CHAPTER 85: Aaron vs Christian.
The stadium was once again filled with a large crowd as everyone waited for the second match to begin. The air was loud and restless, and the seats were packed with students, teachers, and guests.
Everyone was waiting for the next fight. Soon, the announcer, wearing his black-robed suit, arrived in the air once again. He floated above the arena calmly, just like before, and looked down at the crowd.
He was ready to introduce the two students. He spoke loudly, and his voice spread across the entire stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the second match of the top thirty is about to begin."
The crowd once again burst into cheers. Many people shouted, while others clapped their hands in excitement. The announcer waited for the noise to lower before continuing.
"It is a battle between two students who have lived opposite lives. One is from a countryside family, while the other is from one of the highest noble families."
After saying this, the announcer turned his head toward one of the tunnels and raised his hand slightly.
"The first student is from the Light Department. He is one of the few students in the top thirty who only has a single elemental affinity. He betrayed his team in the hunting competition to help his friend."
Many people in the crowd reacted when they heard this. Some whispered, while others nodded as they remembered that event.
"He also defeated his opponent's teammate in his last match. His name is Aaron."
As soon as the announcer finished speaking, the tunnel opened. Aaron walked into the arena. He was wearing brown combat trousers and a brown shirt, which matched his brown hair and brown eyes. His clothes were simple and did not look noble at all.
Aaron was a little shorter than average, but his body was strong and well-built. It was clear that he had trained hard for a long time. Only a few students had a body like his.
He walked toward the center of the arena with steady steps. The crowd shouted his name loudly as he moved forward. Aaron did not react much to the cheers. His face was calm as he reached the center.
Then the announcer looked toward the opposite tunnel and spoke again.
"The second student is from the Lightning Department. He was a teammate of Joshua Draconia and is also his cousin from the Draconia family. His name is Christian Draconia."
The tunnel gate opened once again. Christian entered the arena slowly. His short silver-white hair swayed slightly in the air as he walked.
His silver eyes looked empty and were filled with no motivation at all. His steps were slow, and his expression was cold.
He walked to the center and stood opposite Aaron.
Aaron looked at him coldly. He did not like Christian at all because Christian was on Joshua's side. The memory of Joshua still made Aaron feel angry inside.
Soon, the referee arrived and stood beside them. He explained the rules clearly and calmly. Both students listened without speaking. After finishing the explanation, the referee raised his hand and announced loudly,
"Begin."
The moment he said this, Aaron charged forward. He did not waste a single second. He planned to attack Christian head-on and did not want to give him any chance to create distance. Aaron reached in front of Christian quickly and punched straight at his face.
Christian reacted fast. He dodged to the side, and the punch passed beside him. At the same time, Christian suddenly vanished using Blitz. In the next moment, he appeared far away from Aaron. Many bolts of lightning began to form around Christian's body.
Without hesitation, Christian launched the lightning bolts toward Aaron. Hundreds of lightning bolts bombarded Aaron from different directions. Aaron moved quickly and dodged the lightning bolts one after another. His movements were fast and sharp.
While dodging, Aaron gathered light mana in his hand. A condensed beam of light was formed quickly. He aimed carefully and launched it straight toward Christian's head.
Christian reacted, but the attack was too fast. He managed to move his head aside, but the light beam pierced through his shoulder. A hole was created in his shoulder, and blood began to gush out. Christian groaned in pain as his body shook slightly.
Aaron did not stop. He conjured another condensed beam of light. But before he could launch it, something suddenly hit his head. His vision shook, and his body was sent flying backward.
A large puppet stood where Aaron had been. The puppet was holding a hammer in its hand.
Aaron crashed into the wall hard. Blood began to drip from his head. He had been seriously injured. He had focused too much on dodging the lightning bolts and attacking Christian, so he did not notice the puppet that appeared behind him.
Aaron slowly stood up. One hand was placed on his head as he felt pain. He took a deep breath to calm himself. Then he raised his hand again and launched a condensed light beam straight at the puppet's head.
The attack landed, and the puppet was destroyed instantly. Its body broke apart and fell to the ground.
Suddenly, Aaron felt danger. His instincts reacted immediately. He ducked downward as a lightning sword passed above his head. Christian had appeared behind him again.
Aaron twisted his body and kicked straight at Christian's neck. Christian blocked the attack with his arm, but the force pushed him backward. His arm felt numb where the kick landed.
At that moment, a light bulb was conjured in front of Christian. His vision was blocked for a brief second. Before he could react, a punch landed on his face. Christian fell to the ground, and blood began to drip from his nose.
Christian used Blitz again and vanished. He appeared far away from Aaron.
But the moment he appeared, a light beam was already flying toward him. Christian moved on instinct, and the attack grazed his side. Pain spread across his body.
Christian waved his hand, and many puppets appeared in front of him. The puppets rushed toward Aaron together.
Aaron charged toward the puppets without fear. He entered the army of puppets and used punches, kicks, knees, and elbow strikes. One by one, the puppets were destroyed as his attacks landed.
Then, many bolts of lightning formed around Christian once again. He launched them toward Aaron. He had sacrificed his puppets to land this attack.
The remaining puppets suddenly formed a net around Aaron, preventing him from escaping.
The lightning bolts landed one after another. The puppets were destroyed completely. Smoke rose from the burned remains. Aaron vanished during the attacks.
When the smoke faded, Aaron was still standing there.
His shirt was completely burned, revealing his body. Burn marks and bruises covered his skin. His breathing was heavy as he panted. The attack had severely injured him. He was on his last leg.
Christian saw Aaron's weakened state. He used Blitz and arrived in front of him. A lightning sword formed in his hand. He swung it toward Aaron.
Aaron smiled faintly. He leaned backward and dodged the attack. Then he kicked straight at Christian's chin. Christian fell to the ground hard.
Aaron did not let the chance go. He began launching one attack after another. Christian saw this and stopped moving.
He did not want to continue the battle. He gave up.
Aaron's attacks continued to land. Suddenly, Aaron's hand was caught. He turned his head and saw the referee. Aaron stopped attacking immediately.
The referee examined Christian's injuries carefully. Then he announced loudly,
"The winner of this match is Aaron."
The crowd burst into cheers again. They shouted Aaron's name loudly.
Meanwhile, Joshua was watching through a screen in the waiting room. Anger exploded inside him. Lightning formed around his body. He punched the wall, making a hole in it.
"That useless piece of trash lost to that commoner. I can't accept this. How can a Draconia lose to a commoner!"
Joshua was furious. His pride could not accept this loss. He left the training room and headed toward the healing room to find Christian and vent his anger.
Meanwhile, inside the training ground, Aiden was still training alone. He had not gone to see his friends' matches. His only focus was to grow stronger as soon as possible. He was practicing his stage two mana spells again and again.
Soon, inside the arena, another match was announced. It was a match between Peter Crux and Keith Faust. Both had participated in the hunting competition.
The announcer announced their names as both students entered the arena and faced each other. The referee arrived and explained the rules.
In the stands, Angela was sitting beside Hannah. Both had come to watch Peter's match.
Hannah looked at the arena and asked,
"Lady Angela, who do you think is going to win?"
Angela smiled calmly.
"Peter is definitely going to win."
Her tone was confident.
Hannah was surprised. She did not know how strong Peter was. Keith was also a top thirty student.
"Is he really that strong?" Hannah asked.
Angela smiled again.
"Yes. He is strong. In fact, he is stronger than me in fighting. He is not number one in our department because light is not his specialty. His real specialty is wind."
"He is only in this team because he is my guard. He refused to fight for any other department, so the principal allowed him to fight for the Light Department."
Hannah was shocked. She did not know Peter was even stronger than Angela.
Inside the arena, the referee said loudly,
"Begin."
The moment the words left his mouth, several wind cutters flew toward Keith. The casting speed was far faster than most students. Keith reacted and formed an earth wall, but he was a bit late. A wind cutter grazed his side.
Suddenly, a light beam pierced through the earth wall and struck Keith's leg. He fell to one knee. Armor began to form around his body.
Before it could fully form, Peter rose into the air. Many wind cutters formed again and attacked Keith. The armor formed halfway before the attacks landed.
When the attacks ended, Keith was still standing. He had many cuts, and his armor was destroyed. He was breathing heavily.
A windstorm formed around Keith. He tried to escape, but the sharp wind cut his body. After a few seconds, he escaped, but a kick landed on his face. He fell again.
Peter formed a condensed beam of light and launched it toward Keith. Keith knew he could not win. He was a single elemental cultivator, and the earth was mainly defensive.
Even so, he refused to fall.
The attack vanished suddenly. The referee appeared and stopped the match.
"It's enough."
Peter nodded and landed on the ground.
"The winner of this match is Peter Crux."
The crowd was stunned. This was the most dominant match so far. No one had defeated their opponents this easily. Peter was now one of the favorites to win this tournament.
Olivia, Aaron, and Peter had secured their spots in the top sixteen. Twelve matches were still left. Who would qualify next remained unknown.
Author's Note: 12 matches remain after that all the top 16 students will be decided who will reach the top 16. Stay tuned for more chapters.