The mirror copied every shift of weight.
Every change in grip and every subtle adjustnt in angle.
But Aster felt sothing right then.
It wasn’t frustration.
And neither was it pressure.
It was more like tension.
He felt this because every move he made was answered instantly.
Every trick he tested was already known.
But the points began appearing along the edge of the platform, so Aster struck.
He made contact, and the score increased.
But the golem made contact as well, and the numbers climbed together.
It was perfectly even, but in the stands, whispers began to spread.
"They’re tied,"
"Yeah, they’re equally matched."
"But how long is this going to last?"
Aster disengaged and flipped backwards before landing lightly.
The mirror mirrored him, and Aster closed his eyes for a breath.
It wasn’t to calm his mind, rather, it was to think, because he knew that only the strongest between them both would be the champion.
Well, speed and power to be precise.
But the mirror golem had both.
However, it lacked one thing.
And that’s to make its own choice.
And so, Aster moved again, but this ti, he changed rhythm mid-step.
He wasn’t faster, and neither was he stronger.
He was just different, and he let his aura fluctuate slightly, allowing it to beco uneven on purpose.
The mirror copied it, but that was a mistake, and Aster stepped in, then he suddenly stepped out so as to break his own flow at the worst possible mont.
Unknowingly, the golem followed, and for the first ti, its timing slipped.
Well, just barely, but Aster didn’t hesitate.
His flas exploded from his feet.
It didn’t explode upwards or forward but rather downward, and it shattered the stone beneath him and launched him upward at an unexpected angle.
The mirror golem reacted a fraction too late, but Aster twisted midair and drove his blade into the mirror’s shoulder instead of its core.
The attack made an impact, and the points surged.
But the golem retaliated instantly by driving a knee into Aster’s ribs and sending him skidding across the platform.
Aster rolled and coughed once, but then he stood up as blood ran down the side of his mouth.h
Across from him, the golem stood perfectly intact as its shoulder reford.
Aster wiped his mouth with his thumb and smiled faintly.
"Size, that’s how you want to play, huh?"
"Fine."
"Let’s end this once and for all."
The golem attacked again, but this ti, it attacked harder and faster.
It abandoned restraint, and flas roared outward as the mirror unleashed everything it had learned from Aster’s most aggressive tendencies.
The platform shook violently, and Aster was forced back step by step, blocking, redirecting, and enduring its attack.
Each hit landed, and each hit scored.
But the mirror’s point climbed rapidly.
anwhile, in the stands, Lily’s hands clenched the railing as she called out. "Mama...."
But Vivian didn’t move.
Instead, her eyes remained sharp as she gently patted her daughter’s head.
"He’ll be fine, dear ."
Back on the platform, Aster inhaled deeply as he stopped fighting like himself, and then he slowed down.
He lets attacks graze him instead of countering imdiately.
He allowed the golem to overcommit
And then, the golem launched its strongest strike before pouring everything into one decisive blow.
Aster stepped inside the attack instead of away from it.
The golem’s blade pierced his side, and pain exploded through his body.
But Aster was already moving.
His hand slamd into the golem’s chest, and his fingers dug into the glowing core beneath its skin before igniting his flas.
His fire did not explode.
Instead, it compressed and collapsed inward, cracking the golem’s core.
The core cracked, and the golem froze.
And for the first ti, its expression changed.
It wasn’t that of pain but of confusion.
And Aster ripped his hand free before driving one final strike directly into the fracture.
The core shattered, and light erupted outward as the golem disintegrated into ash and flas, dissolving into nothing.
For a while, silence reigned, and then Aster dropped to one knee, and the projection froze on the final score.
It was high,
Unevenly high
Slowly, the platform dissolved, and Aster vanished before reappearing in the arena.
He remained kneeling for a mont before standing slowly, and the crowd erupted.
"PRINCE ASTAROTH!"
"You were amazing."
"You nearly died. Well, not literally, but you get my point, right?"
"Oh my devi, that was too close!"
"He nearly lost!"
"Yeah, but he didn’t!"
"That battle was so epic."
Watching all these, a smile blood across Aster’s face, and he lifted his eyes steadily before waving to everyone.
anwhile, across the arena, another projection was showing Astrid battling against her golem.
Both moved at the sa ti, and frost spears tore through the air, colliding mid-flight and detonating into a storm of shards that rang like shattered glass.
The platform trembled, but Astrid stepped forward, and the golen stepped forward too.
Ice spread beneath their feet in identical patterns, spiraling outward in perfect symtry.
They clashed.
Both wildly.
Both aggressively.
And precisely in sync.
Astrid thrust once, and the golem deflected it easily.
The golem countered, and Astrid redirected it as well.
Each movent was clean.
Each strike was deliberate.
There was no wasted motion, and points appeared along the edge of the platform.
However, Astrid managed to land a hit, and the score increased.
The golem landed a hit as well, and their scores rose together.
In the royal stands, Isabella leaned forward lightly, and her fingers tightened around the armrest.
anwhile, back on the platform, Astrid shifted her stance, and the temperature dropped.
Ice crept across the surface of the platform, thickening with each breath she took, and the golem responded by doing the sa thing.
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A/N: Happy New Year Everyone and thank you so much for the continuous support, be it Chapters unlock, privilege unlock, power stones, golden tickets, and adding to your library. You guys are simply the best and are truly amazing.
I thank you so much.
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