Quarter Final – Match 2
Kael Drayden vs Tomas Vale
The arena was still wet.
Water shimmered across cracked stone.
Steam curled into the air from earlier flames.
The battlefield hadn't cooled—
And neither had the crowd.
The announcer's voice thundered:
"Quarter Final Match Two — Kael Drayden versus Tomas Vale!"
The stadium erupted.
---
Kael stepped forward.
Calm.
Measured.
His spear rested lightly against his shoulder.
His eyes—
Unreadable.
Across from him—
CLANK!
Tomas slammed his reinforced gauntlets together.
A visible shockwave rippled outward.
Dust lifted from the ground.
He grinned.
> "No tricks. No fire."
He rolled his shoulders.
> "Let's see how your defense handles real power."
Kael planted his spear into the ground.
Softly.
> "Try me."
---
"Begin!"
---
💥 First Impact – Power vs Structure
Tomas moved first.
No hesitation.
No testing.
Just—
BOOM!!!
A forward step—
And a punch.
The air compressed—
Then exploded outward in a violent shockwave.
The ground shattered instantly.
Kael moved.
A twist of his spear—
A transparent barrier formed.
THOOOOOM!!!
Impact collided.
The force exploded outward like a storm.
Wind blasted across the arena.
Both slid back—
Stone grinding beneath their feet.
The audience roared.
Tomas smiled wider.
> "Good."
Then again—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A barrage of punches.
Each one releasing compressed impact bursts.
Relentless.
Explosive.
Unforgiving.
Kael moved minimally.
Precise.
Efficient.
Barrier after barrier—
Layered.
Compressed.
Redirected.
But—
The ground beneath him began collapsing.
Cracks spread outward like a web.
---
His raw output… is increasing.
Kael calculated silently.
Not just power.
Momentum stacking.
---
Tomas leapt high.
Both fists raised.
> "Take this!"
CRRAAAAAAAAAASH!!!
He slammed down.
The arena caved in.
A massive crater formed.
Dust swallowed everything.
The crowd screamed.
---
⚔ Tactical Shift – Control Begins
Silence.
Smoke.
Then—
Kael's voice echoed calmly.
> "Your power is linear."
Tomas turned—
But too late.
Something pressed against his back—
Invisible.
His own shockwave—
Compressed.
Stored.
Then—
BAM!!!
It detonated into him.
Tomas staggered forward violently.
> "You—?!"
Kael appeared beside him.
A short step.
A precise thrust—
SHRRAK!
The spear cut across Tomas's side.
Not deep—
But exact.
Controlled.
Tomas gritted his teeth.
> "So you reflect it?"
Kael rotated his spear slowly.
> "I don't reflect."
A faint distortion formed around the blade.
> "I compress space itself."
---
💢 Escalation – Breaking the Wall
Tomas roared.
His stance shifted.
Less controlled.
More aggressive.
> "Then let's break it!"
He charged again—
But this time—
Wild.
Unpredictable.
Punches rained down.
Left—
BOOM!
Right—
BOOM!
Overhead—
BOOOOOM!!!
The air cracked with each strike.
Kael blocked—
But now—
His barriers flickered.
Small fractures formed.
Hairline cracks—
Spreading.
The audience noticed.
> "His defense… it's weakening!"
Tomas saw it.
And grinned.
> "Defense breaks eventually!"
He stepped forward—
Slamming both gauntlets together.
Energy gathered.
Compressed.
Condensed.
The air warped.
> "Shockwave—"
The ground beneath him split.
> "MAXIMUM OUTPUT!"
He vanished—
Then appeared directly in front of Kael.
A full-power punch—
Aimed straight for his chest.
---
🛡 Spatial Anchor – Absolute Defense
Kael's eyes sharpened.
For the first time—
A shift.
He drove his spear into the ground.
Hard.
> "Spatial Anchor."
The space around him—
Stopped.
Locked.
Frozen.
The punch landed.
THOOOOOOOOOM!!!
But—
Kael did not move.
Not even an inch.
Instead—
The shockwave—
Collapsed.
Inward.
Compressed violently.
The air screamed.
Tomas's eyes widened.
> "What—?!"
Kael stepped forward.
Calm.
Unshaken.
> "You're strong."
The spear hummed faintly.
> "But strength without control—"
He twisted the shaft.
The space snapped.
> "—collapses."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The compressed force detonated outward.
Tomas was blasted across the arena.
He crashed—
Dragged—
Rolled—
Until he slammed near the boundary wall.
Smoke rose from his gauntlets.
---
💀 Final Exchange – Close Range Resolution
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Tomas coughed.
Blood at the corner of his mouth.
But—
He stood.
Slowly.
> "You think… that's enough?"
His grip tightened.
He roared—
And charged again.
This time—
No technique.
No buildup.
Just raw will.
They collided mid-field.
CLANG! BOOM! CLASH!
Spear and gauntlets clashed repeatedly.
Shockwaves erupted at every contact.
The ground beneath them—
Collapsed completely.
Neither stepped back.
Neither yielded.
Then—
Kael moved.
Forward.
Inside.
Too close.
Too precise.
Too calculated.
Tomas tried to swing—
But—
There wasn't enough space.
His power needed distance.
And Kael—
Had removed it.
The spear tip stopped—
Right at Tomas's throat.
A thin spatial barrier formed around it.
Locking him in place.
He couldn't move.
Not even an inch.
Silence.
---
"Match over!"
The referee's voice cut through the tension.
Winner — Kael Drayden
---
🏆 Aftermath
The arena exploded with cheers.
"INSANE control!"
"He shut him down completely!"
"Did you see that final move?!"
---
Tomas exhaled heavily.
Then laughed.
> "Damn… you're annoying."
Kael pulled his spear back slowly.
> "You're powerful."
A brief pause.
> "Train your precision."
Tomas smirked.
> "And you train your offense."
A small silence.
Then—
Respect.
They stepped back.
---
From the stands—
Iren watched.
Silently.
Their eyes met.
Just for a moment.
No words.
But understanding.
---
The next quarter Finals were approaching.
And now—
Only four remained..
---