Chapter 169: Chapter 169

Nolan returned to join them, dragging his feet as he walked across the gold bridge and hopped the railing.

“Well done,” Viv told him. “You fought that better than I expected. Yennifer had a good matchup into you.”

“Thanks,” Nolan said, slumping in his chair and letting out a heavy sigh. “It would have been humiliating if I lost in the first round. Father would have my head.”

Another crystal on their dashboard lit up, interrupting the conversation.

“Sorry, Nolan,” Sylph said. “I hate to leave mid talk…”

He waved her off. “I didn’t have anything important to say anyways. Good luck.”

Damien wished her the same as she headed over to enter the stage. As always, the floating golden light wrapped her in a gentle cocoon and lifted her up to the quartz stage.

Her opponent turned out to be a boy from Kingsfront. Damien didn’t recognize him from Yui’s group, but the way he carried himself didn’t seem as confident as he would have expected. That probably meant he was the fourth rank as opposed to the first.

Damien really couldn’t care less about the boy, and he didn’t even catch his name. Sylph rolled her neck and lowered into a fighting stance as the announcer started counting down.

Do you think we’ll get to see what magic Sylph’s companion gave her?

“Her opponent doesn’t seem that strong,” Henry replied. “It’s getting harder and harder to sense exact things about people, especially when they’re weaker than you are. I might need to do something about that in the future, but I’m certain Sylph will win. It remains to be seen if it takes her much effort to do that, though.”

The match started. To Damien’s surprise, Sylph didn’t go invisible. Two black and green swords formed in her hands and she dashed at the boy on the other side of the stage.

A wave of ice erupted from his feet. Jagged spears thrust towards Sylph, threatening to impale her. She leapt into the air, clearing the spell and landing on the slick ground. The boy jerked his hand toward himself and a spike punched out of the ground before Sylph.

She twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the strike and dropping into a roll. She shot to her feet without missing an instant and lunged at the boy.

He exhaled, breathing white mist out over the field. Within instants, it billowed out and completely obscured the entire field. Damien could just barely make out two shadows within it, moving back and forth as metal occasionally rang against ice.

The crowd let out cries of annoyance now that their entertainment was blocked off, but there was nothing to be done. Damien leaned forward on the railing and squinted, trying to make out a hint of what was going on.

Can you see anything?

“I can detect both Sylph and the other kid fighting,” Henry said. “Her energy is stronger than his, so she’s probably winning.”

Several minutes passed. The sounds came less frequently until they finally stopped. The mist washed away, revealing the two combatants once more. Sylph stood behind her opponent, both of her swords protruding from his chest.

She ripped them free and he fell forward. Healers appeared, catching him before he hit the ground. One moved to examine Sylph, but he just disappeared a moment later without doing anything.

“Well, that was a fight,” the announcer said. “I didn’t see a hint of it beyond those first few spells, but it looks like Sylph pulled ahead. Let’s have a round of applause for her!”

The crowd cheered, but it was a bit less energetic than the last few fights. Damien couldn’t blame them. It felt a bit underwhelming, even to him. He’d been hoping he could see just how strong Sylph had gotten, but he supposed that would have to wait until she had a stronger opponent.

“Good one, Sylph,” Damien said as she returned to join them. “Was he strong?”

“Thanks.” Sylph grinned. “And not really. I just didn’t want to give too much away. Unlike you, I don’t have infinite energy to throw around. Unfortunately, I’ll have to leave all the crushing people with one spell to you.”

“You say that, but I’m still not sure I could beat you in a fight,” Damien said, rubbing his chin. “Not easily, at least.”

“Maybe we’ll get a chance to find out sometime during the tournament. I didn’t hear anything about us not getting put against members of our own college.”

Nolan cursed. “I didn’t even think of that. Seven Planes, I really hope they don’t put you against me.”

“You already know his tricks,” Elania said. “Shouldn’t you guys have a better chance against Damien than anyone else?”

“I’m pretty sure he’d blow me aside like a fart in the wind,” Nolan grumbled. “I learned my lesson with Damien and Sylph long ago. If I meet either of them, I’ll probably just surrender to save my energy for the loser’s bracket.”

Elania’s eyes widened, but she controlled herself and gave a disgusted grunt. “You’re a coward.”

“He’s aware of his own abilities,” Mark said, rising from his seat to stretch. “Damien would wipe the floor with him. So would Sylph. Nolan is a talented mage, but only a fool goes into a battle they have no chance of winning.”

A mutter ran through the crowds. The next match, which hadn’t even started, was over. Yui had been one of the competitors, and her opponent surrendered before the fight began.

“What a joke,” Mark muttered as Yui returned to her seat. “Just because she’s the princess doesn’t mean she should get treatment like that. I’d like to face her myself. Girl probably got this far just by riding on her mother’s coattails.”

“Princess Yui is a capable mage,” Viv said. “You’d be wise to show her respect.”

“I’ll show respect after I see someone worth respecting,” Mark replied, crossing his arms and cocking an eyebrow. “And you too have yet to earn that.”

“Mark,” Nolan said. “Put some food in your mouth before you stick your foot farther into it.”

Mark scrunched his nose and shrugged, flopping back into his chair. A flash of brown light from the stage caught Damien’s eye.

The quartz was morphing. Its smooth surface grew ragged and bumpy as it expanded, growing larger at the top. Small cliffs and hills formed upon it, providing hiding places and high ground.

“Please bear with us, everyone!” the announcer called. “The arena is changing for the next round! Of course, none of the actual rules have changed. We will also wait thirty minutes to allow our competitors some time to regain their Ether. If you’re hungry, consider checking out some of the food vendors that are currently making their way throughout the stands!”

Damien hid a yawn. “I guess I can’t complain about the wait, but it would have been nice to keep going. I swear I’m more anxious going up to the fight than I am about the actual thing.”

“Just hope you don’t run into someone too strong in the early rounds,” Elania said. “If I got put up against Princess Yui, I don’t fancy my odds.”

“She was okay,” Sylph said, scratching her chin. “She lacked fighting experience though. I don’t know where you stand, but Yui really wasn’t all that intimidating.”

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“You’ve fought her?” Elania asked, her eyes wide.

“Yeah. I won,” Sylph replied. “But that was before she knew my fighting style. It’ll be interesting to see if she’s improved since then.”

Damien decided not to mention that Yui was only ranked third in her school and he’d taken on the student above her with a single move. Then again, it had been a pretty cheap attack, so there wasn’t much to brag about.

The wait was agonizingly slow. When it finally ended, Damien could tell that everyone was thinking the same thing. Excitement and nervousness was thick in the air.

“It’s time!” the announcer called. “I hope you’re all comfortable and ready to watch the next round. I know I am!”

He paused to take a long – and very audible – sip from a drink. A gem lit up red on their dashboard and the announcer continued, “So, let’s get right down to the action! Up first, we’ve got two very promising competitors. Representing Mountain Hall is Avon! And on the other side of the field, representing Blackmist, is Sylph!”

“Again?” Damien asked. “You just fought a match ago!”

“It’s fine,” Sylph replied with a shrug. “At least I don’t have to wait the whole round to go again. I didn’t use too much Ether in that first fight, so I’m back to full.”

She leaped over the railing. Gold light caught her. After a short glide, she was deposited on the rough stone. On the other side of the arena, Avon was placed at the top of a small mountain.

Avon was tall, with ragged blonde hair and pale green eyes. He had two heavy metal bracers on his wrist but didn’t wear any armor aside from that. He and Sylph both tensed as the announcer started talking once more.

“Let’s get ready, folks! Without further ado – competitors, you may begin channeling your Ether! This match begins in three… two… one… go!”

Avon hit the backs of his wrists together. Stone warped around him and the ground shuddered. A rocky hand punched out of the ground. Behind it followed a small head and a stocky body. It was roughly humanoid, but the proportions were all off. The creature’s head was too tiny and its long arms nearly touched the ground.

“That’s our first full manifestation of the tournament!” the announcer yelled. “And it looks to be a stone elemental!”

Sylph flashed forward. Avon smirked. A pillar of stone erupted beneath his feet, lifting him far into the air. It stopped when he was almost two stories above the ground, leaving Sylph alone in the arena with Avon’s companion.

“Have fun down there! My golem will take good care of you.” Avon laughed. Even with his cocky words, the boy manipulated the stone around him to form a shield at his lower half, blocking Sylph from striking him with any weak ranged attacks.

“That’s a cheap trick,” Nolan said. “It wouldn’t be very useful in a real fight.”

“But it’s great against someone close ranged like Sylph,” Mark mused. “I can’t fault him for it.”

The golem let out a roar and swung a long arm at Sylph. She skipped back, avoiding the attack with ease. Sylph slashed the creature with her dark blades, but the wound just sealed over.

Avon watched from above as the golem chased Sylph around. She’d stopped attacking it after her first few blows and was now just running in circles, not letting the monster reach her.

“It’s a battle of attrition,” Elania said. “The golem is to slow to hurt Sylph, but she can’t do enough damage to it. As long as Avon has Ether, he’ll be able to keep healing it.”

“That’s not good for Sylph,” Nolan muttered. “But she isn’t really using much Ether either, she’s just naturally faster than the golem. This is going to be a pretty boring fight if it keeps going like this, though.”

As if Sylph had heard Nolan’s words, she skidded to a stop at the far end of the arena. The golem was upon her a second later, bringing both of its hands down in an overhead smash. Sylph slipped past the strike and made a dash towards Avon’s tower.

“She can’t be planning to try and climb that, can she?” Viv asked. “Avon will slaughter her. Touching earth that he’s actively controlling is a horrible idea.”

Sylph showed no signs of slowing as she grew closer to the tower. As she ran, dark energy gathered around her right arm. She reared back once she was almost upon the tower and the Ether condensed, forming into a black gauntlet.

She drove it into the tower with all her might and momentum. With an earsplitting crack, the base of the tower shattered. Fragments of rock flew everywhere as it tipped and fell, tossing Avon into the air.

The golem lunged at Sylph, but she twirled out of the way. Its rocky fist crashed into the ground and Sylph vaulted off its forehead, launching herself toward Avon. He scrambled to find his bearings midair and the stone from the tower surged towards him.

Sylph made it first. Her gauntlet faded as a shadow blade formed in her hands. She slammed into him, driving the blade into his chest. Sylph twisted them midair so that Avon was below her and ripped the blade free.

She leapt off, aiming at one of the taller mountains to stop her fall. A healer appeared above her, grabbing Sylph by both arms before she could hit the ground. Two more healers caught Avon and set him down gently on the ground.

“The Blackmist students do it again!” the announcer screamed. “What is it with them and surprise victories? Sylph, who spent the majority of the match running from Avon’s companion, struck him down in one blow!”

Avon groaned, sitting up once the healers were done with him. His eyes narrowed at Sylph, but he just gave her a sharp nod and turned away. Golden plates of light manifested themselves before her as she rejoined everyone at the waiting room.

“That was awesome!” Elania exclaimed. “How strong are you? You broke that pillar with one punch?”

“Really? She reacts like this when you win, but when we win it’s just plain disbelief?” Mark asked. “I sense favoritism.”

“That was really impressive, though,” Damien said, helping Sylph over the railing. “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what that gauntlet was?”

“Not yet,” Sylph said, pulling back a few strands of hair that had fallen out of her bun.

“Fair enough,” Damien said. “I’ve got a fun new toy as well, although I’m not sure I can use it properly quite yet. Do you need any food?”

Sylph caught the caution in his voice and smiled. “No. I didn’t use that. This is something else.”

“Now I’m even more curious,” Mark grumbled. “I hope they let us fight in the finals.”

“That’s pretty bold of you to assume that you’re all going to make it into the finals,” Elania said. “You’re strong, but what if you get matched up against Bartholomew or one of the other crazy competitors?”

“We’ll make it,” Mark said.

“Most of us will,” Nolan said with a chuckle. “I’m not disillusioned. If I can reach the quarterfinals, I’ll be happy. I’ve already seen multiple students that I have no way to beat at my current level of strength. It’ll be fun to see just how much they can do, though. Maybe I’ll learn something.”

The crowd’s roar drew their attention back to the arena. Two more students descended to the arena and the battle began anew. This time, everyone watched a little closer. After all, the farther students got, the less secrets they could hide. It wouldn’t be long until all of the true monsters at the tournament were revealed.

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