"DEAR SPECTATORS! YOU MUST BE ANXIOUS FOR THIS GREAT TOURNAMENT, AREN'T YOU?!"
The crowd erupted in a roar of pure excitement. Thousands of voices clamored for battle, honor, and glory, making the walls of the massive Colosseum tremble. This place, which in the past had been the stage for mortal duels between ancient kings and tyrants, now welcomed young people seeking the chance to turn their dreams into reality.
Fame? Money? None of that was the primary fuel. In that moment, every student of the Captains' Training School desired only one thing: absolute victory!
"I PRESENT TO YOU OUR PARTICIPANTS!" the announcer shouted, his voice magically amplified. "From Class 1-A: Pan Sun, Asuna Vermilion, Kirio Ualter, Petra, and... Giyo!"
Watching from a reserved area in the arena, the teachers stood beside the Director. Paola, ever observant, immediately noticed something strange in the presentation and approached Hiro to clear her doubts.
"Hiro, why didn't Giyo's introduction include his last name?" Paola asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Hiro kept his eyes fixed on the arena, his expression one of pure pragmatism.
"It was a direct request from the King. It seems that the entire incident at the mansion has caused the high command to suspect the boy. By superior orders, until everything is cleared up, he belongs neither to the Sun clan nor the Thunder clan... To the world, he is simply Giyo."
The announcer continues the introduction of the other participants...
"From Class 2-C: Ryusui Astrea and Rajime Hayashi!"
Paola was shocked. Only two students from the second year seemed to have volunteered for the tournament.
"It seems you noticed," Hiro said. "The real reason we have so few second-year participants comes from what happened in past tournaments. The rules were simple: fight and win... but the students began to take any means of winning way too seriously. Swords, knives, gauntlets, and even specialized killing magic. I banned the tournaments for the sake of the students in the following years; it was a bloody era for those who survived and showed their strength."
"I see... that must be why I was never called for most of these tournaments in the past," Paola placed her hands over her chest, showing her concern. "Students... give it your best."
Soon, the announcer continued:
"From Class 3-A: Law Thunder and Akio Thunder!"
The introductions came to an end. This time, all participants were ready for what was to come in this great tournament.
"THESE ARE THE PARTICIPANTS FOR THIS YEAR'S TOURNAMENT! I ASK EVERYONE TO PREPARE IN THE AREAS RESERVED FOR EACH GRADE'S TEAM!" the announcer shouted.
In each block leading to the main arena, there was a small space where each class team could discuss strategies.
"Okay everyone, there's a problem with our formation," Pan warned. "Problem? What are you talking about? There are many of us and few of them," Kirio said. "That's exactly the problem. If we have five participants in a single class and they only have two per class... it looks like we'll be doing double combat for a long time," Pan explained. "This tournament isn't just a test of our strength; it's a test of endurance!" Asuna added. "Exactly! If we're going to win, we need to dedicate everything to teamwork. No arrogance, no ignorance... just harmony," Pan said.
At that moment, the entire audience was stunned by an imposing presence: the King appeared at the top of the arena on a throne prepared just for him. Beside him, the four Captains of the Kingdom watched over the entire coliseum.
"IS EVERYONE READY?" the announcer cried. "The chances are slim, but it's likely that we in the first year will fight in this first round. Prepare for whatever comes and win!" Pan encouraged. "FIRST ROUND! FIRST YEAR TEAM vs. SECOND YEAR TEAM! PETRA AND KIRIO vs. RYUSUI AND RAJIME!" the announcer shouted with excitement.
"GREAT!" Pan felt relieved. "At least it wasn't the third-year group." "W-w-what are we going to do?" Petra asked, completely nervous. "Hehe, isn't it obvious?" Cracking his knuckles against his palm, Kirio smirked, ready for battle. "WE'RE GOING TO WIN!"
Walking toward the arena clearly designed for land-based combat, the fighters stepped onto the sturdy, checkered floor. The surface was made of a material harder than stone itself, forming a perfect 12-meter by 12-meter square.
"The rules are simple: use any kind of weapon, and you're disqualified. Kill or attempt to kill your opponents, and you're disqualified. Step out of the arena, and you're disqualified!" the announcer declared.
"HEY, YOU TWO!" Ryusui pointed sharply at his opponents. "I'll make sure to give you both a proper beating, so you better remember the name Ryusui Astrea!"
"This guy talks too much," Kirio whispered. "Astrea? I've never heard of that clan," Petra said. "They're close to the Pendragon clan. You could say they're in debt to the King for the rest of their lives," Kirio explained.
The announcer shouted the start of the round. The crowd went silent instantly; everyone was focused on the battle. Kirio was the first to move, clearly provoked by Ryusui's arrogance. He aimed a direct strike, but his opponent dodged effortlessly with a simple movement.
"Just by moving his head?!" Kirio said, surprised.
"Well, well... it seems the Director's little boy finally learned how to fight," Ryusui mocked. "I confess I expected more, given the weight of the honor your last name carries."
Ryusui delivered a brutal knee to Kirio's stomach. Then, he grabbed him by the neck and threw him back toward Petra.
"Both of you can come at me at once. I can handle it."
Furious, Kirio charged at Ryusui again. Punch and kick; a pattern of striking and dodging, blocking and counter-attacking.
"A-a-aren't you going to attack me?" Petra asked, holding a nervous stance.
"Oh... are you talking to me?" Rajime yawned at the end of his sentence. "Well... I'm not really into direct combat; I'm strictly support. And I must say, you seem like a support type too—all nervous and unable to even move to try and hit me. Your friend is basically carrying the team by himself."
"But your partner is too! You're just standing there, exactly like me!" Petra retorted.
"That's what you think..." Rajime took his hands out of his pockets, revealing a strange formation as he joined his fingers. "See this? It's called a Hand Seal. You've probably learned about it, but I suspect you don't truly know how this skill functions."
In Kirio's fight, he finally landed a punch squarely on Ryusui's face, but it seemed to have no effect at all! Ryusui merely turned his head against the fist and countered with another brutal knee to Kirio's midsection.
"But how?!" Petra shouted, stunned.
"Hand Seal: Fortification," Rajime declared. "This seal embodies the spirit of a lion; the closer he is to me, the stronger and more resilient Ryusui becomes. Of course, there is a small opening: I am completely exposed to attacks, which would break the enchantment. That's why... Wood Magic: Manequins!"
Two coffins rose from the ground. Emerging from them were perfect clones of Rajime himself, ready to defend.
"These are wood clones, handcrafted by me. I hope you enjoy your time with them while your partner takes a beating," Rajime said.
The clones dashed forward, lunging at Petra. She blocked the strikes as best as she could, trying to push the wooden figures away, but bruises were already forming due to their brute strength and hard material.
"DAMN YOU! You haven't revealed a single spell yet!" Kirio shouted while clashing with Ryusui.
"As if it were necessary," Ryusui replied disdainfully. "Look at you—a waste of the name you carry. You come from a lineage of warriors and fighters; you should be proud of the golden cradle your daddy gave you."
"I... I AM NOT MY FATHER!" Kirio roared, completely furious.
Advancing fiercely and landing more hits than usual, the situation began to slip out of Ryusui's control.
"STANCE TECHNIQUE: Calm Tide Flow!" Kirio commanded.
His hands traced mesmerizing movements, mimicking the continuous flow of water. One, two, three... these were the precise strikes Kirio delivered in that sequence, hitting the shoulders, chest, and stomach.
Ryusui recoiled, coughing from the force of the blows. Immediately after, Kirio prepared a kick following the same pattern, but Ryusui managed to catch his leg in mid-air! Surprising him, the veteran grabbed Kirio's neck and slammed him violently into the ground.
"DAMN YOU! What do you think you're doing?!" Ryusui hissed. "Hehe... just buying time," Kirio replied with a smirk.
Using his feet, Kirio tripped Ryusui and followed up with a powerful kick to his face, sending him reeling back and leaving his guard wide open. One, two, three... the same sequence of strikes repeated, but this time, all were aimed directly at his opponent's chest.
"HEY! YOU BETTER NOT LOSE!" Rajime shouted, losing his patience.
Ryusui stood up, his nose bleeding, but he smirked as he felt the drops.
"Impressive... that's the first time anyone has hit me that hard. BUT THERE WON'T BE A SECOND TIME!" Ryusui declared.
Kirio noticed his opponent's sudden surge. He threw a punch, but once again, his fist collided with something invisible! Using the momentum of the strike against the hidden wall, Kirio sprang backward, narrowly dodging a surprise counter. It was almost unnoticeable, but by straining his eyes, he caught a faint glimmer of sunlight reflecting off the air.
"Hahaha, I get it now," Kirio smiled, dropping his combat stance to appear vulnerable. "It seems your power is keeping me from getting close, isn't it? Are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?"
"BARRIER MAGIC: Platform!" In Ryusui's palm, a sort of plate solidified out of thin air. "I'm impressed by your eyesight. Few would spot my platforms. To the naked eye, it looks like nothing but wind, but if you focus, you'll see something is there."
Barrier Magic, in essence, is a technique that allows the user to create a defense at any moment or situation. It isn't limited to a single element, as it can generate countless types of barriers based on whatever is available in the surroundings. Water, Fire, Lightning, and Air—the natural elements present in daily life—can all be harnessed through this technique.
"It's an annoying power to deal with, but I know I won't have any trouble..." Kirio said, settling back into his combat stance.
"Do you really think I'll let you get close to me after showing my ability? Your strikes are far from being able to destroy my barriers," Ryusui countered.
The two lunged directly at each other, their chests colliding as they returned to a sequence of direct blows.
"Hm," Rajime gave an ironic smile. "Ryusui is impressive, isn't he? Even after revealing his abilities, he doesn't lose a single battle."
In the midst of the dialogue, Petra was cornered by the wood clones, taking numerous hits from every side.
"Oh, come on... you should see how pathetic your friend is fighting... maybe I'll send a mannequin to fight him too," Rajime mocked.
Petra grew furious. With her bare hands, she grabbed the heads of both mannequins, smashing them together and sending splinters and sawdust flying. The smell was agonizing, but she pushed through, charging toward her opponent.
"WOOD MAGIC: Cage!" Rajime declared. From the ground, roots and numerous stakes emerged, trapping Petra. "I'm not going to let you ruin the fun."
He began creating even more mannequins to surround her.
"This guy... he's managing to immobilize me from a distance with these simple clones? I... I can't lose..." Petra thought, struggling against the roots.
From afar, Kirio felt the same: weak and incapacitated. But in a moment of pure desperation, BOTH SHOWED THEIR TRUE ABILITIES!
"CRYSTALLIZATION!" Petra screamed.
Crystallization was Petra's unique ability. During the days of intense training alongside Kirio, she had shown an extraordinary evolution. Between strikes and defenses, for the first time, her shyness was cast aside, and her attacks became more demanding. In that instant, their strength increased for obvious reasons: the will to win was taking over their hearts!
From her hands, crystals emerged, completely covering her fists up to her forearms.
"WHAT THE—?!" Rajime exclaimed, totally caught off guard.
In his shock, Rajime watched his wooden mannequins being shattered by unique, pinpoint strikes. Splinters flew everywhere, and the impact was so powerful it caused a reflexive ache in his own body. Immediately after, Petra destroyed what was holding her inside that cage and charged toward Rajime, ready to end the fight right then and there.
"IT'S OVER FOR YOU!" Petra shouted, fueled by combat fury. "BROTHER!" Rajime screamed.
His cry was desperate. The blow Petra dealt Rajime sent him flying so far that, in that moment, he crossed the arena's boundary.
"RAJIME HAS BEEN DISQUALIFIED!!" the announcer shouted.
Everyone was stunned by the feat! A first-year student had managed to defeat a second-year veteran—an absurd and rare achievement.
"NO!" Ryusui screamed. "You bastards... YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!!"
In that moment, Ryusui covered his fists with his own barriers, striking Kirio and charging fiercely toward Petra. Sensing the approach, she raised her fist, and both their punches collided with a heavy thud.
"Your barrier is tough," Petra noted, feeling the pressure. "I could say the same about those crystals on your hands," Ryusui retorted, gritting his teeth. "DON'T IGNORE ME!" Kirio shouted.
Kirio lunged at Ryusui's back, shaping his hands into blades coated in water techniques. He aimed the attack at Ryusui's neck, but a barrier formed instantly, shielding him from the fatal strike.
"You're just two grade-school brats. Losing to you would be a humiliation," Ryusui said.
Raising his hands, he projected barriers from his palms, pushing Petra far back with overwhelming force. Quickly, he spun around and grabbed Kirio's head, manifesting an airtight barrier around the boy's face.
"What's the matter? Is it hard to breathe?" Ryusui asked with a sadistic smirk of victory. "As much as it's against the rules to kill our opponents, nothing says I can't provoke them a little... THIS IS THE TRUE TOURNAMENT! PAIN, AGONY, AND DESPAIR! You should have seen how it was in the old days: a real coliseum where only the strongest students moved forward!"
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!!" Petra screamed.
Petra charged again, but something stopped her dead in her tracks! With an immediate snap of his fingers, Ryusui had created a barrier that prevented Petra from moving, perfectly encasing her body.
"It was a good match... but it's high time you two got out of my sight," Ryusui said coldly.
With a single movement, his hands traced a swift and precise dance. Then, with a powerful kinetic shove, Kirio and Petra were thrown in opposite directions toward the outside of the arena.
BOOM!!
The two slammed into the ground outside... In that moment, both had lost the fight.
"WINNER... RYUSUI FROM THE SECOND YEAR!" the announcer declared, as the crowd still processed the veteran's sheer aggressiveness.