Chapter 96: Kael VS Zion (Final)
Zion dashed toward Kael once more.
The moment their swords met, a deafening clang echoed throughout the arena.
Steel scraped against steel as sparks erupted between the two blades.
Neither gave an inch.
The pressure behind Kael’s strike forced Zion to plant his feet firmly into the shattered arena floor. Just as he prepared to retreat and create some distance, he frowned.
His legs...
Wouldn’t move.
For a split second, it felt as though something invisible had rooted him to the ground.
Kael immediately seized the opportunity.
He closed the distance in a blur, his sword cutting toward Zion without the slightest hesitation.
The attack narrowly missed.
Zion twisted his body at the last possible moment before using the opening to disengage, creating several meters of distance between himself and Kael.
Only then did he finally get a proper look at him.
Or rather...
The dark figure that was supposed to be Kael.
Darkness Mana had completely enveloped his body.
It seeped from every pore like thick smoke, swallowing his outline until only the faint glow of his crimson eyes remained visible beneath the veil of darkness.
Even the surrounding air had begun to distort under the overwhelming concentration of Mana.
Zion’s eyes narrowed.
"Don’t tell me that he is..."
His thoughts were cut short.
Kael vanished.
Without warning, he appeared directly before Zion.
Clang!
Their weapons collided once again.
Kael no longer cared about defending himself.
His eyesight had already disappeared beneath the overwhelming Darkness Mana surrounding his body.
At this point...
Instinct was the only thing guiding his movements.
Every swing...
Every step...
Every dodge...
All of it was driven by pure instinct.
The two continued exchanging blows at a frightening pace.
Sword after sword clashed with enough force to shake the arena beneath them.
Neither combatant showed any intention of slowing down.
After dozens of exchanges, they finally separated.
Zion instinctively stepped backward—
Only to freeze.
His gaze slowly swept across the battlefield.
More than half of the arena had been swallowed by Darkness Mana.
The black mist spread silently across the broken ground, covering the battlefield little by little.
...
Inside the spectator stands...
Stella watched the scene unfold with an unusually serious expression.
A slight frown appeared on her face.
Beside her, Lyra could barely hide the anxiety in her voice.
"At this point in time..."
"Kael might actually die."
Her eyes never left the battlefield.
"I didn’t expect him to start using the Concept of his element in this fight."
"How did he even learn to do that?"
Even Stella seemed momentarily unable to answer.
She continued staring at the arena.
"...I don’t know."
Her voice was lower than usual.
Before either of them could speak again—
A familiar voice interrupted them.
"You two seem to have lost a bit of your perception."
Both Stella and Lyra turned simultaneously.
Standing beside them were the Principal...
And the Vice Principal.
Lyra blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?"
The Vice Principal shifted her gaze toward the battlefield.
Although her expression remained calm, her eyes were locked firmly onto the dark figure standing at the center of the arena.
"Although it isn’t the norm for someone below S-Rank to be capable of opening a Domain..."
"...it usually occurs only after someone has become truly attuned to their element."
She paused briefly.
"They must also possess a soul strong enough to withstand it."
"Normally..."
"Anyone attempting to open a Domain without possessing a soul comparable to an A-Rank would most likely die."
Silence followed.
Everyone present instinctively looked back toward Kael.
The Darkness surrounding him continued spreading across the battlefield.
The Vice Principal watched quietly before continuing.
"But that boy..."
Her voice trailed off.
"...his life force is burning brighter."
"The longer this battle continues..."
"The brighter it becomes."
Even with the countless injuries covering Kael’s body...
The vitality radiating from him refused to diminish.
If anything...
It was growing stronger.
Back in the arena...
Zion raised his blade just in time to intercept Kael’s next strike.
Clang!
The impact sent a violent shockwave across the battlefield.
Despite successfully blocking the attack, the force behind Kael’s sword was overwhelming.
Zion’s feet dug trenches into the broken arena floor as he was forced backward, skidding several meters before finally regaining his balance.
He immediately looked up.
His eyes swept across the battlefield.
The Darkness Mana had spread even farther.
More than half of the arena was now engulfed by Kael’s element.
At the very center of it all...
Kael stood perfectly still.
His sword remained lowered, his body motionless, as though he was patiently waiting for Zion to make the next move.
Watching that scene, something suddenly clicked inside Zion’s mind.
"The moment I step onto the side of the arena enveloped by Kael’s Mana..."
"Aura or not..."
"Kael’s going to know where I am."
His expression gradually became serious.
"But there is no way Kael has that much Mana..."
The thought had barely crossed his mind before he immediately dismissed it.
Throughout this battle...
Kael had continued growing stronger.
Continued adapting.
Continued pushing beyond what should have been possible.
Waiting for him to exhaust his Mana...
Was no longer an option Zion was willing to gamble on.
He slowly lowered his center of gravity.
Taking a deep breath...
He entered his stance.
As his breathing steadied, an old memory surfaced inside his mind.
...
"Zion..."
"What do you think is the strongest form of the Celestial Star Art?"
Master Crawford asked as they stood inside the dojo.
The younger Zion answered almost immediately.
"Well..."
"I think it’s the last form."
"That has to be the strongest."
Master Crawford simply smiled.
"I guess that would be your answer."
Zion frowned.
"What do you mean by that?"
Master Crawford slowly walked past him before replying.
"Well..."
"The strongest form isn’t necessarily the final form."
"It’s the one most suited to you."
"Everyone who practiced the Celestial Star Art eventually found a different form that resonated with them."
"For some..."
"It was the First Form."
"For others..."
"The Fourth."
"Some reached the Seventh."
"It doesn’t necessarily have to be the final form."
He continued walking toward the exit of the dojo.
"So..."
"You have to discover which form is truly attuned to you."
Master Crawford disappeared beyond the doorway.
Leaving Zion standing alone.
Deep in thought.
...
The memory faded.
Back inside the arena...
Zion slowly exhaled.
His stance became even more stable than before.
He gathered his Aura...
Layer by layer...
Compressing it into his blade while simultaneously allowing his Mana to flow freely throughout his body.
The two energies coexisted in perfect harmony.
Across the battlefield...
Kael immediately sensed the change.
Even without his eyesight...
The sudden release of Mana allowed him to pinpoint Zion’s exact location.
"I guess Zion is planning on ending this with a final strike."
Kael couldn’t help releasing a quiet sigh of relief.
"Thank God..."
"I could barely use my Mana anymore."
"I’m slowly running out."
His grip around his sword tightened.
He had known Zion ever since entering the world of the game.
If Zion intended to finish everything in a single exchange...
Then Kael already knew which form he would choose.
A dilemma immediately surfaced inside his mind.
"Do I dodge..."
"Then attack afterward?"
He remained silent for a moment.
Before slowly shaking his head.
"...That’s a coward’s thought."
Kael muttered.
He stepped forward.
Taking the exact same stance as Zion.
At the same time...
The Darkness blanketing the battlefield began responding to his call.
Every strand of Mana scattered throughout the arena started flowing back toward him.
The thick black mist gathered around his sword.
His body gradually became visible once more as the surrounding Darkness condensed into the blade in his hands.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
Neither combatant moved.
Both simply stood there...
Waiting for the other to make the first move.
Kael slowly lowered his breathing until it became almost imperceptible.
The Darkness that had blanketed the arena continued pouring into his sword until almost nothing remained outside his body.
The smoky aura surrounding him gradually disappeared, leaving only a faint trail of Darkness lingering around the blade in his hand.
Standing across from him, Zion maintained the exact same stance.
Aura flowed through his body before converging upon his sword.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither intended to retreat.
The spectators unconsciously held their breaths.
Everyone understood...
The next exchange would decide the victor.
Kael tightened his grip around his sword.
Despite the pain coursing through every part of his body, he refused to let it show.
His Mana Conduits felt as though they were being torn apart from the inside.
His vision had long since disappeared.
Everything around him was nothing but darkness.
Yet...
He could still sense Zion.
Every fluctuation of Mana.
Every movement.
Every breath.
It was enough.
At the opposite end of the arena, Zion’s eyes remained fixed on Kael.
His Aura continued gathering around his blade.
There was no hesitation left in his expression.
No anger.
Only determination.
He slowly inhaled before exhaling once.
At almost the exact same moment...
Kael shifted his footing.
Both swordsmen understood each other’s intentions without exchanging another word.
Simultaneously...
They moved.
"First Form..."
"Celestial Star Art..."
Their voices echoed throughout the silent stadium.
"Guiding Light!"
A streak of brilliant white shot across the arena.
At the same instant—
A streak of darkness rushed to meet it.
The two figures disappeared from where they had been standing.
The arena floor exploded beneath their feet.
BOOM!
A deafening shockwave swept across the battlefield.
For a brief instant...
No one could see either of them.
The collision of white Aura and black Mana engulfed the center of the arena.
Then...
Silence.
Both Kael and Zion appeared at opposite ends of the battlefield from where they had started.
Neither turned around immediately.
Their swords remained extended.
The enhancements coating their blades faded simultaneously.
The audience remained completely silent.
No one dared to speak.
No one knew who had won.
A single drop of blood landed upon the shattered arena floor.
Then another.
A large gash slowly opened across Zion’s chest.
Almost simultaneously...
An equally deep wound appeared across Kael’s chest.
Both injuries mirrored one another.
Zion’s grip weakened.
His sword slipped slightly before he dropped to one knee.
Blood poured from the wound staining his uniform.
A moment later...
He collapsed completely onto the arena floor.
Kael remained standing.
He took one step forward.
Then another.
His body suddenly twitched violently.
The aftereffects of Mana Emphasization finally caught up to him.
Every nerve inside his body screamed in pain.
His Mana Circuits felt completely ruined.
He tried taking another step...
His legs gave out beneath him.
Kael collapsed onto the arena floor just as Zion had.
For several seconds...
Neither of them moved.
Only the sound of hurried footsteps echoed throughout the arena.
The healing mages rushed onto the battlefield.
One group immediately surrounded Zion.
Another hurried toward Kael.
Neither combatant remained conscious long enough to hear the voices around them.
Working together, the healers carefully lifted both injured students onto stretchers.
Without wasting another second...
They hurried toward the infirmary.
Leaving behind a completely silent arena and a battlefield that bore the scars of one of the fiercest duels the academy had witnessed.