Alvian walked down the quiet stone hallway to the waiting room. The crowd noise was soft here, blocked by the glowing crystals in the walls.
Serah Garrick was waiting for him near the stone doorway.
Her dark hair was tied back tight, and her uniform was neat. Metal wires were wrapped around her arms, glowing with a steady blue light. She looked calm, but the glowing wires showed she was ready for a hard fight.
Alvian stopped a few feet away. The tournament bracket had updated ten minutes ago.
"My family is watching from the top box," Serah said quietly, looking down at the floor. "My father brought two Guild recruiters. I have to win this match."
Alvian understood. She was a B-Rank SunFire Talent. Everyone expected her to win the whole tournament. If she lost to an E-Rank, she would lose her research money and shame her family.
"I have to win too," Alvian said.
Serah looked up and met his eyes. She nodded. There was no anger or trash talk between them. They were just two students fighting for their futures.
She turned and walked out to the stage. Alvian followed behind her.
The crowd was louder than ever. Only the top eight fighters were left. Alvian was the only low-Rank student remaining, which seemed impossible to everyone watching.
Helen Croft stood in the middle of the stage. She looked at Alvian with her one good eye. She knew about the upcoming investigation, but right now, she had a job to do.
"Begin!" Helen shouted, quickly stepping back to the edge.
The fight started instantly.
Both of them knew what the other could do. Serah knew about Alvian’s acid skills because she had helped build his gear. Alvian knew about her SunFire power and that her metal wires let her shoot spells faster with shorter cooldowns.
Serah raised her hand, and the wires on her arm flashed bright.
Fwoosh!
A beam of pure, burning light shot from her palm. It was a SunFire Lance made of concentrated sunlight. The heat was dry, fast, and blinding.
Alvian dove hard to his left. The light beam missed his shoulder by an inch and hit the floor, leaving a deep black burn mark on the tiles. The heat was so strong that Alvian broke into a sweat right away.
Serah did not stop. Thanks to her wire modifications, she had almost no cooldown time. She fired three more beams in a row.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Alvian ran and rolled across the stage.The light beams chased him, scorching the floor. He could not get close to her because her ranged attacks were too strong.
He needed to change the battlefield.
He dropped low and slapped the floor tiles, using Clearwater Coating. A puddle of acid spread quickly across the ground to make the floor slippery and slow her down.
Serah saw the acid and did not panic. She aimed her palm right at the puddle.
"Did you think I wouldn’t have a plan for that?" Serah called out. "I helped you make that skill!"
She fired a wide beam of SunFire at the floor. The extreme heat hit the acid, turning it instantly into dry, harmless dust before it could do anything.
[Ding!]
[High-power solar heat detected.]
[Clearwater acid dried up.]
[Mistake noted. She knows your moves, boss.]
Alvian ducked behind a raised stone edge on the stage. He could not win at long range. He had to get close using something she could not simply shoot away.
He put away his sword, grabbed the collar of his patched jacket, and tore it off. He wrapped the thick cloth tightly around his left arm and fist. Then, he pushed his Essence into it.
Clearwater Coating.
He soaked the jacket inside and out with heavy acid. The cloth began to sizzle and melt, but it would hold together for a few seconds.
He jumped out from cover and ran straight at Serah.
Serah aimed right at his chest and fired her strongest SunFire Lance yet. A thick beam of golden light blasted across the platform.
Alvian did not dodge. He raised his left arm, putting the acid-soaked jacket right in the path of the beam.
The SunFire hit the Clearwater acid.
Pure light clashed with powerful acid. The reaction was massive.
BOOOOOOM!
A giant blast of super-hot white steam exploded outward. The thick steam covered the entire center of the arena, blocking everyone’s view. The crowd gasped.
Alvian dropped the ruined jacket and ran quietly through the thick fog. He popped out just two steps away from Serah, his right hand dripping with fresh acid.
Serah acted on pure reflex. She brought her hands together, and the wires on her arms glowed as bright as small suns.
A SunFire Shield appeared around her... a solid dome of bright golden light that burned anything touching it.
Alvian did not stop. He drove his right palm straight into the glowing shield!
Clearwater Palm!
Acid hit the light shield.
[Ding!]
[Light shield structure breaking down.]
[Acid breaking apart solar energy.]
[Chemistry beats magic.]
The shield hissed loudly. The acid ate right through the energy holding the shield together. Cracks spread across the golden dome like spiderwebs.
SHATTER!
The SunFire Shield broke into thousands of tiny sparks.
Serah stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock. Her strongest defense was gone.
Alvian stepped through the falling sparks. He stopped his dripping, acid-covered hand just one inch from her face. She could feel the stinging heat of the acid near her eyes.
"Yield," Alvian said quietly.
Serah stared at his hand, then at his face. She knew he would not hurt her, but the fight was over. She slowly lowered her arms, and the blue glow in her wires faded away.
"I yield," Serah said steadily.
Helen Croft stepped out from the clearing steam and raised her hand.
"Match over! Winner: Alvian Vance! Match time: one minute and twelve seconds."
The crowd broke into huge cheers. It was the best fight of the tournament so far. An E-Rank student had just beaten the top favorite.
Alvian wiped the acid from his hand and nodded to Serah. She nodded back and walked toward the exit tunnel.
[Ding!]
[Battle finished.]
[Quest progress updated.]
[Re-Roll Token still safe. Saving it for the final boss?]
Alvian closed the System menu. He looked over at Helen Croft. The referee was not looking at him, she was looking up at the VIP boxes, making eye contact with a man sitting in the shadows. The man wore a dark hood that hid his face, and he gave Helen a slow nod.
An official investigation was coming, and someone powerful was watching him. Alvian turned and walked into the tunnel to get ready for the semifinals.