The stadium that had been roaring moments ago fell unnaturally quiet.
Not the quiet of boredom.
The quiet of anticipation.
Section C matches had progressed smoothly until the fourth batch.
Until Ground Seven.
Where a delay turned into murmurs.
And murmurs turned into shock.
One contestant stood waiting.
Rey.
An unknown archer wrapped in a thin overcoat.
Then, at the very edge of disqualification, the second contestant arrived.
Aric Falk.
The capital's golden name.
The lightning-born prodigy.
A man already whispered as a future disciple of a Duke.
From that moment, the outcome was decided in the minds of the crowd.
This was not a match.
It was a formality.
"Contestants 17,329 and 19,082," the referee's voice echoed.
"Prepare yourselves. The match begins—"
The whistle shrieked.
Aric moved first.
Not walking.
Not charging.
He exploded forward.
Lightning flickered faintly along his drawn sword as his feet crushed the stone beneath him.
At the same instant—
Rey released.
The arrow vanished.
Not flew.
Vanished.
Aric's pupils shrank.
Fast—
Too fast.
He twisted instinctively and slashed.
CLANG—!
Sparks detonated midair as steel met arrowhead.
The arrow deflected, shattering stone behind him.
Aric skidded back half a step.
His arm buzzed.
Numb.
Heavy.
His smile faded just a little.
'That force…'
His brows tightened.
'I underestimated him.'
"Hoh," Aric said, rolling his shoulder.
"Looks like drawing my blade was the right call."
Rey didn't respond.
Another arrow was already flying.
Then another.
After another.
The air screamed.
Arrows ripped through the arena like ballistic rounds, cracking sound barriers, tearing grooves into the ground where they missed.
Aric stopped mocking.
Stopped smiling.
He dodged.
Slashed.
Twisted.
Steel rang nonstop as arrows shattered against lightning-wrapped steel.
The force of each clash sent tremors through his bones.
His fingers burned.
His wrist screamed.
'If I block too many… my hand will give out.'
Contestants near the battlefield fled the edges.
Spectators leaned forward, eyes wide.
This wasn't an archer being chased.
This was a swordsman being pinned.
Rey's face was cold.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
Each arrow forced Aric to react.
To retreat.
To survive.
"This isn't ending fast," Aric muttered, planting his feet.
Lightning surged.
His sword blazed brighter, qi roaring outward like an unchained storm.
A serpent of electricity coiled around the blade.
An arrow screamed toward his chest.
Aric swung.
The arrow was cut in half.
Not deflected.
Not shattered.
Burned.
The fragments dropped, blackened, smoking.
The stadium erupted.
Lightning Qi.
Perfect control.
Textbook mastery.
Arrows kept coming.
Aric cut them down.
One.
Two.
Three.
Each slash precise. Ruthless.
Rey stopped firing.
Silence.
Aric advanced, sword humming.
"What?" he called out, amused again.
"Out of tricks already?"
Rey lowered his head.
Pulled his hood forward.
Shadow swallowed his eyes.
He drew an arrow slowly.
Carefully.
Mana seeped in.
Measured.
Controlled.
Dark veins traced around his eyes as his vision sharpened violently.
The world slowed.
Aric's steps stretched into readable lines.
Every muscle twitches.
Every breath.
Every micro-shift in balance.
Rey exhaled.
The arrow thrummed.
Aric closed in, confident.
"This ends now."
Rey released.
Aric swung.
BOOM—!
The impact blasted sound outward.
Aric's head snapped back.
His feet slid violently.
He staggered three steps, barely regaining balance.
The arrow fell to the ground.
Unburned.
Undamaged.
The stadium went dead silent.
Aric stared at his trembling hand.
Gravion's eyes narrowed sharply.
'Mana…?
No. That's impossible— where did this come from?'
A chill ran down his spine as he scanned the area, trying to identify the sensation he had just experienced.
'Then what the hell was that?'
Aric tightened his grip until the shaking stopped.
He laughed.
Low.
Breathless.
"Alright," he said, eyes blazing now.
"That's on me."
Lightning surged harder, wilder.
No restraint.
No arrogance.
Only hunger.
"Now," Aric grinned, madness bleeding into his smile,
"Let's see how far you can really go."
Rey didn't respond.
Another arrow was already drawn.
Unstable.
Crude.
Overflowing.
The ground cracked as Aric charged.
Arrows and steel collided again and again.
Each impact split stone.
Each miss scarred the arena.
The crowd forgot to breathe.
Forgot to blink.
This was no longer a tournament match.
This was a collision of wills.
And the blood had only just begun to warm.
...
The battlefield had been emptied.
Not by order.
By instinct.
Contestants fled.
Officials pressed against the arena walls.
Even the referee had abandoned the center, his back glued to stone, heart hammering.
'Why do I get grounds with these two lunatics…'
At the center—
Two figures remained.
Rey and Aric.
Rey fired again.
But he felt it.
His breath was heavier.
His arms burned.
The arrows were losing consistency.
Rey's breathing had started to slip out of rhythm.
The arrows were still deadly—but not clean.
'Half-power. Damn it.'
His mana flow was turning unstable.
Too fast. Too crude.
If this dragged on, he would collapse first.
Rey leapt backwards, boots skidding, widening the distance yet again.
Aric laughed.
"You really think distance belongs only to you?"
He slashed midair.
A crescent of lightning-forged qi tore forward.
Rey's pupils shrank.
Sh*t—
He threw himself backwards.
The slash passed an instant above him and detonated against the arena wall, stone exploding like shrapnel.
The referee screamed and ducked.
Rey rolled, sprang up, and fired while moving.
He dodged, slid, twisted through gaps that shouldn't exist.
His footwork was unnaturally light, his body responding faster than thought.
Some spectators gasped.
Others felt cold.
'That movement… that's not normal. Initiate control.'
From the noble gallery— nobles were in shock.
While Gravion leaned forward.
His eyes narrowed.
'There. Again.
A faint ripple.
Gone in an instant.
That wasn't a qi fluctuation.'
His fingers curled slowly.
'Mana.
No. Impossible.
It might be my imagination; there is no way someone can use mana with such a low amount present. Yes, there might be some issue with my art.'
This era wasn't ready.
He stared at Rey like a predator spotting an abnormal mutation.
'If he really manages to defeat Aric, even accidentally…'
Gravion's breathing slowed.
'Then this boy isn't just a talent.
He's an investment. Even if he loses, I will recruit him no matter what.'
Back on the field—
Rey vaulted over a lightning slash midair and fired.
Aric swung.
CLANG—
The arrow split.
But—
Another one followed its shadow.
Aric's eyes widened.
Too late.
The second arrow punched through his arm above the elbow.
"Gah—!"
Blood sprayed.
The arrow embedded deep, tearing muscle clean through.
Aric staggered back, teeth clenched hard enough to crack.
Leather armour split.
Lightning flickered violently.
He ripped the arrow out, blood soaking his sleeve.
Across from him—
Rey was breathing hard.
Sweat poured down his jaw.
His vision trembled.
'Focus. Don't lose focus.'
His mana reserves were already bleeding dry.
'I need to finish this. Now.'
In the stands—
Gravion's pulse spiked.
'Multiple arrows.
Unorthodox timing.
That wasn't luck.'
His lips curved faintly.
'If I don't take him now… someone else will.
If his talent is half as good as hers... it will be worth taking him in my team.'
Aric wiped blood from his mouth and laughed.
"So that's your trick."
His eyes sharpened.
"Nice. Really nice."
He charged.
Rey fired two arrows in quick succession.
Aric deflected both cleanly this time, blade moving like lightning incarnate.
No hesitation.
No slack.
Rey retreated again, heart pounding.
Only a handful of arrows remained.
He reached back—
Five.
That's it.
'If this fails… dagger.'
He drew out three at once.
Mana surged violently.
Pain lanced through his temples.
He released.
Three streaks screamed forward.
Aric froze for a fraction of a second.
'Three—?!'
He slashed twice.
Two arrows were shattered.
The third—
He was too slow.
The tip pierced his abdomen.
"Ugh—!"
Aric dropped to one knee, blood spilling freely now.
The stadium fell deathly still.
Even the nobles had gone silent.
Hosric's hands clenched the railing.
Gravion exhaled slowly.
'Confirmed.
This boy is dangerous.
And Aric…'
His gaze shifted.
'Aric isn't done yet.'
On the field—
Aric forced himself up, shaking, blood dripping from his fingers.
He smiled.
Not arrogance.
Not mockery.
Something closer to madness.
"You're incredible," he said hoarsely.
"But if this continues… we both will fail."
Lightning flared violently.
"Which means—"
His sword rose.
Qi exploded outward.
The sky darkened.
Clouds twisted unnaturally overhead.
Rey's blood ran cold.
'No way…'
Lightning screamed down from the heavens, crashing into Aric's blade.
The ground shattered.
Stone liquefied.
The pressure crushed Rey's lungs.
'Is this even legal…?!'
"I didn't want to use this," Aric said hoarsely.
"But you earned it."
The sky answered.
"Behold the power of Storm — Sky-Severing Bolt!" Aric declared, launching his ultimate attack at the enemy.
He slashed.
The world split.
Lightning tore across the arena, annihilating everything in its path.
Aric collapsed instantly, qi emptied.
Rey stood frozen.
The attack reached him—
And detonated.
A blinding explosion swallowed the battlefield.
Dust surged sky-high.
The stadium held its breath.
Silence.
Gravion's eyes widened.
'Sky-Severing Bolt.
So he mastered it after all.'
Only the churning cloud remained.
When the dust finally settled—
No one knew who was still standing.