After the battle between Kael and Dylan concluded, everyone eagerly awaited another clash - the duel between Amelia and Ethan.
This too would determine the strongest warrior of the combat academy.
"Senior brother, are you alright?" Grace rushed over, her face full of concern. Kael smiled at her: "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Kael's injuries seemed to have awakened the girl's maternal instincts. Grace stood guard over Kael like a mother hen protecting her chick.
Amused by her behavior, Kael retrieved several potions from his spatial ring. After drinking them, his body visibly recovered. Let it not be forgotten that the wielder of The Book of Immortality was a consummate potion master. Though the book's sealed state currently limited Kael's alchemy skills to master-level proficiency.
"Senior brother, Amelia's fighting Ethan next. Who do you think will win?" Grace asked curiously.
Kael shrugged: "I don't know."
He spoke truthfully. While he had faith in Amelia, Ethan's true strength was known only to himself.
"I think Sister Amelia is amazing! Is that Ethan really so powerful? Why does everyone seem so wary of him?" Having transferred to Yanhua Academy mid-term, Grace knew little of Ethan's reputation. In truth, neither did Kael.
But testimonies from Ethan himself, Zorath the Silent, and others had confirmed the young warrior's formidable prowess.
The group ate lunch without leaving the arena grounds, awaiting the afternoon match.
Post-noon:
With the combat platform destroyed during Kael and Dylan's battle, Yanhua Academy had mobilized its faculty for emergency repairs. Through the combined efforts of numerous Arcane Mages and higher-tier spellcasters, the arena was magically reconstructed.
Vesper bounded onto the platform beaming: "Ladies and gentlemen! Our second match is about to commence! Let's welcome the radiant Miss Amelia and Ethan to the stage!"
Amidst thunderous cheers, Amelia and Ethan stepped onto the platform. Their eyes mirrored solemn anticipation - this duel kindled both fierce longing and grave respect in equal measure.
At Vesper's command, both warriors exploded into motion.
Unlike the dazzling opening salvos of mage duels, their clash embodied the brutal essence of warrior combat - no pyrotechnics, only primal collisions of flesh and steel.
Speed and raw power!
Their figures blurred across the trembling arena floor. Though lacking the earth-shaking spectacle of Kael and Dylan's magic duel, the perilous intensity surpassed it tenfold. Deafening collisions of their combat auras reverberated like warhammer strikes against spectators' chests as the fighters clashed - twin lightning bolts incarnate.
They epitomized warrior excellence.
"Aura Burst!" Amelia's battle cry unleashed concentric shockwaves. The crushing pressure radiating from her seemed capable of flattening mountains.
"Twelve-layer Aura Burst!" Finn gasped in awe, his face flushing with masculine shame before such prowess.
Ethan answered with a derisive snort. Matching her feat, twelve concentric shockwaves erupted from his body as his power surged violently to seventh-tier combat aura - early stage!
"So he's truly seventh-tier," Kael mused. This aligned with expectations - Ethan's three consecutive Magic-Martial Tournament victories demanded nothing less.
Equal-tier strength. Identical twelve-layer aura bursts. Their condensed combat energies stood balanced. The deciding factors now became comprehension of martial realms and mastery of advanced techniques.
"Eagle's Strike!" Amelia's frost-tinged aura solidified into crystalline raptor talons slashing downward.
"Colossus Might!" Ethan's aura transformed into a primeval behemoth's stomp, his condensed energy exploding like an elephant crushing its prey.
Boom!
The deafening collision sent violent tremors rippling across the arena, a glaring testament to their monstrous combat auras.
After the initial strike, Amelia and Ethan instantly reset, their auras clashing with metallic clangs as they adjusted their stances mid-air. The fighters wove through brutal exchanges, each collision sharpening their focus to razor intensity.
Combat aura crisscrossed the refurbished platform, gouging fresh craters into its surface within moments. Jagged fissures spiderwebbed outward with every strike - casualties of the warriors' frenzied duel.
For now, the combat academy prodigies remained evenly matched. Their blurring movements exchanged multiple blows per heartbeat, so swift even Kael's eyes strained to follow.
"This relentless pace can't last," Kael observed. Though no warrior himself, daily sparring with Amelia granted keen insight. "The victor will emerge soon."
Ethan's whip-like leg arced downward, a mountainous strike aimed at Amelia's torso. She activated Stellar Steps, her form flickering sideways as the kick cratered the ground. Web-like fissures exploded outward from the impact point.
Snorting in defiance, Amelia pivoted behind Ethan. Her aura detonated in a pinpoint thrust toward his spine - only for Ethan to contort impossibly, evading at inhuman angles. Their energies collided anew, detonation waves scalping the arena floor.
As combat escalated, both fighters paled from strain. A barrier of condensed aura now surrounded them, deflecting debris into smoking trajectories. Warrior students watched in awestruck dread, their confidence crumbling before this masterclass in destruction.
"It ends now," Kael murmured.
Both fighters froze mid-motion, gathering final reserves. A heartbeat's stillness - then calamity.
Aura Burst - thirteen layers!
Ethan's combat aura deepened to obsidian hues, surpassing previous limits. The surprise escalation caught Amelia mid-preparation. Though she rallied desperately, her hastily-formed counterstrike faltered against this tsunami of power.
Crash!
Amelia's body hurtled toward the arena's edge. With a soft grunt, Kael unleashed a surge of magic, cushioning her descent with telekinetic precision.
Out of bounds. Defeat.
Ethan stood alone at the arena's heart, gaze calmly predatory as it locked onto Kael. The stage was set - these two would clash in the final reckoning.
Ethan's supporters roared themselves hoarse. Ignoring the cacophony, Kael cradled Amelia's trembling form, threads of apothecary's essence probing her meridians.
"Nothing critical," Kael exhaled in relief.
Pale but composed, Amelia offered a wry smile. "I lost." Her tone held no bitterness, only the crystalline focus of a genius dissecting defeat. Already, her mind replayed every strike and counter from Ethan's playbook.
"You'll still compete for top three," Kael reassured. "None foresaw Ethan's hidden card - thirteen-layer Aura Burst paired with seventh-tier strength. No wonder he's dominated the Magic-Martial Tournament."
Across the arena, Ethan's scrutiny mirrored Kael's assessment. Through twists of fate, the alchemist and the combat prodigy now stood as final adversaries.
The tournament's crown hovered within Kael's reach - separated by a single battle.