The echoes of Eric William's chilling victory over Selena Veylan still resonated within the Grand Colosseum.

The sheer, focused power he displayed, culminating in the advanced and unexpected 'Stellar Parallax,' had left the crowd stunned and the instructors deeply unsettled.

The heir of the William family had not just won; he had declared his ascension, casting a long, cold shadow over the remaining competitors.

The first Semifinal was locked: Maria Frostheart versus Eric William. Ice against Light.

A battle that promised cataclysmic consequences.

But before that future clash could consume all thought, the present demanded its due.

The holographic bracket flared once more, illuminating the third quarterfinal pairing, a matchup intriguing not for its elemental opposition, but for its clash of philosophies.

_________________

[Quarterfinal Match 3: Leon Lionheart (Seed #2) vs. Aurelia Miller (Seed #7)]

A different kind of murmur swept the stands. Leon Lionheart, the Seed #2, carrier of the Holy Flame and the protagonist's aura, whose journey was marked by steady growth and righteous determination. Against him stood Aurelia Miller, Seed #7, the pragmatic mind, daughter of the

Ather Guild Master, whose victories relied on sharp intellect, calculated risks, and a resourcefulness that often bordered on cunning. It was the Lionheart's straightforward power against the Merchant's intricate web.

Leon rose from the waiting bench, his earlier agitation replaced by a profound, focused calm.

He had watched Eric's fight intently. He saw the cold efficiency, the lack of hesitation, the way Eric adapted his Light Arts beyond mere brute force. It was a sobering reminder.

Power alone isn't enough, Leon thought, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. Eric has honed his blade. Maria dictates the battlefield. Selena sought balance and fell.

And Michael… Michael breaks the rules entirely. He took a deep breath, the Holy Flame within him burning steadily, not with rage, but with clarity. Aurelia will try to trap me, to outsmart me.

I cannot afford to be predictable. I must adapt, just as Michael did against Chris.

The thought of me, his rival, spurred him onward, not with envy, but with a sharpened resolve.

Aurelia stood simultaneously, a picture of cool, collected confidence.

She performed her characteristic gesture—adjusting non-existent glasses as she gave Leon a polite, almost friendly nod.

The gesture, however, did nothing to mask the sharp, analytical glint in her eyes.

Leon Lionheart. Seed #2. Primary affinities: Fire (Holy sub-type), Wind. Known techniques:

Lionheart Sword Style Forms 1 & 2, Overdrive (Gold-rank self-buff, estimated duration 5-7 minutes, significant mana drain).

Strengths: High power output, strong fundamentals, noble resolve.

Weaknesses: Predictable patterns under pressure, potential over-reliance on Overdrive, slightly slower adaptation speed compared to pure strategists.

Her mind processed the data instantly, formulating multiple engagement scenarios.

Objective: Control the environment, exhaust his mana reserves before Overdrive becomes a factor, exploit predictability. Probability of success: 68.7%. A faint, confident smile touched her lips.

[Lionheart Estate – Grand Hall]

Arnab Lionheart watched his son step onto the platform. He noted the controlled aura, the focused gaze.

He has calmed himself. Good. Arnab had been initially disappointed by Leon's lower seed compared to Wilson, but seeing the boy's growth, his willingness to analyze rather than just charge, offered a measure of reassurance.

The Miller girl is sharp. She fights like her father bargains—with traps and leverage. This will test Leon's ability to think beyond the forms

[Ather Guild Headquarters – Master's Office]

Martin Miller leaned back in his chair, a rare, genuine smile gracing his features.

"Alright, Aurelia....show them the Ather way."

He watched as his daughter materialized in the virtual arena, her posture radiating quiet confidence. Lionheart power is impressive, yes.

But power without strategy is just noise. Dissect him, daughter. Find the flaws. Control the flow. Victory lies in the details. He had trained her not just in combat, but in the art of negotiation, risk assessment, and resource management—skills he believed were far more crucial in the long run.

______________

[The Arena – Leon vs. Aurelia]

The virtual world shimmered into existence around them: a sprawling, multi-leveled port city simulation bathed in the warm glow of twilight.

Lanterns flickered along narrow cobblestone alleys that snaked between tall, timber-framed warehouses.

Wooden docks extended out into a simulated harbor where the masts of phantom ships created a dense vertical maze.

Crates, barrels, and fishing nets lay scattered, offering abundant cover and ambush points. The salty tang of the sea mixed with the faint smell of tar and fish.

"Urban environment. Complex terrain. Perfect for her hit-and-run tactics," Leon assessed instantly, his senses extending, feeling the subtle shifts in wind currents carrying Aurelia's scent—a faint trace of fire and something floral—already disappearing down a side street.

[BEGIN!]

Aurelia didn't wait.

The moment the signal flared, she vanished into the labyrinthine alleys like smoke, her movements swift and silent. Her voice echoed, light and teasing, carried on the simulated sea breeze.

"A lovely evening for a stroll, wouldn't you say, Leon? Do try to keep up."

Leon didn't take the bait. Chasing her blindly into that maze would be suicide. He planted his feet on the relatively open space of the main pier, closing his eyes briefly. Feel the wind. Locate her signature.

His Wind affinity wasn't just for speed; it was a sensory net. He felt the disturbance—a slight pressure shift, a momentary disruption in the air—coming from behind a large stack of cargo crates fifty meters to his right.

"There." He spun, sword already ablaze with Holy Flame.

But instead of a direct attack, he opted for an area denial tactic learned from watching my fight.

"Lionheart Sword Style: Form One - Rising Fang: Ember Scatter!"

He modified the form, unleashing not a single upward slash, but a wider, horizontal arc that sprayed embers and waves of heat towards the crates. It wasn't meant to hit her directly, but to flush her out, to force her movement.

Aurelia emerged, not from behind the crates, but from atop them, having anticipated his sensory sweep and used the crates themselves as a launching point.

"Clever adjustment, Leon," she called down, already nocking a conceptual arrow made of Fire mana to a small, elegantly crafted crossbow she'd materialized.

"Incendiary Bolt!"

The bolt streaked down, aimed not at Leon, but at a pile of discarded fishing nets near his feet. The nets instantly ignited, flames spreading rapidly, creating a wall of fire that threatened to trap him on the pier.

Leon reacted instantly, using his Wind affinity to leap backwards, landing gracefully on the deck of a moored ship just as the flames consumed the spot where he'd stood.

"She's controlling the space, using the environment against me. I need to force her into the open."

He channeled mana, his golden aura flaring.

"Overdrive!" The surge of D- rank power washed over him.

He leaped from the ship back onto the docks, moving with enhanced speed, his flaming sword carving through the burning nets like paper. He charged towards the crates Aurelia had used.

But she wasn't there.

A faint shimmer near a warehouse doorway caught his eye – a minor healing ward, pulsing with Life mana.

"A decoy!"

He realized she had used the fire as a distraction to reposition while leaving a false trail.

Suddenly, the cobblestones beneath him glowed.

"Sunpetal Snare!" Thorny vines, infused with binding Life mana, erupted from the gaps between the stones, lashing around his ankles.

Leon roared, flexing his Overdrive-enhanced strength, shattering the vines instantly but the momentary delay was all Aurelia needed from a rooftop overlooking the square, her voice came, calm and precise.

"Fire Weaver Trap: Net Formation."

Multiple threads of thin, almost invisible Fire mana shot down, weaving together in mid-air to form a net of searing energy that descended rapidly upon him.

"Damn her traps!" Leon cursed internally. He couldn't dodge in time.

He raised his sword, pouring Holy Flame into a defensive barrier.

"Golden Aegis!"

The fire net slammed into the aegis. Sizzle! Hiss! Fire warred against holy fire.

The aegis held, but the mana drain was significant and while he was pinned defending, Aurelia was already preparing her next move.

She materialized three "Burning Marionettes" – small humanoid figures made of solidified fire and animated by Life mana – which dropped to the ground and charged at Leon from different angles, their movements jerky but surprisingly fast.

Leon grit his teeth as he was burning through Overdrive's duration and his own mana reserves dealing with these constant, layered traps and summons.

Aurelia wasn't trying to beat him in a direct fight; she was trying to bleed him dry.

"No more reacting," he decided.

"Time to dictate."

He ignored the charging marionettes. Instead, he focused his entire will, his Overdrive-boosted mana, into his blade.

The Holy Flame compressed, turning white-hot. He aimed not at Aurelia's current position, but at the entire warehouse district she was using as her playground.

"Lionheart Sword Style—Form Three: SOLAR FLARE CLEAVE!"

He unleashed his ultimate attack, not as a focused beam, but as an expanding wave of pure annihilation.

The white-hot energy detonated outwards, incinerating the marionettes instantly, vaporizing crates, shattering windows, and blasting apart the rooftops and alleys Aurelia had been using for cover.

The entire section of the port city dissolved into a maelstrom of fire and light. It was overkill. It was inefficient. But it was definitive.

When the blinding light subsided, the intricate urban battlefield was gone, replaced by a scorched, open crater and standing amidst the devastation, breathing heavily, her clothes singed, a hastily erected Life Barrier flickering weakly around her, was Aurelia.

Her calculating smile was gone, replaced by wide-eyed shock. Her traps, her environmental control—all erased in a single, overwhelming blast.

Leon, still radiating the power of Overdrive, strode towards her through the smoldering ruins. His mana was dangerously low, the buff nearing its end, but his expression was resolute.

"No more games, Aurelia," he said, his voice heavy. He raised his sword.

Aurelia looked at the scorched ground, at the sheer destructive power Leon wielded when pushed, and then back at him. She saw the exhaustion beneath the power, the cost of his victory. A slow, rueful smile touched her lips.

She had pushed him to his limit, forced him to reveal his trump card and burn his reserves. In a way, she had still achieved a strategic objective.

She deactivated her flickering barrier and lowered her rapier.

"…Give Up."

[Match Over. Victor: Leon Lionheart.]

____________________________

[VR Hall & Viewing Boxes]

The Colosseum erupted in cheers, primarily from the Lionheart supporters. Leon had won, securing his place in the Semifinals. He emerged from his pod looking drained but satisfied.

He had overcome a strategic opponent, adapted his style, and proven his power. Arnab Lionheart allowed himself a rare, genuine smile. His son was growing.

Aurelia stepped out looking contemplative, already running calculations on Leon's Overdrive duration and mana consumption.

She had lost the match, but gained valuable data.

Martin Miller nodded in approval a good analysis of his daughter 'Victory isn't always about the final result.'

The bracket updated. The second Semifinal was confirmed.

Semifinal Matchup 2: (????) vs. Leon Lionheart

The crowd roared again, the anticipation reaching a fever pitch.

The fated clash between Seed #1 and Seed #2 was now inevitable.

But first, the final quarterfinal needed to resolve. All eyes turned to the last pairing.

[Final Quarterfinal Match: Michael Wilson (Seed #1) vs. Elara Moonshade (Seed #8)]

My turn against Elara, the Elven Princess. Ranged precision, natural grace, and affinities I hadn't fully seen yet.

This wouldn't be easy. I took a breath and stepped onto the platform,

Draken materializing in my hand, its dark presence a stark contrast to the starlight stage awaiting us.

(To be continued)

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