Transmigrated with my corruption system

"Woah." Ulric muttered, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at the two figures stepping onto the arena.

They’ve grown even more beautiful, he mused. His gaze lingered on Amber. Her once brown eyes had taken on a deeper shade, and her chestnut hair had lengthened considerably, stretching all the way to her waist as it framed her beautiful face. Draped in a simple white robe, a faint smile curved across her lips, giving off a calm, serene aura.

Aelira at the side was quite the opposite. Her eyes were narrowed as she stared at the figure before her, clenching the massive hammer on her shoulders tighter than ever. Her eyes swept over Amber again and again.

Sure, she had heard of her feats and her explosive rise, marking her as almost a peak E-rank being.

Still, she hadn’t been slacking herself. Having reached the top of mid D-rank, it wouldn’t be long before she achieved the peak of D-rank. She wondered what was the source of Amber’s confidence.

The gap between E-rank and D-rank was already big enough. How exactly was she going to bridge it in this duel? As the questions raced through her mind, her eyes squinted further, almost as if trying to pry into Amber’s secrets.

As Aelira appraised her multiple times over, Amber remained calm throughout it all. Then her brows suddenly furrowed. She turned to stare at the crowd for a moment before retracting her gaze, finding nothing.

Strange. Amber mused, her fingers clenching slightly. She could have sworn she felt Ulric’s presence. The thought caused her face to drop slightly as she exhaled. It had been a month with no apparent signs of his awakening.

Maybe it was time for another visit. It had been too long since the last one. But it couldn’t be helped. She had been holding off until her strength grew to match the promise she had made. And if she won this battle, it would be one step closer.

"Already getting cold feet?" Aelira teased, seeing Amber’s eyes dart toward the crowd. Another slew of thoughts raced through her mind.

Maybe she had issued the challenge not out of confidence in winning, but to monitor her growth. After all, it wasn’t unusual for prodigies to lack opponents once they reached the peak of any rank.

Her assumption was shattered as she saw Amber’s unbothered smile widen. Aelira snorted to herself.

Hmph. Have it your way.

Her stance lowered into a combat position.

At the center of the arena stood a single figure.

Clan Leader Rowan Hale of House Brookfield. Being one of the only powerhouses almost at peak D-rank, it was only right that he oversee the duel.

His eyes swept across the two figures for a moment before he raised one hand into the air. His voice followed.

"Let the duel begin!" He declared, swinging his arm down.

Instantly, Aelira’s figure shot forward like an arrow, blurring before everyone’s eyes as she swung the massive hammer at Amber. She had already conjured a battle plan.

Attack before Amber could even summon her stone golems. This way, she would leave her defenseless. Combined with her D-rank speed, she could end the battle in a single move.

Just the thought caused a smile to stretch across her face. Perhaps they had seen Ulric’s might against higher-ranked opponents and thought fighting above one’s rank was easy. Time to crush that hope.

As the thought formed, the hammer crashed into where Amber had stood. Before a gasp tore from Aelira’s lips.

"Huh?" She breathed, watching the hammer crash into empty air. Amber had effortlessly dodged, taking a step back just a breath before impact.

Given the force she had already exerted, she couldn’t adjust her hammer midway. The air screamed from the force of the attack as she skidded slightly, regaining her footing a few meters ahead.

Before she turned, freezing slightly as she stared at Amber again, this time in a different light.

She had used nearly all of her speed. She doubted even low D-rank beings could dodge that, leaving them no choice but to tank the blow and counter. Yet Amber had done quite the opposite.

"How?" She breathed, finally finding her voice as her breath hitched slightly.

Back in the crowd, the smile on Ulric’s face broke into a faint chuckle as he saw the first exchange. Everything was crystal clear before him.

She can sense movements through the earth’s vibrations, allowing her a few seconds to predict attack patterns before they even land.

"Impressive," he mumbled beneath his breath. It seemed her connection with the earth had grown even stronger than he had anticipated. The life energy too, it practically reeked from her.

Tara beside him was a little astonished as well. Her eyes blinked rapidly at the sight.

Watching Amber’s mouth open to dispel the doubt, Ulric smiled faintly, only for it to freeze a few seconds later as her words echoed into his ears and the crowd around, causing his lips to twitch rapidly.

"The earth betrays you... because it belongs to me," Amber gloated, seeing the looks of shock plastered across the crowd. A smirk formed across her lips.

Suppressing the raging emotions welling inside of him, Ulric’s face dropped as he sighed quietly. Wonder who she learned that from.

Tara’s eyes widened as she sank into thought. That phrase sounded oddly familiar.

The silence lingered for a while before it was broken by a pearly giggle echoing from the front, where a blue-robed girl sat. The air around her freezing cold.

The laughter sparked murmurs across the crowd as they spread once more.

"How is that possible?"

"Did you see her dodge?"

"Haha, it’s just as I told you. Even at the start of the battle, it’s already apparent who’s going to win!"

"I bet you’re already regretting choosing the wrong side."

As the murmurs intensified, Aelira grew even more confused as her brows furrowed further.

"Huh?" What was that supposed to mean?

Her confusion was swallowed in the exchange as Amber waved her arm.

Instantly, the ground rumbled violently. Spiderweb cracks spread outward, racing for tens of meters. For a moment, the tremors stilled.

Then the ground exploded. Chunks of earth rose into the air, melding to form multiple earth golems.

Only stopping when they reached ten. Each thick and towering over two meters.

When they were fully formed, Amber raised her hand, clenching it into a fist before blowing into it.

Wisps of green energy seeped out, rushing into the stone golems as their eyes lit up with a green sheen as she issued the command.

"Attack."