A dagger flashed- a hidden blade slipped from the cuff on Kai's wrist, meeting it in the air, pushing the man's arm back.
'Fast–'
That was all Kai could think as the whirling blades continued to approach him like a hurricane.
The wind affinity, he could see it, blustering over the man's body– covering it in a coat of emerald sheen.
Ironically, this fight—against a fellow augmenter—had been the hardest of the entire tournament.
A blow to the gut-face-thigh. Breaking his momentum.
Each of Yun's movements came faster than he was prepared for and the cadence had sped up to a point where Kai could barely keep up, but…
'I can see it!'
The way the mana moved, converting itself to wind mana, that was what Kai could see.
-clang-
The dagger bounced back once more as Kai retrieved Keldreth, then shot it out again pulling him away from the mage.
Before he had just been fighting a ranged caster, so melee was his best bet– now however, he was up against a fellow physi.
That meant Keldreth's range had become a useful tool!
Just then Yun pulled a small needle from the pouch at his side, shooting it towards Kai with extreme precision.
With the use of his weapon and quick reflexes– Kai bent backwards, letting the needle flash over his face.
Keldreth found purchase in the soil, —pulling him back upright— and a gentle tug from the young man was all it needed to rocket him forwards.
He clenched his left fist as the green-eyed man pushed off towards him as well, aiming to intercept him with the two blades.
Succeeding in rending a deep cut down the handsome man's side, cutting through his tunic, blood gushing from the wound.
Kai let Keldreth slip from the soil and—before he touched down—fired it towards a tree, pulling him out of the man's path.
But then he saw it again— the wind affinity!
The way it moved, how it manifested itself into existence with every flash of the silver blades.
Realising its true nature he allowed himself to fly a few meters beyond what he originally had planned, then disengaged his weapon and flung his right shoulder back, rotating in the air.
Hand outstretched– Keldreth hit a tree diagonally to his right, and Kai pushed mana out of his feet.
Except it wasn't normally mana!
-ssshhh-
Kai called upon the power of the wind.
The pulse was a translucent green, and it caused Kai to arc around the tree using the tension in Keldreth's chain.
The man giving chase was just beyond the tree, lagging behind slightly, and in a flash Kai was upon him again!
The edge slithered from the tree and Kai stopped rotating, the wind mana in his feet now propelling him forwards– straight for Yun!
The warrior's eyes widened as a ringed fist struck him right in the chest, pushing him away, his feet leaving the ground.
But Kai wasn't finished.
Rolling his body across the ground and skidding to a halt the amber-eyed boy lashed out with his chain again, catching it around the other man.
His right leg bunched as his left drew back.
Wind mana embracing his chest and arms, breaking past the inertia of the other warrior and slamming the chained boy straight into a solid rock.
Yun's eyes rolled back into his head, his mouth was foaming.
Kai's muscles hurt tremendously from all the wind mana that traveled through him, and the velocities over what his body could handle.
-ssshhh-
Kai's torn muscles healed and his bones stopped aching, allowing his body to resume its natural function.
Kai had won,
It had been his most difficult fight yet, but there were more to come.
Wind meant freedom. Change. A force that let him adapt—and break free when it mattered most.
Most importantly– with his wind affinity unlocked, Kai had gained an unprecedented ability to control his flow of battle.
-
The contest was ramping up, by now it was evening and the sun began to dip below the sky.
A few teachers summoned large scale light spells to ward off the darkness.
Earth mages pushed fresh soil into the fighting spaces, repairing the damaged ground.
Now they were much larger than they had originally been.
Kai's last three battles had been against someone in the top 16, then the top 8, then the top four, and he had won all three.
He had faced a girl with a light affinity next—quick and relentless. Her lasers tore into him, but Mana-Neglection kept him standing.
Only being able to heal herself, it was stronger than his mana-art, but nothing that gave him too much trouble.
His next opponent was difficult, requiring a good amount of his power.
They were a darkness caster, good at hiding, and very fast for a mage who didn't specialize in body arts.
He was forced to use his wind affinity to slow his opponent down, and with a maelstrom of wind –using up all his mana– fully wrap Keldreth around his slippery opponent and crack their skull.
Winning the battle.
His last opponent had been in the top four, with a rare affinity, a gravity mage.
Gravity is a strong element, but this mage was self taught, and didn't know any spells useful against someone with a powerful body. Being lucky enough to not meet any augmenters along the journey and dominating other casters…
All Kai had to do was allow the mana to saturate his body and forsake using Mana-Neglection for the rest of the fight.
The magic was annoying, but nothing lethal due to his toughness.
His breath was heavy, but he had won.
Even the healing pulse of his mana-art couldn't wash away the accumulated stress and mental fatigue of the day.
A feeling of accomplishment washed over him–
The fighting was done for today.
But tomorrow is where it would truly begin.