Chapter 95: Cheating.
The announcer floating in the air then continued, his voice booming across the silent arena. "The second match is a best-versus-best fight! Both students are at the top of their own departments, and they have fought once before in the hunting competition. No winner was decided that day… but today, only one will come out victorious!"
He took a deep, dramatic breath and continued. "The first student is from the Puppeteer Department! He is their top student and the only one from his department who qualified for the top 16. His team was ranked sixth in the hunting competition. His name is **Kyle Hawthorne**!"
The section of the crowd supporting the Puppeteer Department erupted into cheers. The tunnel gate groaned open. Kyle entered the arena. His build was lean, his black hair moving in the wind. Dark circles surrounded his eyes, which were sunken deep into their sockets.
He was taller than average. He walked to the center, his gaze fixed on the opposite tunnel, eagerly waiting for his opponent. He had not forgotten the humiliation Victoria had caused him.
Then the announcer spoke once more. "Now, the second fighter is from the Parasitic Department! Her team was ranked fourth in the hunting competition, and she was the one leading them. She's also the best student in her department. Her name is **Olivia Azirph**!"
The crowd supporting her burst into thunderous cheers and applause, while the nobles in the high seats frowned—especially Lord Lawrence. He leaned forward, his knuckles white.
He whispered to himself, "So she's from *that* bloodline. This is not good." He knew parasitic mana was the natural bane of puppeteer mana, and he knew all too well how talented an Azirph could be. He had sent a message to Kyle to win no matter the cost, but seeing Olivia, he knew it would not be easy.
Everyone understood the deadly meaning behind this matchup. Headmaster William, watching calmly, knew Olivia was the hardest possible opponent for Kyle besides Aiden, so he had paired them deliberately.
As Lawrence stewed in his thoughts, the second tunnel gate opened. Olivia entered the arena. She wore a form-fitting black battle suit. Her black hair was tied tightly behind her head, and her sharp blue eyes shone with icy confidence.
She walked to the center and now stood facing Kyle. The two competitors locked eyes, a current of pure animosity crackling between them.
The referee appeared beside them. "Begin!" he shouted.
The moment the word was spoken, a layer of dark, stony armor shimmered into existence around Kyle's body. At the same time, a dozen wooden and stone puppets materialized around him in a protective circle. He had learned his lesson from his previous fight; he would not let Olivia touch him again.
Olivia saw his preparation and smiled—a cold, knowing curve of her lips. She took several quick steps back. Then, the air around her erupted with heat as **hundreds of swirling fireballs** formed in a halo around her body.
With a wave of her hand, she unleashed a fiery barrage, bombarding Kyle's puppets. The constructs were shattered one after another in bursts of flame and splintered wood.
A blazing **Fire Blade** then formed in Olivia's hand. She charged at the remaining puppet army, but her movements were careful and precise, her eyes constantly tracking Kyle's position. She had seen his match with Maria; she knew to watch for his arrows.
She weaved through the puppets, a dancer of destruction. Each slash of her fiery sword was calculated, each dodge effortless. She carved a path closer and closer to Kyle, not wasting a single movement.
*Swish!*
An arrow sliced through the air straight for her head. Olivia ducked smoothly, the arrow whistling past her ear. She looked up and saw Kyle, a bow now in his hands. She had expected this. She had trained extensively with Victoria, whose earth magic was far superior to Kyle's.
Olivia charged forward again, but the ground beneath her feet suddenly ruptured as sharp **Earth Spikes** shot upward. She used **Blitz**, propelling herself into the air with a burst of flame to dodge. While mid-air, she gestured downward. A pool of fire bloomed directly under Kyle's feet.
Kyle saw the flames and scrambled backward. This desperate movement created a fatal gap in his protective ring of puppets. A single fireball shot through the opening and struck the ground right in front of him.
***BOOM!***
A small explosion shook the arena. Dust and debris shot into the air. When it settled, Kyle was seen, having shielded himself with a puppet, but now covered in dirt and ash. Olivia didn't stop.
She charged again, a relentless force of nature. She destroyed puppet after puppet while expertly dodging Kyle's frantic arrows and sporadic earth spikes.
She closed to within a few meters of him, the last of his puppets giving chase at her back. Then, for the second time in the fight, she used **Blitz**. She vanished in a streak of heated air and reappeared instantly *behind* Kyle. She swung her Fire Blade in a decisive arc.
A thick **Earth Wall** erupted from the ground between them, blocking the slash. But Olivia immediately let go of her blade. Using **Blitz** once more, she leaped high over the wall. She saw Kyle's unprotected back below. She landed softly and surged forward, placing her palm flat on his armored shoulder.
Kyle twisted around, a smug smile on his face as he saw her touch. "Have you already forgotten," he said, "that I have armor beneath my clothes? Your parasite will not work here."
Olivia heard him and simply exerted force on his shoulder, pushing him down slightly. Then, in a blur of motion, she twisted her body and launched a powerful kick straight into the side of Kyle's neck. The impact sent him flying forward to crash onto the ground, a groan of pain escaping him.
Olivia looked down at him coolly. "I was never planning to use a parasite on you."
Kyle heard this and frowned, pushing himself up. Olivia had come prepared for everything. He backed away again, his few remaining puppets stumbling to form up around him.
Olivia stood her ground. Once again, a storm of fireballs materialized around her. She launched them in a final, devastating bombardment, annihilating the last of his puppets. Earth spikes tried to trap her, but she danced around them.
Kyle shot arrow after arrow in desperation, but Olivia dodged them all with fluid grace, moving around the arena with lethal speed and precision. It looked less like a fight and more like a deadly dance.
After a few minutes, only ten of Kyle's puppets remained. Seeing her opening, Olivia used **Blitz**. She appeared beside Kyle and delivered a punishing kick to his side. The kick landed with a heavy *thud*, but Kyle, protected by his double layer of armor, only slid back a few meters. His face was his only vulnerable spot.
Olivia vanished again, reappearing directly in front of him. She drove her fist straight into his face. The punch connected solidly, and Kyle fell to the ground once more. In a panic, he conjured a solid earthen dome around himself, sealing himself inside to buy time.
Olivia saw the dome solidify. She calmly conjured another volley of fireballs and began bombarding it. With each fiery impact, cracks spiderwebbed across the dome's surface.
Inside, Kyle was breathing heavily, his mind racing. He thought of Lord Lawrence's orders. *'What if I use that thing the family gave me for this contest?'* Lawrence had provided him with a Stage Two mana artifact, instructing him to use it only when no one was watching and only if necessary.
They knew there was a high chance Headmaster William would sense it, but the Hawthorne, Draconia, and Jaeger families had agreed: they would help each other's contestants until the semi-finals. If one of their young masters won, the others would accept it.
At that moment, a large crack splintered across the dome's interior wall. Seeing her chance, Olivia used **Blitz** and slipped inside the crumbling shelter.
Inside the dusty, confined space, she stood over Kyle. He looked up at her, desperation in his sunken eyes. Then, his hand shot to his pocket. He pulled out a wand-shaped artifact carved from dark wood and glowing with dangerous purple runes. Before Olivia could react, he poured his mana into it and swung it toward her.
A massive, roaring **bolt of violet lightning** erupted from the wand. It crossed the short distance in a mere fraction of a second, far too fast to dodge in the enclosed space.
***KKKRRRZZZZZZ-BOOM!***
A deafening explosion of pure energy tore the earthen dome apart from the inside. Dust, debris, and the acrid smell of ozone filled the air. When the debris settled, Olivia was seen lying motionless on the shattered ground, her battle suit scorched, completely unconscious.
Kyle stood shakily, the illicit wand still smoking in his hand. He had used the forbidden Stage Two artifact.
High in his seat, Headmaster William had sensed the use of the artifact immediately. A deep frown settled on his face, but he said nothing. It was as if he had already expected something like this to happen.
Author's Note: The tournament's facade of fairness has been shattered. Kyle used a forbidden artifact to win, a clear violation that Headmaster William seemed to anticipate. What is the true purpose of this contest? With Olivia down and the rules broken, what will Aiden and his friends do? The battle for the top 16 is revealing deeper, darker games. To see how Aiden responds to this corruption, make sure to add this story to your Collections!