The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
The instant the match began, Adrian vanished from where he stood. "Tempest Step!" A powerful gust of wind burst beneath his feet as he shot across the arena like a bolt of lightning, closing the distance to Liora in the blink of an eye.
Liora’s pupils shrank, but she didn’t panic.
"Ancestral Bind!"
Spectral chains erupted from the ground, shooting toward Adrian’s legs. Instead of slowing down, Adrian twisted his body and slipped between the chains with astonishing agility. The ghostly restraints snapped shut behind him, missing by mere inches.
"So fast...!"
Realizing she couldn’t stop his charge, Liora immediately slammed the base of her Spirit Staff against the arena floor.
"Soul Ward!"
A translucent barrier of spiritual energy surrounded her just as Adrian arrived.
"Lightning Draw!"
A flash of blue lightning burst from his sword as he unsheathed it in one seamless motion.
Clang!
The lightning fast slash struck the spirit barrier, sending glowing ripples across its surface. Cracks spread through the shield, but it managed to hold.
Adrian didn’t stop.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
His sword danced relentlessly, each strike landing before Liora could recover from the last. The barrier trembled under the barrage.
Crack!
With one final swing, the Spirit Barrier shattered into countless glowing fragments.
Liora immediately leaped backward to create some distance.
"Echo of the Fallen!"
Dark mist gathered beside her before taking the shape of a spectral warrior wielding a ghostly spear. Without hesitation, the spirit charged Adrian while Liora retreated farther back, trying to widen the gap.
Adrian glanced at the spirit for only a moment. "Tch." He stepped forward. "Mana Pressure." A crushing wave of mana exploded from Adrian’s body, sweeping across the arena.
"What pressure..." Liora’s breathing became noticeably heavier as the invisible force weighed down on her body.
Adrian seized the opportunity. "Tempest Step!"
Whoosh!
He slipped past the spirit before it could thrust its spear. With a casual backhand slash
Bang!
The spectral warrior dispersed into wisps of black mist. Liora clenched her teeth. He destroyed it that easily...? She pointed her staff toward Adrian.
"Ancestral Bind!"
This time dozens of spectral chains burst from the ground in every direction, weaving together into a cage around him.
Adrian smiled. "Too slow." Wind exploded beneath his feet once again. Using Tempest Step, he darted through the tiny gaps between the incoming chains before they could fully close.
The audience gasped.
"He escaped that?!"
In the next instant, Adrian was already standing in front of Liora. She hurriedly swung her Spirit Staff like a club.
Clang!
Adrian blocked the blow with his sword before knocking the staff aside with sheer strength. Liora staggered. Before she could regain her balance
"Lightning Draw."
A brilliant streak of blue light flashed across the arena.
Slash!
The tip of Adrian’s sword stopped just inches from Liora’s throat.
Silence filled the arena.
Liora stared at the blade before letting out a defeated smile. "...I surrender."
The referee immediately raised his hand.
"Winner... Adrian Thorn!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Adrian calmly sheathed his sword before looking back toward his team as if the battle had barely warmed him up.
Captain Lyra nodded in satisfaction.
"That’s exactly how you fight a Spirit Binder. Never give them time to control the battlefield." Adrian said with a smug
After that fight the Broad River Martial Art College sent their last student Selene Voss. She is a Storm Archer class awakener. With her long bow she walked into the arena. Her expression says, she already lost all hope for winning but she still was still sent to fight
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Selene immediately drew her bow and pulled the string back."Thunder Arrow!" Lightning crackled around the arrow before it shot toward Adrian like a bolt of light.
Adrian didn’t even bother dodging. He activated Tempest Step, disappearing in a blur of lightning. Boom! The arrow struck the ground behind him, exploding into a burst of electricity.
Selene’s eyes widened. "So fast..." She quickly used Gale Step, a gust of wind carrying her several meters backward as she nocked another arrow. Her movement became lighter, and her aim steadier.
She released three arrows in quick succession.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Adrian zigzagged between them with frightening speed. His feet barely touched the ground as flashes of lightning followed every step.
In an instant, he was already within striking distance. Selene instinctively jumped back again "Rain of Storms!" She fired a glowing arrow into the sky. The arrow exploded high above the arena, releasing dozens of wind charged arrows that rained down over a wide area.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The audience expected Adrian to be trapped. Instead "Tempest Step" A streak of lightning flashed across the battlefield. Every falling arrow missed. Before Selene could react, Adrian had already crossed the entire distance between them.
She looked into his calm eyes. For a brief moment, she remembered watching her three teammates lose one after another. The determination she had entered the arena with had already disappeared.
Her grip on the bow weakened. Adrian noticed it immediately. Without wasting another second, he drew his sword.
"Lightning Draw."
Slash!
A brilliant arc of lightning flashed past. Selene’s bow was knocked from her hands as the blade stopped just inches from her neck. Silence filled the arena.
The referee looked at Selene. She lowered her head and let out a quiet sigh. "...I surrender."
The referee immediately raised his hand.
"Winner! Adrian Thorn of Great Military College!"
The entire fight had lasted less than half a minute. Another swift victory for Great Military College.
The referee stepped into the center of the arena and announced, " Military Martial Art College has advanced to the championship match!"
Cheers erupted from the audience as the Military students celebrated their victory.
Once the noise settled, the referee continued,
"There will now be a one hour break for all participants to recover. After the break, Broad River Martial Art College will face Saint Helena Martial Art College in the second Round Two match. The winner will advance to the championship match against Military Martial Art College."
With the announcement over, the students left the arena to rest and prepare for the remaining battles.
Adrian went to his teammate and looked at Aster "What he was sleeping the entire time!!!"