This fight was what everyone had been waiting for. Almost everyone in camp knew that Aurora was Rowan's daughter and were initially surprised when an unknown boy got the 1st rank instead of her. This surprise, however, subsided when they found out Atticus's actual identity.
Elias and the other instructors also watched with rapt attention.
Elias smiled, 'Let's see how strong you are,' while gazing at Atticus.
Atticus met Aurora's gaze and calmly stood up, walking to the stage nonchalantly. All eyes were on the duo on the stage, curious to see who was stronger. They were both monsters who had reached intermediate- rank at the age of 10.
Even though Atticus had gotten the 1st rank, they still didn't believe he was stronger than Aurora as they hadn't fought yet.
Not caring about the looks, Atticus thought, 'Now how should I deal with this?' Although he had a score to settle with Rowan, it had nothing to do with Aurora.
He'd be lying if he said he hadn't considered taking it on Aurora, but he thought better of it, 'You're lucky I'm not wicked,' as he gazed at her. Atticus's vengeance only involved the perpetrator and any fool who tried to stand in the way, he wasn't one to take it out on innocents.
"Bring out your weapons!" Reed instructed.
'My katana would be overkill. I'll use water mimicry,' Atticus decided.
Although he was trying to keep some cards up his sleeves, using the element and the art was different. His movements would mimic the element, but it had no visual effects.
Only people of adequate strength would be able to tell that he was using the water aspect of the art, something only people with water elements could use.
Atticus knew that Rowan might be able to tell, but it didn't really matter. He was sure Helodor had already informed him that he had multiple elements, and adding one more wouldn't change much. Besides, Rowan couldn't do anything to him as he was bound by a mana contract.
Hearing the instructor's voice, Aurora promptly listened and brought out her weapon, a high-quality gauntlet that outshone Chubby's by a mile.
As she finished equipping, she looked up at the booth with a resolute expression and then glanced down at Atticus, who had yet to take out his weapon. "Won't you bring out your weapon?" She asked, bewildered.
"You should worry about yourself, Aurora," Atticus replied coolly.
Aurora was irritated by those words and muttered, "Suit yourself," with anger lacing her voice.
"Begin!" Reed declared.
Aurora's entire body suddenly ignited with fire, and she shot towards Atticus at a blistering speed.
Atticus stood there unfazed, stimulating his water bloodline with mana. Months of practice had cut down the time it took for the art to take effect, currently, he only needed a few seconds. He felt his body become freer and more flexible.
As Aurora drew nearer, she increased the concentration of fire around her hand and threw a punch that sliced through the air with intensity.
With the fluidity of water, Atticus used a backhanded palm technique akin to kung fu to redirect the punch. His movements were as smooth as flowing water. He capitalized on her momentum and grabbed her, slamming her on the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs.
Seeing Atticus's movements, Rowan's eyes narrowed into pinpricks. Finn, who stood behind him, spoke in absolute shock, "He can use three elements?"
Rowan didn't answer; he kept his intense gaze on Atticus. He knew how difficult it was to master Elemental Mimicry. Your talent played a significant role in mastering that art.
Even for transcendent talent, it took at least half a year to come close to the proficiency Atticus had just displayed. And he had only been here for three months!
Finn noticed how the room seemed to grow colder and wisely decided to keep silent. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for what Aurora would face.
'He's even more of a monster than I thought,' Elias thought, a smile forming. 'To think he learned Elemental Mimicry to this level in such a short time.' He clenched his fist, his excitement surging.
Meanwhile, Aurora was panicking. 'No, no, no, no, I can't lose!' she thought frantically. She quickly stood up and muttered, "I can't lose."
With focused determination, the fire surrounding her intensified, doubling in intensity. She compressed all the fire into her right hand, raised her heels, resting on her toes, and then released a colossal burst from her feet, propelling herself at Atticus at twice her previous speed.
"Cosmic Punch," she muttered.
Her hands blazed with intensity as her fist tore through the air like a comet, promising nothing but devastation.
As the blow neared Atticus, he decided to use something he hadn't employed since he had learned it – his first art. He simply raised his hands and muttered, "Arcane Barrier."
Instantly, a blue, transparent shield formed in front of him. The strike hit the shield with a thunderous crash, sending shockwaves reverberating through the arena.
The whole arena fell silent. The sudden silence was broken only by the voice of a trainee who asked what everyone was thinking, "Is this a fight between first years?"
After the smoke cleared, a shocked Aurora could be seen. "No way," she said, her voice trembling. There wasn't even the slightest ripple on the shield.
Atticus's proficiency of the art had increased over the years, it was currently at the intermediate+ level. It was only natural that the strength of an intermediate- couldn't break through it.
Without giving her a chance to catch her breath, Atticus suddenly moved toward her at lightning speed.
She was too surprised to react. Using the tips of his fingers, moving like dangerous waves, he advanced swiftly toward her throat.
Aurora's eyes widened, and as the strike was about to land, the stage lit up and stopped the attack.
"Winner, Atticus!" Reed declared, his surprise evident as he didn't even realize that he called out Atticus's name instead of his rank.
Aurora fell on her butt, still in disbelief that she had lost. She cast a look at the booth and suddenly shivered, feeling her father's cold stare even though she couldn't see it.
Atticus walked off the stage, and moved towards his seat.
As he walked, all eyes were on him. The various looks of judgment and doubt he had received earlier seemed to vanish, leaving only one expression – admiration.
Only Ember and his teammates, who had witnessed his strength firsthand, weren't too surprised.
Ember's face didn't even change; she had already expected this outcome. Even she couldn't defeat that monster. Who was Aurora?
Atticus sat down on his seat nonchalantly, his expression as if he hadn't even done anything worthwhile.
***
Hi 👋 . I truly hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, while giving golden tickets might not be possible, I would truly appreciate powerstones or comments. They'll motivate me and also help this story reach more readers. Thank you.