Nox swept Erebos in an arc, and a wave of frost blasted his opponent, forcing the Zakrarian to erect a wall of fire around him, protecting him from a cold prison.

Exactly as Nox had plan.

Taking a deep breath, he charged. The fiery barrier had already dissipated, revealing his startled opponent. Too close to evade, he swept his mighty hammer, crackling with flames, hoping to hit Nox. And he would have, if Nox hadn’t slid on the ice-caked stage, the hammer passing a hairsbreadth above him.

Momentum carried Nox forward. He extended his hand and latched onto his opponent’s right leg, stopping his slide. With a powerful tug, the Zakrarian toppled with an indignant curse. Nox leapt to his feet and placed Erebos’s tip upon the student’s throat.

The crowd erupted into deafening cheers.

So far, so good, he thought, bowing to the Zakrarian student.

The first morning of the competition had gone as smoothly as he expected. With four opponents defeated, Nox would finally advance to the semi-finals while only having spent little of his strength—an impressive feat considering their proficiency in different forms of magic.

That’s because I gave you an incentive last night, Estella teased.

He sought her out among the audiences and found her next to Luciana, smiling with pride and joy. Nox raised Erebos in triumph, and the crowd cheered louder.

Your father’s incentive is more enticing, Ella. He felt her joy through the Resonance. So, you’re free later for lunch? The semi-finals wouldn’t begin until tomorrow; he got time to spend with her while he rested, maybe even finalize his strategy.

Sure, if you don’t mind my sister coming along. He sensed her displeasure. She insisted.

There was not much they could do about that, so Nox agreed. After deciding to meet later in the dining hall, Nox went back to the waiting room.

He wasn’t surprised to see Ireela inside, beaming at him. “Congratulations, Master!”

With a smile, Nox took the canteen of water she held for him. His Squire’s assistance had been invaluable today, helping him don his equipment and catering to his need without complaints even though she had a fight of her own as well.

Then he frowned. “Ireela, aren’t you supposed to be participating?”

“My fight won’t be until this afternoon, Master.”

“Who’s your opponent?”

She scrunched her face as she thought. “Farasj is his name, I think. A Pantosian second-year.”

Nox’s frown deepened. It wasn’t against the rules to fight a senior Wielder, but he was worried of the gap in experience and skills. Ireela still had much to learn.

She noticed his expression. “I’ll be fine, Master,” his Squire assured him. “You taught me. I will win.”

Her confidence surprised him, and he smiled. It was almost the same thing he had told Estella last year. Was this how he appeared to her back then?

“All right. Still, be careful.”

“I will, Master. Oh, Sir Zalthor has a duel in a few minutes. Do you want to watch?”

He lowered the canteen. That fast? He assumed Zalthor would keep his abilities a secret until they face off, but he guessed the triple Wielder pulled a different opponent for his first fight. Nevertheless, this was an opportunity he couldn’t miss.

“Yes.”

***

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The western training grounds was filled when the fight began.

There was much excite among the crowd, what looked to be half of the Seven Academies who were participating. Even the teachers and instructors were present.

Nox and Ireela found a seat on the foremost ring. He would have wanted a spot that was less closer, on account of the danger, but this was the better option; he could study Zalthor intently.

Erian was there with Reina, their fingers laced. Amid the roar of the cheering crowd, Nox saw him whispering something to Reina, which made her blush and shook her head. Erian chuckled.

To their left, Estella was very pointedly not looking at them. Please save me, she grumbled. They’ve been flirting since they got here.

With a smirk, Nox sat next to her. You can’t stand it when other people flirt in front of you, but you don’t mind when we flirt in front of them?

Hey, that’s different. At least I don’t always imply having my way with you every time.

Nox resisted the urge to laugh at that, lest he made Erian and Reina suspicious. Instead, he focused on the duel.

The referee was already reciting the rules. To the left, Zalthor stood, carefree, confident. To the right was his opponent, a girl no older than Estella, wearing the blue uniform of the Pantosians.

“Wielders, summon your Animartas.”

The girl went first, her flaming lance materializing in a swirl of blazing inferno. She took a stance immediately, her face blank and focused.

In response, Zalthor raised his hand to the sky.

“Surtur.”

For a moment, there was nothing, and everyone waited with held breaths. Then the stage slowly glowed red. Behind Zalthor, a crimson silhouette formed, tracing a massive shape that vaguely resembled a human. At least it looked like a human; there were arms and legs, a broad torso, and a massive head.

In a burst of flames, the burning giant appeared in full. Estella gasped, and Nox found his eyebrows narrowing to a point.

It was a Guardian-type, a rare form of Animarta. Like Karsos’s, but far larger and dangerous.

Zalthor’s Surtur stood imposingly behind its master. The opponent, scowling in irritation, hesitated, adjusting her grip on her lance. But the desire for glory won over, and she charged.

Surtur’s fire sputtered, leaving a husk of black metal behind. Then with a hiss, frost coated the surface. At first, Nox thought that the armor was being encased by ice. But no, the metal itself was shifting, turning bluish white, become ice.

Form shifting. They had studied that not too long ago. He glanced at Estella, and in her eyes he saw worry… and perhaps even fear. He grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly.

The battle was over in a minute. Despite a terrifying display of tremendous firepower, Surtur merely grabbed the Pantosian, restraining her, then hurling her out of the stage. It wasn’t even a battle, Nox realized; Zalthor didn’t show his fullest here.

The boy is cunning. Don’t let your guard down.

Nox didn’t intend to. As the crowd of Thurinians cheered, Zalthor glanced at the seats, and Nox could have sworn he saw the Thurinian Wielder smirk.

***

The battle was the topic of discussion hours later. Many were amazed, singing praise about Zalthor’s skills. But many weren’t impressed, considering his victory as a stroke of luck purely on the reason that his Animarta did all the fighting for him.

In a way, they were right. And Nox knew it was a weakness he could exploit. If Zalthor didn’t fare well in direct combat, Nox could defeat him if he played his cards right.

That thought and others plagued his mind even during Ireela’s battle. He vaguely remembered a fierce exchange of Wind and Water, and his Squire creating a gigantic tornado that battered her opponent until he was blown away off the stage.

He congratulated Ireela, naturally, but soon after he retreated with Estella and Erian to his room where they could discuss how he could defeat Zalthor.

“You can’t match him with the ice element,” Estella said. “You’ll lose faster that way.”

“He won’t even be affected,” Erian added.

And Nox knew about that. But that only left him with the Shadow element, which was a poor fit for the upcoming fight. He could blind Zalthor, but Surtur would still be free to attack him.

He needed to deal with the Animarta first. But how?

The answer was obvious, of course; defeat Zalthor first while avoiding Surtur. Nox could do it if he used his Shadow magic. Zalthor wouldn’t even be able to act swift enough to escape.

And yet it only sounded so simple. Nox didn’t know much about his opponent, particularly his fighting style. For all he knew, Zalthor was simply allowing Surtur to fight his battles while he watched from behind, only intervening when it was absolutely necessary.

“I need to draw him out,” Nox concluded, sitting beside Estella. “If I can force him to fight me without Surtur, I know I can defeat him.”

“If he will allow you to.” Estella shook her head. “If Surtur is his Animarta, it will always be with him.”

A guardian that never leaves; always present, always near. If Zalthor has no fighting skills, this would be easy. But that was yet another unknown factor. His only hope, then, was to get past the fiery Surtur.

He frowned. Fire and ice. Animartas… “Ella, can you destroy an Animarta?”

She stared at him with raised eyebrows. “No, of course not. You can’t destroy an object tied to your soul; you must destroy the soul first.”

“So, nothing will happen if I hit Surtur hard enough?”

She shrugged. “You can dispel an Animarta, but it will take skills to pull off.” A pause. “I take it you have an idea.”

Nox nodded, smiling. His idea was untested, certainly, but it should give him an advantage, and one that no one, not even Estella, could anticipate.