A blinding burst of radiance erupted from beneath Dekanis’s feet as a dense, piercing spear of pure light tore through
the arena floor, threatening to impale her in an instant.
Her survival instincts, honed by years of grueling discipline, fired before her conscious mind could even process the threat.
She lashed out, weaving a barrier of jagged, dark flames around her body, yet
the sheer, crushing pressure of the light spear was monstrous.
The dark barrier held for only a few fleeting heartbeats before it shattered into
obsidian dust, like brittle glass under a sledgehammer.
But those few seconds were all Dekanis needed.
With lightning-fast reflexes, she activated "Shadow Step," blurring out of existence
and reappearing a safe distance away, her chest heaving as she immediately began
gathering every shred of her remaining essence to forge a dark, volatile arrow of concentrated fire.
She launched the shadow-forged projectile toward the incoming spear of light.
The moment they collided in the center of the arena, a deafening explosion ripped through the air.
For several agonizing heartbeats, the two opposing forces—the holy brilliance of the
light versus the abyssal hunger of the dark flames—struggled for dominance.
Then, in a flash of blinding white and charcoal black, both attacks disintegrated,
their residual energies dissipating into the atmosphere.
Dekanis stood firm, gasping for air, a
sharp, defiant smirk curling her lips as she locked eyes with her opponent.
"A decent trick," she spat, her voice ringing with grim determination, "but it won’t be enough to put me down."
Selena countered with a serene, unnerving smile, her composure suggesting she had anticipated exactly this outcome.
She wasted no time, refusing to grant Dekanis even a moment of respite.
With a flick of her wrist, she manifested a torrent of rapid light chains, lashing out from the void toward Dekanis’s position.
Dekanis danced across the arena like a phantom, utilizing "Shadow Step" again
and again to evade the relentless onslaught, but the toll was becoming
visible; beads of sweat lined her forehead, and her movements were losing their razor-sharp fluidity.
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She realized, with a sinking feeling, that her mana was draining at an unsustainable rate.
Selena’s strategy of attrition was working—she was systematically eroding Dekanis’s reserves, cornering her.
Dekanis knew that if she didn’t end this right here, right now, defeat was inevitable.
She clenched her jaw, her eyes burning with resolve as she decided to gamble everything on one final, desperate card.
She cocooned herself in a thin, desperate defensive barrier, focusing every microscopic drop of essence remaining within her veins.
She began to forge an arrow of Dark Flame, not merely a weapon, but a lethal
manifestation of 97% of her entire remaining mana supply.
The air around her trembled, vibrating with the sheer density and malevolence of the attack.
Just as she finished the construct, Selena’s unrelenting light chains slammed into her barrier, shattering it into nothingness.
Dekanis didn’t flinch. She unleashed the dark arrow with every ounce of her dwindling strength.
The projectile tore through the air, piercing the remaining chains of light like a red-hot
blade passing through soft wax, screaming toward Selena’s chest with lethal intent.
Selena watched the dark arrow hurtling toward her, and rather than displaying a
trace of fear, she let out a soft, melodic laugh.
"Very well," she whispered, her eyes glowing with intensity. "Let us put an end to this match."
Selena ceased holding back.
She invoked the royal technique passed down through her lineage: "Knight of the Holy Spear."
In a heartbeat, the atmosphere shifted, and a towering, ethereal knight materialized
behind her—a figure of terrifying, breathtaking beauty, clad in armor that
shimmered with divine radiance, clutching a long, ornate holy spear.
The moment the technique manifested, Selena’s body convulsed under the intense
burden, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Her fragile human vessel wasn't yet refined enough to fully shoulder the weight of
such an ancient art, but she ignored the searing pain, screaming a command for
the knight to pour every fragment of its power into a single, decisive strike.
The knight leveled its spear toward the oncoming shadow arrow.
With a voice that resonated with both majesty and seduction, Selena
commanded, "Holy Spear Technique... First Level!"
The knight lunged forward with inhuman speed.
The holy spear slammed into Dekanis’s dark arrow, and for a split second, the
world seemed to freeze as the two powers locked in a violent deadlock.
The impact was so severe that the spectral knight itself was pushed back a full step by the raw, kinetic force of the collision.
Yet, it quickly steadied its stance, driving forward with overwhelming, unstoppable momentum.
Within moments, the dark arrow began to flicker and wane under the crushing
pressure of the spear, eventually collapsing into nothingness.
A heavy, suffocating silence descended upon the arena.
Selena stood with a confident, triumphant smile, looking toward where Dekanis had
been standing, expecting to see a collapsed or defeated opponent.
But her heart skipped a beat; Dekanis was gone.
She had utilized her superior tactical intelligence: during the chaotic moment of
the collision, while Selena was fully committed to guiding the knight’s strike,
Dekanis had used the distraction to recover a sliver of mana.
She had poured her very last breath into
one final, perfected "Shadow Step," appearing with a speed that defied the
laws of the arena, completely exiting Selena’s line of sight.
In the blink of an eye, Dekanis emerged directly behind Selena.
With cold, practiced precision, she pressed the cold steel of her hidden dagger against
Selena’s throat, whispering into her ear, " "Power alone never decides a battle."
Selena froze, her eyes widening as the reality of the situation took hold.
She knew the fight had been decisively won.
She didn't struggle or attempt a desperate counter; instead, she acknowledged her defeat with a weary, faint smile.
"A magnificent... move," she breathed, her voice raspy, before her strength finally
failed her and she collapsed from the sheer exhaustion of the battle.
The arena was deathly silent for a second before the referee’s voice boomed across
the entire academy grounds: "The winner... is Dekanis!"
The silence broke, and the stands erupted into a roar of thunderous applause.
This hadn't been just another match; it was a brutal clash of wills and wits.
Dekanis had proven that strength was not merely found in the raw volume of one’s
energy, but in the ruthless, calculated
wisdom of how one wields it when everything is on the line.