The tournant had finally reached its most exciting and intense mont, the final
Jae stood in the middle of the wide battle stage, the wooden floor beneath his boots rough and covered with marks from earlier fights.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves, but his heart still pounded hard in his chest. It was hard to believe he had made it this far.
On the other side of the arena stood Byun. His blond hair sparkled faintly under the floating orbs of light that lit the space from high above.
His face was serious, focused, and intense. That sharp, cold look in his eyes made Jae’s skin crawl just a little, like sothing deep inside him knew how dangerous this fight would be
Most of the audience hadn’t expected soone like Jae to be here.
But over the course of the tournant, Jae had proved everyone wrong. He had fought his way up with nothing but determination, clever thinking, and raw willpower.
Slowly, a small group in the crowd had started to admire him.
In the section set aside for the academy’s teachers, Ms. Alira sat stiffly, her hands clenched around her arm. Her knuckles were pale from how tightly she was gripping herself. Her eyes didn’t move from Jae, watching him with a mix of hope and worry.
She wanted him to win. She truly believed he had sothing special, a kind of potential that couldn’t be taught. But even so, she couldn’t ignore the fear inside her.
Byun wasn’t just strong, he was dangerous. His shadow magic went deeper than what he’d shown, and she was almost sure he still had tricks he hadn’t used yet.
Sitting beside her, Mr. Han watched the arena quietly. There was a little spark in his eyes now, sothing new. At the start of the tournant, he hadn’t thought much of Jae. But now, he felt nothing but respect for the boy’s journey. He gave a small smile, just a twitch of his lips, and thought to himself, He’s got heart. That’s rare.
A little farther away stood Principal Kine. His presence was calm but powerful, like a mountain watching a storm. He rubbed his gray beard thoughtfully, eyes locked on the fighters. His sharp gaze missed nothing. "A commoner this far," he thought. "Could this boy actually change things? Could he shake the whole system?"
In a quieter corner of the stands, Sun sat on the ground. He was still recovering, surrounded by healers. His body was sore, his pride even more so, but he couldn’t look away from the match.
His dark eyes followed every small movent, his fingers twitching with nervous energy. Who’s going to win? he wondered.
Then, finally, Byun spoke. His voice was low but clear, cutting through the silence like a blade. His lips curled into a faint, familiar smirk as he locked eyes with Jae.
"So, it’s co down to this," he said.
Jae gave him a small grin in return. His mouth was dry, his stomach twisted with nerves, but there was still fire in his eyes. He didn’t co all this way just to give up now. "Don’t go easy on , Byun," he said.
Byun’s smirk grew wider. For a brief second, sothing warm flickered in his eyes, respect. "I won’t," he replied.
Then, the bell rang. Its sharp, final sound echoed across the arena, bouncing off the walls and bringing everything to a halt. The crowd went quiet in an instant. The tension beca so thick, it felt like the very air was holding its breath.
Jae didn’t wait. He moved the mont the bell rang, reacting on instinct. With a thought, he summoned his Mana Blade. A bright blue glow lit up in his hand, the magical energy humming softly, steady and strong. The weight of the blade in his grip cald him a little, like an old friend.
He charged forward. His boots hit the wooden floor hard as he pushed himself into a blur of motion, boosted by his high Speed stat. He slashed again and again, swinging with fierce energy, each strike coming from a different angle.
He wasn’t trying to hit hard, he was trying to be unpredictable. Fast. Wild. His glowing blade cut through the air again and again, a trail of light following each movent. He hoped to confuse Byun, to keep him from getting a read on his rhythm.
But Byun didn’t panic. He didn’t even flinch.
He moved with smooth grace, dodging each blow with perfect timing. His body shifted left, then right, then back, like he was dancing with the wind. His blond hair flicked with each motion, and not once did he stumble.
The crowd’s whispers grew louder. People leaned in closer, surprised by how calmly Byun avoided every strike. Jae kept pressing forward, his muscles burning, sweat starting to drip down his back. Still, Byun didn’t strike back. He just waited, watching. Calm. Cold.
And then the shadows began to move.
Dark tendrils slipped from Byun’s feet, crawling across the wooden floor like black snakes. They shimred faintly with energy, creeping toward Jae.
Jae noticed them just in ti. His Perception stat, sharpened through dozens of battles, kicked in. With a quick breath, he activated Phantom Step. His body flickered and vanished, reappearing just behind Byun in a burst of speed.
Without hesitation, he swung his blade at Byun’s head. The air whistled as the strike ca in fast and true, aiming to end the match in one clean hit.
But Byun leaned his head to the side, barely an inch, and the blade missed.
Gasps rang out from the crowd. People jumped to their feet, clapping and shouting.
Byun turned slowly, that smirk back on his lips. His eyes glowed with challenge.
"Is that all you’ve got, Jae?" he asked, teasing him. But underneath the playful tone, there was real respect. His shadows tightened around him, curling like living ropes.
Jae opened his mouth, ready to reply, his brain rushing for sothing clever to say.
But a shadow rose behind him.
A dark tendril shot toward him like a snake striking from the grass.
Jae’s heart jumped. He turned as fast as he could, instincts screaming.
But he was just a second too slow.
The shadow brushed against his shoulder.
Instantly, a freezing, numb feeling spread through his arm, like ice crawling into his bones.
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