The only bright spot for Kastal had been Elena. She was currently in the ring, facing the fourth combatant of the Bridan Empire, a Rogue called Floria—the woman with the pale scar and a striking resemblance to the Rank-60 Dark Assassin. She had started the fight with a barrier almost full. And yet against all odds, Elena was winning.
In the ring, the noblewoman's crimson hair was like a fiery banner in the midst of her cold domain. The Rogue swung her daggers and unleashed a flurry of sharp, cutting gales, but Elena parried them without much effort. Walls of thick, opaque ice erupted from the sand to block the attacks, and frigid gusts howled from her staff, which pushed her opponent away before she could get any closer.
Without wasting time, Elena began channeling one of her signature spells—one everyone would have thought impossible for her to cast in a one-on-one duel. Yet as Floria ran to circle the frozen rampart, a barrage of ten-foot-long ice spears materialized above Elena and hurled straight at her opponent.
The scarred woman darted to the side to dodge, but it was useless; two of the massive projectiles still slammed into her. She gritted her teeth through the pain and triggered a burst-of-movement spell, pulling back to her left to dodge the rest of the volley. The azure barrier wrapping her body had thinned to barely a fifth of its original thickness.
Seth grimaced, causing Nightmare to stir inside his pocket-realm.
'Why aren't you happy for her?'
'I am,' Seth answered as his gaze moved to Director Cranner.
The man had likely kept him for last, hoping Kastal would already have secured the victory by that point—or that the event would have concluded before the 'disgraceful commoner' ever set foot on the stage.
Seth's eyes locked on Bridan's final combatant: another Rank-40 Rogue. The young man wore a perpetual smirk on his face as his fingers drummed restlessly against the hilts of his twin daggers.
'I wanted to face him while his barrier was still full, but now it seems Elena might thin it up,' Seth added through Link.
'Why?' Nightmare asked. 'You'd still have that Eldric guy's book even if you don't have to fight at all. Why show your spells before the war begins next month?'
'That's true, but—' Seth began before stopping mid-thought. 'Don't tell me you're just hoping I won't have a chance to use Mantle of Terror?'
'Nahhh, don't be ridiculous,' the direwolf answered, his voice poorly hiding his lie.
In the ring, Elena unleashed a series of ice shards, which hammered into the Rogue's failing barrier and consumed what it had left of its aether. As the scarred woman dropped to one knee, Elena stood tall and kept her chin up. Her own barrier still glowed intensely with what seemed to be a bit more than half of its initial strength. She'd given the best performance of Kastal's combatants by far, and the fact that she was only Rank 36 made it even more impressive.
Taken aback by how well the noblewoman had done, Seth focused his gaze on her and cast Intermediate Identify.
Ice Weaver? Seth thought, momentarily surprised.
Back during the squad skirmishes, he hadn’t used Identify on her, so he didn't know whether she’d already had a subclass back then. But if she had… wouldn’t Jenna, Devus, or even Elena herself have mentioned it?
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'You’re barely ever with them,' Nightmare said through Link, sensing his thoughts. 'When would you have heard about it?'
Seth pressed his lips together. The direwolf was right. Since Colossus’s hatching, he’d been so focused on raising the young scorpion’s Rank that he’d barely spent time with his friends. But wasn’t that normal? Shouldn’t all his effort go toward growing stronger—both for the coming war and for taking control of his own life? He could enjoy things afterwards.
Suffer now. Live later.
But was pushing himself through danger and challenges really suffering? It didn’t feel like it. It felt right—like walking on his Path. Like what he was meant to do. What would truly let him become someone.
Drawing in a slow breath, he refocused on Elena, who was standing tall and proud in the center of the ring.
Not only did the noblewoman have a subclass despite only being a Mid-Iron Wielder, but it wasn't Cryomancer—the standard subclass for Ice Elementalists. Seth's mind immediately jumped to his own situation and how Link had granted him the Beastmaster subclass the moment he'd broken into the Iron Tier.
Maybe Elena has something like a Legacy?
Seth shook his head, dismissing that idea. Toren and Yline had been clear: no one in the whole nation had one of those. That was the entire reason why Kastal was going to war. So, what was it?
In the stands, in the section where several spectators wore the crest of House Surani, Seth caught sight of Elena's parents discreetly clapping. He couldn't clearly make out their faces from the distance, but he had no doubt Leonard and Marissa Surani were grinning from ear to ear.
The moment the defeated Rogue walked out of the ring, the Oracle Snake, still on the sideline, gazed at Elena. Its purple eyes began to glow, and the noblewoman, who had been looking elsewhere, suddenly straightened in alarm. She took a deep breath.
The contracted beast's sibilant voice echoed in the quiet arena, "Hsssss… I need to make them proud…I need to show him how strong I am."
As the Oracle Snake's eyes lost their glow, the last combatant from the empire, the other Rank-40 Rogue, stepped into the ring. The young man rolled his shoulders, giving Elena a creepy smile. A second later, the shimmering azure barrier washed over him at the same time Captain Michaelson brought his hand down.
"Fight!"
Seth's eyes narrowed as aether filled Intermediate Identify's grooves.
Facing two Rogues in a row, that's rough, Seth thought. The high-Agility class was normally a brutal counter for an Elementalist like Elena, who needed time and space to cast her most powerful spells. She did really well during the first fight, but she probably doesn't have much aether left in her Well for this one.
'Yeah,' Nightmare replied, reading Seth's thoughts. 'But I'm sure she'll manage. She's too proud to allow herself to be humiliated like the others.'
Seth's gaze locked on Elena, who had just created a slick sheet of ice around herself to deter an immediate rush from her opponent. 'I hope you're right.'
Seth wasn't startled by the direwolf's confidence in the noblewoman—over the past few months, Nightmare's view of Elena had only grown even more favorable. In the beginning, it had all been a running joke about how Seth should make the noblewoman his mate so he could gain a noble title and wealth, but now the direwolf seemed to genuinely appreciate her.
Except for one thing: Nightmare couldn't stand her rigid adherence to human rules… especially her unshakable belief in the crown's courts and laws. Nightmare's philosophy was that of the wild. The strong survive, and justice is delivered by the fangs and claws. Seth had found himself agreeing with the sentiment more and more.
Ahead, Elena unleashed a barrage of ice arrows, but her opponent was ready. The Rogue dashed and weaved, sidestepping all the projectiles with ease. The next instant, he closed the distance in short, unpredictable bursts, forcing Elena to stop him by conjuring walls of ice.
The moment the Rogue tried to leap over them, the noblewoman caught him with a blast of freezing wind that struck him and pushed him away. Then, before the combatant of the empire could fully recover, a perfectly aimed spear of solid ice slammed into his side, which sent him skidding even farther across the sand.
Pushing himself up, Iann dodged Elena's next volley, a snarl twisting his lips. Aether flared around his legs and his speed increased; a second spell caused air to shimmer around him and turn his body into a blurry haze—a combination that made him a nightmare to track for Elena.
Seth spotted something moving next to the Rogue's feet.
A sliver of shadow ruptured from his boot and surged across the sand like a spill of black ink. Before Elena could react or even notice it, a black, three-fingered hand sprang from the ground, crept up along her leg, then traveled across her torso before clamping viciously around her neck.
A strangled gasp escaped the noblewoman's lips, and her opponent seized the occasion to close the gap.
Seth's fists clenched, knuckles turning white as his core began to stir inside his chest.
The Rogue lunged forward, slashing the barrier covering Elena with his daggers. With a brutal kick, he buckled the noblewoman's knees and forced her to the ground.
Without losing a beat, he grabbed a fistful of her crimson hair and yanked her head back so he could slash her barrier once more. Around Elena's throat, the hand of shadow kept tightening, allowing only rasping sounds to leave her mouth.
A burning heat surged through Seth, and his breathing quickened with each gasp of the noblewoman.
The Rogue brought one his daggers up and pressed it against the thin barrier covering her neck. A broad grin spread on his face. "Do you think that Paladin will be fast enough to stop my blade before I make it through your pretty throat?" The young man leaned closer, his smile widening even more. "Me? I don't think so. But hey, what can we do? Accidents are common on days like this, right?"
Elena glared up at him, her emerald eyes still burning with determination despite the pain. With a chuckle, Iann slowly raised his dagger.
'We need to protect her!' Colossus exclaimed through Link, whipping his tails inside his teardrop.
Nightmare's frantic voice immediately followed, 'Yes, Seth! We've gotta do someth—'
Before the direwolf could finish, Seth's core exploded. A torrent of feral rage washed over him and drowned out all his thoughts as he dashed forward.
Director Ryehill shouted from behind him. "Seth, wait!"
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21 25!! advanced chapters on !