That morning, the atmosphere at Zephyrus Academy felt hotter than usual, not because of the weather, but because of the tension. Today, the first match of the knockout round began.
On the edge of the arena, Lucien sat quietly reading a book. He closed the book for a moment and whispered, "If he defends himself with his crystal magic, force him to move. Because if you force him to move, he will inevitably have to counterattack, and that is where you will find an opening to attack him."
Elric threw an apple at Damian casually. "Are you ready? If he attacks first with his crystal magic, dodge first, then counter with a quick attack."
Liam stood beside them, serious. "Previous battle data shows that Hugo will defend, check the opponent's ability using his crystal magic, then he will use the information he gets from his enemy to counterattack. Focus on applying non-stop pressure, don't let him attack you. In my opinion, Master Damian has better mana control than him, but we can't underestimate Hugo either because he must have a strategy to defeat Master Damian."
Damian smiled slightly at his friends. "Thank you, you three." He thought of Hugo: the crystal magic user. His fighting style was elegant yet aggressive, always waiting for an opening before countering with his crystal magic.
"First fight: Damian Kade versus Hugo Varrent," Instructor Van's voice echoed from the stage.
Damian stepped out into the arena. The stadium was already full, all the students sitting in the circular stands in high spirits from the opening match of the knockout round, their faces lit up by the magical light from the protective dome. Setsu'ryū was visible at his waist in its sheath.
The cheers from the audience were loud and boisterous as the magic announcer from the upper room announced the two fighters.
"For the opening match of the knockout round! On the west side of the arena—the crystal magic master from the second class, ranked fifteenth: HUGO VARRENT!"
The crowd cheered and whistled.
"And on the east side of the arena—The prodigy from the north, the ice master from Frostvale, ranked ninth: DAMIAN KADE, THE FANGFROST OF THE NORTH!"
The explosion of cheers echoed even louder as Damian stepped into the center of the arena. In front of him, Hugo stood calmly.
"The Fangfrost of the North, huh? You think you are worthy to touch Alzein's position?" Hugo said
Then Damian replied in confusion. "Alzein?? Number 1, no, no, I didn't mean it, I entered this tournament because I just wanted to test my abilities."
"Still don't want to admit it, huh? I'll show you how strong I am, because if you can't beat me, don't ever hope to touch Alzein's position." Hugo replied with an annoyed face.
Then, Instructor Van's voice was heard, "Ready?"
Damian nodded, and Hugo just looked at him calmly.
"Start!"
Damian immediately shot forward. Ice appeared on the ground, freezing the surface and closing the distance quickly. But Hugo remained in his position. A crystal shield appeared in front of his body, blocking Damian's ice slash with a loud, resounding bang.
CLANGGG!!!
Damian was thrown back a few steps.
"Okay, he's passive-aggressive," Damian said in his heart.
Hugo raised his hand, ordering small crystals to attack Damian. In one attack, dozens of crystal shards shot towards Damian like bullets.
Damian immediately formed an ice wall as a barrier. The crystals that hit shattered and scattered, but one shard managed to penetrate and scratch his shoulder.
Damian jumped to the side, releasing pillars of ice from under Hugo, trying to trap him. But Hugo jumped back, then landed lightly on a crystal platform that suddenly formed in the air.
Damian looked up, shocked. "He can float now?!"
The spotlight of the magic lamp shone on the two fighters. The first match of the playoffs had just begun.
Damian paused for a moment as memories of his father in Frostvale came to his mind.
The failed slash wasn't because you were weak, Damian. It was because you hesitated. Hold the sword… like you trust yourself. You don't have to think about the burden you carry with the sword, I give you this precious sword not only because you are my son, but because you deserve it, and I trust that you will be able to use it well and wisely.
He lowered his head slightly, muttering softly, "Okay, Dad… I believe it now."
Without waiting any longer, he grasped the hilt of Setsu'ryū. Then he pulled the sword out of its sheath, instantly causing the air around him to cool. White steam rose from the branches of the stone ruins, and the audience immediately cheered.
"He used his sword!" shouted one of the students.
"CRAZY! That's Setsu'ryū, right? The one Damian used to defeat Zeid, right?"
A cold aura enveloped the arena. The stone floor beneath Damian's feet turned into a thin layer of ice, while his breath seemed like white mist in the frozen air.
Damian swung his sword forward once, creating a wave of ice that swept straight through the crystal wall of the arena. Hugo raised a crystal wall in front of him to block the attack, but it cracked and shattered in a matter of seconds.
Without waiting for a pause, Damian dashed forward and slashed. Hugo nearly fell, but managed to dodge at the last second. He tried to create a crystal wall around Damian to trap him, but Setsu'ryū's ice blade cut through all the traps in two quick movements.
In the arena now littered with shards of ice and crystal, Damian stood tall, his gaze full of determination. The true battle had just begun.
After fighting at high intensity for a while, finally….
Hugo's last protective crystal wall had split in front of him, indicating that all of his protective walls had been destroyed by Damian, and he was almost out of mana. Damian raised Setsu'ryū with both hands.
"Sorry," Damian said, then swung the ice sword down, heading straight for Hugo's last protective wall that had split in two.
Hugo poured all his mana into his last defensive wall, and finally, he managed to form a thick crystal defensive wall.
Then, Damian's attack and Hugo's defensive wall collided.
CRACK!
Hugo's last protective crystal wall finally split in two.
"What… is this? This attack… It's as if the world around him has completely frozen." Hugo narrowed his eyes, seeing a pale blue light enveloping the slash. It wasn't just ordinary magic, there was an unmatched determination behind it. But Hugo had run out of mana. He couldn't withstand the power.
Hugo was thrown back and fell to the ground, which was already covered in ice. Instructor Van raised his hand.
"Hugo Varrent is eliminated. Damian Kade advances to the next round."
The cheers of the crowd echoed, ending the climax of the fight. Damian stood tall in the middle of the arena, breathing heavily.
Cheers echoed in the stands:
"HE WON!"
"SETSU'RYUUU!!"
"Wow, that's crazy, even though Hugo is very tough!"
Damian looked at the crowd calmly. Among the hundreds of faces, he saw Liam nodding slowly, Rin clapping enthusiastically, and Tessa smiling faintly from a distance.
Elric gave a thumbs-up from the audience seats. "Finally, you used that sword from the start!" he exclaimed.
Damian smiled, then walked slowly out of the arena. Throughout his steps, his determination remained burning. "Just one. There are still many stronger ones." Damian said in his heart.
As his steps touched the ground, a spotlight accompanied his every movement, as if giving him appreciation for the amazing fight.
The audience became more excited, shouts of "D A M I A N!" soared high, emphasizing how great their support was. Damian raised his right hand and waved a short greeting towards them, a sign of gratitude for their sincere enthusiasm.
On the west side of the stands, Brakth nodded respectfully, as his senior, he knew Damian had shown extraordinary capacity.
Not far from there, Kaelith prepared a strategy book in his arms, his eyes remained alert, noting every detail of the events that had just happened.
Even Vellia Darkfang, who was usually quiet, was seen bowing her head in appreciation of the moment, even though she was sitting far away, she let the crowd pass in front of her.
With steady steps, Damian exited the arena. Every sound of the supporters' shouts, applause was clearly heard in his ears. But behind it all, Damian felt calm and focused on his sword.