"As you can see, this will be a thrilling clash between two rising stars!" Vesper's voice oozed mischief through the amplification crystal. "From the Mage Academy, we have Kael—the Azure Cloud Tower's prodigious new talent, notoriously low-profile yet rumored to have defeated Jack, last tournament's tenth-ranked warrior, with a single spell!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. One spell? Skepticism mingled with awe. Since when did the Mage Academy harbor such a monster?
Vesper smirked cryptically. "And facing him is 'Brawnox' Fillet—Warrior Academy's pride, a full-blooded barbarian with earth-shattering strength. Ranked thirteenth last year, but bad luck held him back. After a year of training? Let's just say… he's hungry."
His theatrics worked. Thousands of eyes locked onto Zone One's projection crystal, now broadcasting the duel.
"You beat Jack? Impressive!" Fillet grinned, his barbarian honesty surfacing as he gave Kael a thumbs-up.
Kael returned the smile. "Likewise."
At Vesper's signal, the arena fell silent.
Whoosh!
Fillet moved first. Despite his hulking frame, his agility defied logic. Combat aura thickened around him like molten steel as he lunged, fist aimed like a siege hammer.
"Fast!" Kael's Stellar Step activated instantly, blurring him six meters backward.
BOOM!
Fillet's punch cratered the magically reinforced arena floor. Spectators gaped—standard combat aura couldn't scratch this enchanted stone. Only barbarian bloodline strength could wreak such havoc.
"Flame Ward!" Kael encased himself in flickering fire. His Sacred Flame Scepter flicked downward. "Deceleration Hex!"
Fillet's muscles bulged as invisible chains weighed his limbs. A roar tore from his throat, veins throbbing as he strained against the magic's grip.
Kael's mental focus remained unshaken. Lesser mages might have suffered backlash from such strain, but his monstrous spiritual strength—bolstered by the Equilibrium Gem embedded in his Sacred Flame Scepter—held firm.
"Gravity Bind!" His voice was ice-calm as he layered another restraint.
The spell's effect was visceral. Fillet's every step now dragged as if the earth itself conspired against him, magnifying gravity tenfold. Each footfall cratered the arena, tremors rippling outward. Gasps erupted as spectators marveled at the literal weight of Kael's magic.
"The gravity spell's potency—unreal!"
"Could the rumors about him one-shotting Jack be true?"
Kael ignored the chatter, his focus absolute. Whether facing a rookie or a titan, he fought with the same lethal precision. Victory wasn't enough—he aimed to dominate.
Fillet's strength hovered at the early sixth-tier, his raw power surpassing even Jack's three months prior. Yet his control remained unrefined, likely fresh from a recent breakthrough. Straining against the dual hexes, the barbarian roared—but Kael's spiritual pressure didn't waver.
Chanting fluidly, Kael pivoted tactics. Frost shimmered at his fingertips. "Frostspikes!"
Three jagged ice spears, each two meters long, materialized midair. They hurtled toward Fillet, crystalline shards spiraling in their wake. The barbarian's combat aura flared, deflecting the projectiles—but his pallor betrayed the toll. Under Kael's hexes, every movement drained Fillet's reserves catastrophically.
Seizing the opening, Kael raised his scepter. "Blizzard Barrage!"
The spell erupted instantaneously, icy winds howling. Fillet vanished beneath a maelstrom of frost.
"That incantation speed…!" Spectators murmured in awe. Kael's mastery of debuffs paired with blistering cast times marked him as a rare dual-threat mage.
"Yanhua Academy truly teems with talents," a dignitary on the judges' platform remarked, bowing slightly toward Austin.
The Grandmaster smiled, recalling the young man who'd once defied his expectations. A pillar in the making.
Beside him, Zorath the Silent and Ethan exchanged amused glances. The latter, ever the prankster, gave no hint of his secret mentorship—letting Kael's prowess speak for itself.
The blizzard subsided, leaving Fillet encased in a glacial tomb. Ice crystals glinted under the arena lights, sealing the barbarian's defeat.
"Brilliant! Ended in moments!"
"This Kael's a dark horse! A genuine contender!"
"Such spellcasting speed! Such seamless chain-casting! Victory to Kael!" Vesper bellowed, stoking the crowd's frenzy.
Cheers erupted. "KAEL! KAEL! KAEL!" His name now echoed alongside Ethan's, the dazzling magic winning hearts.
Kael smiled faintly. Fire spells—his true forte—could've ended this quicker, especially with his mutated Frostfire. But revealing his full arsenal now? Foolish. Better to hoard trump cards for fiercer battles ahead.
"Not bad," rumbled Golden Lion Eli, observing from the shadows. The champion contender's gaze burned with interest—Kael's spell-weaving precision and control magic had caught his attention. A worthy future opponent.
Beside Eli, Dark Knight Carlos—last tournament's fifth-ranked fighter—grinned. "Thought Brawnox had this. A sixth-tier barbarian's no joke. Yet this mace… clever. Hope he survives long enough to face me."
Kael's rotten luck was legendary: his zone now housed two former top-five finalists.
Descending from the arena, Kael reunited with Amelia and Finn, both fresh from crushing their own first-round matches.
"Clean sweep!" Finn cheered, clapping Kael's shoulder.
Before they could celebrate further, the projection crystal flared—refocusing on Zone One. Two new figures materialized, halting Kael mid-step.
His junior sect-sister Grace stood center stage. Her tailored arcane robes shimmered with subtle runes, while her wand—a masterwork of enchanted ivory—hummed with ambient mana. Whistles pierced the air as the crowd appraised her delicate features.
Her opponent: a mid fifth-tier earth mage. Yet what followed left Kael—and the stadium—gaping.