Chapter 108: First Match
Elara and Kael stood in the arena with everyone watching them. As soon as they entered, they felt a restriction descend on them, lowering their strength to the 1st level of the Spirit Realm.
It was surprising and unfamiliar; they had long since crossed this stage. Their Originat was now limited, which meant they had to be careful not to expend it all. Every skill, every technique had to count. One wasted move could mean running out of energy before the fight was over.
"Select your weapon. If you have your contracted weapon, then there’s no problem." Sylas’s voice echoed through the coliseum.
Both students didn’t pick any weapon. They would fight with what they had.
Sylas raised his hand. "Begin."
The moment the word left his lips, both fighters moved. Their Originat flared briefly as they channeled it through their bodies, preparing for the clash ahead.
The remaining Honor students watched intensely. The arena fell quiet.
Elara didn’t rush forward. Instead, she stepped to the side, her body flowing like water. Her shadow stretched beneath her, rippling unnaturally before settling. Her crimson eyes remained fixed on Kael, calculating. She was measuring his stance, his breathing, his weight distribution. Her Originat was calm and controlled; she was conserving her Originat.
Kael charged, channeling his Originat. He was planning to end this battle fast. His feet pounded against the stone floor, each step heavy and deliberate. His body took on a faint, grayish sheen as he activated Stone Skin, his muscles hardening like rock. The technique cost him a small portion of his Originat, but it was necessary.
He closed the distance in seconds, his fist swinging toward Elara’s head.
Elara ducked, her body bending with unnatural grace. The wind from his punch brushed past her hair as she slid to the side. Her tail flicked, and her hand shot forward, dark claws extending from her fingertips, aimed at his side. Her Originat flowed into her claws, sharpening them, making them more dangerous.
Kael twisted, raising his arm to block. The claws scraped against his Stone Skin, leaving faint white scratches but drawing no blood. He grunted, pivoting and driving his elbow toward her. His Originat pulsed, reinforcing his defense.
Elara’s form dissolved into shadows, reappearing a few meters away. The shadow movement cost her a fraction of her Originat, small but noticeable.
Within this short clash, they had realized that these opponents would not be easily defeated.
"Fast," Kael muttered, his eyes narrowing. "But speed alone won’t save you."
Elara tilted her head, a faint, predatory smile playing on her lips. "Who said I was relying on speed?"
Her shadow stretched again, and this time, it didn’t stop. Dark tendrils rose from the ground, slithering toward Kael’s feet. They wrapped around his ankles, trying to hold him in place. The tendrils were formed from her Originat, draining her reserves slowly.
Kael stomped his foot. A shockwave rippled through the ground, shattering the shadow tendrils into wisps of darkness. The Earth Tremor cost him a burst of Originat, but it was effective.
Kael didn’t stop there. He stretched his hands forward, and a golden circular rune appeared before him, spinning slowly, pulsing with metallic energy. The rune gleamed like molten gold, its edges sharp and precise. His Originat flowed into the rune, draining a noticeable portion of his reserves.
"Iron Spear," Kael said, his voice low.
From the center of the rune, a spear of condensed metal shot forward, streaking through the air toward Elara with deadly speed. The spear was solid, gleaming, and sharp, its tip glowing with focused Originat.
Elara’s eyes widened. She twisted, her body flowing like water, and the spear missed her by inches, grazing her uniform before embedding itself in the arena floor behind her. The impact sent a shower of sparks and stone fragments into the air.
She landed gracefully, her gaze fixed on Kael. Her Originat had flickered as she dodged; she was spending energy to stay ahead.
Kael’s jaw tightened. "Then dodge this."
He raised his hand, and the golden rune flickered again. Another spear formed, then another. Three spears hovered in the air, their tips aimed at Elara. His Originat drained further, the cost of multiple projectiles adding up.
"Metal Rain," Kael said.
The spears shot forward, not in a straight line, but in a spread, covering multiple angles. One aimed high, one low, one straight at her center.
Elara moved. Her body dissolved into a cloud of shadow, reappearing to the left, then to the right, weaving between the spears with fluid grace. The last spear grazed her side, leaving a thin cut on her uniform, but she was already gone, landing a few meters away. Her Originat was visibly lower now; she had used a significant amount to evade.
She touched her side, feeling the tear in her fabric. A faint smile curled on her lips. "Close. But not close enough."
Kael clenched his fists. "You can’t dodge forever."
Elara’s smile widened. "I don’t need to dodge forever. I just need to dodge until you run out of energy."
Kael’s jaw tightened. She was right. His Metal Rain technique consumed Originat quickly. He couldn’t keep spamming it without exhausting himself. He could already feel his reserves dropping dangerously low.
He lowered his stance, his hands raised in a defensive guard. "Then I’ll just have to make sure I hit you before that happens."
Elara’s tail swayed lazily behind her. "You’re welcome to try."
She raised her hand, and a dark circular rune flickered to life on the ground, spinning slowly, pulsing with shadow energy. Her Originat pooled into the rune, draining her reserves.
"Shadow Weave."
Tendrils of shadow erupted from the circular rune on the ground, snaking toward Kael’s legs, trying to wrap around him again.
Kael stomped his foot, shattering them with an Earth Tremor. "I already told you. Your shadows can’t hold me."
"I know," Elara said softly. "That’s not what I’m trying to do."
Kael’s eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to do?"
Elara’s smile sharpened. "I’m trying to make you predictable."
She vanished into a cloud of shadow, reappearing to his left, her claws extended. Kael pivoted to block, but she was already gone, reappearing to his right, then behind him.
Each strike was swift, precise, and testing. She wasn’t trying to land a decisive blow. She was trying to wear him down and finally land the decisive blow. Her Originat was being spent with each shadow movement and claw strike. She was burning through her reserves quickly.
Her forte and talent was more like assassination, not like Kael that has both attack and defense talent. She was designed to strike fast and fade, not to endure a prolonged battle.
Kael gritted his teeth. He was starting to feel his Originat lessen and it was having an impact as he was feeling a bit of fatigue. His Stone Skin was still active, but it was taking more effort to maintain. His Iron Fist technique was beginning to drain him. His reserves were nearly empty.
He had to change the pace.
He slammed his fists together, and a metallic sheen spread across his entire body. "Iron Fortress!"
His muscles bulged, his stance sinking deeper into the ground. His body became heavier, more grounded. The technique expended most of his remaining Originat.
He was staking it all, it was time to end all of this.
Elara paused, her eyes flickering with interest. "You’re going to stand there and take it?"
Kael grinned. "No. I’m going to make you come to me."
He raised his hand, and a golden circular rune appeared before him, larger than before, spinning slowly, pulsing with Originat. The rune glowed with intense metallic light, its edges sharp and precise. His Originat poured into the skill, almost draining him.
"Metal Storm."