The energy in the arena was still crackling from the last match when Kaelen's voice rang out again.
"Match Two: Alice Dawnmere versus Kaen Voss."
A new kind of tension rippled through the stands. Many had whispered about this match from the moment the pairings were revealed. Kaen Voss, the chain-blade master known for his unpredictable and wide-arcing style, versus the flawless, ice-edged discipline of Alice Dawnmere.
Alice entered the ring with silent grace. Her blade was already drawn, resting lightly in one hand. She stood at the center like a pillar of cold certainty.
Kaen strode in with a casual smirk, the curved blades at either end of his chain already swaying behind him.
Kaelen gave the signal.
"Begin."
Kaen was fast. His chains whipped through the air with deceptive elegance, striking in spirals and unpredictable arcs. The metal howled through the space between them.
But Alice didn't flinch. She stepped once, angled her body, and let the first strike whistle past her. Then, in the same breath, she cut upward—a single, sharp motion that clipped one of the spinning blades and redirected its path into the stone floor.
Kaen's grin widened. "Oh, you're good."
He twisted his body and launched both blades at opposite angles, circling to flank her.
Alice closed her eyes for a heartbeat.
Then moved.
With surgical precision, she shifted her stance just enough to evade the first and meet the second with a flash of light. Her blade hummed as it deflected the chain upward, and in the same motion she leapt forward, slipping through Kaen's guard.
Her sword tapped his shoulder.
The crowd gasped.
Kaen grunted and jumped back, sweeping his chains in a wide arc to regain control of the space. But it was too late. Alice had tasted the rhythm of his movements—and broken it.
Every strike that followed was deflected, redirected, countered.
Alice didn't overwhelm him with power—she dismantled him with calm.
Step by step, angle by angle, she erased his advantage.
Kaen's final strike came in a wide horizontal sweep. Alice ducked low and stepped in.
The tip of her sword rested just above his heart.
Kaelen raised his hand.
"Match over. Victory: Alice Dawnmere."
The crowd erupted, though more subdued than with Eryon's match. There was awe—but also caution.
Alice lowered her sword and turned, already walking away.
Kaen Voss watched her go, chest rising and falling with ragged breath. Then, he smiled slightly and gave a single nod.
In the waiting area, Eryon watched her return. She didn't look at him. But something in her aura radiated just a little brighter than before.
Two victors stood.
And one match remained.