Transmigrated with my corruption system

BOOM!

As the two figures clashed, a shockwave tore through the arena, kicking up dust and rubble.

When it cleared, gasps rippled through the crowd as multiple eyes widened.

Aelira and the massive stone golem housing Amber seemed to have been locked in a stalemate. But that illusion shattered a few seconds later as microfractures raced across the arm of the stone golem clashing with Aelira’s hammer.

Before it was sent skidding back tens of meters until it finally regained its footing. Even though the battle had dragged on for a while due to skill, the force of raw strength was quickly becoming undeniable.

Still, Aelira didn’t seem happy at all. The scowl on her face deepened as she shot forward to press her advantage.

Since the beginning of the battle, this was the first clean hit she had landed. She had expected it to at least send the massive golem flying back. But it was way tougher than she had anticipated.

Looking closely, she could see a brown film of energy surrounding the golem. And now that she looked back, she got an inkling of what it was doing.

Actively toughening the stone golem’s rock defense. The sight caused her lips to twitch faintly as her hammer crashed into it once more.

It was just as she had thought—the longer the battle unfolded, the more Amber’s advantage pressed on. Which was absurd when compared to other opponents of her rank, as it ought to be the other way around.

What kind of talent did she even need to make this possible? As the thoughts raced at the back of her mind.

Her hammer clashed into the stone golem again and again. But as she continued, she couldn’t help but notice a slight change, making her brows furrow slightly.

With each attack, the distance the golem was sent skidding back was reducing. And even more, it was slowly moving from purely defending against all attacks to even sneaking in a few attacks of its own.

Hmph! Aelira snorted, taking a deep breath as she appraised the stone golem once more. This time a faint smile spread across her face as the worry eased away.

"Your stone armor won’t make you win... It’s merely prolonging the inevitable," Aelira smiled.

Exhaling sharply, the cracks racing across the golem had grown deeper than ever. And even more, even if the stone golems gave her a chance to clash in almost equal terms, the difference in battle combat experience was all too vast.

Something even the crowd behind noticed as a sea of murmurs erupted.

"Hmm, this doesn’t look good. A few more minutes and Amber is bound to lose."

"The strength difference is a little too big... I don’t think her stone golem can survive another hammer strike."

"It’s still impressive that she was able to get this far. Not many E-ranks can survive even one D-rank direct blow."

"I think if she was given a little more time, she would have been able to win."

"Yeah, pretty sure if she was a D-rank instead, she could have easily won the battle."

"Hahaha! Does this mean you finally accept defeat?! I told you it’s impossible for an E-rank to win against a D-rank. Well, except for a few monsters like the lord himself. But it seems she hasn’t reached that level yet."

"I can’t wait to see you eat all the dirt around the Greyson Residence!"

"Wait... you didn’t really think I was..."

"Are you trying to wiggle out of your words? Too bad everyone here heard you!"

"Yeah, there’s no backing out now. I’d start now if I were you."

***

While all the figures in the crowd seemed certain where the battle was leading, a black-robed youth stood out.

His brows arching slightly as his eyes swept across the arena. Before a faint smile stretched across his face that soon erupted into a chuckle.

"Haha, interesting."

"Huh?" Tara beside him murmured, her gaze fixed on the arena as well. What was he so happy about? Was there something he could see that she didn’t?

From every angle, it was apparent Amber was losing as Aelira pummeled the stone golem repeatedly.

"Shouldn’t you step in and stop the battle?" she finally asked, unable to help herself. The more the battle continued, the more Aelira’s eyes lit up as she was consumed by battle and the thought of winning.

This way, it would prevent either of them from getting too hurt. Even if it was being overseen by a D-rank expert, grave injuries weren’t out of the question.

Just as she was sinking deeper into her thoughts, Ulric cut her off, his voice echoing into her ears.

"Not yet. This is a diversion. The real attack has yet to come."

"Huh?" Tara breathed. The confusion on her face deepening. What was that supposed to mean?

Kaeden next to him tilted his gaze to stare at the black-robed youth once more. His eyes fluttering rapidly as if trying to pierce into him but failing repeatedly. Why did he seem to blur before his eyes?! Even stranger, the crowd around him seemed to ignore his presence.

Could they not sense him? Then why could he? Or was he messing with him? Just as he was spiraling, the youth’s voice drifted into his ears, causing his lips to twitch faintly.

What nonsense was he spouting about this being a diversion? What real attack had yet to be unleashed?

Averting his gaze to the battlefield, he nodded in thought. Everybody could tell... Before the thought could take root, his eyes widened slightly.

Something wasn’t right. As he stared closer, he could see the arena was trembling slightly and continuously. He had disregarded this earlier, thinking it was the tremors caused by the battle.

But even as Aelira walked forward to land the finishing blow that would shatter the stone golem, it still trembled.

A simple detail that most had overlooked because it was outweighed by everything unfolding. He doubted if the dark-robed youth hadn’t mentioned it, he would have even noticed.

As all these thoughts clashed together, his eyes lit up in realization as he suddenly yelled.

"It’s a distraction!" His voice drew attention from the crowd, trailing even to Aelira’s ears, but it was already too late.

Swinging the hammer, it crashed through the stone golem, crumbling it into uncountable pieces and revealing the figure within.

"You lost!" Aelira smirked, pressing the hammer against Amber’s frame. Amber seemed relatively unbothered by the situation at hand.

Causing even Aelira to be a little surprised. Despite all the damage she had dealt to the stone golem, there was not a single scratch on Amber’s robe.

But what concerned her most was the smile spreading across Amber’s face. It was almost a little too similar to when she had turned the tables before. As she whispered, barely suppressing a smirk:

"Have I?"

Just as her words echoed, a yell tore across the crowd.

"It’s a distraction!"

Before she could even wonder what was happening, the ground all around her exploded. Green vines shot from the earth to fill the arena, wrapping around her in a menacing display.

All of it unfolded in a split second. Taking it all in, Aelira growled at the vines wrapping around her body.

"You think... this will stop me?"

As her words echoed, her body lit up in a resplendent golden light.

Wherever it shone, the vines around her were blown into pieces, crushed by her overwhelming aura.

As the smirk was about to resurface on her face, she froze for a moment, sensing something strange. The vines seemed to regrow just as fast, if not faster than the stone golems.

But that wasn’t what concerned her most. One vine wrapped around her arm where a faint graze had formed from the battle.

It absorbed a drop of blood, and that was all it took. The vines wrapping around her suddenly widened, tripling in size. Their green color faded to take on a sickening crimson as multiple thorns sprang out.

Oozing a deadly aura, leaving no doubt of inevitable death once they pierced her skin.

But before they could, Amber raised her hand, stopping them in motion. Her quiet footsteps echoed out as vines moved to make way for her.

When she approached close enough, her gaze slowly dropped, locking eyes with Aelira.

"Admit defeat," she whispered, the smile on her face widening as she broke out into a pearly giggle.

And in that moment, everything seemed to dawn on Aelira. The whole battle... since it began. Amber had always been one step ahead of her.

She hadn’t fought in order to defeat her. All she needed was to draw blood from her while setting the stage for this attack. And once that was done, defeat was inevitable.

Sensing the pressure oozing from the vines, she gulped audibly. A terrifying thought formed at the back of her head. The golems hadn’t even been her trump card... compared to the blood-red vines, they paled in comparison.

They were just supposed to lure her into the trap, and she had fallen straight in. As the thoughts raced through her mind, her dark eyes rose to stare into Amber’s large brown eyes.

Only this time, she saw past the sweet innocence to the terrifying calculation needed to pull this through. Causing her, for the first time since the battle began, to feel a bit of dread.

As all these thoughts clashed, her head fell in shame as she forced the words from her throat.

"...You win."