One month had passed since Snowy's harrowing encounter with the shadow dragon in his dreams. His strength had grown at a pace that even the instructors at Arcane Nexus Academy found staggering. Every day was filled with relentless training, refining not just his physical skills but also his mind. Emily's sword techniques became the foundation of his growth, but Snowy had taken them beyond their original form.
He began developing variations, merging her elegant slashes with his unpredictable movements, creating an entirely new style. He named it "Phantom Edge," a technique that seemed to strike from every direction at once.Snowy's talent for observation didn't stop there. He was working on another skill, an ability that allowed him to copy the movements of anyone he fought, mastering them in mere days.
This imitation skill had evolved during his spars with other tournament candidates. He had only found two opponents worthy of mimicking: a quiet, dark-haired senior named Kael Renshaw, whose martial art, "Void Step," allowed him to strike with lethal precision and disappear like smoke; and a fiery, red-haired student named Draken Ferrox from the Dragon's Fang Clan, who wielded his "Inferno Breath" technique like a living weapon.During the final week before the tournament, Snowy and Kael faced off in a grueling sparring session. Kael's swift, unpredictable strikes were a deadly dance of misdirection and power.
Snowy, instead of falling back, started to mirror Kael's movements, each dodge and counter growing sharper, each strike more refined. Kael noticed the imitation but didn't say a word, silently acknowledging Snowy's potential. Draken, on the other hand, was all fire and fury, and Snowy found himself incorporating the raw power of Draken's dragon-like bursts into his evolving fighting style.The day of the tournament arrived, and the Academy's top ten fighters, including Snowy, stood ready. The battlefield was a vast, intricately designed arena, created specifically for this tournament by the most powerful clans. Thousands of spectators from across the region gathered to witness the clash of the best warriors from the most elite schools. The air buzzed with anticipation, and the stakes were high: fame, glory, and a prize that could elevate one's clan to unparalleled heights.Snowy stood in the preparation area with the rest of the Arcane Nexus Academy team.
Emily, who had become one of his closest friends over the past month, stood beside him, her eyes filled with determination. Though they never acknowledged it verbally, their friendship had grown stronger through shared training, mutual respect, and unspoken understanding. Snowy had even started to mimic Emily's unique style, "Silverwind Waltz," incorporating her graceful, fluid movements into his combat repertoire.The first two matches of the tournament began with a mix of victories and losses for the Arcane Nexus Academy.
Their fighters struggled against fierce competition, but they managed to pull through with strategic wins, thanks in part to Emily's expert command and the team's relentless training. Then came the third match—Snowy's turn.Snowy stepped onto the battlefield, his expression calm yet focused. His opponent was a burly fighter from one of the rival schools, armed with a massive axe that seemed almost too heavy to wield. The crowd watched with bated breath as the two fighters stared each other down.
The moment the signal was given, Snowy sprang into action, his speed blinding, his movements unpredictable.He dodged the initial swing of the axe, using a combination of "Phantom Edge" and Emily's "Silverwind Waltz" to weave through the attacks like a shadow. Every time the axe came crashing down, Snowy was already gone, his blade striking precise blows that chipped away at his opponent's defenses. With a final, blindingly fast slash, Snowy shattered the axe and sent his opponent sprawling to the ground.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Snowy stood victorious, barely breaking a sweat.The next series of matches were a blur of adrenaline and skill. Snowy won match after match, his combat prowess growing with each fight. He fought with the ferocity of a seasoned warrior, using the techniques he had mimicked from Kael and Draken to outmatch his opponents. However, his final match in the preliminary rounds paired him against a formidable opponent—a white-haired girl from one of the rival schools. She was known for her mastery of magic, a discipline Snowy could barely tap into due to the unstable nature of his mana nexus.The match began, and Snowy quickly realized this fight would be unlike any other. The girl's magic was a whirlwind of fire and ice, spells that twisted and contorted the very air around them.
Snowy dodged and weaved through blasts of flame and shards of ice, his body moving instinctively to avoid the attacks. He charged forward, relying on his physical prowess to close the gap between them. Each swing of his blade was met with a surge of elemental fury.The girl's expression remained calm, her eyes focused. She conjured a massive wall of fire, forcing Snowy to retreat, his arms singed by the intense heat.
He pushed forward again, slicing through the flames with a powerful strike that sent sparks flying. But just as he closed in, a blast of ice engulfed his right arm, freezing it solid. His left arm, caught in a torrent of fire, was burned to a crisp.Snowy gritted his teeth, the pain almost unbearable.
He was on the brink of collapse, but with a final burst of strength, he lunged forward, using his all, with a burst of speed he disappeared and reappeared behind her breaking defense and landing a brutal blow that broke her arm and leg with a front kick to her arm and a side kick to her leg both having massive force in them.
She cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground as Snowy staggered back, barely able to stand. The match was called in her favor, but it was clear that she wouldn't be able to continue in the tournament.As Snowy was carried off the field, he looked back at the girl, panting heavily. "Sorry…for your arm," he managed to say before his vision blurred. She nodded weakly, her expression a mix of pain and respect.The rest of the tournament was carried on by Snowy's teammates. They fought with renewed vigor, inspired by Snowy's fierce determination. They won match after match, securing a spot in the finals. But Snowy remained unconscious, his body struggling to recover from the intense damage he had endured.Two days before the finals, Snowy finally woke up. His left arm was still charred, and his right arm bore the lingering cold of the ice, but he was determined to fight. The Academy's team needed him, and despite his injuries, he was ready to give everything he had. The final match pitted Arcane Nexus Academy against their fiercest rivals, and Snowy was up against the strongest fighter from the opposing school—a formidable opponent with a reputation for overwhelming strength.As the match began, Snowy felt the familiar surge of adrenaline. His opponent charged forward, their fists colliding with such force that the ground beneath them cracked. Snowy grinned, despite the pain shooting through his body. He was at a clear disadvantage, but that only fueled his desire to win.Drawing on everything he had learned, Snowy copied his opponent's movements, matching him blow for blow. He used Kael's "Void Step" to evade attacks, Emily's "Silverwind Waltz" for counterattacks, and even Draken's dragon-like ferocity to strike with overwhelming force. But as the battle raged on, Snowy felt his body reaching its limit. Every muscle screamed in agony, his mana nexus struggling to keep up with the intense output.Then, in a moment of pure desperation, Snowy's eyes sharpened. He used a new branch of his mimicry skill—an ability that allowed him to copy not just techniques but the very muscle structure of his opponent, giving him a temporary boost in strength and speed. Snowy's movements became a perfect mirror of his opponent's, every strike synchronized, every dodge perfectly timed.With a final, devastating blow, Snowy sent his opponent crashing to the ground. The crowd erupted in applause, the sound deafening as the Arcane Nexus Academy was declared the winner. Snowy stood victorious, but his body could take no more. As he fell to his knees, every muscle seized in excruciating pain, he smiled through the agony.His last thought before darkness took him was simple: More power.And with that, Snowy collapsed, his vision fading to black as the cheers of his victory echoed in his mind.