Alden looked at his opponent, the blonde boy with red eyes. His once half-brother, Cedric Draven, who claid to have had a change of heart.
But Alden didn’t trust him.
More accurately, he didn’t want to trust him. And even if Cedric had changed, Alden didn’t really care.
To him, Cedric was just a fragnt of a long-forgotten past. Alden wasn’t the sa helpless child from back then. Now, he didn’t cry or ask for help from a cold family that had never helped him.
He could stand on his own, no matter what shit Cedric pulled.
Still, one thing surprised him the most, the small green ball of pure mana floating beside Cedric.
A spirit?
Alden had seen it before, but that didn’t make it any less surprising. Especially now that he actually knew what it was called.
How could a scumbag like Cedric be chosen by a being of nature like a spirit?
But more than that...
Why was a spirit, one ant to choose an elven princess, now with Cedric?
He couldn’t understand it, but he simply shook his head.
It didn’t matter.
Still, he wasn’t overly confident because, of all the people he had faced until now, Alden found Cedric’s special ability particularly dangerous.
He hadn’t forgotten it.
The sword that could attack from any direction.
So, he pulled out his own sword, and right on cue, the referee finally arrived. anwhile, the announcers, standing on a floating platform above the arena, hyped up the audience.
But the competitors couldn’t hear the crowd or the announcer. Unlike other matches, the arena platforms were covered in soundproof barriers to ensure they weren’t distracted by noise.
The referee anwhile looked at Alden, then at Cedric.
"Since both competitors have arrived, the quarterfinals of the Inter-Academy shall begin imdiately. Please stand in front of each other."
He spoke, his voice echoing softly.
"The rules are the sa as before."
"The platform will be enclosed within a mana barrier to prevent outside interference, and the safety bracelets on your wrists will activate if you are subjected to a fatal attack."
"You may also surrender voluntarily, and loss of consciousness will be considered a defeat."
Once both of them nodded, the referee gave a final nod and brought his hand down.
"You may begin."
The mont those words left his mouth, Cedric vanished, his speed catching even Alden off guard for a brief mont.
Alden imdiately activated his Spirit Domain, his sword appearing in his hand as he focused, sensing movents all around him.
Then, he felt an attack from his side.
He twisted his body and slashed in that direction.
Just as he predicted, Cedric was there, his form engulfed in a green aura, half of his blonde hair now turned green.
Cedric’s sword aid straight for Alden’s ribs, while Alden’s blade cut toward Cedric’s neck but just before it could connect, Cedric’s sword vanished and reappeared at Alden’s neck.
Tch.
Alden clicked his tongue at the irritating ability, but he had no choice. If he let his sword continue toward Cedric’s neck, his own ribs would be struck by a fatal blow before his attack could land.
So, he moved his sword to his side, barely blocking the attack but at the sa ti, Cedric’s kick struck his abdon.
A small shockwave erupted from the impact, sending Alden flying backward but even as his body neared the barrier, Alden remained calm.
Hmm, he has grown stronger.
He noted it quietly before flipping backward midair, controlling his montum and just as he was about to crash, he used the barrier as a foothold, pushing himself straight toward Cedric using his footwork.
His body spun midair as he activated his weapon art.
"Sevenfold Ruin — First Step — Ruinous Severance."
He whispered softly, bursting mana into his sword at the perfect mont as he slashed downward from midair at Cedric below.
He didn’t stop there and activated the second step as well. A violent burst of energy instantly engulfed his sword.
"Sevenfold Ruin — Second Step — Ruin Arc."
Cedric, as if sensing sothing wrong, moved imdiately. He was in his Spirit Assimilation form, sothing he usually reserved for when he was pushed to his limits. But this ti, he had used it from the very beginning because he didn’t want to hold back. It boosted his speed far beyond normal, but strained his body just as much afterward.
But even then, he was barely able to react to the speed of that slash as he forced himself out of its path.
The sword tore through the air, releasing a violent arc of energy. It slamd into the arena floor with a violent shockwave, splitting it apart and carving a massive scar across the platform.
A cloud of dust stirred as the audience watched, mouths agape. Silence lasted for barely a mont before the entire crowd erupted into cheers.
Naturally, Alden heard none of it as he landed softly on the ground, his gaze fixed on the dust cloud as he searched for Cedric.
I guess I went a little overboard.
But the thought barely lasted for a second before an attack ca at him from the front. At the sa ti, his senses flared as he detected another from behind. Even within his Spirit Domain, both felt equally real.
What is happening?
"You weren’t the only one who grew stronger during this ti, Alden."
An identical voice echoed from both directions at once as two figures stepped out of the dust.
Two Cedrics.
They aren’t illusions.
Judging by the fact that his Voidheart hadn’t activated, Alden reached that conclusion instantly but the two Cedrics didn’t give him ti to think as their swords moved at the sa ti and if that wasn’t enough, Alden couldn’t even tell where the attacks would land, given Cedric’s special ability which could twist the trajectory of his sword.
And yet instead of fear or hesitation, a wide smile spread across his face.
This is getting interesting.
—
anwhile, right beside the platform where Alden and Cedric were fighting, Nyx and Amyra faced each other.
In the last few minutes, they had only exchanged light blows without going all out. But seeing how the other matches were intensifying, they gave a small nod.
"I guess, we should get serious as well."
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