Damon Vs Zayden
"Damon Cresswell versus Zayden Eryndor!"
The referee's voice echoed through the grand arena, silencing the murmur of the crowd as both participants stepped forward. Dust lifted gently from the ground with each footfall, caught in the glow of the overhead mana lamps.
The tension was thick.
"Begin!" the referee declared, raising his hand before stepping back.
At the student corner, Nathaniel's gaze locked onto the field, sharp and steady. His arms were folded, but his heart pounded with anticipation. He muttered under his breath, eyes fixed on Damon.
"Show me how far you've grown…" he said.
"You've lost to Arthur twice, and since then… you've been training like a freak to surpass him."
"This isn't just your fight, Damon. You're fighting for everyone who lost in the earlier rounds… everyone you brought together to train and grow stronger. Show them why you're the leader."
Arthur, standing beside him, looked out at Damon. His eyes softened with a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Show me how you've improved since our fight at the Sage Trials…" he whispered.
Back in the arena, the battle had begun. Damon and Zayden took a step back from each other, their stances low and their eyes sharp.
Damon raised his blade, swirling it through the air with fluid grace. The weapon shimmered, golden light bathing its surface until it left behind blinding afterimages in its wake.
"Blind… Kagayagi," Damon called out.
His sword radiated with brilliance, flooding the arena with a golden glow.
Zayden squinted, shielding his eyes slightly with a raised arm. But he didn't falter. Instead, he growled,
"Cut… Kazekiri."
Wind howled around his blade, forming sharp, spiraling cutters. With a single word, they burst out like invisible razors.
Then the real clash began.
Zayden lunged first, blade driving straight forward like a lance of pressure. Damon moved instinctively—he tilted his blade to the side, deflecting the thrust just enough to avoid a direct blow. The force still rattled his arms, but he stood his ground.
He countered with a horizontal slice.
Zayden leapt, flipping mid-air and landing with flawless poise behind Damon. He extended a finger—just a single finger—and pushed Damon slightly before driving his blade into his side.
A burst of blood splattered the ground.
Damon gasped, coughing blood as his knees buckled slightly.
"You copycat… that move… Felix used that," he hissed.
Zayden smirked coldly, blade still dripping.
"We're both wind users. It's only natural we'd come up with similar things," he replied smugly. "But hey… don't talk too much. You're bleeding out. Just say 'I give up,' and the match will be over."
Damon spat to the side, blood staining the sand.
"Go to hell," he growled.
Zayden's eyes narrowed, his smirk fading. He raised his sword and slashed out, sending a violent wave of wind straight at Damon.
SLASH!
The force cut into Damon's body and sent him skidding backward across the arena floor, leaving a trail of red in his wake.
"Why won't you give up, huh?!" Zayden barked. "Speak!! Do you want to die?! Should I send you to the grave myself?!"
Lying bloodied on the floor, Damon blinked weakly as his vision blurred.
He looked toward Arthur.
"I wanted… to show him I've improved…"
"I wanted to surpass him… but why…"
"Why am I like this again… why is he always… so far ahead of me?"
"Why… am I always the one left behind? It hurts…"
"I trained… every day… just to catch up. Just to be acknowledged… was that dream… too far?"
Then…
A voice—ominous, cold, familiar—rattled through his head.
"Tch… I see you learned a new trick…"
Damon clutched his head, wincing in pain.
"Get out!" he shouted in his mind.
Suddenly, Zayden was beside him again—and this time, he kicked him hard in the gut. Damon's body bounced off the ground, his eyes losing focus as darkness consumed his mind. He plummeted deep, deep into a cold abyss.
And then… light.
A warm glow cut through the black.
His eyes slowly opened.
He smiled faintly.
"I'm not finished yet…"
"I still have a trick up my sleeve…"
His eyes locked onto Arthur.
"I can surpass you… no—I will surpass you!"
He stood.
His blade spun again in his grip, light flickering like sparks in the wind. The afterimages returned, but stronger—more vivid.
"Refract… Kagetsuri!"
A blinding flash erupted from the arena, golden and searing. The audience shielded their eyes. Even the referee gasped, stepping back. It was like the sun itself had touched the field.
Zayden covered his face with his arm—but when he opened his eyes again…
He wasn't in the arena anymore.
He stood in a white void—endless and silent. No ground. No sky. Just light.
Then came the sound. Whispers. Footsteps.
And Damon.
Zayden's eyes narrowed.
"I got you!" he yelled, slashing forward.
But the Damon vanished. Just a mirage.
Another appeared. Slash—gone again.
"What… what is this?!"
Dozens more came from all directions.
Zayden spun, roaring as he released a wave of wind, slicing through them all.
"STOP HIDING! FIGHT ME PROPERLY!"
Then—blood.
Zayden froze. He turned slowly.
Behind him stood the real Damon, his blade piercing through Zayden's back.
"How…"
Zayden collapsed.
The light faded.
And just like that, the audience slowly opened their eyes again.
Zayden lay motionless on the arena floor. Blood trickled from his chest.
The referee stared in disbelief before raising his hand.
"The winner… is Damon Cresswell!"
Gasps and murmurs spread through the audience.
At the students' section, jaws dropped.
Arthur's eyes widened. "What was that sword release…?"
Ronan leaned forward, stunned.
"Was that… his blade's Kaigen Form?"
Darius added, "I didn't know he had that level of talent… to master a Kaigen already?"
Nathaniel, still watching Damon closely, shook his head.
"That wasn't Kaigen," he said quietly.
"That was his Shinsei state."
Arthur blinked. "But… didn't he already release it at the start of the fight?"
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes.
"Even I don't fully understand. Only he can answer that."
Soon, Damon limped toward them, bloodied but smiling. The students gathered around him.
Callista immediately started healing him, her hands glowing with soft green light.
Arthur stepped forward.
"What was that sword release you used…?"
Damon smiled faintly, his voice low.
"That… was my true Shinsei state."
Riven tilted his head.
"What about the one you normally use?"
Damon let out a breath.
"I tapped into my sword spirit… and I realized something. I was the one slowing myself down…"
He turned to Arthur, locking eyes.
"Thank you, Arthur. You were right… I was arrogant."
Arthur blinked. "When did I say that…?"
Damon chuckled.
"I didn't listen to my blade's name. I just called it 'Kagayagi' because I liked the sound. And it… just responded to the name I gave it."
He looked down at his blade, golden light gently dancing along its edge.
"The true name… is Kagetsuri."
Nathaniel smiled proudly, reaching over and ruffling Damon's hair.
Laughter erupted. Relief. Pride. Joy.
Damon looked back at the arena, his thoughts quiet but firm.
"I surpassed you, Arthur."
And then…
The referee's voice rang out again.
"The next match lineup: Edlias Ravenshade versus Raelon Vexis"
Another battle was about to begin.