Round 6 was the final crucible, and the stakes were higher than ever before.
8 applicants already fought their battles, 4 got the scholarship, but the other 4 were eliminated after making it through 5 rounds of brutal battles that pushed them to the edge.
That feeling of losing after making it to the end, it was worse than death.
The last eight applicants didn't want to experience that feeling, they were scared to experience it, and it raised the stakes even higher for them.
BA-DUMP! BA-DUMP!
Kairo could feel his heart beating rapidly against his chest as with blood-red eyes due to the ruptured blood vessels in his eyes, he scanned the survivors.
And then…
DING!
[Batch 1: Alric Dorn vs Selene Voss]
The fifth clash of Round 6 was called.
By now, every survivor knew the abilities of their opponents like the back of their hand. Afterall, they've had more than enough chances to see their opponents go all out on the combat arena in previous rounds.
Nothing was hidden.
Alric is a Berserker with an ability called Blood Frenzy. He had only a single ability but it was a devastating one; he grows stronger the more he bleeds.
This was why despite his grievous injuries accumulated from the previous 5 rounds, he was still one of the most dangerous applicants among the survivors.
His eyes were as cold as murder itself.
He was intimidating.
His opponent? While Alric was the brute and unstoppable force of nature, Selene was a cold strategist with an ability called Crystal Shards. Just like him, she had just one ability, but she was clever with its utility.
DONG!
The battle started and both applicants exploded into violence.
Selene kept her distance like she did in every battle as she unleashed a barrage of lethal crystal shards powerful enough to cut through Alric's defense.
Kairo winced at the sight. He could imagine the sensation of those crystal shards effortlessly piercing through his defense, and it was not pretty.
But despite the maddening pain that he must be in, Alric didn't pause, he didn't falter as he raged through his crippling injuries, shrugging off the crystal impalements until he finally crushed her staff and knocked her unconscious.
Selene kited Alric for 8 minutes, but in the end, once he managed to close the distance, one punch from him ended the battle.
Alric collapsed soon after, succumbing to his injuries, but still…
"Winner, Alric Dorn".
…
[Batch 1: Hugo Rael vs Marik Fenrow]
Yes, that Hugo, Kairo's former teammate scout.
Kairo had been so focused on just Mira and surviving round after round that he didn't even realize that the scout somehow made it to Round 6.
'Did he become stronger too like Mira?'
It didn't matter because the clash soon started.
Using Silent Steps and Dash, Hugo proved Kairo right that something changed because despite still being as wary as he remembered him to be, Hugo's movements were undoubtedly sharper now and filled with purpose.
Marik, Hugo's opponent was a brute with a single ability, Chain Lash, an ability that enabled him to turn his chain weapon into living chains to attack opponents.
But against the elusive Hugo, it was a clash of extremes.
Hugo darted, dodged, and finally disarmed Marik but at the cost of shattered ribs. Even being disarmed though of his chain weapon, Marik was still dangerous because his ability could create chains even without his weapon.
For a moment, Hugo was caught off-guard when Marik created living chains from just mana. Marik couldn't sustain it though.
Afterall, like every other applicant, his mana capacity was extremely low.
Hugo ended the battle when he pressed his dagger to his opponent's throat. Maybe it was out of respect, but none of the applicants in Round 6 took the brutal step of killing their opponent after defeating them.
"Winner, Hugo".
Kairo took a deep breath. 'Even Hugo got the scholarship'. He clenched his fists even more tightly.
…
[Batch 1: Kael Drust vs Freyna Ulric]
Remember Round 4, Kealen Drust? The fireboy was Kael's older brother, but though his brother was eliminated in Round 4, Kael made it all the way to the final round and now it was the moment of trust.
Like his brother, Keal was a flame user but with an ability called Burning Wall. His ability was less offensive than his brother's but more well-rounded.
Kael had methodically dismantled every opponent that he faced all the way from Round 1 with his high I.Q and his clever use of his ability.
And once again, for the final time, his I.Q was put to the test.
His opponent, Freyna is a water manipulator with a single ability called Aqua Bind. It was a clash of fire vs water, a clash of elements.
DONG!
The bell rang and all hell broke loose on the arena.
Both applicants didn't hesitate to unleash the last of their mana to draw into the depths of their special abilities, digging in to flood the combat arena with a conflagration of water and flame.
BZZZ!
Water and fire clashed, and both were stalled.
Having expected this though, both opponents charged through the storm of their elements till they met at the middle, then their fists clashed.
BAM!
Unlike the clash of pure elements like the audience expected, both applicants didn't have the mana capacity for a drawn-out elemental battle. Both realized this and this was why they went in for a melee battle despite the elemental storm that raged around them.
Kael gave his all, pooling into his rich experience of hand to hand combat techniques, but Freyna was more thorough.
After 2 minutes, a punch to the liver sent Kael reeling and Freyna quickly added to her advantage by stunning him with a spinning heel kick.
Kael was dazed… his fire dimmed.
Then…
Water prevailed. Freyna's flood drowned out Kael's fire, and that tipped the scales of the battle in her favor.
In his last moments, Kael had a bitter look on his face as tears flowed freely.
"In the end," he muttered. "Even my best was not enough".
"Winner, Freyna Ulric".
Kael was teleported out of the combat arena.
And finally, the last duel to decide it all.
DING!
[Kairo Vale vs Jones Ironside]