threatened to overwhelm everything in its path.
Edwardo's eyes widened as he summoned a powerful cyclone to counter the tidal wave. The cyclone spun furiously, its winds creating a barrier that clashed against the tidal wave with a deafening roar. The arena was filled with the sound of crashing water and howling wind as the two forces struggled against each other.
The clash of the tidal wave and the cyclone created a powerful shockwave that reverberated through the arena, sending ripples of energy through the ground. Both mages were thrown back by the force of the impact, their robes billowing around them as they struggled to regain their footing.
Breathing heavily, Rorluk stood tall and focused, summoning a sphere of water that floated in the air before him. The sphere began to expand, growing larger and more intense as he concentrated his energy.
Edwardo, equally worn from the battle, prepared for his final move. He extended his hands towards the sky, calling forth a storm of wind and lightning that crackled and roared above him. The storm gathered into a powerful vortex, its energy surging with a fierce intensity.
With a determined shout, Rorluk hurled the expanding sphere of water towards Edwardo. The sphere shot through the air with incredible speed, its surface shimmering with the force of the water contained within.
Edwardo met the oncoming sphere with the full force of his storm, directing a concentrated bolt of lightning into the path of the water sphere. The lightning crackled through the air, connecting with the sphere and causing a spectacular explosion of steam and light.
When the light faded and the steam cleared, both mages stood in the center of the arena, their energy nearly spent. Edwardo was breathing heavily, his hair and robe disheveled from the intense wind and lightning. Rorluk, though equally exhausted, maintained a calm and resolute demeanor.
Edric stepped forward, his voice carrying the weight of the decision. "And the winner of this duel is Edwardo from WyvernWood Academy!" Edric announced.
"I guess I'll just have to wait for the semi-finals before I carry out my plan," a figure said from the shadows. Of course, this was Ghelgath in the teen's body.