The Colosseum of Stars was alive.
Glowing glyphs lit the air above the stands. Thousands of students packed into the viewing platforms. Spirit projection panels floated overhead, casting wide images of the two challengers below. The arena — a vast circular battlefield of polished skystone — was surrounded by soulstone pillars designed to absorb explosive force.
In the center stood Lucas Black, his coat fluttering under the pressure of his spirit aura. At his back loomed the mirrored shadow of Fenrir, eyes glowing cold, and the shimmering solar flare of Amaterasu, pulsing like a second sun behind his shoulders.
Across from him, poised and still, stood Elayne Campbell — the Blade Princess. Her armor gleamed with spirit runes etched by generations of warriors. Twin blades rested at her back, shaped like crescent moons forged from pure soulsteel.
A sharp bell rang.
> "Crown Challenge: Lucas Black versus Elayne Campbell." "Conditions: Non-lethal. No restraints. Full suppression allowed." "BEGIN."
Elayne vanished.
To most, it looked like teleportation. To Lucas, it was speed — body enhanced by spirit force and momentum woven into motion. Her blades blurred as they came for him in a crisscross arc, a deathtrap aimed to maim, not test.
Lucas raised his arms. Fenrir's frost surged, forming crystalline bracers just in time.
CLANG!
The impact echoed like thunder. Sparks and ice exploded outward.
Elayne twisted midair, kicking off Lucas's shoulder with explosive agility and flipping back. Her aura flared.
"You're faster than your brother," Lucas said, stepping forward, black fire already coiling around his fists.
"I'm sharper, too," she said, and lunged again.
Their auras clashed in the center.
Lucas spun and unleashed Amaterasu's wrath — a horizontal arc of obsidian fire so hot it scorched the air white. The flames chased her, licking the platform and melting the first layer of skystone.
Elayne ducked low, her footwork impossibly precise, and threw one blade like a spinning wheel. It whistled past Lucas, curved, and returned like a boomerang.
Lucas caught it with a frost-coated palm, the impact sliding him back several meters.
Then the ground under him lit up.
> Sword Array: Mirror Fang.
A formation sprang to life — runes encircled him in mirrored light, and suddenly, eight Elaynes appeared, each holding a weapon glowing with pale lightning.
The crowd gasped. Projection panels struggled to track the real one.
Lucas shut his eyes.
He didn't need them.
He inhaled.
Then — he roared.
> Fenrir's Howl.
A circle of silver erupted around him, freezing the very air. The mirrored clones cracked, burst, and disintegrated as the shockwave expanded.
The true Elayne leapt out, her blades forming a glaive midair. She landed on a wall of spirit light and launched herself back at him.
Now it was Lucas's turn.
He raised both hands and clapped.
> Soul Resonance: Solar Eclipse.
Amaterasu and Fenrir fused.
Black flames spiraled with silver frost. The energy twisted into a spiraling dragon-serpent that surged forward with a scream of heat and void.
Elayne struck it head-on with her glaive —
BOOM!
The explosion cracked the arena floor, sent force walls flaring to contain the blast, and temporarily blinded the upper decks.
When the light faded, both combatants stood at opposite ends — bloodied, breathing heavily.
Lucas's coat was shredded. One gauntlet gone.
Elayne's glaive had fractured. Her lip bled.
Still, they both stood tall.
Elayne spun the remains of her blade and leveled it. "Yield."
Lucas let flames coil around his fists again. "You first."
The colosseum trembled under the weight of spirit force still lingering in the air.
Above them, the ranking orb pulsed.
Then a new aura appeared between them — Kaelen.
> "Enough."
His voice cut like a blade.
"Both of you have surpassed expectations. This match is declared a draw."
The crowd erupted into roars and chants.
Lucas lowered his fists. Elayne let her glaive dissolve into spirit mist.
As they passed one another, she whispered, "You're better than I thought."
Lucas smiled faintly. "You've only seen a glimpse."
---
That night, the Crown List updated.
> [Lucas Black – Tied 1st – Divine Rank] [Elayne Campbell – Tied 1st – High 8-Star (Combat Tier: 9-Star)]
And somewhere in the darkness above the academy, a figure watched from a high spire — eyes glowing with crystalline light.
"The Fight.... is just beginning."