"Ladies and gentlemen, the Quarterfinal Advancement Matches commence!" Vesper's amplified voice silenced the roaring crowd. "Our first duel: Ethan versus Finn!"
Finn groaned beside Kael. "Of course I get paired with the reigning champion. Poor me, stuck facing a monster like Ethan all alone while you bask in glory…"
Kael clapped Finn's shoulder. "Quit whining. Push him hard – we need to uncover his hidden strength."
Ethan's true capabilities remained shrouded in mystery. Despite restricting himself to sixth-tier power throughout the tournament, no opponent had forced the three-time champion to reveal his seventh-tier prowess.
Finn cracked his knuckles. "Don't worry. I'll make that pretty boy sweat even if I lose."
As Finn entered the arena, Ethan strolled with leisurely grace, his golden hair catching sunlight like a hero from ancient ballads. The stands erupted – warriors and nobles alike screamed his name, drowning out Finn's sparse supporters.
Aura Burst: Eighth Layer!
Finn's crimson energy flared, muscles swelling beneath his armor. Across the battlefield, Ethan smiled and raised a single finger.
Aura Burst: Tenth Layer.
The ground cracked under the pressure. Finn's knees buckled as Ethan's golden aura formed a corona brighter than the sun. Gasps rippled through the crowd – no warrior had manifested Tenth Layer Aura Burst casually in decades.
"Showoff," Finn muttered through gritted teeth. Twin battleaxes materialized in his hands. "Let's see how you handle Raging Cyclone Slash!"
His spinning charge carved trenches in reinforced stone. Ethan didn't bother drawing weapons.
Martial Art: Void Palm.
A casual backhand strike. Space itself warped, Finn's devastating attack unraveling mid-spin. The warrior flew backward, skidding to a halt at the arena's edge.
Blood trickled from Finn's nose. "Alright, time to get serious."
Berserker's Awakening!
His aura flared crimson-black. Muscles tore and reformed, bones crackling as he entered the forbidden seventh-stage enhancement. The crowd roared – no warrior had risked this self-destructive technique in living memory.
Ethan's smile finally faded. "Interesting."
For the first time, he assumed a combat stance.
Ethan's earth-aligned aura coalesced into a grizzly-like spectral form as he charged. The collision shattered Finn's eighth-layer Aura Burst instantly, hurling the warrior across the arena in a spray of bloodied gravel.
"Damn it all!" Finn spat crimson, staggering upright. His pride stung more than his wounds – being outclassed so brutally before thousands stung like salt in a gash.
Kael's eyes narrowed. Tenth-layer Aura Burst deployed casually… Ethan's control is monstrous.
Crescent Moon Slash!
Finn activated Stellar Evasion, closing the distance with phantom steps. His axe arced in a fiery crescent, meeting Ethan's golden aura head-on.
BOOM!
The impact tremor cracked the arena floor. Ethan shifted half a step backward – his first concession to resistance. Finn flew again, armor plates screeching against stone.
"Still not enough," Kael murmured. Amelia nodded grimly. Only the tournament's true titans could pressure Ethan's hidden depths.
Ethan surged forward, his fist encased in tectonic force. Finn barely raised his guard before the strike's aftershock flattened his defenses.
"I yield!" Finn's shout cracked mid-syllable.
Ethan's fist halted centimeters from the warrior's nose, shockwaves ruffling Finn's singed hair.
"Contestant Finn concedes! Victory to Ethan!" Vesper's announcement triggered deafening cheers.
As medics rushed to stabilize Finn's fractured ribs, Ethan strolled offstage with hands clasped behind his back – a king among pawns.
Kael's frostfire flared involuntarily. Soon. The thought burned brighter than any spell. Our reckoning comes soon.
Finn trudged back to the stands, shoulders slumped. "Sorry, Kael," he muttered. "That bastard Ethan went straight for my gorgeous face! Had to surrender or risk disfigurement. Can't charm ladies with a broken nose, can I? Tried to push him, but…"
"Don't sweat it," Kael chuckled. He'd expected little from the mismatch.
"Jealousy, pure and simple!" Finn stroked his unbruised cheek, delusion intact. "Ethan fears my dashing looks'll steal his fanclub."
The afternoon match approached – Kael versus Patrick. Finn perked up. "You'll crush that scrub. Composite magic'll melt his kneecaps!"
Kael smirked. Since mastering spatial-infused spells, sixth-tier opponents like Patrick posed no threat. The real challenge lay ahead – Ethan, Dylan, Amelia.
Later – Arena Dusk
Vesper's voice boomed as twilight painted the stands. "Our final quarterfinal: Kael versus Patrick! Fresh off humiliating Nankur's so-called elites, our frostfire phenom faces his next victim!"
The crowd erupted. Chants of "Kael! Kael!" rivaled Ethan's earlier ovation. Magic Academy students pounded the bleachers, their earlier divisions forgotten in collective pride.
Ethan watched from the shadows, his gaze inscrutable. Once Flamecrest's undisputed star, he now stood eclipsed by this first-year anomaly. Whispers of "composite magic" and "spatial fractures" had spread like wildfire since the Nankur duel.
Patrick shuffled into the arena, pallid under Kael's frostfire glare. The sixth-tier mage's reputation for luck over skill made him an underwhelming challenger.
Kael raised his scepter. Frostfire swirled lazily – a predator toying with prey.
"Begin!"
Patrick's opening salvo fizzled mid-cast. Arcane Silencing stole his voice, Mana Turbulencecrippled his channels. The match ended before Patrick's first spell fully formed.
"Kael advances!" Vesper crowed as medics carted off the trembling loser.
Amelia met Kael at the tunnel, her smile warmer than frostfire's chill. "Efficient."
"Conserving strength," Kael replied, eyes already scanning tomorrow's bracket. "The true battles begin now."
Ethan's golden aura flickered in the distance – a silent challenge. The king awaited his usurper.
Kael's meteoric rise now rivaled Ethan's legendary status, his fame burning as fiercely as his frostfire. Vesper, ever the showman, seized the moment to drop another bombshell: "Rumor has it our rising star is none other than Ethan's own disciple!"
The crowd erupted anew. Gasps and murmurs swept through the stands like wildfire. Ethan's name carried weight across the Human Alliance—a paragon of arcane mastery and battlefield valor. That Kael stood as his protégé explained the first-year's terrifying prowess while draping him in an aura of mystique. To the awed spectators, Kael now seemed every bit the equal of Dylan and Ethan themselves.
Kael raised an eyebrow, surprised by the intensity of the reaction. He'd known Ethan's influence ran deep, but not that claiming discipleship would elevate his status to near-mythic proportions. The old man's reputation is even loftier than I imagined, he mused, filing away this revelation for future use.
As the buzz subsided, Kael's opponent finally took the stage. Patrick's appearance drew muted whispers—a stark contrast to the fanfare surrounding Kael. The mage's unusually petite frame and plain, almost rustic features made him seem more like a bewildered farmer than a quarterfinal contender. His hunched posture and nervously clasped hands completed the image of an underdog wholly outmatched.
Vesper's voice dripped with mock solemnity. "Will the disciple of legend prevail? Or will dark horse Patrick defy expectations? Let. The. Duel. Begin!"
Frostfire ignited along Kael's scepter, casting Patrick's ashen face in cerulean light. The outcome was never in doubt—but for the crowd, the spectacle alone justified their fervor.