Serious Reyan
After Luke and David left, Atta and Princess Isha stepped onto the balcony overlooking the arena. Atta leaned against the railing and nodded toward the fighters' platform.
"Well, Isha—remember that roommate you teased me about? That's Reyan. He's… pretty annoying, honestly."
Isha chuckled. "I already know."
Atta raised a brow. "And how exactly?"
The princess smirked. "I'm a princess. I know how to use my resources. Unlike you."
Atta let out a laugh. "Impressive. Though where I'm from, we call that stalking."
Before Isha could retort, the tournament speaker's voice boomed across the arena:
"Next match! Reyan of the Angel Kingdom versus Lithius Aestin of the Dwarf Noble House Aestin. Three… two… one… begin!"
Atta turned his full attention to the fight. Down in the arena, Reyan's expression was unlike anything Atta had ever seen on him—dead serious. Gone was the cheerful roommate. In his place stood a warrior.
Across from him, Lithius smirked with noble arrogance. Reyan lifted a hand, motioning for him to make the first move.
Lithius chuckled. "So serious, boy? Fine then." He raised his hand and slashed it through the air.
A blade of energy ripped forward.
Atta's eyes widened. "Isha… that's slashing magic?"
Isha leaned forward. "Yes. Rare—and very difficult to master. Even among the Guardians, only one wields it."
Atta muttered under his breath, "…Charlotte."
Isha glanced at him sharply. "Charlotte? You mentioned her before too."
Down below, Reyan tilted his head slightly to the side. The deadly slash whistled past, missing by an inch.
Lithius grinned. "Good. You won't be boring after all."
Reyan said nothing. His body loosened, mana wrapping around his legs. In a burst of speed, he leapt high, aiming a crushing kick at Lithius's head.
Lithius rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging. Reyan's kick struck the arena floor, cracking the stone.
Atta exhaled, half in awe. "Just as I thought. Reyan's a master of hand-to-hand combat."
Reyan lunged again, this time slamming a kick into Lithius's stomach. The dwarf groaned but retaliated, sending another slash that cut across Reyan's chest. Blood splattered.
Lithius smirked. "There's no possible circumstance where I lose to you."
Reyan glanced at the blood on his hand, then dragged it back through his hair. For the first time, he spoke—his voice low and sharp.
"Circumstances? What are circumstances?" He grinned, eyes blazing. "I make circumstances."
He vanished in a blur of speed, his foot crashing into Lithius's face. Teeth flew. The dwarf hit the ground with a roar, unleashing a wild storm of slashes.
Atta clenched the railing. "His technique's real… but his slashes are shallow. They're not biting deep enough."
Isha nodded grimly as Reyan charged through the attacks, blood dripping from new cuts across his body. But Reyan only smirked wider, fists glowing faintly with mana.
Then came the onslaught.
Punch after punch rained down, each one cracking bone, each one louder than the last. Blood sprayed across the arena floor. The crowd went silent at the brutal sight. Within seconds, Lithius was left broken and unconscious, his face unrecognizable.
The speaker's voice rang out, breaking the stunned silence:
"The winner of the second match of Theoms is… Reyan of the Angel Kingdom!"
The crowd erupted, cheers shaking the stands.
On the balcony, Atta smirked to himself. "This bastard… actually surprised me."
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To Be Continued