Chapter 274: Loser’s Bracket Winner - 5
Uraan was delighted the mont he received the affirmation from his beast.
"Good! Now guide Hurricane towards him. Now!" Uraan commanded sharply.
He hadn’t copied the moon vision skill from the Midnight Raven, so everything depended on coordination.
Even though the falcon was beyond the illusion’s range and could perceive Tavian’s exact position, the mont it dived within a certain distance, the illusion would swallow its senses—fracturing its perception, disorienting it, forcing it to rise instinctively.
But this ti was different.
The instant it received the Raven’s intent, Hurricane locked onto a single point and dove.
The wind scread around its wings as it cut through the air like a blade.
Not even 50 ters away from Tavian—
Countless Tavian’s flooded its vision.
Dozens. All overlapping, shifting, moving.
But Hurricane shut its senses, discarding sight entirely, and continued to bolt forward—guided only by the Raven’s constant signal pulsing in its mind.
Below, Tavian saw the incoming falcon and narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening on the staff.
Dhum! Dhum! Dhum!
Suddenly, three massive earthen walls surged upward in the falcon’s path, erupting from the ground like jagged fangs.
The beast’s eyes widened.
Its dive was too fast and there was no ti to adjust.
DOOOM!
The falcon slamd straight into the walls, stone cracking on impact as dust exploded outward in a violent shockwave.
"3-star Explosion Arrays!" Tavian called out coldly, not even waiting for the dust to settle.
His staff flashed as several small explosion arrays filled the surroundings of the falcon.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions chained together inside the dust cloud, each blast compressing the air, turning the space into a violent furnace of shockwaves and debris.
At the sa ti, Uraan was already closing in from one side, boots skidding across the ground as he accelerated, while the Raven circled to the opposite flank—its wings beating against the turbulent air as they prepared a two-pronged assault.
Three zones around the arena lit up simultaneously.
Astral chains shot outward, streaking towards the Raven like glowing serpents.
"You forgot about !" Uraan shouted, thrusting his sword straight towards Tavian’s neck, the blade whistling through the air.
"NO. I didn’t—Rhinoceros!" Tavian roared back.
A surge of power flared through his empty hand as the Rhinoceros enchantnt activated, muscles swelling, veins bulging as he drove his fist forward.
Thang!
Steel t flesh reinforced by magic.
The clash rang out like struck iron, a sharp tallic reverberation echoing across the arena.
Uraan didn’t linger.
He imdiately disengaged, pivoting his body as his free hand dropped to his waist.
In a single smooth motion, he drew his dagger—wind magic already coiling around the blade.
Shing!
The air split.
Tavian twisted at the last mont, but not enough.
The dagger carved across his shoulder, slicing deeper than expected as the compressed wind amplified the cut, tearing through flesh with a vicious hiss.
A thin spray of blood followed the arc.
At that exact mont—
The falcon burst through the dust cloud.
Its feathers were a bit ruffled, but far from defeated.
"Hurricane! Bring Hurricane!" Uraan commanded, his voice sharp with urgency.
Flap! Flap!
The falcon’s wings expanded, stretching unnaturally wide as currents of wind spiralled outward.
The air howled.
A massive tornado began to form—nearly 30 ters high—its spiralling body swallowing both Tavian and Uraan into its eye.
Dust, debris, and shattered stone were dragged upward, spinning violently within the storm.
And even though it was Uraan’s beast that had created it—he was not spared.
Both students were forced apart, their bodies dragged by the raging currents.
Uraan gritted his teeth, forcing wind magic beneath his feet, stabilizing himself mid-flow—barely maintaining balance.
Tavian, however, was not as fortunate.
The storm seized him completely, lifting him nearly 10 ters into the air as his cloak whipped violently around him.
"Astral chain!" he shouted, eyes blazing orange.
The ground below flared, and an array manifested in a flash of light.
From it, a thick chain shot upward, cutting through the storm like a harpoon.
Tavian caught it mid-air, fingers locking around the magical chain as the force nearly tore his arm apart.
But he held on.
Slowly, he began retracting the chain, pulling himself down against the raging wind, forcing his descent.
But he wasn’t alone.
Amid the chaos, the Raven broke free of the chains for a brief instant.
Its wings swept forward.
Five feathers detached, gleaming with a tallic sheen, each one glowing faintly silver as they sliced through the storm like projectiles.
Despite struggling to maintain flight, the detached feathers moved with terrifying precision—cutting straight toward Tavian.
A chill ran down his spine.
There was no space to dodge.
He reacted instantly and waved his staff downward.
The ground below him lit up as thick earthen walls surged upward—layer upon layer, rising nearly 10 ters high to shield him completely.
But he miscalculated.
Dham! Dham! Dham!
The first three feathers struck.
The walls shattered instantly, exploding into fragnts under the piercing force.
The remaining two followed through without slowing.
Pirch! Pirch!
"Argh!" Tavian groaned, his body jerking violently as both nearly a foot-long feathers embedded deep into his flesh—one in his already wounded shoulder, the other near his liver.
Pain flared like fire through his body.
Gritting his teeth, he yanked them out—
Blood imdiately gushed out, hot and heavy, soaking his clothes in seconds.
He pressed two fingers against the wound near his liver, trying to stabilize it.
"Array Engraving—heal."
But nothing.
"Huh?" Tavian muttered, brows furrowing.
The wound didn’t close as regeneration wasn’t triggered, nor did the bleeding slow as if the clotting functions had been shut down.
Then he obsered faint silvery sheen coating the edges of his wounds.
"Poison..." he whispered, lifting his gaze toward Uraan.
Uraan stood at a distance, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
The tornado had dissipated, and the falcon was already diving again.
Tavian let out a quiet breath, then smiled through the pain—blood slipping from the corner of his mouth, tracing down his chin.
"You have a great fighting spirit," he said hoarsely. "I acknowledge that. But—"
His staff rose again.
Earthen walls erupted once more in the falcon’s path.
DOOOM!
It collided again.
"You have so weaknesses."
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