The next fight was announced not long after, between Cray of the Spears, who had arrived just before Sorn, and Jester of the Felines.

Sorn recognized the second name, Jester was the only partial anima in the Tournament alongside Keilan.

Among Ice Elementals, full animas were considered to be the pinnacle of ability. They were both rare and extremely dangerous. A full anima had not been born in generations, apart from the Emperor himself, who harbored the Swan. However, this tradition had recently been broken.

The previous Prophecy, half a decade ago, said that the spirits of the anima had grown restless with the upcoming Promised Day. Draco was the first example, as he had received the Dragon, an anima that had never chosen a host.

The only other animas were mere echoes of what once was. They were called “partial animas," the dwindling remnants of legendary warriors. Partial animas were passed through bloodlines, but only two clans had successfully maintained their anima.

The first was the Turtle who had served the Royal Guard, sworn to its cause since their creation. In the current generation, only Aran could claim any anima abilities. The other clan, the Felines, were more independent. Joker and his eldest son Jester were the two who possessed the Feline power, and for this reason, Jester was a favorite for this Tournament, as it was said Joker lost to Varian’s team in the final battle of the previous Tournament.

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Keilan was an interesting case. Many believed he had inherited part of the Wolf, though none could explain how. The Wolf’s line had died out many, many years ago. Oden had his thoughts on the matter. He did not believe Keilan to be merely partial. He believed that Keilan had inherited the full anima, just like Draco. The only difference was that Keilan never formed enough of a connection with his anima, leaving him unrefined.

The two warriors finally touched the ground and faced each other. Cray narrowed his eyes as he created a spear, but he didn’t get a chance to move after that. Jester showed no pause, his transformation was immediate.

His teeth lengthened into fangs of ice, and ice claws grew out of his fingers. His movements became erratic, and his fighting style was unapologetically reckless. Upon reaching Cray, he unleashed a barrage of ruthless attacks, leaving the Spear unconscious.

To Sorn, it was like he was watching Oden’s fight all over again, with the battle ending in only fifteen seconds. Jester now stood victorious, his fangs bared as he spread his arms The crowd erupted into cheers. However, among the Spears, there was only silence. Their numbers had been dwindling throughout this stage. Now, only one remained.

Raven, The Playful Killer

She stood alone at the edge of the arena, her face without expression. Once, she had stood alongside Ren on her platform. Now, he was gone.

Sorn forced the subject aside. His fight was next.

He twisted his fingers, biting the inside of his cheek. He felt Aria’s gaze flicked toward him, but she said nothing.

His mind raced through the possibilities. Who could be his opponent now? Not Crystal. Not Aria. Not anyone who had arrived after him. That left Raven, Kaen, Scorpius, and—

Faron cleared his throat, and the arena fell silent.

“Number six, Toren of the Dancing Blade, and number fifteen, Sorn of the Marauders. Please enter the stage and prepare to face your opponent.”