Chapter 19 - The Third Round / Ophelia's Battle

Edward searched the stadium for a seat next to the stages. Watching the battles from the mirror's screen was fine, but as he had arrived earlier today, he decided to find a better seat.

Unlike the previous round, the third round wasn't a single combat elimination, but rather a group stage. Five groups, a group for each of the five battlefields in the stadium, and each group had five participants. Of those five, only the top two would advance directly to the next round, competing for a top ten spot. However, all participants ranked third in their group would have a chance to challenge a competitor at the bottom of the top ten and snatch their place.

"Hmm… It seems like the tenth to the fifth will have a target on their back." Edward was sure this format was made to make the lives of the top ten's bottom half a living hell. "Well, if they're strong enough to make it into the top ten, this shouldn't matter too much."

Edward snacked on some chips as he waited for the tournament to start. He had chosen this seat because it was the closest to the arenas where Lucien and the spear-wielding girl would fight. Lucien would be fighting in the third arena, while the girl would be in the fourth.

It didn't take long for the competition to start. The first battle in the fourth arena was the spear-wielding girl. Her adversary was an older man from the water guild, and from what Edward could remember, the man was very impressive, but, it wasn't to the point of him being one of the few participants who left the crowd in awe.

Lucien was set to be the second fighter in the third arena, and as Edward wasn't interested in the first fight happening there, he decided to focus entirely on the girl's battle.

"Pleased to meet you." The spear-wielding girl smiled as she gave the man a bow and summoned all four of her pets. Her first pet was a Voltiger, a Peak Grade Uncommon bloodline monster of the Lighting element, it had a dark purple fur coat that shone with a light blue luster, with small sparks of electricity dancing around its body.

Her second pet was a Thunderbird, a High-grade Uncommon bloodline monster of the Lighting and Air elements, with a wingspan of four meters. Its feathers were a mix of black and electric blue, and its beak had a strange zigzag pattern resembling a thunderstrike.

Her third and strongest pet was a Storm Drake with a low-grade rare bloodline. The Storm Drake was a fearsome creature with the body of a dragon and the wings of a bat. Its scales shimmered with metallic silver, and its eyes crackled with lightning.

To Edward's surprise, her last pet wasn't of the Lighting element but an earth element creature, the Mountaineer Herculean Beetle, another peak-grade uncommon pet. The beetle had a tough exoskeleton colored in shades of brown and gray, almost like camouflage for rocky surroundings. Its six legs were powerful and covered in sharp spines and two pairs of very large pincers.

The man from the water guild scoffed at her display of pets. "The first battle and I already have to face someone with such an overwhelming elemental advantage…" As he finished speaking, he summoned his first two pets: a Muddy Waters Hippogator, a creature with a high-grade uncommon bloodline. The Muddy Waters Hippogator was a monstrous mix of the bulk and aggression of a hippopotamus with the armored scales and fearsome jaws of an alligator. Its thick, muscular body was covered in dark, mottled scales.

The man's second pet was a Wavebreaker Siren, it had the upper of a lizardman and the lower body of a bird. This monster had a middle-grade Uncommon bloodline, but, it was harder to see one of them than some monsters with Rare bloodlines as the Wavebreaker Siren only lived far into the ocean.

The girl from the lighting guild narrowed her eyes as she sized up the man. "While it's true that I have an elemental advantage over you, it shouldn't matter for people who strive to reach the top." She felt suspicious as the man's words had a tinge of sarcasm to them. "Summon your last two pets and let's start." She brandished her spear, pointing it directly at the man.

"Good words… I couldn't expect less from a friend of our dear leader." The man's sarcastic tone only grew as he spoke. "But don't you think those words are a bit hollow coming from someone like you? I feel the same stench from our Guild Leader from you, a pampered kid that doesn't know how wide the world truly is." He grinned as he summoned his last two pets.

His third pet was a Sea Serpent, a monster with a peak-grade uncommon bloodline. The Sea Serpent was a fearsome monster, with a long, and serpentine body. Its scales were a deep, midnight blue, with a shimmering iridescence that glimmers in the light. Its eyes are large and piercing, with a vibrant green hue that seems to glow in the dark

The man's last pet was a Saltspire, a monster with a low-grade uncommon bloodline. The Saltspire was a sleek, amphibious creature that resembled a mix between a salamander and an eel. Its body was long and slender, with a smooth, scaled exterior that ranged in color from deep blues to vibrant greens. Its eyes were large and glowing, and its mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth.

Ophelia, the spear-wielding girl from the Lighting Guild, sneered in response to the man's words. "To have the courage to spew such words about your own guild leader..." Her eyes filled with hate as she turned to his pets, studying them.

While she fully understood why the man had chosen the first three pets as they were all very powerful, the last one caused her confusion. The Saltspire was by no means a weak monster, but it was not one usually used by such a powerful man.

As the girl eyed the Saltspire, the tournament judge finally signaled for the battle to start. Ophelia wasted no time and jumped on the back of the Mountaineer Herculean Beetle, motioning it to charge forward.

The enormous weight and size of the beetle made the entire arena tremble as it charged toward the man and his pets. The Voltiger followed right behind it, its body covered with arcs of electricity.

As soon as Ophelia made her move, the Thunderbird and the Storm Drake flew up, dark clouds gathering as the two of them let out a screech.

The man from the Water Guild laughed and, with a wave of his hand, a wave of water emerged from a small vortex under him, raging through the battlefield and stopping the charge of Ophelia and her pets in their tracks.

"Hold them off for a bit," the man from the Water Guild said, grinning as he looked at the sky. It seemed that the Storm Drake and the Thunderbirds were conjuring some sort of combined skill. "Saltspire...it's finally time." He called the salamander-like monster to him as he began to cast another spell.

Ophelia sneered as she jumped off the Mountaineer Herculean Beetle, her spear gleaming with lightning. "Hmph! Let's see how long they can keep blocking me!" She was in the middle of thrusting her spear toward the Sea Serpent when the Stormbreaker Siren howled.

Her head felt like it was about to explode as she gritted her teeth and looked at the Siren with hate. Her only option was to halt her lunge and back off. However, the Muddy Waters Hippogator took this opportunity to charge directly at her.

Ophelia's eyes froze in fear as she saw the approaching beast, but the Voltiger wasn't about to let its master be defeated so easily. With a swift prowl, it landed directly above the Muddy Waters Hippogator's head.

The Voltiger's lightning-clad claws tore through the Muddy Waters Hippogator's tough scales, leaving a bloody gash from its head to its jaw and severing one of its eyes. The wounded beast stopped its charge and tried to retaliate by biting the Voltiger, but the nimble creature easily dodged its slow attack and circled around, blasting thunder at its hind legs.

With the Voltiger's help, Ophelia could finally think clearly and she looked up at the Stormbreaker Siren in confusion. Despite knowing that her two pets above were preparing a powerful spell, the man chose not to send his only flying pet to stop them.

"Did he plan something?" Ophelia thought to herself, observing the water that now reached her knees. "Trying to change the environment of the arena, but this won't save him from lightning spells…"

Ophelia's mind raced as she tried to make sense of the man's true plan. Even if he covered the entire arena with water, it would only amplify the power of the lightning spells. She couldn't understand what he was doing. It was only when she remembered the Saltspire that she finally realized the man's true intentions.

"Hercules, Tesla! We need to stop them now!" Ophelia called out to her pets and dashed straight towards her opponent.

The man let out a sly grin as he looked at Ophelia's nervous face. "Oh? Finally got it?" With a telepathic message, he sent the Sea Serpent, which acted as his last line of defense, forward. "I didn't expect you to notice this so soon, but even so, there is nothing you can do to stop it."