Duke went towards the arena on his hand was his own sword at the end was his opponent whom on the other hand wore gauntlets having a black and golden color shade
"Begin!"
They both charged at each other and duke struck first his sword cleaving through the air aiming to strike the man's shoulder, his opponent side stepped away from the strike narrowly dodging it and then aimed a punch directly towards duke's face
* CLANG!! *
Duke parried the strike with his sword and he the stepped back a bit and increased the distance a bit, he let out a deep breathe as they exchanged blows against each other and the battle was interesting to watch
None of them used their affinities and mana and just pushed each other by only using their physical abilities but it was clear duke had the upper hand even without using his full strength
His opponent saw that he was in a disadvantage and decided to channel his affinity through his gauntlets, fire manifested around the gauntlets and made a slight smirk
Duke on the other hand also decided to use his affinity and end the duel in the next strike, wind swirled around his sword and he tried condescending it a bit but the winds still raged *"Still haven't mastered it but it'll do"*
He took a firm stance gripping his sword and moved faster than his opponents eyes could keep track off and with a single strike the flames around the gauntlets got snuffed out like fire in the middle of a rainy storm
The opponent just blinked once as he fell on the ground defeated with a thud while duke just calmed himself and took a deep breath the exchange only lasted five minutes
"Winner Duke von Celestine!"
After his win duke descended down the arena going back towards the stands going towards where he was sitting and flashed a smirk towards Adam
"Wouldn't expect anything less."
Adam said as leaned back to his seat as more of the battles progressed swiftly once more it was about an hour and all the battles ended leaving only a number of 20 participants left to continue the duels
Selena also battled but she finished the battles just as fast as her twin but Adam always finished his battles in under a minute and he hasn't used his sword or abilities ever since the matchups began
("My strength increased drastically when I became a D rank, I feel like I can take on a Peak C rank without much issue and only hold my own against someone of B rank")
With only about 20 contenders left the battles that would take place next would be catastrophic as they reinforced the barrier around the arena and also the runes
And now it was Adams turn again to battle and these matches would be the factor that would decide who will enter Class A and Class S
"It's time for the next matchups, Adam Vs Jake von Bazel!"
The arena then held it's breath as the two stepped into the circle swords in hand, on one side the blue-haired young teen Jake radiated restless energy with wind currentd whipping around him like a cloak his eyes glared towards Adam with murderous intent
"Today I'll put you in your place scum"
On the other hand Adam just stood calm and still, his silver hair with violet strands catching the light as they glowed faintly under the sun
"Your just bitter than you couldn't meet your daddy's expectations"
Jake shot Adam a murderous glare again and anger was visible on his face as his mana flared violently
"Begin!"
Sam vanished in a burst of speed his blade whistling through the air like a gale. His strike should have landed cleanly on Adam's shoulder
Yet instead the blade skidded against empty air redirected as though reality itself had shifted and Jake had a look of frustration on his face as he saw Adam dodge the attack with ease
"You gotta do better than that"
Adam then countered with a quick thrust but his sword did not travel normally, the distance collapsed and what should have been a strike from meters away nearly skewered his opponent instantly.
Then only a desperate gust of wind blasted him sideways this saved Jake from receiving a very critical blow
"You managed to dodge for now but I'll make sure i show the whole world that house Bazel is only just pride and ego"
Gasps filled the crowd and Jake became visibly made not only did Adam nearly cripple him but also dared to insult the whole house Bazel
"Y-you Bastard Die!"
And the that's when the whole battle began to escalate