Chapter 102: Dominance
Amira arrived at Julian’s position like a sandstorm.
The beast morph student was mid-lunge when a wall of compressed sand slammed into him from the side. Boom. His bulk crashed through a boulder, stone exploding around him. He rolled, snarled, tried to stand.
Amira didn’t let him. Sand wrapped around his ankles, his wrists, his torso — coiling tight, squeezing, pinning him in place. He roared and strained, muscles bulging against the pressure, but Amira’s sand was A-Rank. He wasn’t breaking free.
"Julian," she said flatly. "Finish him."
Julian didn’t need to be told twice.
Lightning gathered in both palms — a concentrated sphere of crackling energy that hummed.
Zzzzzzt—
The lightning sphere hit the pinned beast morph dead center. His body convulsed. Smoke rose from his leathery hide. His eyes rolled back.
The tectonic shock student tried to intervene — he stomped, sending a shockwave toward Amira. Sand absorbed the vibration before it reached her. He stomped again. Nothing.
Clara arrived from the left. Ice spread beneath the tectonic student’s feet, locking him in place. He looked down, eyes wide, then looked up.
Clara’s fist met his face.
Crack.
He crossed the boundary before he hit the ground.
A tone sounded. "Southern Kiwi Academy — four eliminated."
The beast morph, still smoking and twitching on the ground, was the last one left. His bracelet hadn’t triggered — he was conscious, barely — but he couldn’t move. Sand still held him. Lightning had fried his nervous system temporarily.
The referee looked at him, then at the EASA side.
"Southern Kiwi Academy — five eliminated. Match over."
The stadium exploded.
The large screen above the arena updated.
Group H — Match 1: European All-Star Academy wins. 3 points to EASA, 0 points to SKA.
A/N: SKA, Southern Kiwi Academy
Ryan’s ice suit cracked and fell away in pieces as he deactivated it, revealing his sweat-soaked uniform underneath. He adjusted his glasses and walked toward the tunnel. Clara fell into step beside him. Amira brushed sand off her shoulders. Julian was already ahead of them, muttering about needing a shower.
Elara jogged to catch up.
In the stands, Lucian stood and stretched.
"Clean sweep," Rose said beside him.
"Expected."
The hotel lobby was buzzing that evening.
All fifteen members of the team gathered in the large conference room on the third floor. Arthur stood at the front, a holographic display projected from his tablet. The others sat in a loose semicircle — some on chairs, some on the floor, Bruno taking up an entire couch by himself.
"Southern Kiwi was a warmup," Arthur said without preamble. "Tomorrow’s match is different."
The display shifted to show Group H standings and the day’s results.
"Rift Valley Academy from Tanzania faced Bosphorus Crescent Academy, BCA from Turkey today. BCA won — two eliminations to one when time expired."
Murmurs rippled through the group.
"Rift Valley is a notable academy," Ethan said, frowning. "They placed top twelve in the last ICL."
"And BCA beat them," Arthur said. "Which means we can’t underestimate them. We need full intel before we step onto that stage."
He tapped the display. Four profiles appeared — the known data on BCA’s fighters.
"Their team composition from the Rift Valley match. We don’t have full ability data, but the IAR publicly records cultivation realms and general ability types for tournament participants."
Arthur pointed to each profile in turn.
"Fighter one — male, Early Core Realm. Water manipulation. Defensive and trapping type. He held off two Rift Valley fighters simultaneously using water barriers and restraints."
"Fighter two — male, Early Core Realm. A-Rank Crescent Blade. Sword-based attacker. Aggressive, high offense."
"Fighter three — female, Early Core Realm. Enhancement caster. She spent the entire match chanting a single spell that boosted all her teammates’ physical stats and ability output. She’s their support."
"Fighter four — male, Early Core Realm. Fire Control."
"Fighter five — female, Mid Core Realm. Tectonic Shock. Ground-based area disruption. She was their strongest and the reason they won against Rift Valley."
Lucian studied the profiles quietly. Mid Core Realm support with four Early Core Realm fighters. On paper, it was weaker than their own lineup. But Arthur was right — BCA had beaten a ranked academy. They had synergy.
"They might send different fighters tomorrow, but just in case they send any of them in this profile," Arthur continued. "I know who I’m not sending tomorrow."
He looked at Clara. "You’re sitting out. We can’t expose all our cards in the group stage."
Clara nodded. She understood.
"Same for Mickey, Elias, and Bruno. If we make it to the knockout rounds, no, when we make it to the knockout round, the opposing academies will have footage of every match. We need to keep our strongest hidden as long as possible."
He turned to the group.
"Tomorrow’s lineup — Carlos Vega, Ryan Duncan, Elara Vance, Julian Renard, and Lucian Grimaud."
"We have to finish first in this group," Arthur said, his voice hardening. "First place means an easier route to the semi-finals and finals. Second place gets a harder bracket. We’re not settling for second."
He looked at each of the five selected fighters in turn.
"Win this match tomorrow. All of you. No exceptions. Rest up now."
The group dispersed. Ryan headed to his room to recharge his armor’s mana circuits with Iris. Carlos went to the hotel gym. Julian complained about his bruises and disappeared toward the baths.
Lucian walked back to his room, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.
His system flickered.
╔═════════════════════╗
║ CHAIN QUEST UPDATE ║
║ □ Make it to the team of 15 ║
║ Status: COMPLETE ║
║ Reward: +500 SC (Claimed) ║
║ □ Make it to Round of 32 ║
║ Status: PENDING ║
║ (Requires group advancement) ║
╚═════════════════════╝
He closed his eyes.
The next day, the stadium was just as packed.
Different matches, different groups, but the energy was the same — roaring crowds, flashing lights, the hum of a hundred thousand voices bouncing off ancient stone walls.
The EASA section filled up early. Clara sat with her arms crossed, watching the arena with sharp eyes. Rose beside her nibbled on snacks. Mickey leaned forward with interest. Elias stood at the back, arms folded, expressionless as always.
Down in the staging tunnel, Lucian rolled his shoulders.
Carlos stood beside him, arms crossed, a faint grin on his face. "Ready?"
"Always."
Ryan was quiet, adjusting his glasses. His ice armor suit was stored in a compressed form on his back — ready to deploy in seconds. Elara fidgeted with her bracelet. Julian cracked his knuckles.
The referee’s voice echoed through the stadium.
"Group H — Match 2. European All-Star Academy versus Bosphorus Crescent Academy."
The two teams walked out.
BCA’s five fighters emerged from the left tunnel — green and gold uniforms, confident strides.
EASA’s five emerged from the right.
They stopped ten meters apart.
The referee raised his hand. "IAR officials. Three minutes."
The officials got to work. This time, the terrain that rose from the arena floor was completely different.
Sand.
A desert — rolling dunes, scattered rock formations, a blistering sun simulated above the dome. The arena stretched four hundred meters in every direction, nothing but golden sand and heat haze.
A desert terrain. Lucian’s eyes narrowed. Advantage for sand manipulation. Amira would have loved this.
He glanced at the BCA side. Amira El Fassi was sitting this match out. But BCA didn’t have a sand user either. The terrain was neutral for both sides.
Three minutes passed.
"Begin."
Lucian moved first.
He raised his right hand. Blood Needle Rain.
Hundreds of crimson needles materialized in the air above him — each one thin as a hairpin, sharp as a razor, gleaming with S-Rank blood mana. They hung for a fraction of a second.
Then they fell.
Whooshwhooshwhoosh—
The needles rained down on BCA’s formation like a crimson storm. A guy with silk manipulation reacted fastest — silk erupted from his palms, weaving into a protective canopy above his team. Needles pattered against the silk like rain on fabric. Most deflected. Some punched through and drew blood.
One needle caught the a student in the shoulder. He hissed and yanked it out.
But the real purpose of the attack wasn’t damage. It was disorientation.
Two of them broke from the silk canopy and flanked toward Ryan. A guy with a speed ability burst from the left — his body leaned forward, already building momentum, feet pounding sand. Lucian checked his ability.
Ability: Stampede Charge
He communicated it to the rest.
The tectonic shock woman came from Ryan’s right, the ground trembling beneath her bare feet.
Ryan deployed his armor. Ice panels snapped into place around his body — shoulders, chest, arms, legs, helmet. The white suit gleamed under the desert sun.
Lucian, I’ve got the stampede guy, Ryan thought through the team link.
Lucian was already moving to intercept the tectonic woman when a slash came from his blind side.
He raised the Moon Shattering Blade and blocked.
Clang.
The impact pushed him back half a meter. Sand sprayed beneath his boots.
He looked at his attacker. The sword user — lean, sharp-eyed, grinning. A curved blade in his hands, still humming from the clash.
"You seem dangerous," the sword user said.
Lucian didn’t respond. His crimson eyes locked onto the man’s grip, his stance, the positioning of his feet as they both clashed.
Across the arena, Carlos engaged the silk user. Fire blasted from his palm — a massive cone of flame that roared toward the silk student. The silk user threw both hands up. Silk erupted in layered sheets, weaving into a thick barrier.
The flames hit the silk barrier and spread across its surface — but didn’t break through. Silk was incredibly heat-resistant when layered properly.
Carlos frowned. "Tough."
He pressed harder with more flame attacks. The silk barrier glowed red-hot but held.
Meanwhile, Julian had noticed the enhancement caster. The woman was still chanting, her lips moving rapidly, her hands pressed together. A faint red glow was building around her body.
Julian fired three lightning bolts at her. Zzt. Zzt. Zzt.
They hit her — and bounced off. A red barrier shimmered around her body, absorbing the electricity harmlessly.
"What the—"
The chanting intensified.
Then it stopped.
The enhancement caster opened her eyes and clapped her hands together once.
Pam.
A pulse of red light exploded outward from her body, washing over her four teammates. Each one glowed faintly red for a moment — then the glow sank into their skin.
Their auras surged.
The silk user’s barriers thickened. The sword user’s blade hummed with more power. The stampede charge student’s muscles bulged. The tectonic shock woman’s feet sank deeper into the sand as her connection to the ground intensified.
Lucian felt the shift immediately. The sword user he’d been casually blocking suddenly pushed harder. Their blades clashed again — clang — and this time Lucian was pushed back a full meter.
Enhancement spell, Lucian thought. Her whole role is to buff her team. Wish we used our third support but this is still within expectation..
"Julian," he said through the link. "The caster. Keep pressure on her."
Julian was already moving.