The holding place of the last event was going to be a bit different than usual square. It was going to be in an open field, right outside the western gates

The open field stretched wide and wooden platforms had been set in tiered rows around its perimeter where spectators gathered in numbers that seemed to grow by the minute.

The ground had been cleared and flattened, marked with white chalk lines that formed a massive circle at its center, and banners representing each guild snapped in the wind above their designated waiting areas.

Thamoryn who was going to be the announcer today, stood at the center of the field.

She wore her formal robes, dark blue with silver threading, and her staff was planted firmly in the dirt beside her.

With her voice amplified by magic so that it carried clearly to every corner of the grounds;

"The Tournament of Power will proceed as follows," she began, her tone sharp and commanding. "Each guild must select a minimum of three mages and a maximum of five to represent them. The additional members will serve as reserves should a representative be unable to continue."

The gathered mages listened intently, some shifting nervously while others stood with arms crossed and their expressions set.

"This is a straight knockout tournament," Thamoryn continued. "When two guilds face each other, a single mage from each will step forward to duel. The victor's guild advances, the loser is eliminated. The first stage will eliminate four guilds and allow four to proceed to the semifinals. From those four, two will emerge as finalists, and there will also be a third-place match."

She paused, letting the structure sink in, then raised her staff slightly.

"Before each duel, I will cast a protection spell over both combatants. This spell will prevent lethal damage and convert all potentially fatal strikes into blunt force. Injuries will be minimized, though not entirely avoided."

Her eyes swept across the mages. "This is not a duel to the death. When your opponent surrenders or when I call for a halt, you will stop immediately. Failure to comply will result in disqualification and potential expulsion from your guild. Do you all understand?"

A chorus of affirmations rose from the gathered mages.

"Good," Thamoryn said, stepping back. "Then let us begin."

The first matchup was announced quickly. Ravens Grave versus Red Orcas.

The Red Orcas' waiting area buzzed with excitement, and when their representative stepped forward, there were cheers from their section of the stands.

It was Pip, an average height lady with her dark hair tied back in a tight braid. Water magic users were rare enough to draw attention, but Pip was different.

Her magic known as powerful, and she had tremendous control and versatility over it.

On the other side of the field, the Ravens Grave team stood together near their banner. Laela, Arianna, Kayden, Innis, and Elena formed a small circle as they discussed who would go first.

"We should start strong," Kayden said, his arms crossed. "Set the tone early."

Innis nodded. "Agreed."

Arianna glanced at Laela. "You could handle her."

Kayden glanced at Arianna for a brief second then turned away. That stung a tiny bit when her first suggestion was Laela and not him.

Laela hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll go."

Elena placed a hand on her shoulder. "Goodluck Laela."

"Thank you," Laela said, and she stepped forward onto the field.

The crowd's noise shifted as the two women approached the center circle.

Thamoryn raised her staff, and a faint glow of light washed over both combatants as the protection spell took hold.

"Begin," Thamoryn said, stepping back.

Pip moved first, her hands flowing through a series of gestures as water began to gather around her.

"Bullet surge"

The liquid formed into a spinning sphere that hovered above her palm, then launched forward in a pressurized jet beam aimed directly at Laela's overall position.

Laela's response was immediate. "Guarding roots!" She called out as she motioned both her hands upwards, calling thick roots that erupted from the earth in front of her, forming a dense barrier that absorbed the impact.

The water splashed harmlessly against the wood, and Laela swept her hand to the side, sending the roots twisting outward in a wide arc that forced Pip to leap back.

"Hm… Not bad," Pip muttered, acknowledging Laela's skill and magic strength.

Then she changed tactics. She made water reappear around her in the form of thin blades that shot forward with enough force to cut through steel.

Laela countered by growing thick vines from the ground, and they whipped upward to intercept the water blades.

The two forces clashed in midair, and steam began to rise where the magic met, but Laela's vines were relentless, multiplying and thickening with each passing second.

Pip gritted her teeth and pulled more water from the air, forming it into a massive wave that she sent crashing toward Laela with enough force to flatten anything in its path.

"Exploding sea waves!"

But Laela was ready. Infact right now this was good practice to use the recent spells she had been practising as of recent.

With a single wage this time a massive tree trunk erupted from the earth, rising high and splitting the wave down the middle.

The water rushed past on either side, soaking the ground but leaving Laela untouched.

"What?!" Pip exclaimed. That spell was downright one of her strongest ones and had traveled with such force which she assumed would be overwhelming.

From the stands, Aiden watched with his arms crossed. Her control was excellent and her magic was stronger than ever but like always, she was holding back.

It naturally wasn't in her nature to be violent unless it was absolutely necessary.

Arianna knew this as well. For the past month, she and Laela had also fought side by side through dungeons. But now, she had to do more than just play support. Her hands clenched. "Come on, Laela…"

Pip wasn't finished. She spun her hands in a circular motion, and the water around formed into jagged spears of ice that hovered in the air. With a sharp gesture, she sent them flying toward Laela in rapid succession.

Laela responded by growing a dome of interwoven branches around herself, and the ice spears shattered harmlessly against the wood.

The branches fell off afterwards.

Laela wasn't breaking a sweat but after a quick glance at her teammates, with their faces that had strong expectations, she knew she couldn't stay on the defensive any longer.

She took a breath, then stretched her hand forward, causing root spikes that shot toward Pip like a hail of arrows.

Pip's eyes widened, and she created a barrier of swirling water to deflect the attack, but Laela's plant magic was stronger than she'd anticipated.

Several spikes pierced through the water shield, forcing Pip to dodge desperately to the side.

But right at that moment was the perfect time for Laela to bring this to an end.

"Binding Vines" she whispered, causing thick roots to erupt directly beneath Pip's feet, wrapping around her ankles and climbing up her legs before she could react.

The roots tightened, pinning her in place, and more vines shot up to bind her arms.

Pip struggled, trying to cast a water spell to cut through the bindings, but Laela's magic was too strong and too fast.

Within seconds, Pip was completely immobilized and most of her mana drained out of her completely.

Aiden seeing that smiled a bit, then whispered. "That's my girl"

Thamoryn raised her hand. "Halt!"

Laela immediately released the vines, and they retreated back into the earth.

Pip was breathing hard, with a frustrated expression bested in this manner.

"Winner, Ravens Grave," Thamoryn announced.

The crowd erupted, and Laela turned back toward her team with a satisfied smile.

With the exception of Kayden, the rest of the team had smiles on their faces. They each commended her win.

Kayden nodded approvingly. "Well done."

Laela caught Aiden's eye from across the field, and he gave her a small nod. This made her smile wider with little blushes on the side of her cheeks.

——————

The next matchup was announced shortly after. Crimson Dawn versus Starry Maidens.

This fight was no less intense. It seemed like the other guilds had the same idea of starting out strong as well.

Well, the tournament was straight knockouts so to be fair, the guilds had to bring their A- games.

Ilyna from Starry Maidens faced Yvette from Crimson Dawn

The battle began, and Yvette, confident in her blue flames, hot enough to melt stone, pressed aggressively, forcing Ilyna onto the defensive with her earth magic.

There was a slight difference in their magic power at the moment. Yvette had the stronger magic between them. The strength of which was at S rank.

Ilyna's magic was A but she had a staff bearing the purple hermis stone that helped with enhancing her magic strength.

This exchange went on for quite some time, Yvette's flames continuously blasting through the Ilyna's rock defenses, although never enough to overwhelm it completely.

But just as they closed in on each other, Ilyna cast a supplementary spell that turned the tide of the fight.

"Disturb," she whispered, extending her palm toward Yvette. In that instant, Yvette's mana flow was disrupted.

The Disturb Spell only worked at close range, so Ilyna had waited for the perfect moment. When a mage's mana was disrupted, it became nearly impossible to cast magic until the flow stabilized again.

However, Before Yvette could recover, Ilyna formed a cage of earth around her and tightened it until Yvette was forced to surrender.

Thamoryn called the match, and Starry Maidens advanced.

By the end of the first round, the standings were clear.

Ravens Grave and Starry Maidens had advanced to the semifinals.

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