As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Arena transformed into a spectacle of light. Illumination spells flared to life, casting a soft glow over the massive stadium, and the excited hum of the audience filled the air. The seats were packed to the brim, each person eagerly awaiting the next battle, cheering for their favorites and hoping for a display of skill and power.
Inside the Arena's waiting hall, the eight remaining competitors stood in quiet anticipation. Among them were Eon and Rael, sitting opposite each other on the floor. Their palms were pressed against each other as they meditated amidst the gazes from their surroundings. They paid no heed to the murmurs or stares directed their way. Together, they were in perfect sync, trying to improve their soul connection, even if it was a little more.
Raphael stood apart from the group, his back straight, arms crossed, and eyes sharp as always. He wasn't one for idle chatter with others and neither was he inclined to approach his siblings either. There was an unspoken distance between them, and it was clear that no words needed to be exchanged for them to understand that they stand on opposite sides.
While others were curious, one pair of eyes, however, burned with disdain. Edmund Silverfrost, the King's second nephew and younger brother of Eustace Silverfrost—the boy whom Rael and Eon beat up along with his gang months ago—stood across the room, his gaze fixed on the two siblings with unbridled hatred. Edmund seemed quite resentful of them, intending to pay back the humiliation that his older brother felt.
Edmund, with his usual arrogance, made his way toward Rael and Eon, intending to disrupt their concentration and further provoke them. As he approached, Raphael stepped forward, blocking his path without a word. His eyes were icy, his stance unwavering, and his arms crossed to the chest as if he were daring him to step past him.
Edmund's gaze flickered with annoyance, but he didn't argue. Instead, he muttered something under his breath and stormed off, choosing to sit somewhere on an empty couch, clearly disgruntled.
At once, the atmosphere changed for the moment.
Fortunately, the tension in the air disappeared as the attendant entered the room and called for them to head to the Arena. The final battles were about to begin.
Eon and Rael opened their eyes, their hands slowly separating. Without a word, they stood and followed the attendant down the hall, the sounds of the excited crowd growing louder as they neared the Arena.
Once they stepped into the field, the Arena erupted into cheers. The stadium was alive with excitement, the air thick with the energy of the crowd. Names were coming from all directions, although the majority of them were chanting the name of Raphael more than others.
The stage was set, and the first match of the quarterfinals was about to begin.
*Quarterfinals Match 1: Raphael of Garcia House vs. Beatrice of the Nightslayer House*
The first match saw Raphael stepping forward, his usual cold composure unwavering. His opponent, Beatrice, was a confident 11-year-old girl born into the Nightslayer House, a noble family that holds the title of Duke too.
The Proctor flew into the air and glanced at both the competitors. "Both of you have 20 seconds of preparation."
"Come out, Astralith."
Raphael summoned his Arcana spirit, the zodiac beast. It stayed in its base form, a humanoid figure with illustrations of galaxies moving on its body.
Turning serious, Beatrice wasted no time, summoning her bow too—a powerful weapon capable of channeling her wind magic.
As the battle started with an explosive blast in the sky, Beatrice made the first move.
With a determined look on her face, she drew the bowstring back and launched her most powerful attack, the fourth soul skill: the whirlwind arrow.
The audience gasped as the arrow tore through the air, accompanied by powerful gusts of wind.
Raphael put his hands in his pockets, developing a smirk on his face when he saw that. "Astralith, absorb." He ordered, his eyes glowing in gold.
The zodiac beast stretched its arms forward while a thread of energy erupted from its back and connected to its master.
As a result, his inborn ability momentarily transferred to the Arcana spirit. The beast effortlessly blocked the incoming attack, shielding Raphael from the gusts of wind and destroying the arrow.
"Now, Reflect."
His words once again flew out. The thread of energy connected between them turned from blue to red. And with a swift movement, the beast conjured an identical-looking arrow and shot it back at Beatrice, now with twice the force. The gusts of wind covered the entire battle platform and slammed into Beatrice, sending her flying backward. She crashed out of the battle platform, landing heavily on the ground.
"Beatrice Nightslayer is out of bounds. Raphael Garcia wins!" the Proctor called out, his voice echoing across the Arena.
"Wooo…" The cheers erupted, twice the energy they maintained earlier.
Raphael didn't acknowledge the crowd and casually walked away, stepping down from the battle platform. His victory had been efficient, clean, and silent—just as he liked it. With the win, he advanced to the semifinals.
"Eon Garcia, Ella. Please step on the battle platform." The Proctor didn't waste any time in announcing the second battle.
Rael grabbed Eon's hand with a smile. "Good luck, sis." Eon smiled back and nodded. "You bet, I will win this match."
The second match was between Eon Garcia and Ella, a fiery competitor who had summoned her Fire Golem for the battle.
As the battle started, the massive rank-4 Golem, its molten body crackling with flames, charged toward Eon with terrifying speed. The ground shook with every step the Golem took, and its arm was raised high, and its hand opened up, ready to shoot a sea of flames.
But Eon remained unfazed. As Ella's Fire Golem barreled toward her, Eon's eyes gleamed. "Well, let's go…"
She ran forward, meeting the Golem head-on. Just as the Golem's fist came crashing down toward her, Eon activated her inborn ability—time freeze.
In an instant, the surroundings around her froze in place. The Golem's punch was suspended mid-air, its fiery form motionless. The Proctor was also frozen in mid-air.
The audience watched in awe as Eon moved with impossible speed for a rank-4, stepping carefully around the frozen Fire Golem and scaling its massive arm. She reached its shoulder in seconds, where Ella stood, the latter's eyes wide in shock at the sudden turn of situation.
With a swift and powerful motion, Eon kicked Ella with all the force she could muster, using every ounce of her soul energy into the strike. Ella was blasted backward, her body propelled across the platform. She barely managed to regain her balance before she nearly flew off the edge of the arena, her body tumbling dangerously close to the boundary.
"Pyronix, Incinerate." Ella roared in panic as the time had unfrozen already. The Golem conjured yellow flames over its palms as it reached out to grab the girl standing on its shoulder.
But, it was at that moment the time was frozen once again. Eon's eyes were glowing, and a smirk escaped her mouth. "Come out, Tezca."
As the time froze, Eon stood poised on the shoulder of the Fire Golem, her heart racing. Meanwhile, a soul card was summoned and hovered around her before an Arcana spirit materialized.
"A death scythe?" Raphael's eyes widened in shock. "How?" He turned to glance at his almost identical-looking brother, standing not so far away.