The crowd roared over the dust and smoke that lingered in the pit. The smell of scorched sand and sweat mixed in the air. Nadia stood near the railing, chest still heaving from her last fight. Her hands were trembling — not from fear, but from exhaustion and adrenaline.
A full day of battles. And somehow, she was the one left standing.
Rael clapped her on the back so hard she nearly fell forward.
"Finals, Nadia! You actually made it!"
Sela smirked faintly from beside them. "You've done well. You've earned your spot here."
Nadia smiled nervously, wiping soot off her cheek. "Yeah, I guess…"
But then Sela's expression turned serious. "Don't get too comfortable. Your last opponent's constellation is Elyonar."
Rael's grin faded. "Wait—Elyonar? As in light?"
Sela nodded, crossing her arms. "Yes. Light users are naturally fast though"
Nadia's heart dropped a little. "So… I can't outpace her."
Sela shook her head. "And with light, defense won't help much either. You'll get overwhelmed if you play safe."
Rael frowned. "So what do we do then?"
Silence fell for a moment. Only the muffled noise of the audience filled the air.
Nadia sighed. "If I can't be faster, and I can't defend, I just lose."
Sela was about to respond when Rael suddenly snapped his fingers. "Hold on. Maybe not."
They both looked at him.
Rael leaned closer, eyes lighting up. "Remember your fight with Herga?"
Nadia frowned. "Yeah? The earth lady who broke a few of my ribs?"
"Yeah! That one!" Rael said, animated. "You remember when you were down? You tried to defend with a fire wall, but it didn't spread — it condensed! You didn't realize it, but you focused everything into a single point and shot it as a beam. It hit harder than your whole wall of fire combined."
Sela raised an eyebrow. "That's actually… clever. Condensation through pressure focus."
"Exactly!" Rael said, grinning proudly. "So if she's faster, fine. But if you can trap her long enough, focus your flame again like that — she won't see it coming."
Nadia tilted her head, thinking. "You're saying I should make it smaller. Denser."
"Yup," Rael said. "Use your fingertip as a base. Push every ounce of flame through that point. Compress it until it's like… I dunno, molten glass."
Sela chuckled softly. "For once, you're making sense, Rael."
Rael grinned wide. "Hey, I can be smart sometimes!"
Nadia smiled faintly, confidence flickering in her eyes. "Alright then. Guess I've got one last trick to try."
Minutes later, she stood once more at the edge of the pit.
The announcer raised her hand high, her voice echoing over the roaring crowd.
"Final Round! Nadia Fier of Ignara… versus Aura Helis of Elyonar!"
The name Aura Helis sent a murmur through the stands. Even the crowd seemed to respect it — or fear it.
From across the pit, Aura descended the steps. Tall, graceful, and radiant. Her pale hair caught the sunlight like spun silver, and the faint shimmer of mana surrounded her like a halo. Her eyes were cold — unreadable.
Rael leaned forward from the railing. "She doesn't even look human…"
Sela nodded. "Elyonar users rarely do. They move like light itself."
The announcer lowered her hand.
"Remember the rules — no killing, no mutilation, no cheap shots. Begin!"
A beam of light shot out instantly — faster than thought — tearing through the air where Nadia had been standing a second before. The ground exploded, sending dirt flying.
Nadia stumbled, barely rolling aside. "Holy—She's fast!"
Aura didn't even move. She simply raised her hand again. Another beam cut the air. Then another. Each one faster, sharper, cleaner.
Nadia ducked behind a chunk of cracked stone, heat searing her skin. "I can't even see her attack wind-up—"
The next beam sliced through her cover like it was paper.
"Great," Nadia muttered. "No cover either."
She retaliated with a wave of flame, wide and bright, hoping to block the next shot — but Aura simply tilted her wrist. A thin line of light pierced straight through the flame, dispersing it like smoke.
"She's cutting through it…" Nadia thought, eyes wide. "She's literally cutting through fire."
Aura spoke for the first time, her voice calm but sharp.
"your fire. It's sloppy."
Nadia gritted her teeth. Mumbling "bitch... range i got no chance but maybe If i close the distance.."
She launched herself forward, fire bursting from her palms. Each step cracked the ground. Beams flew past her — one grazed her thigh, another nicked her arm — but she didn't stop.
Aura's expression didn't change. As Nadia reached her, Aura stepped aside with inhuman grace and kicked her in her abdomen. The force sent Nadia reeling, and before she could recover—
A heel struck her jaw, sending her tumbling across the pit.
Rael shouted from above. "Get up, Nadia! Come on!"
Nadia spat dirt, her head ringing. "She's got me beat close and far… perfect…"
Aura raised her hand again, forming three spheres of light. They hummed with power, orbiting around her like miniature suns.
She fired them one after another. Each one exploded on impact, scattering sand everywhere.
One hit Nadia's shoulder. She screamed, but didn't fall.
The second struck her leg. She staggered but stayed upright.
The third—she caught it. For half a second, her palm burned white before she flung it aside with a roar.
Her eyes narrowed. "she doesnt hit so hard…" liora standing in the middle of the arena seemingly unfazed
For the first time, Aura's calm faltered.
Nadia grinned. "she may be faster. But i hit harder."
She lunged forward again, fire bursting from her arms and legs. Each punch was a miniature explosion, forcing Aura to block. Each block pushed her further.
Rael leaned over the railing, gripping it tight. "Yes! That's it!"
The air grew hotter, waves of heat warping the light beams themselves. Aura's movements slowed, just slightly. Enough.
Nadia snapped her fingers — and a ring of fire erupted around Aura, sealing her in a blazing circle.
Inside, Aura's silhouette blurred. She shot beams outward, hoping to hit, but Nadia's flame kept reforming.
Outside the wall, Nadia stood still, panting. "Great... low mana…" she muttered. "If I keep pushing, I lose. So—"
She raised her right hand. The flame wall began to collapse inward, streams of fire swirling toward her fingertip. The air trembled as every ember converged into a single glowing spark.
Red. Then crimson. Then—black.
"Step one… done," she whispered.
Her hands trembled. "Step two…"
Inside the flames, Aura steadied herself. Light gathered around her palm, sharper and hotter than before. The two girls mirrored each other — each aiming, each ready.
And then—
They fired.
A beam of pure light screamed through the air — and vanished. Swallowed whole by the black flame before it even reached halfway.
Aura's eyes widened in horror. "What, it moved faster!?—"
The black fire pierced through the air, the ground, everything in its path. The impact wasn't a loud explosion — it was crushing, deafening silence.
When the light returned, Aura was on one knee, her arm burned, her face pale with disbelief.
The arena was dead silent.
Then the announcer's voice broke the tension.
"Aura Helis is down… the winner is Nadia Fier!"
The crowd erupted. Cheers, shouts, stomping feet shaking the stands.
Rael practically screamed, waving his arms. "YES! LET'S GO!"
Sela just stared "her fire," she murmured. "it moved faster than light..."
Nadia stood in the center of the pit, flames dying around her, body trembling with exhaustion — and pride.
For the first time, she didn't feel like the weakest link.