Chapter 134: A Commoner’s Battle [2]
"Wind Vale."
The circular rune pulsed once, then the wind roared.
A massive gust exploded from the rune, compressed and sharp. It shot toward Evan like a blade made of air, screaming and rolling across the arena. The stone floor beneath its path began to crack, thin lines spreading outward like spiderwebs. The wind tore at everything in its way, howling with killing intent in an unstoppable manner.
And before everyone’s eyes, they watched as it engulfed Evan.
The students held their breath. A few leaned forward, eyes wide. Some watched with sharp focus, analyzing every detail. They were all Honor students. They knew better than to underestimate anyone who had made it this far.
Lucien watched the match. Alaric had an S-Ranked Wind Talent, S-Ranked Saber Talent, S-Rank Sound Talent, and an SS-Ranked Magma Talent.
He glanced at the arena. The wind that engulfed Evan began to settle.
And Evan’s unharmed figure appeared before their eyes.
He was still standing in the same spot. His feet hadn’t moved, his uniform was ruffled, but not a single cut marked his skin. On his left and right sides, circular green runes floated, emitting Wind Originat. They spun slowly, their edges sharp and jagged, forming a barrier that had blocked the attack.
The students watched in silence.
Alaric’s eyes narrowed, his smirk vanished.
He didn’t rush. He had seen enough to know this wasn’t going to be easy. He shifted his stance, his saber held low, and began to move.
He circled Evan, slow and deliberate, his boots scraping lightly on the stone. His wind rune stayed active, floating beside him, spinning lazily.
Then he struck.
He swung his saber, and a thin arc of wind shot from the blade. It wasn’t a big attack. It was fast and narrow, aimed at Evan’s legs. A probing strike.
Evan stepped back, letting it pass. The wind blade cut into the stone behind him, leaving a clean groove.
Alaric didn’t stop. He swung again, and another wind blade flew. Then another. Each one came from a different angle, low, high, diagonal, straight. He mixed them up, never letting Evan settle into a rhythm.
Evan’s academy sword moved in short, sharp arcs. He parried one, dodged the next, sidestepped the third. His feet stayed light, his breathing steady. He wasn’t attacking back, He was reading Alaric, trying to find out the weakness or what he could exploit for victory.
Alaric noticed, his eyes narrowed further. He knew he was being studied, and he didn’t like it.
He changed tactics.
He lunged in close, saber swinging in a wide, heavy arc. The blade hummed with wind Originat, sharpened to a fine edge. Evan raised his sword and blocked. Metal clashed against metal, the sound ringing out across the arena.
Alaric didn’t pull back. He pressed forward, using his weight to push Evan back. His saber scraped against Evan’s blade, wind screaming along the edge.
Evan’s boots slid an inch, then stopped. He held his ground.
Alaric pressed harder.
Then, mid-push, he twisted his saber and released a burst of wind from the blade itself. The gust slammed into Evan’s chest at point-blank range.
Evan was thrown back. He hit the stone and rolled, coming up on one knee.
The students leaned forward. Finally, a hit.
But Evan was already rising. A green rune appeared before him, wind swirling around his sword. He swung, and a wind blade shot back at Alaric, faster than any Alaric had thrown.
Alaric ducked. The blade passed over his head and cut into the barrier behind him, making it flicker.
He looked back at Evan, breathing hard. His eyes were sharp now. Focused.
Evan raised his sword again. Another wind rune spun to life at his side. Then another on the other side. He was building up, layering his wind, preparing something bigger.
Alaric saw it. He couldn’t let it finish.
He sprinted forward, saber raised. His wind rune flared, wrapping wind around his blade and his legs. He moved faster, lighter, almost gliding across the stone.
He reached Evan and swung.
Evan blocked.
The two blades met, and wind exploded outward from the clash, blasting dust and debris across the arena. The students in the front row shielded their eyes.
Alaric pressed forward, his saber grinding against Evan’s blade. Wind screamed along the edge, sharp and wild. He was putting everything into this push.
Evan held his ground. His feet stayed planted. His arms didn’t waver.
Then Alaric’s sound rune pulsed.
A high-pitched screech erupted from the rune, sharp and sudden. The sound wave slammed into Evan at point-blank range. His ears rang. His vision blurred for a split second. His grip on his sword loosened, just a fraction.
Alaric felt it.
He twisted his saber and drove his knee into Evan’s stomach.
Evan doubled over, air rushing from his lungs. Alaric didn’t stop. He swung his saber in a wide arc, catching Evan across the shoulder. The blade didn’t cut deep, but the impact sent Evan spinning to the side.
Evan hit the stone and rolled. He came up on one knee, shaking his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears.
Alaric didn’t give him time. He was already moving, saber raised, wind and sound runes spinning around him. He swung again.
Evan blocked, barely.
Alaric pressed. Another swing. Another. Each one came faster, harder, backed by bursts of sound that rattled Evan’s senses. The sound wasn’t strong enough to knock him out, but it was enough to keep him off balance.
Evan stumbled back, his defenses crumbling. A cut opened on his cheek. Another on his arm. His uniform tore in places.
The students watched in silence. No one cheered. No one whispered. They just watched, eyes sharp, analyzing every move.
Alaric was winning.
He swung again, a heavy overhead strike. Evan raised his sword to block, but the impact drove him to one knee. His arms trembled. His breathing was ragged.
Alaric stood over him, saber raised, wind and sound swirling around him.
"It’s over," he said.
The students fell silent. The result was expected. Those who had hoped Evan might pull off a surprise were disappointed.
It seemed they had put too much hope on a commoner for victory.
Evan, who heard Alaric’s words, smiled.
Lucien, watching all this, smiled too. Only the icing on the cake had been revealed. How could the battle end that easily?
And also, Evan wasn’t heavily injured or seriously injured enough for the match to automatically land in Alaric’s victory.
"We are just starting," Evan said.
And immediately he said this, two gigantic runes appeared. One was fiery, roaring with orange and red flames that licked at the air. The other was icy, crackling with pale blue frost that spread across the stone floor. They floated on either side of him, each one twice his size, pulsing with power.
The students gasped. A few shot to their feet.
Alaric’s eyes widened. His smirk vanished.
Evan raised his academy sword. The two runes spun faster, their lights growing brighter. The heat and cold clashed around him, steam rising in thick clouds. The stone beneath his feet cracked and groaned.
He pointed his sword at Alaric.
"Frostfire Annihilation."
The two runes merged.
A massive blast of fire and ice shot forward, twisted together in a spiral. The flames roared, the frost screamed. The attack tore across the arena, leaving a trail of melted and frozen stone in its wake. The air itself seemed to burn and freeze at the same time.
The students held their breath.
But Alaric wasn’t done.
His eyes flashed. He raised his saber, and a new rune appeared before him. It was pale green, spinning fast, wind howling around it. He poured everything into it.
"Wind Negation."
A massive gust exploded from the rune, not attacking, but meeting the Frostfire head-on. The wind didn’t try to block it. It tried to break it apart, tearing at the fire and ice, scattering them.
The two attacks clashed.
The arena shook. Steam and smoke exploded outward, blinding everyone. The sound was deafening, a roar of fire, ice, and wind all tearing at each other.
When the smoke cleared, more than half of the Frostfire was gone. The rest slammed into Alaric, but he had already raised his saber, parrying what was left. The impact pushed him back, his boots skidding across the stone.
He was pushed to the edge of the arena, his expression turning serious. If he hadn’t noticed the attack immediately, he might have been defeated.
Evan was able to use both fire and ice origin elements like Andros, but he was able to use both elements together, even using a dual-element skill.
The students who were expecting the battle to end saw the sudden change, and it wasn’t something to be happy about. They had gained another formidable opponent in this assessment.
But anyhow, it seemed the battle was just getting exciting.
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