Chapter 67: The Semi-Finals Begin

  Damon retreated from the fuming Lilith. Her face was a deep shade of crimson as she glared at him with blazing eyes.

  “Calm down, Lilith. Why are you getting so angry?”

  “Why do you think I am? You’re saying you’ll throw tomorrow’s match! How could I not be?”

  Waving his hands in the air and shaking his head, Damon denied her claims. “That’s not it. I am still going to try my best tomorrow. I just don’t want the rewards for placing first or second. I am aiming for third-place prize.”

  The flush vanished from Lilith’s face. “So you won’t purposely throw the fight? What happens if you defeat her?”

  “Well, if it looks like I might win, I might have to forfeit…”

  “You bastard! How is that any different?” The redness came back to Lilith so quickly, it was like it had never left.

  “Haa…” Damon sighed. “Does it really matter? What’s important is how we deal with Erik and Nox. That’s why I invited the two of you here. To talk about that.”

  Lilith grew even more furious.

  “That’s right! That bastard Nox. I should’ve punched that smug face at least once!” After screaming that, she calmed down slightly. “Though Senior Tidus’s punishment did make me feel better.”

  Damon nodded as a smile played on his lips. It was indeed satisfying to watch. But that wasn’t enough.

  “So, can you guys help me? Tell me about your experiences against both of them. I want to prepare for my match against them.”

  The silent Nolan, sitting at the table, finally spoke up. “Okay. I’ll help.”

  Lilith returned to the table and sat down as well. “Fine. I guess teaching those two a lesson is more important.”

  Exhaling a heavy sigh of relief, Damon sat across from the two Auron. “Thank you. Let’s start with Nox. Did you notice any weaknesses? Or perhaps things to watch out for?”

  Scratching her head, Lilith frowned as she said, “That guy… He’s dangerous. His schemes are overwhelming, like he’s always a step ahead of you. Although it can also seem kind of reckless. Actually, he’s kind of similar to you in a way.”

  Now it was Damon who turned red. “What? How can you say that? He’s nothing like me!”

  “No, not like that. He’s a piece of shit. You’re all right. I meant you two are similar in the way you strategize for battles. The difference is that he is more reactive, and the plotting is mainly for the final lethal strike, and you… You just seem to have the battle in control. How do you do that? Now that we’re discussing this, I’m curious.”

  “Phew.” Damon let out a breath before replying, “I see. I don’t know what’s going to happen during a battle. I just know my strengths very well, and I rely on them. I guess I’m efficient with knowing when to use certain spells depending on my analysis of my opponent, though.”

  “That’s it! How do I do that? Do you think I could have won if I could do what you do?”

  “Well… I mean…” Damon hesitated to respond.

  Lilith leaned over the table and grabbed Damon by the scruff of his neck, shaking him back and forth. “Tell me!”

  After several shakes, she let him go. He slumped back against his chair. After the wave of dizziness passed, he looked at Lilith with a serious expression.

  “I think your biggest weakness is your aggression.” He held out his hand when Lilith opened her mouth to interrupt him. “Wait, let me finish. In every battle I’ve seen you in, you never cast a barrier. You’re a dual cultivator. Why don’t you focus on defenses first before attacking?”

  When Damon finished talking, his words crashed into Lilith’s mind. Her face went blank. She had never considered that before.

  While Lilith’s mind was preoccupied by the obvious tactic, Damon turned to Nolan. “How about Erik?”

  Nolan remained silent for a while before speaking. “There’s not much to say. I screwed up. I shouldn’t have left the ground and cut through the wave instead. I didn’t get much of a chance to experience his abilities.”

  Damon stroked his chin as he recalled the battle. It was true that Nolan had fallen for Erik’s ploy.

  “But if I had to say one thing…” Nolan continued. “I don’t think you’ll have trouble against him. Especially after Senior Tidus devoured his Mystic Lightning.”

  “Why do you say that? Also, what exactly is a Mystic Lightning?” Damon asked back.

  At this point, Lilith snapped out of her daze and joined the conversation. “A Mystic Lightning is like an almost sentient strand of lightning formed out of pure elemental energy that you can tame and cultivate inside your Arcane Node. It grows alongside you and has additional properties depending on where and how it was formed!”

  After taking a deep breath, she continued. “There isn’t just Mystic Lightning, but Mystic Flames, or Mystic Water… Pretty much every element has similar things!”

  Finished with her explanation, Lilith smirked and raised her nose high up.

  Is she trying to show off her knowledge so she doesn’t seem stupid for never considering defense before? Damon blinked slowly as he looked at her, before he turned back to Nolan and gave him a nod.

  Lilith slammed her fist into the table out of frustration, but the two boys ignored her.

  “You are specialized in the water element too, no? Erik is a dual elemental cultivator. That means he has spread his focus in two directions. He won’t be a match against you in terms of water, and now his lightning has been crippled in a way, thanks to Senior Tidus. I’m sure he has other tricks, but honestly, your strength is nothing to scoff at either.”

  Nolan’s voice grew weaker the more he spoke. It was like speaking caused him pain. He took a sip of tea from the cup in front of him and proceeded to nibble on some nuts.

  Damon mused about Nolan’s evaluation. He’s not wrong. Erik should be weaker now. I guess Claire will face Nox in the finals, and I can handle Erik in the match for third and fourth place. That’s probably better, since Claire will want to deal with Nox herself.

  Lilith abruptly stood up, her chair falling backwards. “That’s enough talking. Let’s go to the training grounds and practice! I need to punch something.”

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  She grabbed Nolan’s shirt and towed him behind her as she stormed out of the villa. His legs dragged along the ground as he pulled out a stick of jerky and chomped down. He looked so relaxed that it was obviously not the first time this had happened.

  Looks like the Military Academy has someone as energetic as Claire.

  Damon watched them for a second before standing up to chase after them. His eyes met Nolan’s. Their thoughts connected at this moment. They nodded at each other in mutual understanding.

  A week passed as Claire battled against Thomas to prepare for her fight against Damon. Damon, on the other hand, either dueled with Nolan and Lilith or practiced on his own. He had been testing a new ability but was unable to complete it. However, it did not matter as it was not important for his match against Claire.

  On the day of the semi-finals, the Verdant Sigil Colosseum filled up to the brim once more. The audience stands were more crowded than ever before, on the verge of bursting. Latecomers were turned away. Dylan and Samantha’s food business was booming; the number of cooks working in their stall and waiters taking orders and delivering food had increased to triple digits.

  In the arena, only four people stood below the platform. Unlike the previous rounds, the additional cultivators from the Towers did not appear with their first seeds. Just the participants of the semi-finals stood waiting for the commencement. Damon and Lilith stood opposite Erik and Nox. The two groups glared at each other, yet they knew it was pointless. They were not fighting each other today.

  “Welcome, everyone, to the exciting semi-finals of the Crucible Convergence! Unfortunately, we will bear witness to a tragedy today.” Wesley paused for dramatic flair as confused murmurs rumbled from the packed spectators. “The tragedy is that either our favorite to win, Claire, or the popular dark horse, Damon, will suffer a defeat today! There can be no other outcome.”

  The crowd booed in response to his words. They knew it was inevitable, yet they still wanted both to win in their hearts.

  “My apologies, but there is no other option. Blame the organizers of this tournament for placing them in brackets one and two!” Wesley shouted with a merry tone.

  At this moment, Alan placed his hand on the crystal orb. “You’re one of those organizers, Wesley. So it’s partially your fault.”

  Wesley’s face turned pale as the crowd erupted into blaring taunts and heckles. He heard his name being cursed from every direction.

  “No… I mean… Alan is as well…” His voice, amplified by the artifact, was drowned out by the discontented audience.

  A thunderous boom exploded from the stage, causing the cacophony of insults to vanish immediately. Standing atop the white platform was Tidus, his groomed hair and white robes exhibiting an ethereal air about him. An arc of purple lightning rotated around him.

  Tidus clapped his hands, and the lightning encircling him vanished as motes of purple light. With the attention of the entire Colosseum settled upon him, he flashed a gentle smile.

  “Welcome to the semi-finals of this Crucible Convergence. We have two very exciting matches lined up. However, there will be a change in the order of matches today. Damon and Claire’s duel will be pushed back, and Erik and Nox’s battle will commence first.”

  The crowds began whispering to each other about the possible reasons behind the change. Nox, on the other hand, chose a direct approach.

  “Why? You must explain the proper reason behind why there’s been such an abrupt change!”

  Tidus did not even glance in his direction and just ignored him. “That is all. Can the next two contestants please come up to the stage so we can begin the round right away?”

  Erik sighed and walked up to the platform without a fuss. Nox, though furious, followed behind him while glaring at Tidus.

  Once they were settled in their positions, Tidus wasted no time and shot the signal to start the duel.

  Erik half-heartedly built up mini barriers and shot arcane missiles at Nox. In return, Nox zoomed around the platform as he glided along his shadow to dodge the missiles. He retaliated with his own black and white missiles, and the two contestants entered a deadlock. Neither side held the upper hand. It was the same sight as before, when two contestants from the Towers fought each other.

  Although it was a clear affront to the Assembly and their efforts in organizing the Crucible Convergence, they allowed it to happen. They did not care about such trivial matters.

  The battle tilted abruptly in favor of Nox, and Erik forfeited the match before even a single attack had hit him. The two were obviously in cahoots.

  Tidus landed on the stage and announced Nox’s victory.

  “What a waste of an essence stone!”

  “I paid to watch this shit?”

  “Boo!”

  “Disqualify both of them!”

  “How is this an exciting semi-final match?”

  The stunned audience broke out into frenzied yelling as they began throwing things into the arena. Food scraps, crumpled parchment, even the odd stone. They cursed the two participants from the Towers for their poor display.

  “Folks! Ladies! Gentlemen! Friends! Everyone! Please listen!” Wesley tried to calm the rioting crowd, to no avail.

  Alan shook his head and did not even attempt to do the same. He had expected such a result, after all. He knew the Towers weren’t here for the prizes or for the glory of victory. But even so, his attention was completely focused on only one person. Damon. Once more, he had ridden the dark horse with his entire life savings at stake.

  “Silence!” Tidus bellowed, his deafening voice echoing against the walls of the Colosseum. “That’s enough! I understand your frustrations, but do not forget your place. The rules of the Tradehaven will be enforced if you do not calm down.”

  Silence returned to the arena, almost as overwhelming as the volume of his previous statement.

  “Good. Now, don’t be too disappointed. I am sure our two Initiates from the Academy will show you a battle worth seeing.”

  Having said that, he turned and gave a pointed stare at Damon and Claire.

  “You two can come up now.”

  Though subdued, the spectators hesitantly began conversing and cheering softly after remembering there was still another match left.

  Damon and Claire ascended the stairs to the stage, shoulder to shoulder. Once they arrived at the top, they faced each other and clapped hands.

  “Good luck. You’re going to need it.” Claire teased with a bright smile.

  “May the best Initiate win!” Damon flashed her a grin.

  They parted and walked to opposite ends of the platform. Claire crouched as she got into position. Her posture allowed her to spring forward immediately upon commencement.

  Damon stood upright and took out his bow and arrow artifact set. He had decided on using these for this battle, as the rings and shield were no use against Claire. He still had Dawn’s Edge, but he did not want to reveal his strongest trump card in a friendly match.

  Tidus nodded at both of them before raising his arm. “Ready? Start!”

  Damon drew his bow and shot an arrow the moment he saw the ray of light soar into the sky. He shot two more times in rapid succession. As he did so, he chanted the spell for Shardburst.

  Claire flew forward at the same time, directly toward the incoming arrows. The wind spiraled around her, forming a dense wall of raging gusts. Though the gales blocked her view, she did not need to see. The air brushed against the hairs on her skin, transmitting the information of Damon’s location. She could also feel the exact trajectory of all three arrows.

  The first arrow punctured through the wind wall and arrived in front of her in a flash. However, she had been prepared. With the slightest twist of her neck, she evaded the arrow by the smallest margin. She dodged the next two in the same way. If the arrows were faster, her reaction time would not have been enough to avoid them. However, they were still physical objects that were further slowed by the wind wall. Projectiles were what she feared least.

  Through extensive strategizing and training with Thomas, they devised her best plan of action. Her highest chance of victory was at the start, before Damon’s Shardburst technique had formed. She just needed to get there in time.

  Beyond the sphere of gale surrounding her, she could sense the materialization of numerous small objects in the air. These were undoubtedly the ice shards that formed the Shardburst spell. There were currently only about 30 of them, and she had almost reached him.

  The heat surging through her blood vessels made her disregard the dropping temperature from Damon’s spell. Her heart thumped hard against her chest as a wide smile formed on her face. She had him. She had won.

  “Go!”

  As the excitement exploded within her, she heard Damon’s voice through the roaring gale. Then the ice shards moved. They angled themselves at her and shot forward in unison.

  “But… It’s not complete!”

  Damon, still standing in the same spot, pointed at her with his extended left hand. A smile played on his lips as he watched the ice shards fly toward Claire.

  “Too late! Lesser Shardburst.”