The boulder hurtled toward Lyra, but her mind had already formed a counter.
With a sharp twist, she spun midair, using her wind magic to propel herself just out of its path. The massive rock sailed past, but she didn't waste the momentum. As she completed the spin, a crystal shard formed in her palm and was released with blistering speed.
The projectile cut through the air with a sharp whistle, aimed directly at her opponent's exposed side.
Clenching her teeth, her opponent reacted instantly, summoning ice to form a barrier. But she was too slow. The shard struck before the wall could fully materialize, shattering it into glistening fragments. A sharp chime rang through the arena.
Ding. 2-0.
Her opponent's breath hitched. Even though the duel system prevented actual injuries, the phantom pain was still distracting. Taking a steadying breath, she exhaled slowly, frustration melting into something more dangerous.
"I was told I shouldn't show this…" Her voice was low, simmering. "But I refuse to fall like this."
Her hands came together in a resounding clap.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Hovering above the battlefield, Lyra remained motionless, her sharp eyes locked onto her opponent. She didn't know what was coming.
But she thought she was ready.
However, she couldn't have been ready for what actually happened.
A deafening cacophony erupted across the arena, the sheer force of the sound ripping through the battlefield. Trees exploded into splinters, the earth trembled beneath the shockwave, and the air itself seemed to vibrate.
Even the spectators flinched, hands clamping over their ears. The noise was unbearable, a relentless assault that made it nearly impossible to think.
For Lyra, it was worse.
The sound hit her like a sledgehammer, an overwhelming, all-consuming force that sent agony through her skull. It was so loud, so unbearable, that for a brief, desperate moment, she wanted nothing more than to tear her own ears off just to make it stop.
Her focus shattered.
Her magic faltered.
The winds that had kept her aloft vanished, and before she could recover, she plummeted.
The impact was brutal.
A heavy thud echoed as she crashed into the ground, audible even over the lingering roar of her opponent's magic. The audience collectively winced.
Ding.
The arena registered the fall as a point. 2-1.
"What in the hell was that?" Ethan muttered, shaking his head as if trying to dislodge the lingering echo from his skull.
Aurora's gaze remained locked on the arena. "Sound magic," she answered, her tone unusually serious. "It's commonly called music magic since it's mostly used for performances, but…" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "It's just as rare as void magic. No wonder she was told to keep it hidden."
Orion blinked rapidly, his expression tense. "Lyra's going to be okay, right?"
"Honestly? I don't know." Jace pressed his fingers against his temple, trying to work through the pounding headache. "That impact was rough."
The group shuddered at the memory. The sound of Lyra's body hitting the ground had been visceral.
Selene swallowed hard. "But… we can't take actual injuries in the arena, right?" The concern in her voice was impossible to miss.
Jace nodded, though his expression remained troubled. "She shouldn't be hurt, not physically, but…" He exhaled, eyes flicking back to the battlefield. "She's probably disoriented as hell. That spell was loud for us,I can't even imagine how bad it was for her."
Inside the arena, Lyra's opponent had risen back into the air, her arms spread wide as the boulder that had previously missed hovered just above her.
"For those who think standing against the nobility is a good idea…" she began, her voice carrying across the battlefield. A single spark flickered across the stone's surface, then, in an instant, it erupted into flames.
The boulder began to spin, faster and faster, the fire wrapping around it like a swirling meteor.
"Let this be a reminder." Her gaze locked onto where Lyra had fallen below. "We don't forgive. We won't forget."
With a sharp burst of wind magic, the flaming mass rocketed toward the ground.
The impact was cataclysmic.
It struck like an actual meteor, sending a visible shockwave rippling outward. Earth shattered, wood splintered, flames roared as debris exploded in every direction.
Her eyes danced with the reflection of the raging flames, a sick smile creeping across her face as she watched the arena burn.
Outside the battlefield, the entire audience held its breath, stunned into silence by the sheer destruction.
Jace's hands clenched around the chair in front of him, his arms trembling with barely restrained fury. His grip was so tight that the plastic creaked under the pressure, thin fractures beginning to form beneath his fingers.
This was because of him.
He was the one who had angered the nobles, and since he wasn't in this duel, they were trying to teach everyone a lesson using his team.
Just as his anger was getting the better of him, he felt a hand on his arm.
"Jace, calm down." Aurora's voice reached him, but it felt distant, like his rage had isolated him from the world.
"JACE!"
A sharp pain shot through his cheek, snapping him out of his spiral.
"…Did you just slap me?" Jace asked, blinking at Aurora in disbelief.
Aurora met his gaze evenly. "You were spiraling. I had to get your attention somehow." Her tone was calm, steady.
"Fair enough," he muttered, exhaling slowly. "But how are you so calm?"
Aurora tilted her head slightly, looking at him as if he had missed something obvious. "There wasn't a ding."
Jace's eyes widened. "What?"
"There was no ding," Aurora repeated. "That means there was no point. Lyra wasn't hit."
The words hit him like a truck. His head snapped back toward the arena.
She was right.
There hadn't been a ding.
The scoreboard still showed 2-1.
The woman still floated above the burning wreckage she had created in the arena, completely unaware that she hadn't scored a point. She seemed far more interested in reveling in the destruction than actually finishing the fight.
"You know…"
A voice echoed through the arena, weak, distorted, but carrying an undeniable weight.
"You really need to stop focusing on lessons… and start focusing on winning."
Lyra's words cut through the crackling flames, a moment before a crystal shard struck the woman square in the chest.
Ding.