As I made my way carefully down the tramline carriage steps into the Northern district entryway, I could hear - even feel - the ground rumbling beneath me from a distance. The North district was the main section for battle training and school team competitions, so the vibrations in the earth and the roars that could be heard in the air, most likely came from just that, people fighting.
Compared to the West district - which was densely packed with buildings - the North district was more spacious and although it held fewer buildings, they were each bigger in size individually. Stretching wide in length and looming over my person in height as I strode past.
We were to meet in front of the “Nethuin Ranvier” building, - named after the famed elven sorcerer himself. It was said that he was able to command the elements like no other. Placing himself in a league of sorcerers with no one to question his power. He became a man that all the races adorned despite their past disputes, as his history is filled with bringing the people together, and acting as the band that not only held us together, but also prevented the races from re-entering conflict after the war. He was a powerhouse that the Elven race most likely wished was born during the times of the Royal War.
However, unfortunately, he went missing during his final expedition in the Arcadian ruins. Leaving behind a positive stain in our world, as many statues, buildings, and books have been created in recognition of his great deeds.
I had read multiple books that had mentioned the man before, how the authors always wrote about him in a good light, and how he accelerated the development of society in the short thirty-five years this world saw him.
And now, his name was branded on the building where I would learn how to fight alongside this continent's future leaders. The large group of kids all standing together under the sign of his name at the towering building.
There were many of us, too many to count, and although it didn't usually bother me, I felt somewhat lonely as I saw a large group of students huddling around each other and talking.
‘It's only the first day, how could these people be so open with one another’ I thought.
After finding a place to rest my back against the building wall near the class, we waited for some time before all the students arrived and our teacher appeared from within the building and grabbed our attention.
“Listen up kids” the burly man yelled. “My name is Professor Dom, and I will be your teacher for this class. However, from now on, I want you all to refer to me as "Sho-Gan Dom'', as my rank in this group is the leader.” He looked around menacingly.
“In this class, you should see yourselves as rookies” He continued, “because I want you to gain my respect through valor in battle. Show me you are worthy of training under my council, and I will give you the respect you give to me. ” He turned to open the door behind him again, and the class followed him as he walked inside the building.
“If you didn't already know, this class is called practical sparring, and we were supposed to begin ten minutes ago.” He said whilst walking hastily through the building. “Normally, your late arrival would be rewarded with punishment, but as it is your first day, I will give you all a warning. If even one of you arrives late again, you will all be punished for it” He threatened.
We walked through the building for some time until we entered a room that was, in fact, one of the many indoor stadiums in the North District. I looked around at the large open space and smiled as I heard the sound of Proffe- . . . Sho-Gan Dom’s voice change to a slight echo. There were stands that sat up high at the sides of the room, and the ground - where we stood - was a hard but smooth surface that was more akin to a pit.
“Everyone, gather round,” Sho-Gan Dom called out to the group. “ sSnce it's your first day, we would hold a tournament just to break the ice between us all. I also want to see where you all stand in terms of your physical abilities” He said with a stern face. “There should be - if everyone is here - three hundred of you. So, I want you all to pair up with another person”
People hurriedly began to move around and find themselves partners, and I could see that some of the larger individuals seemed to head towards the frailer-looking students to partner up with. Fortunately, by default, I found another boy standing alone minding his own business amidst the others as they paired up.
“Hey, do you want to pair up?” I asked as I approached him.
He looked me up and down scrutinizingly, his eyes gazing over my body intensely. “Sure,” He said with a faint smile.
“I'm Elex, by the way”
“Chrollo. It's nice to meet you” he replied.
We stood next to each other in silence for a while. Waiting for the rest of the students to pair so we could begin. But in that time, I was able to assess my soon-to-be opponent carefully.
From afar, I couldn't tell, but now that he was right next to me, there was no mistaking that he was of Demon blood. He stood similar to me in height and he seemed to be well-built, but those were probably our only similar features. The pigment of his skin held a smooth creamy chocolate color, and it complimented his charcoal-black hair. These features were not uncommon for humans or any other race, but the fact is, he was Demonic. Which explained why his eyes were a dark blueberry chroma and the tips of his hair were naturally highlighted with the same color. His ears held the slight point that resembled an elf, but not as extreme. And his face . . . his face was, undoubtedly, symmetric.
He held a calm expression at the time I studied him, but he was unmistakably a very attractive individual. He looked gloomy but serene at the same time, as if he were in deep thought. It was somewhat intimidating to stand next to someone so captivating, as it sort of tested my pride.
It didn't matter though. Looks wouldn't determine his ability to fight, and I suspected I would make light work of him before moving on to the next person.
“Alright, is everyone partnered up?” Sho-Gan Dom asked.
The silent response from the crowd told him that we were, and he continued to explain the rules of the tournament.
“Ok, well I hope you have gotten enough time to get to know your partner, because they are going to be your duo in this tournament.”
You could hear a few disappointed voices in the group as they probably chose their teammates thinking they were going to face off against them, and I can't say I didn't think the same.
“Let me explain the first stage of the tournament. Each group will take a black flag marker and a piece of chalk to write on it from the basket.” He pointed behind us next to the entrance from which we came where the baskets sat.
“You will all then spread along the stadium edge, and place your flag markers into the ground and claim that area of the wall as your team's small base. I'm sure there is more than enough space for one hundred and fifty teams.” He added “You will decide between yourselves who will be the “Adventurer” and who will be the “Guardian” of your team.” He took a moment to pause and let us process what he was saying before he continued.
“At the beginning of the game, I will blow my whistle and the adventurers will run to the center of the stadium where a pile of paper will be left on the ground. Their goal is to collect one piece of paper and bring it back to their base, where the Guardian will be stationed.”
The groups murmured amongst themselves as they decided on their roles before the teacher had finished explaining the rules. I looked over to see if Chrollo had decided on the position he wanted, but his expression seemed to be indifferent about the whole matter.
Sho-Gan Dom continued to say, “On the paper they collect, there will be a number and that number will be your group's team name. This number should be written on the flag post as soon as the Adventurer returns back to their base. However, there will be one other group with the same number you have on their piece of paper as well, and they will also display that number on their flag. The aim of the game is to claim that number for your own team before the time is up. Therefore, each Adventurer has to go out and find the other duo's base who has the same number as theirs and take their flag back to their own base. Once you have two flags with the same number on them, bring them back to me and your team will have completed stage one. Anyone who doesn't have two flags with the same number by the end will be disqualified, and you can sit in the stands up above.” He said pointing to the sitting area “Any questions?”
The group was silent for a moment until a boy raised his hand, and the teacher signaled him to speak.
“Do the Guardians have to stay at the base the entire time?” he asked.
“Yes. “Guardian” and “Adventurer” aren't just random titles, they are given to clarify your role within your groups. Only one of you - the “Adventurer” - can freely move around the stadium and travel to other bases. While the other - the “Guardian” - must stay and defend the base from opposing teams. And also, I forgot to mention two things. The “Guardian” must always stay within five feet of their flag post once they have collected their number, while the adventurer cannot be within five feet of the flag post. Only after your team's flag has been taken by another team, can both members move anywhere they like until they have obtained a new flag. The second thing,” He continued, “is that there will be no use of arc stones to help in the first stage. I want everyone to use their physical abilities only.” The groans and complaints from the students were loud, but Sho-Gan Dom insisted on his rule.
“Any other questions?” he asked again.
The silence remained this time and we were ready to begin.
“ Good. Now, what you all need to do is head back to the main reception area and talk to one of the people at the front desk about your training uniforms. Once they give them to you, get changed and head back to this room. Don't worry about sizes, the school will already have your measurements, just make sure to tell them your name.”
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When we arrived back at the stadium, everything was set and laid out. We grabbed a flag post and some chalk as we walked through the doors to then spread ourselves across the room. Chrollo and I chose a spot in one of the far corners from the main entrance. I guess we were lucky to find such a good spot since we arrived fairly early.
The strong high pitch bellow of a whistle rang in the air and everyone was completely silent. Sho-Gan Dom shouted from afar “Everyone, get ready because as soon as the clock hits ten-thirty, I will blow this whistle again and the game will begin.” he pointed up at a large clock that sat up high and pinned to the wall. We had five minutes until we would begin.
“How do you think we should go about this?” I turned and asked Chrollo. I wanted to see what kind of partner I had gained. How the upper-class kids of this continent really thought. What knowledge I could pick up from them, and Chrollo would be my first subject.
“Well, first we should decide what roles we want. Personally, I don't mind being the guardian. So, I'll be glad to stay and protect our flag.” he said.
“Ok then, I'll be an adventurer. Although, that still leaves us with the problem of finding the other team that will have the same number as us. I mean, there are one hundred and fifty teams here, it will take us quite some time to find our targets.”
“I don't think so”
“What do you mean?”
“The direction the teacher is leading everyone to follow, is for us to find the other team who has the same flag number as us. But clearly,” he said whilst waving his hand at all of the students spread across the vast stadium “that seems very difficult to do with so many other groups.”
“So what do you suggest?” I asked
“Hmm. Well, it might seem like dirty play, but I think we could get away by taking two other teams' flags instead of just our own - if it benefits us of course.”
“Wouldn't that be against the rules?” I protested.
“I don't think so. The Professor only said to return to him with two flags with the same number on them. It's not like he knows what number each person will have. And the best part about it, is that the enemy teams won't know if we are their opponents either, so it will work out.” He explained. Chrollo seemed satisfied with his plan, and so was I.
‘So these noble kids aren't afraid to break rules. Good’ I thought. Even if Chrollo and I come from completely different backgrounds, I can applaud his “street” way of thinking. Well . . . not that I came from the streets myself, but Leeton village was close enough.
“Ok then, let's go with that plan. But, of course, if I do happen to find our own number before the opportunity rises, then I'll put the majority of my focus on getting that.”
“Sure thing. hey, get ready, it's almost time” he said while using the chalk to point at the clock. It told us we had one minute to spare, and all the other teams around us seemed to have their “Adventurer” preparing to run to the center of the stadium.
Getting myself ready to take off as the time drew nearer, I sheathed myself in a light film of mana just before the ring of the whistle returned and everyone ran for a piece of paper in the middle. Although the stadium was grand, I could sprint to the center within decent speed, but so could some of the others. As we all began to crowd in the middle and fight for the nearest piece of paper I bumped into a hard body.
“Watch it!” The bulky-looking kid said. Our collision caused us both to topple over, and as we got up, he approached me again and shoved me with all his weight to send me back down. He ripped a piece of paper from another student and ran back to his base thrashing through other kids. As I collected one of the papers on the floor, my eyes followed him.
“Bastard,” I said under my breath while heading back to Chrollo. ‘Well I now know which team I'm going for first.
“Nice what number is it,” he asked.
“Seventy”
“Alright, Seventy,” he said while writing the number onto the flag. “I think you shou-”
The sound of Chrollo’s voice cut from my hearing as I took off and made my way to where I saw the boy running. It wasn't like me to get heated this way, but he struck a nerve, and I wanted to let loose a little. I'll start by taking his team's flag while he is out looking for his other number.
Approaching closer to where I last saw him take off, I was surprised to see him, standing by a flag next to the wall of the stadium. Wasn't he the adventurer of his group? I approached him slowly, and as I passed other bases, the students acting as guardians took a defensive stance, but later dropped them as I kept walking past.
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“Huh? Oh, it's you. Don't tell me we have the same number?” he said, smirking at me as I came into his view.
“It just so happens we do,” I replied. Unfortunately, he didn't, and neither did any of the other teams I passed. It would have been nice to kill two birds with one stone, but I wasn't going to let him know that.
“Come at me then” he laughed while spreading his legs wide in an unfamiliar defensive position.
Cladding my leg in mana, I spun my body around to gain momentum before it connected with his body. He covered the left side of where I was aiming for with his arm, and tanked through the impact of my blow, the only sign that told me he felt it was from a grunt he made as he absorbed the kick. As soon as my body began to lose the force I had built up and transferred to his forearm, he rotated his entire body to grab my leg at a terrifying speed for someone of his stature and threw me into the wall behind him.
He loomed over me as I lay flat on the ground trying to recuperate my now slightly blurred eyes from the impact of my crash. ‘What was that?’ I thought to myself. He stood taller than me and he was built wide with a good portion of what looked like muscle and fat. Was I wrong to assume he would be slow? There was no way someone could move so fast with all of that mass.
He looked at me with a sinister smile, as he raised his leg, I could feel the mana gathering within his body to that specific point, and I knew he would release all that weight onto my torso. So, with haste and my adrenalin now pumping, I whipped my feet around my body once again while on the floor and targeted his single leg keeping him balanced. He collapsed over with surprise, as his eyes widened while he fell. I jolted my body up with the kick of my legs and took hold of his flag post.
“Put that back,” He said slowly with a more serious voice. It didn't matter that my father had taught me how to sense and exert a mana signature, even without prior training, there was no way I wouldn't have been able to feel his aura seeping from within his body. Your emotions can affect the way your mana signature is perceived by others, and this was a good example.
The air began to feel heavy and the other guardians at the nearby bases who had been watching were all fully alerted of the boy's aura. It felt violent, it felt like dread, it was a feeling that would make you anxious and cause you to freeze up. He slowly began to rise from his crouched position and turned to face me.
“Let go of it,” he growled with his finger pointed toward me. “Now!”
I smirked at him just as he had to me, and said “Come at me then.”
I pulled the flag from the ground and held it out. 'I can use this to keep the distance between us' I thought.
He charged at me, ready to throw a barrage of heavy attacks. However, I used the body of the flag to maneuver and avoid his bombardment where possible, while constantly dodging and counter-attacking at times I could throw him off balance - which was few.
A person like him - who I assumed to be the irrational thinking bully type - seemed to be far from that with the way he fought. Yes, I was able to avoid and exploit where I could see minor holes in his attacks, but aside from that, he fought with precision and with the intent to throw me off guard as well. Every punch, push and attempt at grabbing me was calculated. He would throw a fist causing me to dodge into a position that allowed him to execute his next attack with ease. When I fought with my father, it didn't feel this way. Like a dance. Albeit, it was more one-sided when I trained with my father, but this still felt strange. And from the looks of the other kids who watched our melee battle from afar, told me that my opponent was better than most our age.
“You told me to come at you, so stop running” He grunted as he tried again and again to get ahold of me. Despite his dreadful aura, he seemed to be enjoying himself as his face reflected that of someone excited. He was persistent with his pursuit, and it didn't feel like he was going to lose steam anytime soon. There was no way I would be able to head back to my base without him following me. My only option was to create an opportunity where I would be able to escape but still leave him at a loss.
‘I hope this works’ I thought.
As he lunged at me in hopes to grab my body, I leaped into the air above him - my legs fortified with mana - and threw the flag amidst a large group of kids who were tussling nearby. Their attention was taken by the flagpole as they all dove for it.
“You little shit,” The boy said to me, scoffing. No anger in his voice. I landed and looked across at him from a distance as I began to back off slowly. He just stood there watching me. Turning his head between me and the flagpole, he made up his mind and headed for what would keep his team in the game - the flag.
I watched him bolt off with a speed that wasn't meant for his build. It would have surprised me even more if I were ignorant, but I knew he wasn't human. Not from his stature or his physical build.
“Damn Giants,” I said under my breath.
Before making my way back to Chrollo, I searched around for my flag number, but to no avail. To make up for my failure in finding it. I decided to steal another team's flag pole as we had planned. It would be easier if I were looking for more than just one number anyway.
As I saw two students fighting nearby, I approached as inconspicuously as I possibly could and snatched the pole while they were in combat with one another.
“Hey, give that back.” The girl shouted at me “Ugh, get off me, can't you see my flag is gone” She complained to her opponent. They had stopped fighting to turn on me, but I was already long gone and weaved myself through other teams to hide.
“Is that ours?” Chrollo asked as I approached him.
“No, it belongs to another team. I haven't found ours yet.” I said while slightly panting. “How has it been over here? Has anyone come to try to take our flag?”
“No, no one. Either the other teams have come up with similar plans to our own, or we're all just struggling”
“Well, I'll keep looking, but I'm sure it's just the latter,” I said while returning to my hunt to look for two flags now. “Seventy and twelve, seventy, twelve, seventy, twelve” I repeated in my head. All the flag numbers I passed looked the same, and yet none had the numbers I was looking for.
I knew I had seen the number twelve somewhere before, but where? After encountering so many other flags with different numbers, it was impossible to recollect what was where. “C’mon think, think,” I said to myself. Where had I seen the opposite flag before?
Just as my mind was brimming with the answer I had been looking for, my attention was stolen by a loud yelp from across the stadium. That boy again, the giant, he was holding someone by their neck in the air. And I swear on my life, just behind him, I caught a glimpse of a flag I had been searching for. Flag seventy!
The flag that was obstructed by the Giant blooded boy was either my original target or somehow Chrollo had lost our flag in the short time I had just left him. Thankfully, as I turned to look at where my base was located, Chrollo still stood there with our flag stuck into the ground behind him.
I pressed forward and sprinted to my destination as I wouldn't waste time or risk anything in exchange for that flag. Chrollo had done his part in protecting ours, now it was my turn to get us into the next stage.
As I approached, the boy looked in my direction and then turned his head to alert another person nearby.
“Hey Caesar, it's this one here.” He said while using his head to indicate my position. I looked around for this Ceaser person he was talking to, expecting to be confronted, but no one - despite the large cluster of students there were - seemed to stop me.
I swooped in without concern for discreteness and snatched the flag as if taking it back from someone who had hidden it from me.
“Hey, our flag! Daniel, pay attention!” A girl shouted at her partner. They attempted to come after me, but I was too quick to escape.
Rushing back to meet up with Chrollo, we headed to where Sho-Gan Dom was stationed near the main entrance and handed over our identical flags.
“Nice work boys, now exit through this door, head up to the stands,” he said while pointing out to the viewing area “and tell everyone up there to come down, we’re just about to finish.”
Doing as he said, we made our way to the sitting area up above.
“Nice work, you didn't seem to have much trouble getting those two flags, you must know how to handle yourself” Chrollo commended me as we walked.
“Oh no, you just didn't see, there was one guy who was pretty strong. I was just lucky I guess.”
“Well, I'm just glad I don't have to stand around in this tight clothing anymore.” He complained. The training kit - although it was flexible and allowed for great movement, as I had just previously experienced - sat tightly against the body and was made with a fabric that starts to feel uncomfortable the longer you wear it. But I didn't mind too much, I looked good in the training kit. Its black body and thick gray accented stripes around the ankles, wrists, and neck complimented my features. If anything, Chrollo should be the last person complaining.
After we returned to the stadium with eight pairs of students that had passed the first stage and were sitting in the stands, we joined the rest of the huddled group of students that were surrounding Sho-Gan Dom.
“-and go up and watch from there, the rest of you who made it within the last five minutes, I want you to join the group that has just entered,” Sho-Gan Dom said.
The class broke up and a considerable number of students left through the doors and seemed to be heading to the stands where they would watch the next stage. When they had all left, only fifteen groups had made it through, and only thirty students remained out of the original three hundred.
“Hmm, only thirty of you? ” Go-Shan Dom said after counting over us under his breath. “Well, best move onto the last stage since we have so few numbers. Usually, more people are left when I do this activity.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out multiple black strips of paper. “These are staff lunch permits.” He said while shaking them in his hand. “If you didn't already know, a lot of the privileges gained at this school come from not only your own achievements, but also, your status within this school - in terms of year groups” He looked around at us again with his seemingly persistent stark expression.
“With these permits, you will gain access to all staff member cafeteria meal benefits for a month. Ranging from quality snacks to five-star cuisine lunches.”
“Oh wait, but I only have fifteen permits, and there are thirty of you, whatever are we going to do?” he said sarcastically.
“All of you will face off against your group partner for staff member lunch permits, and you will be allowed to use your arc stones.”
He then told us to stand next to our partners and began to number us off from one to fifteen. I looked over at Chrollo who stood next to me. I didn’t know how to feel. We had similar builds, but he didn't look like the violent type - or at least that wasn't the impression he gave off so far. He looked back at me and smiled.
“What? We’ve known each other for about an hour now, don't tell me you're going to let this prize get in the way of our lifelong friendship?” he said jokingly.
He seemed confident, perhaps more confident than I would have liked if I really saw him as my enemy. It hadn’t clicked to me at the time, but he had been doing nothing but standing around and observing everyone else fight from a distance, including me. Of course, like everyone else, I wasn't fighting with everything I had, but it seems he was comfortable with what he had already seen. Well, It will be nice to see firsthand how a noble from the Demon kingdom fought. At least that's what I think he is, his facial appearance would make it hard for anyone to think he was anything lower than a noble.
“Friendship? We’ll see about that” I said smiling back.
“You guys will be team eight,” Sho-Gan Dom said while passing us and heading to the next pair of students. “Guys, I want everyone except group one to wait by the door for their team to be called. Group one, head to the center of the stadium, I’ll be with you in a minute.”
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Group six’s fight had come to an end, and the crowd clapped as one of the now tattered girls walked back to us, satisfied with the black slip of paper between her fingers. The next group was called forward, and two boys made their way to the center of the stadium where Sho-Gan Dom - the referee - was waiting for them.
Moments later, he ran back over to where the rest of us were, and the two boys engaged in their battle for better food privileges. Aside from the fact that they contested for tastier meals, their dignity was on the line, as the remaining two hundred and fifty-plus students watched the battles from above in the stands. Losing meant moving down in the food chain, which also meant people would disregard and walk over you. The best place to be, would be in the stands themselves - completely neutral.
They fought vigorously in the beginning, neither of them holding out as they manipulated the elements to their advantage. One of the boys was able to control the earth, similar to me, but he used the earth arc stone as if he were simply telling the ground where to move, instead of commanding it on what to do. My father had always told me that being able to throw a rock simply wasn't enough, but, instead, you should learn to control and act as if the rock was an extension of your own body, so that it may become a weapon and not remain a simple rock. For any random person - with or without the affinity - could throw a rock.
Their battle began to escalate as dust from their colliding abilities seemed to be gathering around their bodies and slightly covering the view. As the minutes on the clock continued to tick, their equal barrage of attacks only canceled out the abilities of the other, leaving them at a stalemate. They didn't fight with any real technique, with any skill, with any . . . finesse. It's not like the way that giant-blooded boy fought. I was still surprised that he and his partner weren't down here with us, I suppose it was possible that they were just unfortunate and ran out of time.
The prolonged battle of stamina was coming to an end, and the two boys ran out of elemental steam. They resorted to using their fists and I turned away in embarrassment as I couldn't watch. There was nothing wrong with battling with your bare hands, but the way they scuffled and struggled against each other recklessly - without any real craft - was shameful to watch.
‘By Arcinose, please let this come to an end’ I thought to myself.
Their brawling began to subside as one of the boys held the other in a choke hold on the ground, and he vigorously tapped out for his life. It didn't matter who won this battle, after putting on a show like that in front of everyone, they had both lost.
After Sho-Gan Dom handed the winner their permit, he called for the next group to make their way to the center, so Chrollo and I did just that.
“Listen, boys,” He said to us as we stood there in the middle. “I want you to go all out, there's no reason to hold back, ok. The training kits are specially made and infused with a light sheath of mana to protect you, so don't worry about hurting your opponent too bad” He reassured us.
He told us to shake hands and then wait for him to get back to the door before we began.
“Good luck,” I said.
“You too” He replied smiling.
Without warning, the whistle indicating for us to begin was heard in the air, and I prepared to face off against my opponent. I decided to make the first move and approached Chrollo with the intent to strike him in his torso. However, as soon as my fist was to make contact with his stomach, he moved his body at the last second and pushed me forward to continue stumbling past him.
‘He redirected my momentum’ I thought.
He put his arm out and taunted me to attack him with a gesture of his hands.
“Come,” He said, still smiling.
I ran back towards him and we engaged in a repetitive pattern of blocking and attacking when possible. His hand to hand combat was clean, and we traded blows now and again for a few moments. Attempting the same attack on his torso - just as I had hoped - he attempted the same counter. But instead of the same outcome, I was barely able to get a grip on his tight clothing and bring him down to the ground along with me. We struggled for a few seconds until he was able to wriggle his way into pinning me in an uncomfortable hold, but before I could let that happen, I let out a gust of wind from my body in all directions, sending him flying in the air and across the field.
As he got up, I sent a plethora of wind currents his way and they continually knocked and pushed him down again until he was able to evade one of my blows. Flipping himself up, and dodging my latest blast, he activated his own arc stone, finally allowing me to see what affinities he had. And to my jealousy, he was blessed with Fire.
He wasted no time and volleyed himself toward me with his raging flames behind him. He stopped once he had closed the gap between us and then let out an immense wave of flames in my direction. It didn't matter how much mana the training kit fortified me with, when it came to fire, getting burnt was inevitable. In response, I created a sharp needle of air to pierce through the oncoming flames, and upon collision, the wave of roaring fire expanded and engulfed my entire view. However, as the fire kept coming, I continued to resist, slowly moving forward to where Chrollo must have been standing. His flames were not like other pyro users I had seen before, unlike my father's amber flames, Chrollo’s shone bright with a beautiful yet terrifying cerulean brilliance.
As I continued to push forward, the force being exerted against me suddenly stopped and the flames disappeared and Chrollo along with them. He simply wasn't there anymore, until I felt the hand of my opponent on my shoulder and I turned my head into a flame-endorsed right fist.
The force of the punch sent me tumbling across the ground at speed, and the only way to slow and stop myself, was to dip my fingers into the hard turf and use the earth arc stone to meld the surface into something I could hold.
Coming to a stop, I looked upward, expecting to see Chrollo a distance away as I had been thrown back a considerable length from him. To my mistake, he was right in front of me again, his flames surrounding him as if a part of his being. He gave me another right hook, and I was on my way to another side of the room. Before I could recuperate myself like before, he was now - somehow - by my side and threw my body away from him and into the ground. It felt like he was simply toying with me. As I landed, I let the earth cushion my fall by allowing it to absorb the force of my thrown body.
How was he moving so fast? It was like he was teleporting across the field. Before I even thought about looking to see if he was there, I released a subtle wave of my aura around me to detect movement. And there he was, already behind me!
Without hesitation, I bent forward and shot my foot backward behind me and accompanied my attack with a sharp ridge formed from the earth in the direction I sensed him. A gasp from the crowd above in the stands could be heard, and I knew I had made contact. Turning around, I saw Chrollo lying on the ground with his back to the floor. He shot flames from beneath him to push his body back upright and we stared at each other in a standoff to see who would make the next move. It didn't matter if he appeared behind me, I was more confident now that I would be able to sense him and counter any attack he threw at me. So, with surprise attacks now out of the way, he simply took off toward me like before, flames trailing behind him.
In my attempt to block what I thought would be a regular punch, he grabbed me whilst still flaring his flames behind him to propel himself forward, ultimately, lifting my body from the ground and then pushing it back down to drag it along the terrain as we moved. In rebellion, I forced his grip lose of body and took a hold of him myself to raise us both higher into the air with help of the wind. As we ascended to the roof of the stadium, he began to lose his bearings and I exploited this by grabbing him tightly myself and launching his body back towards the ground while still keeping myself afloat.
Flaring his flames to reduce the speed of his fall, he landed just in time to dodge my barrage of oncoming wind. As the swift gales came to attack him, he spun, flipped and maneuvered around them, showing off his agility whilst also sending blasts of fire up at me in the air when possible. We threw elemental abilities back and forth, until - like before - he let out an immense surge of blue flames in the air, forcing me to descend back to the ground.
Upon my landing, he watched me carefully, leaving us in a standoff to see who would make the first move once again. He was more brilliant than I could have imagined, the way he fought was pristine and he utilized his flames as if they were more than just tools. Suddenly, with a burst from his position, he made his way toward me.
Closing the distance between us, I could see his right foot moving in an upward arc motion to kick me, and as soon as I saw him plant his left foot onto the ground for leverage, I subtly enveloped it in a shell of earth without him noticing. And as his right leg came around with the sapphire flames lagging behind, I smoothly twirled under his raised leg and erected another patch of earth to meet his ankle and clasp it into place. Before he knew it, he was stuck to the ground with one leg suspended in the air and the other to the turf beneath him.
I then followed up, by vaulting myself into the air with a jerk of the ground upwards from beneath me and then sent a neck-breaking torrent of wind down directly on top of his body, which broke through the rock holding him and left him lying in a shallow crater. As I let myself hover in the air above with a constant pull of wind, I whispered the words “Aperita” and felt my depleting mana storages refill. ‘What would I do without you grandfather?’ I thought to myself.
Chrollo stumbled to his feet, and I had let myself descend to the ground slowly, just opposite him. His now dishevelled hair flowed recklessly from atop his head and his dirt-stained clothes were wrinkled from top to bottom. He stared at the ground with an emotionless expression. His eyes seemed to droop slightly as if he weren't there, as if he were in a daze.
Surprisingly, with his flames retracted he approached me, appearing to throw a regular punch. Despite the odd change of pace to our battle, I mistakenly dismissed what should have been a suspicious attack and attempted to simply grab his fist and counter with my knee to his gut. However, as my palm welcomed his seemingly plain fist, an overwhelming painful chill crept up my arm and I blasted him with a gale of wind instinctively to create distance between us. He stayed upright with his feet dragging against the floor as he skid backward and continued his pursuit towards me.
My hand was freezing cold, and as I attempted to bawl it up into a fist, it responded with slow movement from the chill.
'Was this another affinity he had?'
With little time to think, I could feel the air around me begin to freeze and my body stiffen before I could apply a thicker coat of mana. Still attempting to create distance between us so I could think of what to do, he activated his flames once again and with their assistance, burst himself next to me.
In my slightly less responsive state, I was vulnerable to his speed and he jabbed me with an unforgiving amount of force to my chest, sending me toppling over and into the ground. As I arose slowly to my knees, I looked up to see him approach me head-on again with speed, and I prepared to use the earth to stop him like before. However, just as he got close enough for me to use my earth arc stone, he covered his body with a wave of flames obscuring my vision of him. Quickly, I let out my aura to sense his location. And there he was again, behind me.
With full confidence, I sent a gust of fierce wind in the form of a punch as I turned around, for it to only collide with nothing He wasn't there? But I could still sense his location, and my aura told me that he was . . . behind me? Turning my head suddenly in disbelief, the cold sensation of his palms rested upon my face and I gazed up to see my opponent smiling solemnly through the gaps of his fingers.
I had lost. Or at least I thought so. He simply just stood there, holding his hand in front of me without taking action. Exploiting this moment of stasis, I sent a girthy slab of the earth to sweep him off his feet and then like before, using all of the mana I had taken in from the ring, I forced a frightening torrent of wind on his torso and sent him flying at a terrifying speed across the entire stadium until his body crashed into its walls.
The entire stadium was dead silent - except from the few gasps in the audience - as we all watched for movement amongst the accumulating dust where Chrollo had collided. With the air clearing, Chrollo was seen sitting against the wall with his head back resting on the rubble in defeat. The stands filled the stadium with sounds of clapping and shouting as the battle had come to an end with me as the victor.
What happened? Why did he just stop moving like that? Did . . . did he let me win?