**Chapter 90: A New Conflict Begins.**
The crowd's noise was a distant rumble as the next match was announced. It was a fight between Joshua Draconia and Bryan Elsher.
Then their names were called.
"Joshua Draconia versus Bryan Elsher!"
Joshua walked onto the arena. His face was hard, and his eyes burned. He was angry about his cousin Christian losing to Aaron. He wanted to hit something. He knew Bryan was Aiden's teammate, so he decided to take all his anger out on Bryan.
Bryan walked out from the other side. He stood across from Joshua. They looked straight into each other's eyes. Bryan did not look afraid. After seeing Aiden fight, he felt Joshua was not that strong.
The referee stood beside them. He said in a loud voice, "Begin!"
The word was still in the air when Joshua vanished using Blitz. He appeared at Bryan's side. A blade made of lightning crackled in his hand. He swung it towards Bryan with full force.
Bryan's hands moved fast. He conjured a wall of water just in time. The lightning blade hit the wall with a hiss and a splash. The water held, but Bryan was pushed back. He knew he could not compete with Joshua in offense or defense. But he still decided to fight.
As Bryan backed away, Joshua began to rise into the air using Flight. Then, many bolts of light formed around him. They were lightning bolts. He pointed, and they shot down at Bryan.
Bryan dodged. He ran back and forth, trying to escape the onslaught. But there were too many attacks. *Crack!* One bolt hit his shoulder.
He gritted his teeth against the pain. *Zap!* Another grazed his leg. He kept moving, but more bolts landed on his body. He endured the pain and dodged the other attacks.
After a few moments, the rain of lightning ended. Bryan was seen standing in a cloud of dust. He was injured all over his body. Cuts and burns marked his skin. He was seriously hurt.
But then, a soft light began to form around his body. The wounds started to wiggle and mend together. After a few seconds, he was completely healed.
The crowd murmured. Bryan was a dual-elemental mana cultivator. He had water and healing mana affinities. His opponent, Joshua, was a tri-elemental mana cultivator with wind, lightning, and earth affinities. Joshua was superior in everything except maybe endurance.
Bryan knew the only way for him to win was to make Joshua use all his mana while he endured the attacks.
Joshua, who did not know Bryan's second element, now understood. He saw the healing light. A mean plan formed in his mind. He was going to torture Bryan.
He would hurt him, but not too badly, so the referee could not stop the match. Then he would let him heal and torture him again.
He conjured wind cutters and lightning bolts around him. He attacked Bryan once again.
Bryan tried to back away. But just as he moved, a windstorm formed behind him. It pushed him forward, stopping him from escaping. Once again, he had to take the attacks head-on. The wind cutters sliced at his clothes and skin. The lightning made his muscles twitch. He was injured again.
Joshua stopped right before Bryan was hurt too badly. Then, he just waited. He waited for Bryan to heal.
Bryan saw the attacks stop. He understood what Joshua was trying to do. But Bryan also had a plan in mind. So, he played along. He healed himself. The light glowed, and his bruises faded.
Joshua used Blitz again. He arrived in front of Bryan's face. He then punched Bryan in the head. Bryan dodged the punch, but then a kick landed straight in his stomach.
The air left Bryan's lungs. He fell to his knees, gasping.
Joshua did not wait for him to stand up again. He kicked him in the face.
Bryan went sideways to the ground. His cheek swelled up fast. He tried to get up, but a kick landed straight on his back. He was sent skidding far away, his skin grinding on the rough sand. He stopped a few meters later.
He groaned in pain. But he still pushed himself up. He used his healing mana again.
Joshua once again let him heal himself. Then, he waved a hand. Sharp earth spikes shot up from the ground under Bryan's feet.
Bryan jumped and dodged. He dodged most of them, but one spike pierced the bottom of his foot. He groaned but still did not give up.
Joshua saw this and used Blitz again. He arrived behind Bryan with a crackling ball of lightning in his hand. He launched it at Bryan's back. Then he vanished.
The attack landed. Bryan felt his body buzz with lightning. A terrible pain shot through him. His insides felt burned. He fell to his knees and coughed. Large amounts of blood splattered on the sand. His insides were severely damaged.
Slowly, shakily, he used healing mana once again. The light worked on his back and his insides. Then, he stood back up to face Joshua.
Joshua was just about to attack again. But then, many water streams conjured around Bryan. They shot towards Joshua desperately.
Joshua saw the weak attacks and scoffed. He dodged them easily using his speed. After that, he attacked Bryan again. His torture continued for a few more minutes.
Then, Bryan was seen standing in the middle of the arena. His body was covered in wounds. But this time, his body was not healing. No light glowed around him.
Joshua saw this. A cruel smile touched his lips. He knew that Bryan had depleted all his mana. He also knew it was time to end the fight.
He walked slowly towards Bryan, who was standing there, breathing heavily.
As he walked forward, a long sword made of pure lightning formed in his hand. It buzzed and sparked. He arrived in front of Bryan. He said, "This is the price you pay for being on the same team as that commoner."
Bryan heard this. He smiled a tired smile and replied, "You are still salty about how Julian defeated you a year ago."
Joshua heard this. He felt anger boil inside him like a hot pot. He pulled his lightning sword backwards, ready to strike.
But then, suddenly, something crashed into his back with great force. *Splash!* It was a heavy stream of water that Bryan had hidden. Joshua was hurled forward. He lost his balance and fell to his knees.
He looked back and saw water on his back and the ground. His clothes were soaked. Bryan had used a water stream. He had baited Joshua into thinking his mana was completely gone. He also made Joshua feel he had the upper hand, to make him let his guard down.
As the fight continued, Joshua felt more arrogant. Everything had gone according to Bryan's plan. Bryan knew even if his plan succeeded, he would not be able to defeat Joshua. But he still wanted to land one good strike on him.
Joshua, who was completely stunned by the attack, was on his knees.
Bryan smiled and commented, "Wow. The young master of the great Draconia family is kneeling before me. It's quite an honor for me."
Joshua heard this. He felt embarrassed and enraged. His face turned red. He stood up fast. He swung his lightning sword straight at Bryan's neck, aiming to kill him.
Bryan didn't do anything. He was confident he would not be hit by this attack.
As he predicted, the attack was stopped right before his neck. The referee was the one who stopped it. He arrived in front of Bryan in a blur. He grabbed Joshua's wrist. He looked at Joshua and said, "It's enough."
Joshua saw this. He refuted, "Get out of my way, or I will kill you too!" He was embarrassed by Bryan in front of all these people. Especially in front of Edward Draconia, his family elder, who was watching from the balcony above. He wanted to kill Bryan right here and now.
The referee heard this. He replied, "Hey, don't think this is your home where you can do everything you want. This is the Magic Academy of Principal William. Only he has the authority inside this academy. Not even your Draconia family can do anything about it."
As he said this, he used his mana pressure on Joshua. Joshua felt the air around him thicken. It became hard to breathe. It felt like a heavy blanket was on his chest.
Then, from the balcony where Edward sat, a loud and commanding voice came. "Who said that the Draconia family can't do anything inside the academy?"
As the referee heard these words, he began to suffocate. Edward, a Stage 5 mana cultivator, had used his mana pressure on him. The referee's knees bent.
But then, another voice came from the balcony beside Edward's. "The words he said are true, don't you think, Edward? Or do you think that I don't have the authority inside my own academy?"
It was Principal William who said this. The moment the words left his mouth, the pressure around the referee was gone. It was nullified by William.
Edward heard William. He frowned and said, "William, don't get involved in this. He disrespected our family's young master and our Draconia family as well."
William heard this. He coldly replied, "But didn't your family's young master break the rules first? He disrespected the referee of my academy. He even threatened to kill him. Do you really think my people are that easy to kill?"
Edward saw this. He frowned even more and said, "William, your words have no logic behind them. Besides, that man isn't even from your family. Do you want to start a fight with the Draconia family just because of someone who isn't related to you?"
William scoffed. He said, "Not related by blood? Even if he is not related to me by blood, he is still one of my men. So I won't let anyone harm him without my permission. And if protecting my people leads to a fight with the Draconia family, then so be it."
Edward heard this. He felt angry. He said, "You are making a big mistake by doing this." As he said this, his aura exploded outwards. Everyone in the arena felt suffocated. It was a heavy, crushing feeling.
Then, an aura from William's balcony exploded. It nullified Edward's pressure. In fact, it even suppressed Edward's pressure and pressed down on him. It was clear that William was stronger than Edward, despite both being Stage 5 mana cultivators.
Edward saw that he was at a disadvantage. He stopped using his mana pressure and sat back down. Then he whispered, "You will pay for this humiliation."
Everyone in the arena could now breathe easily. They gasped at the scene before their eyes. It was rare for two Stage 5 mana cultivators to stand off against each other. But today, they had seen it.
After a few moments, the crowd snapped out of their surprise. Joshua saw that Edward had given up. He shot a last, hateful look at Bryan. Unwillingly, he let his lightning sword disappear and left the arena.
Bryan, who was also surprised by this event, didn't say anything. He was tired and hurt. He turned and walked slowly towards the healing room to get fixed up.
This confrontation was just the start. It was the first spark of a big conflict that would one day shake the whole world.
Author's Note: What do you think will happen between William and Draconia's family in the future? Also, write what part of the chapter you liked the most in the comments section.