Power of Aether

|Gary|

The tournament was postponed for a week following an unfortunate incident involving Alistair. He required time to recover and regain his strength after being in a coma for three days.

Arthur, Alistair, and I agreed that we would delve deeper into the subject of aether once the tournament was concluded, which was a positive development.

I thought to myself, 'I didn't intend to disclose the information to the former king of elves, but he is perhaps the most suitable person to enlighten about aether.'

As I stood on the stage, the Director approached my line of sight and addressed the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the much-awaited semi-finals of this year's magical tournament! We regret the delay of one week, which was caused by unforeseen circumstances. Please refer to the display artifact to view the match-ups for this round."

With a beaming smile, the Director glanced briefly at Alistair before continuing with the announcement.

|Arthur|

My muscles involuntarily tensed as my eyes fell on the tournament bracket, revealing the identity of my next opponent. But in truth, I already knew who I would face - Gary Whiteborn.

It was impossible for me to emerge victorious in the upcoming battle, and I couldn't shake off this feeling of inevitability.

The Director's voice resounded through the stadium, calling out the names of the contenders. "Arthur Leywin and Gary Whiteborn, please proceed to the stage!"

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I locked eyes with Gary. His expression was indifferent, yet the confidence in his amethyst eyes spoke volumes. He knew he would triumph, and I couldn't even blame him for it.

He had already demonstrated his superiority in Capture the Flag and had humbled me with his remarkable swordsmanship during the preliminary round. However, I refused to concede defeat without giving it my all.

The atmosphere in the arena was charged with tension as we assumed our positions. My opponent's assurance was evident as he faced me, but I refused to back down.

"Ready, set... Begin!" The Director's command rang out, and the battle commenced in earnest.

With a sudden burst of energy, I drew my sword, Dawn's Ballad, from its sheath. The teal blade caught the light of the sun, glinting with an ethereal glow.

I channeled all six elements of mana under my command, igniting a swirling vortex of blue flames that enveloped the sword. Wind and lightning energy coursed through my body, and I felt the ground shake beneath me as I summoned the power of the earth.

The stage cracked and crumbled beneath us, and water flowed alongside the blue flames as I charged straight at Gary, my eyes locked on his amethyst gaze.

As I revealed my quadra-elemental abilities to the world for the first time, I heard a collective gasp from the audience. But I couldn't afford to let their shock distract me; I needed to focus on the battle at hand.

I had seen three swordsmanship styles from Gary already, but now he adopted a completely different stance, his thumb loosely gripping the hilt of his black blade. I summoned my mana, four elements swirling around me, and met his attack with my teal blade.

[Gravar Style]

But his strength overwhelmed me, and I stumbled back, stunned by the force of his strike. The surprise among the audience grew, and I couldn't blame them. After all, there were no tri-elementals that existed, and now they were seeing two quadra-elementals battle it out.

But I couldn't let their awe distract me. I gathered my wits and prepared to face Gary once more, determined to prove my worth as a Paladin.

"You thought you were the only quadra-elemental?" Gary asked in a slightly mocking tone, before his stance changed once again.

I braced myself for his next move, but I was not prepared for what came next.

[Second movement of the Keiki Style: Horizon Splitting Slash]

With a powerful swing of his midnight-black sword, he seemed to slice through space itself, cleaving the air in two.

I reacted quickly, countering his attack with my own sword, but even so, Gary still managed to cut me across the chest. A trail of scarlet blood dripped down my skin, but the wound was quickly healed from my assimilated body.

I could sense a slight change in Gary's expression as I countered his attack, but just as quickly, it returned to its stoic state.

"Don't hold back," he warned me, his voice low and dangerous. "You won't last long without using Realmheart."

I knew he was right. Gary's sword technique was far superior to mine, and he was two core stages above me. His mana manipulation was also on another level altogether.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. I knew that even with Realmheart, I would not be able to defeat him if he resorted to using his aetheric core. He had demonstrated his ability to disturb my aether flow during a slumber party as a prank, and the memory still left me feeling disturbed.

As Sylvia's beast within me stirred, I could feel the deep rumbling of its power within my yellow core.

Golden runes spread across my skin, their intricate designs weaving together to form a shimmering shield. My auburn hair transformed into a radiant wheat-blonde, and my irises glinted like pure gold.

The ambient mana in the air around us seemed to bend to my will, as if they were bowing to a king. It was an intoxicating feeling, one that I craved more and more.

I focused on tapping into Sylvia's influence, drawing on the power of Realmheart to activate even more of my abilities. The golden runes on my skin grew brighter, their light pulsating with each beat of my heart.

In that moment, I felt like a king of my own world, wielding the true power of the divine at my fingertips. All my worries, all my fears, were instantly doused like flames quenched by a cold blanket.

For a brief moment, I basked in the glory of my power, feeling unstoppable and ready to take on anything. But that feeling of invincibility shattered as soon as I met Gary's eyes.

In that moment, I saw an absolute void, a darkness that threatened to swallow me whole. His lips curled into a smile, and his aetheric core ignited with power, stealing away my control over the space around us.

As we fought for the ambient aether, I felt my power slipping away, taken by Gary's influence. The purple runes that spread across his skin were more intricate and detailed than mine, a testament to his greater mastery over his own abilities.

His aura expanded to fill the entire stadium, the sheer force of his presence making everyone feel like mere mortals in the presence of a true sovereign.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was outmatched, outclassed by someone who wielded a power that was beyond my own.

As I unsheathed my sword and clad it in frostfire, I launched an attack towards Gary, determined not to lose. Before me, motes of spatium connected, forming an aetheric bridge that I quickly teleported through.

In an instant, I was mere meters away from Gary, moving too fast for him to react. Or so I thought.

His amethyst eyes followed my every move, reminding me of Alistair's unwavering gaze.

As our swords clashed, I couldn't help but wonder if their eyes were the same type.

In response to my attack, Gary conjured lightning mana around himself, and his yellow lightning clashed with my black lightning magic in a vicious confrontation.

Despite the force of our collision, I held my ground, determined to emerge victorious.

[Levisha Style]

As I watched Gary's swordsmanship unfold before me, memories of his breathtaking performance in Capture the Flag flooded my mind. Each movement flowed seamlessly into the next, creating a beautiful and deadly dance of swordplay that left me in awe.

But I quickly snapped out of my admiration, determined to fight on equal terms.

As Gary's movements increased in power, I noticed flaws in his seemingly perfect swordplay. Having witnessed his ultimate swordsmanship in the preliminary rounds, I knew there was a gap in this style.

It relied heavily on linking each movement together. If I could disrupt the flow and prevent a movement from completing, I could defeat this style like any other.

With this realisation, I focused on finding the perfect moment to strike, waiting for that split second.

But facing Gary Whiteborn, a sword prodigy that seemed to transcend human limits, made the task seem almost impossible. This style, despite its weakness, was executed so flawlessly that I only realized its vulnerability after comparing it with the true zenith of swordplay.

I knew interrupting it would be a difficult feat. Gary was not only more powerful but also able to adapt quickly to any situation. My only chance was to strike with perfect timing, catching him at the moment when the power and speed of his movements were at their minimum.

It was a risky move, but I had no other choice. After all, fighting and trying to defeat Gary was never going to be easy.

But it wasn't as simple as just waiting for the right moment; I had to predict when his style was at its weakest and pause time to strike.

The challenge was twofold: first, accurately predicting the weakest moment in his style; and second, using my aevum to pause time while minimizing the risk of Gary counteracting with his own.

I knew this was a risky plan, but I had no choice. My reaction speed was no match for Gary's, and I had to rely on my mental prowess to turn the tide in my favor. I focused on connecting the puzzle pieces in my mind and finding the perfect opportunity to strike.

With a burst of concentration, I activated the first phase of Sylvia's draconian will and exerted my control over the aevum.

[Static Void]

But it wasn't enough. I needed more of Sylvia's power to execute my plan.

I pushed myself further, tapping into the full extent of Sylvia's influence over aevum and pausing time.

My golden irises scanned the frozen form of Gary, his eyes widening in realization as my power overwhelmed his.

With a split second to act, I lunged forward, aiming my strike at his sword hilt before quickly unpausing time.

The clash of our swords echoed through the arena, the impact shaking the ground beneath us. Gary stumbled back, his grip on his sword momentarily lost as he tried to regain his balance.

I seized the moment and lunged forward, black lightning crackling around my sword as I struck again. Gary managed to parry, but the force of the impact sent our swords flying out of our hands.

Fortunately, unlike Gary, I had trained in hand-to-hand combat. Realmheart had calculated that this was my best chance for victory against his dangerous swordsmanship.

I stood my ground, assuming a fighting stance as Gary regained his footing and glared at me with newfound intensity. I could feel the weight of his gaze, but I did not falter. I knew that this fight would come down to who could adapt and think on their feet.

As soon as Gary regained his footing, he lunged towards me, his movements fluid and graceful. I quickly reacted, using my own speed and agility to dodge his attacks. We exchanged blows, our fists hitting each other with enough force to send shockwaves through the air.

I decided to use my powers to gain the upper hand. I teleported behind Gary, delivering a swift punch to his back. But to my surprise, Gary was already prepared for my move. He was already turning around to face me as soon as I teleported behind him.

In a split second, he delivered a punch to my stomach, making me gasp for air. Before I could react, he teleported behind me and delivered a kick to my back, sending me flying across the stage.

I quickly got back on my feet, amazed by Gary's technique. He had not only matched my moves, but he had also countered them with ease. It was as if he could predict my every move.

I teleported around him, my fists hitting him from every angle. But Gary was not fooled. He had anticipated my move and was already prepared to counter it.

With lightning-fast reflexes, he dodged my punches and landed a powerful blow to my chest, sending me crashing to the ground.

I struggled to get up, my chest heaving with exhaustion. I had never faced an opponent like Gary before, and I was amazed by his skill.

He approached me, his face expressionless. "You're a worthy opponent, Arthur," he said. "But you still have much to learn."

With that, he delivered a final blow, knocking me out cold.