Ravenna finished her spell then.

&Void Consumption!"

A sphere of nothingness materialized above the arena like an umbrella of darkness. It pulled and yanked. It rolled and lashed out in hunger, sucking everything in.

Water. Wind. Lightning. Even the storm clouds.

The void drank it all.

In ten seconds, the entire environmental advantage disappeared and lear sky returned, showing normal ground with no more electrical field.

Lyra's gathered lightning dispersed and her Domain collapsed.

She staggered, shock written on her face. "That's... impossible..."

"Void magic," Ravenna said, breathing hard, her face covered in sweat but her eyes glowed with hint of purple. "Consumption is what I do."

Now it was even ground, no environmental advantage for her and it won't be easy for her to cast it again as well.

Three versus five.

Boulder, Gale , and Lyra versus my full team.

Lyra looked at her remaining teammates. They were exhausted from maintaining the storm and she was exhausted from that rage burst she did.

We were tired too but we had numbers.

She made a decision.

"Gale, Boulder, Formation Omega, let's do a last stand."

They moved into defensive triangle. Boulder front, Lyra and Gale behind.

"They're fortifying," Seraphina observed. "They're trying to outlast us."

"It won't work," I said. "We will overwhelm them with coordinated assault. Everyone gather together."

My team formed up, to get ready for final push.

"On my mark," I said. "Three. Two. One... "

"NOW!"

We attacked as one unit.

Seraphina led the charge with Holy Charge. She became a golden comet as she shot forward, crashing into Boulder's defense like an hammer.

He held but it was only barely, his feet carving trenches again.

Ravenna followed up quickly. "Void Lance!"

The dark spear of nothingness aimed for the gap Seraphina created.

Gale deflected it with a wind wall but it seems to take a lot from him. Marcus lobbed enchanted crystals over their defense. They landed behind the triangle and activated into a Disruption Field that caused their magical coordination faltered.

Lucille exploited the chance to struck at Gale but Lyra intercepted with lightning blade versus poison dagger and they began to duel at lightning speed, Lyra was using electrical acceleration.

But Lucille was an assassin before anything, she feinted high and struck low to cut Lyra's leg.

Lyra stumbled and Lucille's follow-up strike to try finishing her off but Boulder abandoned his position and turned, grabbed Lucille, hurled her away.

She hit the arena wall hard with a crash, groaned but stood.

With Boulder out of position.

Seraphina broke through and now she was inside their formation now.

Holy light exploded from her blade at point-blank range.

Gale took the full hit and was blew backward, unconscious before he even landed.

"THIRD ELIMINATION!"

Two versus five.

Lyra and Boulder stood back-to-back. Breathing hard their injuries accumulating.

They'd fought brilliantly, but we had them now.

"Surrender," I called out. "You fought well and with no shame in it."

Lyra looked at Boulder and he nodded slowly. She lowered her hands and her lightning dissipating. "We yield."

The referee's voice boomed: "MATCH CONCLUDED! VICTORY! RAVANA TEAM, ASTRAL HAVEN!"

The crowd exploded. Half cheering, half booing, but it doesn't really matter.

We'd won after all.

Medical teams rushed in immediately and began treating injuries on both sides.

Marina's paralysis was reversed while Zephyr's concussion was healed and Gale's holy burns were treated.

But for me there was only minor injuries for my team. Seraphina's lightning burns and Lucille's impact bruising with some mana exhaustion, but nothing serious at all. Tournament-level healers were exceptional.

I approached Lyra as healers worked on her leg.

"Good fight," I said with a smile.

"You too." She winced as healing magic knitted muscle. "That void consumption technique, I've never seen anything like it before."

"That's Ravenna's specialty and it's hard to counter if you don't know it's coming."

"Now everyone knows." She smiled wryly. "You just showed your trump card in a first match."

I only shrugged.

The healer finished and Lyra stood, testing her leg, before nodding in satisfaction. She was fully healed.

"Besides," I added quietly, "better to reveal Ravenna's ability now than later. Let people think they've seen our best. Saves the real trump cards for semifinals."

She laughed. "You're devious. I like that."

Around us, the arena was being reset. The announcer's voice: "NEXT MATCH IN FIFTEEN MINUTES! CELESTIUS VERSUS BLACKWATER!"

Adrian's match.

"You staying to watch?" Lyra asked.

"Wouldn't miss it. Need to see what he reveals too."

"Smart." She glanced at her team, being helped to the medical tent. "We'll be watching your next matches and rooting for you. Most of us anyway."

"Most?"

"Zephyr's a sore loser but he'll get over it." She extended her hand. "Until the resistance gathering. Assuming we both survive this tournament."

I shook it. "We will. We have to."

She walked away, joining her team.

I later joined my team at the competitor viewing area, it was a raised seating with good sightlines of the arena.

"First match done," Seraphina said and then admitted. "That was harder than expected."

"They were good," Lucille agreed. "If they'd maintained that storm domain longer, might have gone differently."

"But they didn't," Ravenna said. "We adapted too and that's what matters."

Marcus was already taking notes. "Adrian's match is next he's facing a naval combat specialist with water-based abilities. Interesting."

The arena had been repaired and some fresh sand, obstacles set in. The referee returned to center.

"SECOND MATCH OF ROUND ONE!" the announcer boomed. "CELESTIUS VERSUS BLACKWATER!"

Adrian's team entered from the east gate. Him in the lead, with his golden armor shining and his four teammates behind.

From the west gate, Captain Blackwater emerged. Tall man, dark skin, wearing naval officer's coat. His team followed, all wearing similar naval-style uniforms.

They met at center. Shook hands. Returned to starting positions.

"BEGIN!"

Blackwater's first move was instant. He slammed both hands into the ground.

Water erupted and the arena flooded quickly, rising to three feet deep in seconds, then to five feet and then six feet.

He'd turned the entire battlefield into ocean.

"NAVAL DOMAIN!" he shouted. "This is our element!"

His team moved through the water like fish with enhanced speed and perfect control.

Adrian stood on the surface. Walking on water through his holy magic but his team struggled more. The healer, Elena, created floating platform for herself while the others used various methods to stay mobile.

But Blackwater's team had advantage.

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