Kael stepped down into the combat arena. Standing in front of him was his opponent, whose hands trembled just by looking at Kael.
Floch watched the fight with curiosity regarding Kael; the outcome was more than decided.
—I feel like it's unfair to fight against them. They are all monsters, very few can stand up to them.
—So you're saying that the Top 10 will be filled with the Marks and Promises? —Terrmomix asked in his usual cold tone of voice.
—I don't think so. There are some really strong kids who could take their spots. For example, the level of that girl who uses illusions is higher than some of the Marks and Promises.
—So she can knock some of them out of the rankings?
—Exactly, and I don't think she's the only one with a level higher than theirs.
THIRTEENTH MATCH... BEGIN!
Ashock took a deep breath and exhaled to calm his fear and nerves. Kael stood still in his place, waiting for his opponent to attack first.
Suddenly, Ashock vanished from sight. In a second, the blade of his katana was right next to Kael's neck.
Kael didn't even look surprised. He didn't try to dodge the attack; he just gripped the handle of his katana and drew it slightly.
Ashock felt a cut on his chest. Before he could react, the attack blasted him backward, slamming him hard against the wall.
It took a few seconds for the shockwave to hit the surprised faces of all the students. The principal and teachers were left speechless.
Silence fell over the arena. Terrmomix was the only one who didn't look surprised; he just had empty eyes.
Kael turned around and started walking toward the exit. The wall where his opponent crashed was destroyed, and his body lay injured and unable to move.
THIRTEENTH MATCH COMPLETED.
WINNER: KAEL RHOVAN
Arien let out a snort of displeasure.
—Damn show-off.
Kael returned to his seat without a single scratch. Liang let out a small laugh.
—Wow, you really didn't hold back.
—He said it himself once. "We have to give it our all no matter who the opponent is" —Matteo said.
Liang rolled his eyes.
—I don't think he went all out with that attack, and to be honest, for a moment I thought the rival would withstand that cut.
—Very few could resist an attack like that at such close range, not even me —Zeik replied.
FOURTEENTH MATCH: LIANG ZHENHAO VS JEAN MAES.
Both combatants entered the arena, standing opposite each other, waiting for the signal.
FOURTEENTH MATCH... BEGIN!
Liang drew his sword in a split second. Before Jean even realized it, he had closed the distance until the tip of his katana was right in front of his rival's eyes.
Jean leaned backward, trying to dodge despite being so close.
He wouldn't have been able to dodge it, but Liang's katana stopped suddenly. Jean stood there confused.
Liang lowered his katana and leaped back with a long jump, landing on the other side of the arena. His opponent stayed in place, not understanding why he had stopped. Black clouds began to form in the sky, right above the arena.
Thunder started to rumble. Jean looked up at the sky, and at that moment, a lightning bolt struck down toward him. He managed to dodge it just in time. When the lightning hit the ground, a loud boom echoed.
Liang remained calm, smiling where he stood. Jean ran toward him to attack, but five more bolts of lightning struck suddenly, forcing him back.
Just like with Kael and Arien, the entire arena was astonished. This was the true power of one of the strongest. Teacher Mari looked worried; the attack had pierced and broken the barrier protecting the students.
Jean couldn't get close. Every time he tried, lightning would strike, pushing him back.
—Alright, let's finish this —Liang said.
He raised his katana to the sky with one hand, then brought it down to waist level, pointing the tip directly at Jean.
—Thunder Technique: Thunder Judgment! —The sky roared.
Lightning began to fall relentlessly, one after another, after another, after another. Jean's body moved frantically to dodge them; he could barely think.
The attack cornered him against the wall. With nowhere left to run, one final bolt crashed down right on top of him. The deafening sound rang out across the arena.
As the smoke cleared, Jean was seen lying on the ground, severely injured and unable to move. The wall behind him and the ground where he sat were destroyed.
FOURTEENTH MATCH: LIANG ZHENHAO VS JEAN MAES.
COMPLETED
WINNER: LIANG ZHENHAO
Liang left the arena, not without glancing at the Promises with his confident smile.
Arien was slightly surprised by the smile, but then smiled back, seeing it as a challenge toward them.
—So you want to show off? Fine... We won't fall behind either.
The small rivalry between the two groups had begun.
FIFTEENTH MATCH... BEGIN!
Without hesitation, Kaien ran swiftly toward his opponent and jumped. In mid-air, he raised his katana with both hands and launched an attack, swinging his blade down from top to bottom.
His opponent prepared to block any incoming strike, but nothing came from that direction. Instead, a massive water axe materialized on the left side of the rival.
—Water Technique: Ocean Guillotine.
The axe swung down to attack. The opponent had no time to react. The powerful impact shook the arena and covered it briefly in smoke.
FIFTEENTH MATCH COMPLETED
WINNER: KAIEN DRAVIK
Kaien returned the confident smile to the Marks and then left the arena for the next match.
SIXTEENTH MATCH... BEGIN!
—Wind Technique: Gale Arrows —Zeik said.
He used his technique to create thousands of arrows made of wind surrounding his opponent. The arrows shot toward him from different directions, and at the same time, Zeik ran in to attack as well.
Their katanas clashed, but Zeik overpowered him in strength, pushing his opponent backward. The arrows began to hit him one after another.
—Wind Technique: Wrath of the Hurricane.
Zeik created a wind tornado. The tornado trapped his rival and hurled him against the wall, destroying it and leaving the opponent unconscious from the impact.
SIXTEENTH MATCH COMPLETED.
WINNER: ZEIK MORVEN.
SEVENTEENTH MATCH... BEGIN!
—Weapon Technique: Steel Legion.
Haruki created different types of weapons beside him. The weapons began firing at his opponent, who ran side to side to dodge them.
The rival tried to close the distance and managed to get behind Haruki to attack, but before he could touch him, a bazooka materialized right in front of him.
Haruki turned his head to look at his opponent over his shoulder.
—Weapon Technique: Explosive Impact.
The bazooka fired. The opponent, covered in blood, was slammed against the wall, completely defeated. Haruki won his match, though he apologized repeatedly to his rival afterward.
EIGHTEENTH MATCH... BEGIN!
Gravity Technique: Gravitational Pressure.
Matteo created massive pressure within the arena, forcing his opponent to their knees and crushing them against the ground.
The match was over, and Matteo deactivated his technique once his opponent could take no more.
EIGHTEENTH MATCH COMPLETED
WINNER: MATTEO VALTIERI
Matteo left the arena while the medics carried away the injured opponent from the ground.
NINETEENTH MATCH: FIONN WILSON VS RIKA TSUKAYOMI.
Kenzo looked up toward the arena upon hearing Rika's name. Throughout all this time, Terrmomix still had that empty look in his eyes, whereas Floch was getting more and more excited with every fight he watched.
Rika entered the arena with a cold and serious expression. She stepped in at the same time as her opponent, the two standing opposite each other at their respective entrances.
NINETEENTH MATCH... BEGIN!