Arthur and Kaelith stood at opposite ends of the arena, tension thick in the air. The referee raised his hand, voice sharp.
"Begin!"
Both fighters stepped back cautiously.
Arthur exhaled, his breath turning to mist. Cold air hissed from his mouth as he drew his blade.
"Frost upon the heavens… Hyorinmaru."
The temperature dropped instantly. Hyorinmaru vanished in a swirl of snowflakes, and his sword transformed—now an elegant ice blade etched with ancient runes. Whispering voices echoed faintly.
From the stands, Alaric narrowed his eyes. "So that's the encryption, huh?"
Garrick frowned. "Why are there writings on his blade?"
Kaelith's gaze sharpened as he looked at the ice blade. "So you're the one who defeated Zayne… huh. Then I don't have to go easy on you for—"
Before he could finish, frost surged over his body.
In an instant, Kaelith was frozen mid-sentence—literally. A perfect popsicle.
Arthur exhaled calmly. "Ice magic… Frost Touch." He gave a cold smile. "You talk too much."
Silence. Everyone stared, wide-eyed.
"…Is it over?" someone whispered.
But Julius remained composed, a soft smile forming. "Not yet. This battle is far from over… Arthur."
Crack. The ice shattered. Chunks fell away as Kaelith stepped forward, rolling his shoulders with a smirk.
"That's cold."
He stabbed his blade into the ground. "Gouge. Tsuchikami."
The earth trembled. Dust swirled. A jagged blade of compressed earth rose from the ground, forming in his grip.
Arthur's eyes widened. "He broke out…?"
Kaelith grinned. "Shall we start all over again?"
Arthur dashed in, slashing upward. Kaelith met it, blocking with one hand raised. Arthur pressed harder with both hands, but Kaelith shifted his blade and parried. Arthur leapt back, then lunged again.
"Water magic… Flowing Wheel!"
A stream of water snaked around the tip of his blade. He weaved with precise movement. Kaelith swung, but Arthur ducked—his blade connecting cleanly.
Both froze.
Kaelith dropped to one knee.
Arthur straightened. "It hit…"
But Kaelith raised his head, gripping his blade. "Did you really think that could affect me?"
A rock-formed glove appeared around his hand. He smirked—and punched Arthur straight across the arena.
"Arthur!" Riven jumped up. "What just happened?! I thought he hit him!"
Ronan clenched his fists. "I don't understand anything at all…"
Arthur staggered to his feet, groaning.
Kaelith tilted his head. "So you use water magic too, huh? That's nice… but it's useless against me."
Arthur charged again. He swung—
—but Kaelith caught him by the neck, midair. He slammed Arthur into the ground, forming a raised bed of stone. It cracked under the force.
Arthur tried to counter with a stab—
—but the blade didn't pierce.
Kaelith chuckled. "Nice try."
He flung Arthur away like a ragdoll.
Arthur barely managed to stab his blade into the ground, slowing himself. He wiped dust from his face. "Attack… once more."
He ran forward again—but suddenly paused.
"…Wait. What's happening? Why am I fighting so recklessly? This isn't how I fight…"
Inside his head, Hyorinmaru's voice echoed.
"Arthur, what's wrong?"
"I don't know… something's off."
Kaelith lunged with a punch—Arthur reacted late. Too late. The hit sent him flying.
"Why was I slow?" Arthur groaned, getting up. "Even Hyorinmaru noticed it…"
He looked at his legs. "My muscles… they're relaxed. What the—it's like I'm awake but my body is asleep…"
He slapped his cheeks. Smack!
"Wake up! Get back in the tournament!"
Up in the stands, Eldric laughed. "We've got the upper hand in this battle."
He noticed Arthur slapping himself.
"…What is he doing?"
Julius crossed his arms calmly. "Looks like he's slowly noticing the change in his body."
Eldric narrowed his eyes. "Isn't that bad? If he figures it out, we might lose. I heard he has the brain of an adult."
Julius smirked. "It's true—some kids have intellect far beyond their age. But tell me, Eldric… can intellect make up for experience?"
He looked down at Arthur. "Experience is earned. Grown through pain, time, and failure. That's something no child can rush."
Eldric hummed. "Still… you just said he's figuring it out."
"I did," Julius said. "And I foresaw it. Even that was part of my analysis. Let's see what he does next."
Arthur slapped his cheeks harder. Smack!
"Alright… again!"
He dashed in, blade drawn.
Kaelith caught it—again—with his stone-clad hand. He swung.
Arthur saw the attack. "I can dodge it… it's clear."
He moved—
But his leg cramped.
He fell—barely dodging the strike.
Kaelith kicked him away again.
Arthur tumbled, then caught himself by stabbing his blade into the ground.
"…I was lucky," he breathed. "But why did I cramp? I thought I fixed that…"
He touched his leg. "It… hurts? My muscles contracted last minute? But I slapped myself… that should've snapped me out of it…"
Felix clenched his fists. "Arthur's in deep trouble. He's being pushed."
Damon shrugged. "It's no big deal. All of us got pushed. We just need to have faith."
Callista muttered, "I promised I'd heal his injuries… but I can't. Not during the tournament…"
Seraphina watched closely, her hands gripping the railing.
Tenmei frowned. "Is he gonna lose?"
He huffed. "If he does, I'm not fighting him. Means he's weak."
Seraphina snapped, "He can handle it. This is Arthur we're talking about."
"…I hope so," Tenmei whispered.
Julius looked down again. "Did you really think slapping your cheeks would wake up a sleeping body?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"It hurts, doesn't it… when the one thing you treasure most becomes a burden. When your instincts betray you…"
He smiled coldly.
"You can't delete what's been registered in the brain. Not easily. It's like trying to break a habit."
He whispered, "Now, Arthur… what else will you try?"
Arthur slowly stood.
"…Why's my body like this?" he muttered. "It's not ready to fight."
He looked around. The crowd watched with hope in their eyes.
Hyorinmaru's voice echoed.
"Arthur. We can still win this. Just… relax."
Arthur froze.
"…What did you say?"
"I said relax."
Kaelith attacked again.
Arthur reacted—dodging just in time.
"Ice magic… Ice Wall!"
Multiple walls of solid ice rose up between them.
"What did you do that for?" Hyorinmaru asked.
"To buy us time," Arthur said. "Before he breaks through."
Arthur's mind raced.
"…Hyorinmaru said this tournament would be a breeze… a piece of cake…"
He looked to the captain's seats. Garrick looked calm.
He looked at the student stands. Everyone looked calm. Confident.
"…Why?" Arthur whispered. "Hyorinmaru always told me not to underestimate my enemy. But today he said it'll be easy…"
His eyes widened.
"…They all underestimated the enemy. Because I always win. Every match so far—our side has won. Even me…"
He turned and saw Julius.
"…It hits me now."
"This is a mind game."
Crash! Kaelith broke through the final wall, blade raised.
Arthur deflected the strike, teeth clenched.
Eldric narrowed his eyes. "It's a mind game…"
Julius smiled.
"Mind games? No, Eldric. This is psychology—strategic neuropsychology. I didn't just beat their swords. I beat their brains."
Arthur struggled back, slashing—his blade barely brushing off Kaelith's armor.
Kaelith retaliated, landing another hard blow.
Arthur tumbled again.
"…There's no doubt," Arthur whispered. "This is a mind game."
Julius smirked.
"You must think this is a mind game, Arthur. But it's not."
He leaned forward, eyes glinting.
"This… is psychology."