While that was going on, I walked up to Iris. “Why did you do this?”
“Why did you do this?” She shot my question back at me.
“I’m confident in at least putting up a good fight, and I had my reasons.”
“The same is true for me. I have to grow strong quickly, and this is the perfect chance for me to do so. A strange artifact is ready to teleport me to the hands of a healer squad, when will be the next time I can fight in such favorable conditions like this?”
She definitely had a point, I was just worried that she would throw her candidacy away. However, I was not her father nor lover, I wasn’t even a close friend of hers, thus I had no right to tell her how to live her life.
“Good luck.” I simply stated these two words, to which she mutedly nodded.
“Well then, Unseen, please leave the arena if you would be so kind.” Vex spoke up, telling the rogue who wasn’t selected by any of us to get out. He grunted annoyedly but bowed towards the ‘Hexblade’ with respect. She outranked him by two ranks, so he had to.
“The final spot will be filled by a Lunar Adept, the rank that is one step below that of the Eclipse Enforcer.”
I see. So they gave us the chance to fight these people if we wanted, but just as Vex claimed beforehand, we weren’t forced to do so.
Anyhow, I have no regrets and neither does Iris by the look of things.
“As he was the first challenger, we shall start with Devil vs Kael. Everyone else, please leave the arena.”
<You can do it, Daddy!!!> Just as people were leaving as Vex asked them to, Aurora’s comforting cheer sounded in my mind. Most of the time she called me Quinlan or Quin, this title was reserved for when she was either extremely horny or flustered. I doubted the former to be the case, thus she must’ve been very worried.
Rightfully so.
<I believe in you.> Lucille decreed.
<Master never loses. Blossom is sure Master will win.>
<Losing is a good opportunity to develop as a combatant, there’s no shame in it. Enjoy your fight, Quinlan. I’m honestly a bit envious…> My battle-junkie of a samurai stated. I didn’t know if she was mentally preparing Blossom for my defeat so that she wouldn’t become disappointed or if these were her true thoughts.
<Master, this young and beautiful elf might not be a fan of duels, but she thinks that overcoming the odds and winning would be rather sexy.> Seraphiel giggled slyly in my mind.
<If only we built my smithy, I could’ve crafted Lord Quinlan a better armor!> Kaelira grumbled. She was still annoyed that I prioritized other construction projects over her smithy it seemed. And, yeah, my current armor was a temporary one for sure.
<You could craft a high-tier armor with the time limit of it having to be done in a few days?> Sera questioned smugly.
<Ugh… I’m not that fast…> My extreme dwarf-hater of a future wife admitted defeatedly. So it was just Kaelira whining about her smithy.
<Thank you all for your words. I will do my utmost.> That was all I said before refocusing on the man before me.
Kael was eyeing me with a harsh glare. It was clear to me that he was happy that I selected him. He was here to ‘restore his honor’ for being eliminated from the Phenom Trials a century ago, so being matched up against a true phenom with my illustrious class was the best-case scenario for him. Defeating me would be the best honor restoration he could hope for in this event.
“You already told me your level, are you not going to ask me any questions? It would only be fair to do so.” I asked probingly.
“No need.” He completely dismissed my offer with a tone full of arrogance. Asking for information would be a sign of weakness, so he didn’t go for it.
Probing successful, he is looking down on me.
Just how I like it. In a David versus Goliath match, any semblance of an advantage is to be cherished.
“Take your positions,” Vex instructed, and we did just as so.
She stepped out of our way and then began counting down, “on my mark. Three, two, one, go!”
“[Stone Sentinel], [Flame Serpent].” I began the match by summoning Harold and Agni. They should provide me with a good frontline.
Kael slammed his ornately decorated mage’s staff into the ground as a response to my actions and intoned, “[Ice Age]!” and a deafening crack resonated through the arena as jagged veins of ice shot outward in all directions like an icy eruption.
The stone floor trembled as frost erupted and covered the ground, transforming the once neutral battleground into a frozen wasteland. The temperature plummeted instantly.
Agni hissed violently as the ice surged toward him. His fiery coils blazed brightly for a moment as he was fighting back the cold with all his might, but the frost consumed him like a tidal wave. The once-proud serpent solidified into an icy sculpture.
Harold fared no better. The cold seeped into his massive stone form with his legs getting encased in thick frost within seconds. He exerted a great amount of force in protest, but the ice gripping his limbs held firm. The frost sapped his strength and dulled his movements.
Kael’s spell didn’t stop just by freezing the floor. He terraformed it as well.
Spires of jagged ice erupted around the arena, forming natural barricades that sliced through visibility and limited movement. Snow started falling in the air, reducing the world around me to a winter storm.
Even saying that he terraformed the arena would be putting it lightly – he made it into his domain. Read the latest on empire
The only reason I was not frozen solid was because I reacted quickly and jumped onto Harold’s back.
I couldn’t help but grimace. Maybe I truly chose an opponent that was too much for the current me. I thought he would just be a higher leveled, more experienced version of Ice, but Kael was leagues above her.
This fight would turn out to be a true uphill battle that would become one of the most important milestones in the saga of Devil, the greatest upstart in Consortium history.