Morning returned to the Grand Arena with noise. Not the ceremonial drums of the previous day, but the restless roar of a crowd that had co to watch people hurt each other for glory.
Sunlight poured across the rebuilt arena floor, the stone gleaming pale beneath the massive protective barrier that shimred faintly above it like a transparent do. Runes carved along the arena’s periter pulsed softly, maintaining the shield that would keep stray magic and devastating blows from reaching the thousands packed into the stands.
Banners snapped in the wind.
Delegations filled their designated sections again, nobles seated in shaded balconies while common citizens crowded the upper stands, excitent rolling through the arena in waves.
Leo stood near the fighter’s entrance and stared at the arena floor.
Thirty-two fighters stood scattered across the staging area, stretching, adjusting equipnt, checking weapons or quietly observing their future opponents.
So wore robes threaded with runic patterns, unmistakably mages. Others carried weapons or simply stood with the quiet stillness of aura users.
It was a strange mix of magic and martial skill in the sa arena.
"First ti?" a voice beside him asked.
Leo glanced sideways.
A dwarf stood nearby, broad and compact, beard braided with tal rings. He carried a short-handled warhamr resting casually against his shoulder.
"Is it that obvious?"
The dwarf grinned. "You’re staring like soone who just got told he’ll be a father soon, after a drunken night out."
Leo looked at him quizzically. "That was...Oddly specific, but yeah, feels about right."
"The na’s Borgin" the dwarf said, hand stretching upward for a handshake.
"Mine’s Leo" Leo said, accepting the gesture.
Across the arena the announcer’s magically amplified voice thundered through the stadium.
"WELCO TO THE FIRST DAY OF THE JUBILEE COMBAT TOURNANT!"
The crowd erupted.
"Today we begin with the FOUR-AND-FIVE-STAR DIVISION! Thirty-two fighters from across the realm will test their skill, strength and courage!"
A massive illusionary bracket appeared above the arena, glowing symbols representing each fighter.
Leo spotted his own na near the lower half.
"And rember!" the announcer continued. "This division contains BOTH aura fighters and mages! Adaptability will determine victory!"
That earned an excited murmur from the crowd.
Leo rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen the tension creeping into his muscles.
Defiance hung at his side.
The blade felt familiar and comforting in his hand. He wasn’t using Resolve today. Only this weapon, and the strange weight-manipulation ability it possessed.
Without adaptation or techniques, Leo’s whole arsenal was just speed, instinct and aura reinforcent.
Across the arena fighters began entering the battlefield two at a ti as the first matches began.
The opening fight ended quickly.
A human mage raised both hands and the ground froze over in a spreading sheet of ice. His opponent slipped once, just once, and a blast of compressed wind knocked him out of bounds.
Cheers rolled through the arena.
Another match followed imdiately.
A beastkin in wolf form exploded forward with terrifying speed, tackling his opponent before they could even finish casting a spell.
The barrier rippled from the impact.
More cheers.
Leo watched everything.
Studied the spacing, the pacing, and the rhythm of combat.
Soon enough the announcer called his na.
"Next match! Leo Arkin of the Oni delegation versus Rakar of the Red Fang Clan!"
When Leo stepped onto the arena floor, his opponent was already there, waiting.
Rakar was a beastkin—broad-shouldered with reddish fur running along his arms and neck, eyes sharp and predatory. His claws were partially extended, glinting faintly in the sunlight.
The barrier humd as it sealed around them.
"Begin!"
Rakar moved first.
He lunged forward with explosive speed, claws slashing for Leo’s throat.
Leo pivoted sideways, claws sliced past his face. Rakar was fast, very fast. He followed with another strike, claws flashing again and again in rapid succession.
Leo retreated a step, then another, reading the rhythm. The beastkin favored aggression, and overwhelming pressure.
Leo waited for the mont between attacks.Then he moved, Defiance ca up fast in a smooth arc, its lightened weight making the swing almost effortless, then reversed the activated ability.
The blade’s weight multiplied instantly, Rakar’s claws collided with the sword, and the sudden heaviness dragged Leo’s strike downward like a falling boulder.
The impact shattered Rakar’s guard. The beastkin staggered back, stunned by the unexpected force.
Leo reversed the weight instantly, the sword beca light again.
He stepped forward and tapped the edge of the blade against Rakar’s chest.
The barrier flashed, the match over.
For half a second the arena fell silent, then applause spread through the stands.
Leo exhaled slowly as the announcer declared the result.
"Victory to Leo!"
He stepped off the arena floor and only then realized his heart was hamring in his chest.
The next rounds passed quickly.
Fighters fell one by one.
Magic clashed with aura, steel rang against claws and staves.
By the ti the field narrowed to sixteen fighters the crowd had beco even louder, the arena vibrating with energy.
Leo’s second match was against an elf, tall, calm and carrying a thin dueling blade.
They circled each other cautiously.
Unlike the beastkin, the elf fought with patience. Their blades t in quick exchanges, sparks flickering each ti steel touched steel.
The elf’s technique was precise, every strike efficient, Leo had to push aura into his legs just to keep up. The duel stretched longer than his first match.
Finally Leo shifted Defiance’s weight again during a clash. The sudden heaviness dragged the elf’s blade downward for just a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
He stepped inside the guard and struck the elf’s shoulder with the flat of the blade.
Victory again.
When he left the arena this ti the crowd was noticeably louder, people were beginning to recognize him.
The bracket narrowed again. Eight fighters, then four.
Leo’s semifinal opponent was a human mage.
The mont the match began the mage retreated rapidly, launching bursts of fire and compressed air to keep Leo at a distance.
Leo sprinted forward, aura surging through his legs. Explosions blasted around him, causing the barrier to shimr repeatedly as stray magic slamd against it.
Leo finally closed the distance, the mage panicked, attempting a desperate spell at the last mont, Leo knocked the staff from his hands, setting his blade against the mage’s throat, the match was over.
The finalists had now been decided. The crowd was roaring now.
After a few minutes of rest, Leo stood in the center of the arena, sweat running down his back.
Across from him stood the final opponent.
A tall woman with a long spear and the calm expression of soone who had fought many battles. A five-star veteran.
And when the match began, her spear moved like lightning, Leo barely avoided the first thrust.
She was faster than his previous opponents, and much more experienced.
Every ti Leo tried to close distance the spear forced him back. He adapted as best he could. Mixing up attacks with the blades enchantnts, recall and weight shifts, with sudden lunges and powerful attacks aura amplified.
The fight stretched longer than any before it, but the experience mattered.
In the final exchange Leo misjudged the reach of the spear by a few inches.
The shaft struck his ribs and sent him skidding across the arena floor.
Silence hung for half a second, then the announcer’s voice bood again.
"Victory! First place goes to Odessa Aberforth!"
Cheers filled the arena.
Leo remained on the ground for a mont staring up at the sky beyond the barrier. Second place, Honestly... that wasn’t bad.
He exhaled.
When he finally stood and left the arena the pain in his ribs was already fading beneath the rush of adrenaline.
Near the delegation seating area soone waited for him.
Iori.
She leaned casually against the railing, arms crossed, her eyes studied him quietly.
"Well," she said, feigning seriousness.
Leo rubbed the back of his neck. "Second place."
"Second place," she repeated.
For a mont she said nothing more, letting the mont hang between them, then she smiled wide.
"Not bad," She said with a grin "Although I could have done much better."
Leo snorted. "Sure, Miss Undefeated Super Soldier ."
She laughed, her gaze returning to the arena where the next bracket was already being prepared.
"You fought well though, all jokes aside" she said after a mont. "But now you understand sothing important."
Leo glanced at her.
"The gap?"
She nodded.
"That woman who beat you?" Iori continued. "She’s fought for nearly ten years, experience and skill matters just as much as ranking up in aura."
Leo looked back toward the arena floor, yeah, He’d felt that difference clearly, almost like he went against an insurmountable wall.
Iori pushed herself away from the railing."Good, I hope now you’ll relax with the impatience, you are already doing very good."
Leo blinked. "Thanks."
"You are welco" she said simply, then her lips curved slightly.
"Tomorrow," she added, "I will show you sothing special, but i still have sothing planned for today."
And the way she said it made Leo suspect it was going to be a lot more hectic than the competition.
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