The mist thinned further, revealing the Water representative clearly now. Translucent tendrils of water drifted behind him like flowing ribbons. Aren could recognize the Bloodline from miles away.
The Serene Jellyfish.
Its body glowed faintly with long strands of liquid constantly dripping into the soil below. The barrier that had blocked Aren’s lightning rippled once before settling back into place.
The student narrowed his eyes. "Lightning, huh? I should’ve known."
Lightning was just as much of a counter to the Water Elent as it was to Steel for similar reasons. Water was another conductive dium that allowed electricity to flow smoothly.
The Water representative had gone into full defense, completely turtling as he knew what was coming.
Lightning gathered along Aren’s blade as he brought it down on the shield. The mont his sword t water, the entire shield convulsed violently, with steam bursting outward as the current surged through the do.
The Water student flinched reactively as a charge ran into his body, but he wasn’t giving up just yet.
Aren continued pushing. With each strike, electricity traveled through the liquid barrier and into his body directly. The Jellyfish behind him stuttered but he was still standing.
Is this guy really...trying to heal himself for as much damage as he’s taking?
Though Aren instinctively took a step back before realizing that no counterattack was coming. His brain had ingrained a habit. All his fights in the past with Jellyfish-types taught him that almost all of them possessed a strong neurotoxin counterattack.
Right...he’s only a Line 2, just the Water.
The only difference in strength, at least at this level, were Stages. And the Water student was only one higher than Aren.
Without poison infusion, the Serene Jellyfish was incomplete. Which ant this battle was one Aren couldn’t lose.
The ground suddenly trembled as both of them tried to keep balance. They looked up instinctively, toward the only thing that would decide this competition.
Five minutes had passed. It was now 25:00.
The Water student’s eyes widened slightly as he realized what that ant. The tremble from earlier was the forest compressing.
"Tch," Aren clicked his tongue softly.
"Sorry bro, I’ve got to keep moving," he said quickly. "Nothing personal."
He put away one sword as lightning surged in his hand, ether roaring as scales of light shimred across his forearm.
"Dragon’s Claw."
Instantly, three lines of compressed lightning flew straight at the weakened barrier. It detonated right on the Jellyfish, ripping it apart before it could even begin to heal itself.
The Water student’s body convulsed once before dropping to his knees before going unconscious. Aren didn’t hesitate, bending down and grabbing his flag.
[Water Departnt — Eliminated]
"Alright," Aren muttered. "One point in the bag."
The Water representative’s form disintegrated into light as the arena removed him from the field.
The rumbling continued in the distance as trees along the outer periter dissolved into nothingness.
Aren exhaled once. There was another five minutes for him to locate his next target: the Plant Departnt.
After a while, he managed to sense overlapping signatures. Not the two or three he was expecting...but four?
And most of all, they weren’t fighting? What’s going on?
Aren managed to slip behind the thick trunk of a towering tree with Aqua Veil before he moved closer.
Three Earth representatives stood in a loose triangular formation, including the one that beat John. And standing just outside that formation...was the Plant Representative.
The lone Plant student shifted uneasily, fingers glowing faintly green as thin vines curled along the forest floor.
One of the Earth mbers, taller than the others, spoke calmly.
"All you have to do is just stick around with us!"
"You’re one point," the Earth leader continued evenly. "Alone, you’re easy prey. With us, you’re protected."
The Plant student swallowed slightly. "And when the zone shrinks?"
The Earth leader’s lips curved faintly.
"When the zone shrinks, we deal with what’s in front of us."
The Plant rep frowned. "And after that? You promise you’ll give just a part of the funding if you win... right?"
The Earth leader shrugged once before nodding, but it was obvious he was trying to hide a smile. "You know . A man’s word is binding."
Aren narrowed his eyes.
Sothing’s off.
The Plant representative wasn’t just uneasy, he was pretty much unraveling. His fingers kept twitching, his nails were half-bitten, he looked like he was gonna collapse at any mont.
Even when the Earth mbers weren’t speaking, he kept shifting nervously.
"You said funding," the student muttered suddenly, voice tight. "How much are we splitting? Fifty-fifty?"
The Earth leader blinked once before laughing, his other mbers following along.
"Fifty?"
He shook his head.
"Be realistic."
The other two Earth mbers didn’t even look at him, already setting up defenses within the area.
"Ninety-ten," the leader said casually. "You get ten."
The Plant student froze.
"Just ten?"
"You’re one point."
The air grew strangely still.
"But the Curse Departnt offers better and—"
BOOM!
A deafening crack split the clearing as a dark blast erupted outward from the Plant representative’s chest. The blast swallowed almost the entire area around them.
Stone walls shattered instantly. The three Earth representatives were thrown backward like ragdolls, their defensive territory collapsing under the eruption.
Aren flung himself sideways behind the tree trunk just as splintered wood and chunks of hardened soil tore through the air.
Then...it was silent.
Where four figures had stood monts ago was a crater instead. The Plant representative lay unconscious at the center, flag sticking out of his pocket.
The three Earth mbers were scattered around the clearing, motionless.
Now’s my chance!
Lightning flared along his legs as he shot forward, closing the distance in a blink. He rushed toward the bodies, but as soon as he bent down, a blast of dark energy flew right toward his face.
Aren’s instincts took over before his thoughts could catch up. His body twisted violently, the surge barely grazing past his cheek before slamming into the tree behind him.
The trunk blackened instantly, bark rotting and collapsing inward as if ti had accelerated for it alone.
Another surge cut through the smoke, this one aid lower, trying to catch him mid-roll. He kicked off the ground and moved sideways, barely clearing the impact area as the soil where was just standing on liquified into a tar-like sludge.
Shit...I shouldn’t be greedy here.
He surged toward Earth again as a blast tore straight through him, but at the last possible second, Aren pivoted toward the Plant Rep’s body. He bent down to snatch the flag in one smooth motion before disappearing into the bushes.
Activating Aqua Veil once more, he perched on top of a nearby tree—
Just as two figures ca running...
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