The arena still trembled from the simultaneous clashes. Three duels were taking place at once, but the spectators' attention was increasingly drawn to one of them.
Kaien was retreating step by step, the spellbook floating before him, its pages turning on their own, inscribing runes of light in the air.
"Don't come any closer. One mistake and you'll vanish."
Arwen didn't reply. Her two daggers circled low; her body was bent forward, her movements light, almost dance-like.
Kaien raised his hand. The runes flashed.
A binding spell. Circles of energy sealed off the space.
Arwen darted to the side at the last moment. One of the blades sliced the rune in half—the spell shattered like glass.
The commentator shouted,
"Perfect timing! But Kaien still controls the field!"
Kaien frowned. Instead of retreating, he took a step forward. Too close.
Arwen noticed it.
"You trust the book too much," she whispered.
Kaien turned to a new page. That was a mistake.
In that very second, Arwen vanished from his field of vision. Not teleportation. Speed.
She appeared to his left. The first dagger sliced through the book's binding. The second stopped just inches from his throat.
Silence.
Kaien blinked. The book fell to the ground.
The commentator shouted
"KAIEN… ELIMINATED!"
The crowd erupted. Arwen took a step back, sheathing her blades.
"You thought I'd dance to your spells."
Kaien knelt on his knees and nodded bitterly.
"One step… too far."
On the other side of the arena, Valdor and Mira circled each other. They hadn't attacked yet.
"The Dragon Hunt. A new team. And yet you're risking a tournament of this magnitude. Why?"
Valdor looked at her calmly.
"Because sometimes you have to step out of the shadows to bring something to an end."
Mira narrowed her eyes.
"An escape or an answer?" Mira asked.
"Both," Valdor replied.
"We fight for the forests. For balance. — And you?"
Valdor was silent for a moment.
"For the past."
"In that case… we won't back down."
"That's what I expected."
Their weapons rose simultaneously. But the arena's center of gravity shifted again.
In the northern part of the arena, Kael was facing off against Hisagi.
Kael was sent flying backward. He fell hard. One knee struck a rock.
His sword plunged into the ground. He leaned on it, panting.
Hisagi stood before him, powerful, unflinching.
"Get up. It's not over yet."
Kael said nothing, then closed his eyes.
Black banners. Mud. A scream.
Kael saw his men. His squad. They had perished in fire and blood.
The devils of Azrok. Allies.
Not when they were fighting the enemy. But when they turned their backs.
Kael knelt before his commander. — "They weren't the enemy. It was Azrok. They betrayed us!"
The reply was cold.
"Enough. You're looking for someone to blame. Azrok is our ally — they couldn't have done this."
Kael stood before the graves of his entire squad.
That day, he made a vow.
"I will defeat Azrok." — he replied. — "even if I have to die."
Kael opened his eyes and saw Hisagi looking at him.
Hisagi smiled. — "I was starting to think you'd lost consciousness."
The rock beneath Kael's knee cracked.
He rose slowly. He gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands.
A blue aura began to seep along the blade. Quiet. Deep. Steady.
Hisagi narrowed his eyes.
"Now you're really fighting."
"Now I remember… why I live."
The sword rose. The air trembled.
Commentator:
"KAEL IS GETTING UP!"
A blue light sliced through the arena.
Hisagi laughed.
"So this is your true power!"
Blue light seeped from the blade of Kael's sword. — "I'll end this with a single stroke." — Kael replied.
"We'll see if you can do it." — Hisagi replied.
"HAAAAAAAA!" — Hisagi's scream shattered the silence, and his sword shattered into hundreds of leaves that swirled around him.
The two stood facing each other, ready to fight.