Chapter 16: The Tournament of Shadows
The morning sun bathed Aelthar Academy in gold, heralding one of the most anticipated events of the year: the Grand Magical Fight Tournament, where nobles, prodigies, and elite students from across the kingdoms gathered to prove their strength.
The academy buzzed with excitement. Students speculated about who would emerge victorious. Among the competitors were princes, renowned prodigies, and talented fighters from distant lands.
At the back of the courtyard, Cael Renard casually nibbled on a small snack, eyes calm, expression bland. To everyone else, he looked like a quiet, background noble boy weak, even. No one suspected that beneath his unassuming exterior, he was the Phantom Sovereign, a master of shadows, atomic energy, and near-limitless overpowered abilities.
"Cael, are you really going to enter?" a fellow student whispered, eyeing him curiously.
He shrugged. "Why not?" His voice was soft, almost bored.
When the tournament began, competitors revealed their skills one by one. Princes demonstrated flashy elemental magic. Prodigies displayed incredible agility, swordsmanship, and destructive spells. Each fight ended with cheers and awe. Yet, Cael remained calm, unnoticed, even as the opening matches raged on.
Then it was his turn.
His first opponent was a prince from a neighboring kingdom. The boy exuded arrogance, his aura flaring as if the tournament were a stage for his glory. Cael took a single step forward, hands empty, expression neutral. The crowd laughed quietly, underestimating him.
The fight began.
At first, it seemed unremarkable. Cael dodged casually, appearing slow and clumsy, letting the prince land what should have been decisive strikes. But as soon as the prince aimed a critical attack, Cael activated Shadow Meld. In an instant, he vanished from sight, reappearing behind the prince with Atomic Form enhancing speed and precision.
Before the prince could react, a shadow construct immobilized him mid-air, and a controlled burst of atomic energy neutralized his strike. The crowd gasped.
One by one, Cael defeated all 27 talents from other kingdoms, each more skilled than the last. He used Teleportation, Illusions, and Shadow Dominion, making it appear as though multiple fighters were attacking at once. Every move was flawless, precise, and controlled, leaving opponents bewildered and audiences in awe.
Despite winning effortlessly, Cael maintained his guise as a background character. When asked for commentary, he simply shrugged. "I'm just here to participate."
Even princes who had trained their whole lives were left speechless. No one could grasp how a quiet, ordinary noble boy had overcome every opponent with seemingly minimal effort.
At the end of the tournament, as he stood victorious, shadows flickered faintly around him, almost unnoticed except by those who had a keen eye, like Kryos Valen, watching from afar. He narrowed his eyes. "So… he's not just powerful in the shadows. He's… unstoppable."
Cael returned to the back benches, eating the same snack, expression calm. To everyone else, he was a background character.
But in reality… he had just crushed the greatest talents from across the kingdoms without breaking a sweat.
The tournament was over. The kingdom whispered of an enigmatic champion.
The Phantom Sovereign's legend had just begun.