The sun hung high over Sweetmoon City. Casting a sharp, unforgiving light on the Grand Arena.
The stone tiers were packed with spectators. Jack sat in the reserved, premium section. His posture was relaxed but his eyes were constantly scanning the crowd.
Beside him, Reina also showed vigilant attitude. She watched the arena floor with a practiced, neutral expression.
Rune hovered near Jack's shoulder. Pulsing with an excited pink light. Invisible to any but the transcendent ones.
"The crowd is loud." Reina said. "Much louder than yesterday."
"This event is the most famous part of the tournament after all." Jack replied. "And most of the spectators just want to see something they could share and brag to others. It's the ones who aren't cheering I'm worried about."
The announcer's voice boomed. Amplified by a steam-powered resonator. The next round was beginning. This was the main attraction of the Battle King Duel. The duel itself.
"Battle King Duel! Random Matchup! Brother Elstone versus Fuuka Chain!"
A drumroll echoed. And the first pair of combatants for the second round stepped onto the fused arena.
Brother Elstone seemed to represent the Church of Justice. He was a man built like a siege engine. Big and tough. Draped in white and pale blue vestments that looked sturdy enough to act as gambeson.
In his hand, he gripped a heavy mace. A blessed weapon. One that glowed slightly and vibrated with a low, sanctified resonance.
Against him... stood Fuuka Chain. The only female competitor out of the seven passing contestants. She was young and lean. Dressed in tight leather and hide armor. She was an unaffiliated shapeshifter. A rarity in these parts of the world.
The starting signal resounded...
Brother Elstone didn't waste time. He lunged. Swinging the mace in a wide arc that left a trail of golden light in the air.
"By the name of Justice!" He bellowed.
Fuuka shifted in response. Her body blurred. Stretching and condensing in a way that made the stomach turn. In a heartbeat, she took on her half-kamaitachi form.
Sickle-like claws sprouted from her forearms. And her head turned weasel-like, with ears lengthened into tufted points. Short fur covered most of her visible body parts.
And then... she moved like a gust of wind.
The mace slammed into the stone where she had been standing. Shattering the surface. But Fuuka Chain had already gone.
Almost in an instant, she was already behind Brother Elstone. She didn't use an external weapon. Her transformed body had already been equipped with weapons.
Her sickle-like blades lashed out. Slicing through the air. Brother Elstone's holy aura flared. A faith ward appeared out of nowhere and caught the strikes.
Brother Elstone moved with a solemn cadence. Each of his steps was reverberating with the weight of his conviction. The power of faith that blanketed his attack and defense was incredibly thick and tough.
His opponent, Fuuka Chain, moved much faster than him though. Like a rapid gust of wind. And she never stopped. Sprinting, slicing, and slashing in a fluid motion. Just like dancing with the wind.
The duel was instantly heated. Producing an incredible spectacle for the audience. Especially for the non-transcendent ones.
Jack observed in silence. Taking good notes of each character's moves. Learning from their battle choices. And predicting the outcomes...
"If nothing unpredictable happens..." He muttered. "The acolyte will lose."
Brother Elstone raised his mace. A burst of golden light radiated from its head. Firing a kinetic wave of sanctified force toward Fuuka Chain.
She deftly sidestepped and made an acrobatic flip. The wind around her forming a sheath that deflected the holy blast.
In a motion that blurred the line between physical and ethereal, the shapeshifter lunged. Her blades slashed at the air. Conjuring a pair of wind blades that cut through the space between them.
Brother Elstone attempted to block with his faith wards and retaliated with a swing of his mace. But his holy mace was forced back by the sheer speed of Fuuka Chain's next sets of attack.
She rode the momentum. Her shapeshifted form rotated rapidly, like a tornado. Slashing at the acolyte's body at many angles. The impact resulted in a loud crack. A sharp sound that echoed like a broken bell. The faith-powered wards around Brother Elstone were shattered.
In a final desperate move, Brother Elstone swung his fully-charged mace randomly. The head of the weapon was alight with divine fire. It was just like swinging a divine torch.
Fuuka Chain, with preternatural timing, twisted her body. Allowing the mace to pass through her side and struck the stone floor once more. Sending a shockwave of holy energy outward.
The ground cracked. A fissure of pale blue light sprayed around the arena. But, the shapeshifter girl was already gone. Appearing behind the divine acolyte with scythe-like blade touching his neck.
The arena fell silent. Then the crowd erupted with loud cheers and screams when the official announced the result.
"First match! Winner... Fuuka Chain!"
Fuuka Chain stood tall. Reverting back to his human form. Practically unscathed. But her whole body was wet with sweat. It was not an easy battle for her.
Brother Elstone lowered his mace. Sighing in disappointment. His holy aura was flickering. He was defeated but, not dishonored.
The crowd roared even louder.
"Her speed is the highest among the remaining contestants." Jack noted. "She's fast. Bell will have a difficult time if he has to face her."
"What about Leon?" Aella asked.
Jack shrugged his shoulder. "He can fly. If he's willing to show his draconic wings, no one in the arena can beat him."
The arena was quickly fixed. A primal sorcerer from the tournament officials used pretty neat magic to recover the damage. By sacrificing some prepared materials.
The second battle followed quickly. "Battle King Duel! Random Matchup! Lion Fist versus Gavan Sharpe!" The official announced.
The second pairing entered the arena along with a thunderous beat.
Lion Fist was the martial monk Jack had observed earlier. The one who came from Thunder Island Monastery. He wore a simple, weather-worn gi in dark blue color. His fists were wrapped in blue cloth that seemed to crackle with latent electricity. The monastic emblem, a clenched fist embedded in a storm cloud, glowed faintly on his back.
On the opposite side, Gavan Sharpe emerged. He was an armored man with a huge body. His armor resembled carved basalt, with veins of glowing amber coursing through the stone plates.
He was a local, the representative of the Grandmoon Kingdom. A primal sorcerer with the ability to control the earth. His hands were oozing with compacted soils that could shift at a thought's command.
Both combatants bowed. A mutual respect apparent despite the stakes. The gong's resonant clang once again signaled the start.
Lion Fist charged with a wide steps and launched a barrage of rapid punches. Each strike was accompanied by a crack of distant thunder. One that caught the ambient wind in a blustering gust.
Gavan Sharpe braced himself. His feet sank slightly into the ground. Drawing up the earth's strength. He raised his arms and the gravel and sand surged beneath him. Forming towering pillars of compacted rock that rose like sentinels.
Lion Fist's punch cut through the air. The force condensed into a powerful fist shadow that arced toward Gavan Sharpe.
The earth controller raised his hand just in time. And the fist shadow struck the rock pillars. Shattering them into a spray of dust and stone. The energy was redirected. Creating a shockwave that pushed the martial monk back.
Gavan Sharpe seized the opportunity. Slamming his gauntleted fists into the ground. Sending a wave of crushing earth toward the martial monk.
Lion Fist, leapt upward, flipping and landing perfectly on a the ground. As his feet touched the ground, he directly launched himself forward. Somersaulting and launching another punches. His fists were covered with layers of ki and fist shadows.
Their duel became a wonderful choreography of motion and manipulation. Lion Fist moved acrobatically through the air. Launching thunderous punches and kicks. Gavan Sharpe's earth pillars were rising and falling like tidal waves. Blocking and counter-attacking his opponent.
The crowd's cheers grew louder. Echoing off the thunderous crashes in the arena. The duel went even more and more explosive, until the final clash.
Lion Fist gathered all his remaining ki. And then, roaring a thunderous war cry, he released an explosive palm strike that channeled both his innate martial prowess and his ultimate technique.
Gavan Sharpe controlled the earth. Creating several layered shields to block the attack. However, it wasn't enough...
BOOM!
The impact shook the arena floor. The layers of earth wall were punctured. Even the earth controller's armor cracked under the force. A dent propagated through the basalt material.
Gavan Sharpe staggered. Dropping down to his knee.
Lion Fist approached. His arms was raised in a final, decisive striking pose. But he didn't strike.
The earth controller was out of energy. He lost.
The result was clear. Lion Fist was victorious.
Gavan Sharpe stood up and bowed with difficulty. His earth aura was dimming softly. An acknowledgment of defeat that was as dignified as his previous poise.
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