The next match ended like everyone—well, not everyone—at least most people expected.
Ethan won. Quite easily at that.
Kaelen Stryn was strong, his speed was sothing to boast about, but he wasn’t yet at Ethan’s level.
He lost, yeah. But he wasn’t dejected. He had, after all, lost to Gareth Drakethorne’s son. It was to be expected.
Even he wasn’t too prideful to admit that much. He had seen Ethan’s matches against others. Unlike him, who struggled and won by a close margin, Ethan dominated every match he was in.
His eyes moved to Selene at that mont.
Now, the third position would be decided between the two of them.
Ethan and Ryker would now vie for the first place—the loser taking second.
anwhile, Selene sensed but didn’t return his gaze, though. She was staring off, her arms folded, her expression unreadable.
Maybe she was still recovering from her fight against Ryker, the humiliation was too much. Maybe she didn’t care anymore. Or maybe... she cared too much.
Kaelen wasn’t sure.
He looked away.
"Kaelen Stryn vs Selene Evernight!"
As the announcer’s voice echoed across the area, the audience stirred with excitent.
Standing at one end of the Arena, Kaelen Stryn calmly stared ahead. The silver gleam of his nunchakum rested at his side, his posture unshaken.
He was a wiry guy, but after multiple fights and making it to this stage, he had learned from all of them, his stature was composed and dignified.
Then ca Selene.
Walking into the arena, she looked poised, elegant, and composed—as if her last match against Ryker had never happened.
No trace of the awkwardness, embarrassnt, or fury she had shown before lingered on her face. She was a perfect picture of cold detachnt.
But Kaelen wasn’t fooled.
He sighed inwardly.
’She’s masking it well... but after being toyed with like that in public... she must be teetering on the edge.’
Right now, she was like a cornered beast—dangerous, desperate, and unpredictable.
’This is going to be hard.’
The signal to begin was given.
Selene moved instantly, like a shadow—her twin daggers flashing as she lunged straight for him.
She didn’t waste ti with feints or positioning—her attacks were straightforward, direct, and vicious. There was no elegance in this; only pure, focused aggression.
Kaelen’s nunchakum snapped to life.
Clang!
The tal side of the weapon caught her right-hand dagger just as it aid for his ribs.
With a flick of his wrist, he deflected it wide, then twisted the chain, redirecting the second dagger coming for his shoulder.
Selene spun, reversing her grip mid-motion, and ca in low, trying to slice at his knee.
Kaelen’s foot shifted just enough—his stance rooted like a mountain, yet fluid like water. He snapped the chain upward.
Clack-!
The nunchakum’s hard segnt slamd into her wrist, forcing her back.
Again, she surged forward—this ti with a feint, one dagger aid at his shoulder while the other slashed horizontally at his hip.
Kaelen didn’t bite.
He spun the nunchakum defensively, a rhythmic blur of motion. The weapon danced in his hands like it was alive, redirecting each strike with impeccable timing.
Every ti her blades ca close, the tal segnt was there—parrying, punishing, pushing her back.
Then, he struck.
With a burst of movent, Kaelen stepped in—his nunchakum swinging fast. Crack! It slamd into her elbow.
She grimaced but didn’t scream. He followed up with another strike—Smack!—right into the side of her knee.
A precise hit. She stumbled, but instead of retreating, she lashed out, blade flashing toward his chest.
He ducked just in ti, his chain wrapping briefly around her wrist. He tried to disarm her.
But Selene twisted violently, slipping free.
Her attacks kept coming. Her breathing was rough now, but her eyes—those cold violet eyes—were burning with stubborn fire.
She didn’t care about elegance anymore. Her movents beca frantic, desperate. Every swing of her dagger felt like it carried the weight of her entire world.
Kaelen’s strikes were precise, controlled, asured—each movent calculated to destabilize her.
He struck her joints—shoulder, elbow, wrist—each ti reducing the sharpness of her attacks. It was clear he was slowly dismantling her.
Yet she didn’t stop.
Even with bruises forming on her arms, even with her stance faltering, Selene refused to fall. She ca at him again and again, like a specter of vengeance.
Then—by a twist of fate—it happened.
Kaelen lunged for what would have been the final blow. His nunchakum arced toward her temple in a decisive strike.
But Selene ducked low—lower than expected—and swept her leg beneath him.
He stumbled.
In that split-second of imbalance, she drove her dagger forward—a vital point, enough to earn a strike.
Contact...
With her blades, in real life such strike could critical injured him.
The judge signaled. The crowd gasped.
Selene had scored the final, deciding point.
Kaelen stepped back, stunned, brows furrowed in disbelief. He hadn’t seen it coming.
The audience erupted into shocked chatter. Everyone had thought the match was in Kaelen Stryn’s hands—his defense flawless, his technique clean and absolute.
But Selene had pulled through.
Through sheer grit and timing, she won.
And with that... Selene Evernight secured third place.
She stood in the center of the arena, panting, bruised, but victorious.
His fight with her had been intense, she had fought like a woman possessed, like she had sothing to prove, not just to the audience, but maybe to herself.
He rubbed his shoulder slightly—still sore from one of her final strikes.
"...She’s stronger than I thought," he muttered under his breath.
And now, all that was left was the final match.
Kaelen gave a respectful nod. There was no anger in his eyes—only a quiet recognition.
He walked down the stage...
After the end of this match, there was a bit of tension in the air... After all, the next match was the finals, marking the end of the Awakening Ceremony.
Ryker, staying in position, clenched his fists with excitent...
This was beyond his expectations...
He actually made it.
He made it to the finals...
***
A/N:
If you’re in this Chapter as if this day I released it, sorry for the wait, and I’m filling the next privilege tier.
It should be filled the day after tomorrow...
Sorry for the wait, and keep supporting the book with powerstones and Golden tickets pls..
This will A/N will be removed when the tier is fulled
Reviews
All reviews (0)