YM778.TV Chapter 93: Adorn
"WHAT?! How did…?" Kang\'s voice sputtered, filled with shock and disbelief. "Louise was dominating! He had that boy cornered, but somehow…"
Gerrard, his expression excited and deep thought, cut him off. "It was unfortunate,"
Gerrard shrugged, his gaze never leaving the arena floor, where the medical team tended to Louise.
"It was a battle for the history books, the best I\'ve witnessed at this level in a long time."
Kang slumped into his seat, the fight\'s unexpected outcome weighing heavily upon him.
He was fiercely proud of his son\'s skill and determination, but the image of Louise being carried off the platform on a stretcher gnawed at him. "That fight," he murmured, "it was extraordinary."
Gerrard nodded, agreeing with Kang. "And with that last exchange…" He trailed off, then asked, "Aren\'t you going to check on your son? Comfort him?"
Kang scoffed, a familiar air of stubborn pride settling around him.
"He\'s tough. He\'ll recover," he said dismissively.
"Besides," he added, "Louise hates it when I console him. A loss like this… he needs to process it himself."
Gerrard nodded back with a thoughtful hum.
Then, changing the subject, he asked, "That attack Louise had prepared… the one in the air. Any idea why he didn\'t unleash it?"
Kang paused, considering the question. "Who knows?" He finally admitted.
"But knowing Louise, he probably wanted the fight to drag on longer. He hated the idea of an easy victory. And let\'s face it: Jan wasn\'t exactly in a position to retaliate."
Gerrard nodded in agreement. "But just how powerful was that attack?" he asked, the curiosity evident in his tone.
"Would it have been enough to break the barriers shielding the crowd?"
Kang shrugged. "I suppose anything\'s possible," he admitted.
"Although… something tells me that he lost some power after activating his Elemental Zone. Maybe he wasn\'t confident it would be a sure hit. Or…"
Here he paused, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Or maybe it was the principle of the thing. We\'ll never know, but that attack certainly added another layer of danger to an already fierce fight."
***
{Rel\'s POV}
[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: Student Section Stands]
Beautiful... It was so beautiful.
That fight was something I\'ll never see again.
From the first clash of their blades to the final, desperate exchange of blows, it was a majestic display, of technical quality and raw skill.
So far in this transmigration, I have witnessed plenty of fights, but I don\'t think anything is beating this.
Watching their auras clash was like something straight out of an anime.
The winds, the thunder, the blinding light... had they hired actors for this? It was so over-the-top but also perfect.
And Louise… to see an Elemental Zone in person… it was breathtaking.
Jan, however, surprised me most of all. His Divine Conqueror showed just how different his experience was, compared to when he achieved it at the end of the first-year arc.
While his original limit of using DC was five minutes, it seemed that the time limit was cut in half, judging by the early signs of his exhaustion.
But this was the result of his inexperience and his lack of mana control, which probably was the reason why the course of the battle was changing heavily in Louise\'s favour.
Even after the collapse of Louise\'s elemental zone, Jan relied purely on aura, after he could no longer use DC which was, in its own way, impressive.
With the battle now done the medical staff rushed onto the scene with a stretcher carrying Louise.
Where Jan, was being supported off the field by medical staff.
The arena looked like a disaster zone. Half the stage was rubble, and I couldn\'t help but wonder if the staff had a spare arena on hand.
Hopefully, someone packed superglue for this...
[Ring... ring...]
My head swam with dizziness.
Damn, the system again?
Ugh, I\'d left Do Not Disturb on. Notifications, temporarily silenced, were waiting...
FWANG!
[Mr Axel! >:(]
"What?" The system was mad?
[Did you not see the message I\'ve tried to sent you?]
"No."
[Mr. Axel this was CRITICAL...]
What was so important?
FWANG!
[Get away from the stadium NOW! The Blue Flaming Sphere could break the barrier!]
Wait... Louise\'s attack was strong enough to break Oberon\'s barrier? That meant... So much for watching the fight.
Well no matter, I just wanted to see this fight regardless of the outcome but now that it\'s come to an end.
BZZZT!, BZZZT!
My gaze shifted downwards, and a shiver ran down my spine as I checked my watch.
The notifications regarding the match schedule finally popped up.
[Match Schedule Update!]
[Due to broken stages your match has been delayed...]
[Stage: Semi-Finals]
[Name: Rel Laurence]
[Matches Completed: 24]
[Match Number: 2]
[Opponenet: Valencia Freya - (Arena A) -]
[Time: 4:30 PM] - [Main Stage Repairs Underway]
The inevitable was postponed... should I practice with a bow? It\'s been ages...
But a thought crept up in my mind thinking, Valencia... She\'s the favourite now if Jan can\'t use DC.
But Jan... he\'s the strongest. What\'s the point of being called that if you lose?
Would he win?
Who knows...
Even if I managed to beat Valencia, I needed a way to counter Jan\'s aura techniques.
That\'s the thing about aura – it\'s not about blades, it\'s about countering magic itself.
Aura doesn\'t come from mana, it comes from the core of a person.
That\'s why it looks different for everyone.
But what makes it strong, what fuels it... was pure willpower – a deep connection to yourself.
Aura is like desire, the stronger one\'s desire is, the more powerful one becomes but even with a stronger resolve than anyone else, they too need be strong.
But in the novel, masters of aura call it a \'theory\', but as the author of the book, that\'s the fundamental truth of aura.
Haaah...
What am I even going to do?
Planning for Valencia feels pointless... it\'s all about reacting to what she throws at me.
If she goes for the quick knockout, I\'m done.
But... if I can drag this out, maybe... Maybe I have a chance when she runs dry.
Her only real weakness is the ultimate ability – Shrouded Storm (Aka: elemental zone).
Once she uses it, her mana\'s gone, no stamina left.
But forcing her hand... that\'s the hard part. I\'m gonna have to rely on pure luck here, and that\'s not exactly comforting...
[Time: 3:24]
Damn it.
I glanced at my watch. I had to find Morwen before the match and see what he was after.
The thought of paying for that information still made my blood boil.
Maybe if I\'m lucky enough...
***
[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: Main Student Lobby]
Stepping out of the Hyperstasis chamber, Jan stretched his muscles, a satisfied smile on his lips.
The remaining aches and pains of the fight were fading fast thanks to the advanced healing technology.
His mind, however, was still thinking back to that moment... That last exchange with Louise...
Why did he hold back when victory was in his grasp?
Jan knew of his overwhelming arrogance, But it was the final act of pride that refused to win through any means. Or was there something more, something Jan hadn\'t considered?
He pushed the thought aside for now. There would be time to think about it later.
...
...
The lobby buzzed with students waiting to see Jan, but his focus snapped to Camila\'s voice.
"Jan!" She ran towards him, worry etched on her face. "Are you alright?"
Jan chuckled softly, raising a hand in greeting. "Yeah, I\'m fine. Just a bit sore."
Camila frowned, not content with his words, and grabbed his hands, inspecting them.
"Scars? Anything?"
"All healed,"
Jan mumbled, staring down at their hands for a bit too long before snapping back to the present.
Lyra and Bazz, panting, joined them.
"Honestly, Cami," Lyra puffed, "You ran like he was on fire."
Bazz snorted. "Right? It\'s not like he was gonna drop dead."
Camila\'s brow furrowed, her expression hardening.
POW!
Her fist connected with Bazz\'s jaw before he could blink.
A startled yelp escaped his lips as he clutched his reddening cheek.
"Ow! Why\'d you hit me?"
Camila\'s glare could curdle milk. "Because you\'re annoying me," she stated flatly.
Bazz, rubbing his bruised cheek, muttered, "Why don\'t you hit Lyra instead?"
He cast a hopeful glance at the golden retriever, who happily wagged her tail in response.
Camila rolled her eyes. "Her name is not Bazz that\'s why" she pointed out, her irritation lessening looking at Lyra.
Jan cut in before their usual banter could escalate. "Speaking of matches, where\'s Valencia?"
Camila turned, "After your fight ended," she explained, "she excused herself and headed straight for the training rooms. Her match got postponed, thanks to you two."
"...!"
Jan winced and scratched his head sheepishly.
"We did?" he admitted with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, Didn\'t mean to cause any trouble."
Bazz slapped him on the back. "No need to be sorry for winning, Jan!" he boomed. "You fought like Aurelia back there, I always knew you were gonna win."
Lyra\'s nod and sweet "Congrats, Jan" Their support warmed him, despite the guilt about the delay.
Jan couldn\'t help but smile. "Thanks, guys," he said genuinely.
As the conversation died down slightly, Jan\'s eyes drifted across the student lobby.
A familiar figure caught his eye, A student who had messy bed hair, was standing at the far end of the hallway.
He looked way too familiar for him to not recognise.
Jan squinted to see who it was...
"Rel?"
He blinked. No crossbow, but a polished silver bow... that looked eerily familiar.
A strange feeling settled in his gut. What was Rel up to? And why was he not using his main weapon?
______________
Authors notes:
- No Authors Notes Today D: