⚔️ Round One – Match 5
Lyra Valen vs Serena Holt (Second Year)
The arena quieted as the next pair stepped forward.
The referee raised his hand.
"Victory by ring out, knockout, or surrender."
The mana barrier shimmered to life.
Serena Holt adjusted her stance.
Weapon: Long curved saber
Magic: Wind Step (short bursts of speed enhancement)
Across from her stood—
Lyra Valen.
Calm eyes.
Breathing steady.
Weapon: Twin daggers
Magic: 3-Second Future Sight
No visible aura.
No dramatic pose.
Just focus.
The bell rang.
DING!
---
Opening Movements
Serena moved instantly.
Her body blurred slightly with Wind Step.
She appeared in front of Lyra and slashed downward.
SHING!
Lyra had already shifted.
The blade cut empty air.
Serena frowned.
"Fast."
She spun and attacked again—
Horizontal sweep.
Lyra ducked before the strike fully formed.
Her dagger intercepted.
CLINK.
The sound was sharp but light.
The crowd leaned forward.
"She moved before the swing finished." "Is she predicting?"
---
The Flow of Three Seconds
Lyra's eyes narrowed slightly.
Right slash. Pivot. Reverse kick.
Three seconds ahead.
She stepped left before Serena moved.
Serena's blade sliced through where Lyra had been.
"What—?!"
Lyra stepped inside the guard.
Dagger flick.
TAP.
Light contact against Serena's shoulder guard.
A warning strike.
Serena jumped back quickly.
"…So that's your magic."
Lyra didn't answer.
She adjusted her grip on her twin daggers.
---
Increased Pressure
Serena activated Wind Step again.
This time faster.
She attacked in rapid succession.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Lyra retreated smoothly, parrying with minimal movement.
CLINK. CLINK. CLINK.
Her breathing remained even.
Two seconds… pivot… low sweep…
Before Serena executed the sweep—
Lyra had already stepped over it.
She twisted.
Her dagger caught Serena's wrist lightly.
Serena winced.
"You saw that coming…"
---
The Finish
Serena made one final attempt.
She gathered mana into her legs and dashed straight forward.
A committed thrust.
Lyra exhaled.
One second… angle shift… overextension…
She sidestepped at the last possible moment.
Serena's momentum carried her forward.
Lyra used the flat of her dagger to redirect her balance.
Just enough.
Serena stumbled.
One step.
Two steps.
Her heel crossed the boundary line.
The referee raised his hand.
"Ring out! Winner — Lyra Valen!"
---
Aftermath
Applause followed.
Not explosive.
But impressed.
"She barely moved." "She reads everything…"
Serena gave a small smile despite the loss.
"That ability's troublesome."
Lyra nodded politely.
"Good match."
She stepped down from the arena quietly.
No celebration
---
⚔️ Round One – Match 6
Tomas Vale vs Helric Dane (Third Year)
The arena lights gleamed against polished stone.
The referee stepped forward.
"Victory by ring out, knockout, or surrender."
Mana barrier activated.
Across the ring stood Helric Dane
Broad frame. Confident grin.
Weapon: Heavy broadsword
Magic: Body Reinforcement (strength-focused enhancement)
He rolled his shoulders.
"A first-year brawler? You picked the wrong opponent."
Opposite him—
Tomas Vale adjusted his reinforced gloves.
Leather tightened around his fists.
Small metal cores embedded at the knuckles hummed faintly.
Weapon: Reinforced Combat Gloves
Magic: Shockwave Impact
Tomas cracked his neck once.
"We'll see."
The bell rang.
DING!
---
First Exchange
Helric rushed first.
Broadsword came down in a powerful vertical strike.
WHOOOM!
Tomas stepped aside barely in time.
The blade smashed into stone.
CRACK!
Helric didn't stop.
He swung horizontally—
Tomas raised his forearm to block—
CLANG!
The impact forced him back two steps.
Students murmured.
"Third-year strength difference." "That's heavy."
Helric smirked.
"Still standing? Good."
---
Shockwave Response
Helric charged again.
This time with reinforced muscles glowing faintly.
His sword cut through the air.
Tomas stepped in instead of retreating.
He twisted his hips—
And punched the flat of the blade.
"Impact."
BOOM!
A compressed shockwave burst from his glove.
The air detonated between them.
Helric staggered.
His grip loosened slightly.
"What was that—?!"
Tomas followed with a second punch—
Not at Helric—
But at the ground between them.
"Impact Drive."
BAAAM!
The shockwave erupted upward.
Helric was forced off balance.
He skidded backward but stayed inside the ring.
---
Close Combat Shift
Helric roared.
He abandoned distance fighting.
Rushed in close.
Sword swings shortened.
More aggressive.
CLANG! CLASH! THUD!
Tomas blocked two strikes with his forearms.
The third grazed his shoulder.
He winced slightly.
Heavy. I can't keep trading like this.
Helric lifted his sword for a finishing downward strike.
"End it!"
Tomas stepped forward at the same time.
Not away.
Forward.
He slipped inside the sword's arc.
The blade passed behind him.
Tomas drove his fist straight into Helric's abdomen.
"Impact Burst."
BOOOOM!!!
The shockwave detonated at point-blank range.
Air blasted outward.
Helric's eyes widened.
His body lifted off the ground slightly—
Then crashed onto his back.
THUD!
Silence.
Helric tried to rise—
His grip failed.
The sword slipped from his hand.
He collapsed again.
The referee stepped closer.
Helric didn't move.
"…Knockout. Winner — Tomas Vale!"
---
Aftermath
The arena erupted louder than before.
"That was direct!" "He broke through reinforcement!"
Tomas rolled his shoulder.
Breathing steady but slightly heavier.
He glanced at his gloves.
"Still good."
He stepped off the ring calmly .
⚔️ Round One – Match 7
Ardyn Frost vs Caligo Varn (Second Year)
The night breeze brushed the arena floor.
Frost lightly formed around one half of the stone ring.
The referee raised his hand.
"Victory by knockout, surrender, or ring out."
Barrier activated.
Across the ring stood Caligo Varn.
Lean build. Sharp eyes.
Weapon: Twin short blades
Magic: Smoke Veil (visual obstruction and concealment)
He spun a dagger once.
"Let's see if ice can cut through fog."
Opposite him—
Ardyn Frost stood composed.
Silver-blue eyes calm.
Weapon: Frost Blade
Magic: Ice Magic
Thin frost gathered along the edge of his sword.
Crystalline patterns shimmered faintly.
Ardyn exhaled slowly.
"…Begin."
DING!
---
Smoke vs Frost
Caligo moved first.
His fingers snapped.
"Veil."
FSSSSHHHHH—
Dark smoke erupted and spread rapidly across the arena.
Students leaned forward.
"I can't see anything!" "That's second-year Caligo!"
The ring disappeared inside the haze.
Ardyn's vision blurred.
Obstruction magic… fine.
He closed one eye.
Lowered his stance.
Footsteps.
Left.
Fast.
Caligo lunged from the smoke.
Twin blades slashing diagonally—
CLANG!
Ardyn parried just in time.
Ice scraped against steel.
Caligo vanished again into smoke.
"Too slow."
---
Temperature Control
Ardyn didn't chase.
Instead—
He raised his blade.
"Freeze Field."
A pulse of cold mana spread outward.
CRRRRRK—
The arena floor began to frost over.
The temperature dropped sharply.
The smoke thinned slightly.
Moisture in the air crystallized.
Caligo reappeared briefly.
"Troublesome."
He dashed again.
But his footing slipped slightly on forming ice.
That half-second was enough.
Ardyn pivoted.
Blade swept horizontally.
SHHHING!
Caligo barely blocked.
The force pushed him back several steps.
His boots slid.
He steadied himself.
"Tch."
---
Tactical Shift
Caligo threw one dagger.
Ardyn tilted his head.
The blade sliced past.
But—
It exploded into smoke mid-air.
FWOOSH!
Vision gone again.
Caligo appeared behind Ardyn.
Twin blades crossed toward his back.
Ardyn reacted instantly.
He stabbed his sword downward.
"Glacier Guard."
CRASH!
A jagged ice pillar erupted behind him.
Caligo's blades struck ice instead.
He recoiled.
Ardyn turned.
Their eyes met.
No arrogance.
Only focus.
---
Controlled Finish
Both dashed simultaneously.
Steel and frost collided repeatedly.
CLANG! CLASH! SHHKK!
Caligo aimed for mobility.
Ardyn aimed for control.
Each step Caligo took—
The frost spread further.
His movements slowed slightly.
Breathing heavier.
Ardyn noticed.
He's adapting… but stamina favors cold.
Caligo attempted one final aggressive rush.
Twin blades spinning in rapid succession.
Ardyn stepped into it calmly.
One clean vertical strike.
"Frost Sever."
SHIIIIING!
Ice shot along Caligo's weapons.
Froze the hilts.
Locked his grip.
His hands stiffened from sudden cold.
Ardyn's blade stopped at Caligo's neck.
Not touching.
But close enough.
Silence.
The smoke finally cleared.
The referee raised his hand.
"Winner — Ardyn Frost!"
---
Aftermath
Caligo exhaled.
"…You controlled the field."
Ardyn lowered his sword.
"Smoke requires air. Air carries cold."
He stepped off the arena quietly.
Students murmured.
"Not flashy… but clean." "He froze the battlefield itself."
Above the arena balcony—
The Headmaster watched silently.
Eyes thoughtful.
Round One continued.