Selenia paused for a moment before answering.
"That guy is the vice-leader’s son from our guild. He’s talented, but compared to Alice, he clearly pales."
"Is there some kind of grudge between him and my sister?" Daniel asked.
"I don’t think so, but I heard he likes your sister’s friend, Tiana, and sometimes he bothers her."
Daniel’s eyes went cold for a moment. The atmosphere suddenly turned freezing, and many in the audience felt chills run down their spines.
Even Selenia wasn’t an exception. For an instant she smelled death itself. Her pupils widened, and she had no idea how to react.
She quickly calmed herself.
"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he doesn’t get near Tiana or Alice again," she said quickly. Naturally, she wasn’t stupid. She understood well enough what caused this boy’s anger.
Daniel looked at her, the coldness still clear in his eyes. After a moment, he calmed down and everything returned to normal.
"You’d better keep your word."
Selenia let out a sigh of relief, but deep inside she was terrified. She had never been this scared before. For a brief moment, she had actually felt her own death.
The other battles started and ended quietly, and soon, all ten finalists except for the first and second places were finally decided.
"After many battles, all rankings except for first and second have been determined," the voice of a middle-aged man in a red robe echoed in the sky.
"As many of you have already guessed, the final match will be between Alice Noir and Tiana Noir."
As his words spread, two figures appeared in the arena, facing each other. Seeing that their final opponent was each other, smiles appeared on their faces.
"Looks like we’re going to have another fight," Alice said mockingly.
"Last time you won. Naturally, this time I’ll be the one to win," Tiana replied calmly.
"You shouldn’t be so sure," Alice said, summoning her sword. She hadn’t used it in any of her previous matches because she didn’t need to.
But this time was different. The opponent before her was just as strong as she was, and she couldn’t take her lightly.
"You may begin the battle," the middle-aged man said, and the fight officially started.
Alice dashed forward, activating [Starfall Strike]. Her sword came down like a falling star toward Tiana.
Tiana raised her hand and cast [Frozen Shackles]. Ice surged from the ground, forming a barrier. Alice’s blade cut through it, but at that same moment, [Storm Spear] shot past and tore through the arena floor.
Both jumped back, their eyes full of excitement and rivalry. From the start of the tournament until now, they had ended every battle with a single strike. To be honest, they had been bored.
But now, they finally faced an opponent who could push them to fight with all they had.
Tiana shouted: "[Crystal Bloom]!"
Ice flowers bloomed across the ground and suddenly exploded toward Alice.
Alice raised her blade: "[Starlight Guard]!"
Her sword glowed, forming a halo of starlight around her. The exploding flowers shattered against it.
Alice immediately counterattacked: "[Celestial Rend]!"
A blade of light shot out from her sword.
Tiana spun with lightning speed: "[Wind Mirage]!"
Her body dissolved into the wind and split into three images. The light slash only broke one, but the real Tiana appeared from the right and unleashed [Flame Spiral].
Alice responded with [Moonfang Rush], lunging forward. Her sword strikes poured out like fangs of the moon, wave after wave.
Tiana pulled back and raised [Terra Wall], but one of the slashes cut through and grazed her arm.
Tiana smiled. "Not bad... but watch this!"
Her ring lit up: "[Elemental Convergence]!"
Four elements gathered at once—flame, wind, earth, and ice—forming a glowing sphere of compressed energy that she hurled at Alice.
It was a skill she had gained after yesterday’s fight with Daniel, but she had decided to hide it until now as her surprise.
Alice’s eyes widened as she leapt forward, activating [Deathless Star Armor]. Starry lines lit up across her armor as it absorbed the massive strike. The training field shook under the explosion, dust rising everywhere, but Alice was still standing.
"I didn’t want to use [Deathless Star Armor], but I guess I have no choice... I’ll have to make the most of it. Time to push Tiana back," she muttered, preparing to attack again.
With a roar, Alice charged forward, her blade trailing silver light through the air.
"[Moonfang Rush]!"
The waves of her sword slashes rushed at Tiana like the fangs of the moon.
Tiana’s ring glowed: "[Aqua Shield]!"
Water gathered, forming a transparent wall, but the first slash broke it apart. Tiana had to quickly use [Wind Mirage] to dodge the following strikes.
She retreated, slightly out of breath.
’Since yesterday when we fought Daniel, she’s gotten better too... especially her speed.’
Tiana raised her hand.
"[Flame Spiral]!"
Flames surged upward and rushed at Alice.
She immediately followed by shaking the ground: "[Stone Chains]!" Chains of stone burst from the earth and coiled around Alice’s legs.
But Alice swung her sword, cutting them apart with [Celestial Rend], and charged straight through the flames. The star armor shielded her from the heat. She emerged from the fire and in a flash closed in on Tiana.
In panic, Tiana used [Frozen Shackles]. Ice bound Alice up to her waist.
But Alice smirked. "Caught me... or so you think?"
With the strength of her armor, the ice shattered, forcing Tiana to retreat.
The audience roared, filling the arena with cheers. Both girls were exhausted, but Tiana was clearly panting harder. Her ring still glowed, but her energy was nearly spent.
She made one final attempt:
"[Elemental Convergence]!"
The four elements gathered once more, but this time more unstable than before. The energy wavered, on the verge of exploding.
Alice leapt forward, unleashing [Starfall Strike]. Her sword came down as the unstable convergence exploded. The clash of light and elemental energy consumed the entire arena in a storm.
"What happened? Who won?"
"The smoke’s covering everything! We can’t see!"
The middle-aged man waved his hands, dispersing all the smoke.
Both girls were kneeling on the ground, but Alice forced herself to rise. Her sword was still in her hand. Tiana’s ring had gone dim, her strength completely drained.
Alice raised her sword and placed its edge against Tiana’s neck.
"It’s over... I won again," she said, breathing heavily.
"Really?" A mischievous light flickered in Tiana’s eyes. And in the very next moment, something happened that left Alice in shock and awe.