Chapter — When Light Drowns the Tide
No one sat anymore.
Not a single soul in the coliseum remained relaxed in their seat. Nobles leaned forward so far their silks brushed the railings. Commoners stood on benches, breath held, hearts hammering.
This was no longer an eliminator.
This was a legend being born in real time.
High above, Prince Darwin Steelbrand had both hands gripping the edge of the viewing platform, eyes burning like forged steel.
"Hahaha—!" he barked, unable to contain himself. "THIS—this is what a fight should look like!"
Beside him, Jennifer and Yennifer stared wide-eyed, pupils shimmering with mana-sight.
"…That light," Jennifer whispered. "It's not refined. It's alive."
Yennifer nodded slowly. "And the water—Elara is pushing past her usual limits."
On the central throne, Emperor Harkon Steelbrand let out a low, impressed chuckle.
"Your children are strong, Orean."
King Oren Evercrest replied calmly, hands resting on the armrests.
"They are."
Then, almost casually, he added—
"Daniel awakened his light affinity two weeks ago."
Silence.
Harkon turned his head slowly.
"…What?"
Queen Lysandra Aurelius's eyes widened, her composure cracking for the first time.
"Two… weeks?"
Both rulers looked back at the arena as if seeing it for the first time.
"That is not possible," Lysandra said softly. "That level of control—no novice—"
"It is possible," Oren replied, voice even.
But he did not smile.
Because unlike them—
He knew.
That mana surge at the crystal ceremony had not been an error.
And the boy in the arena was hiding something far greater than light.
---
FWOOOOOM—!
The arena shook again.
We were back in it.
Daniel and Elara collided mid-field, mana detonating outward in violent pulses.
Elara spun, arms slicing through the air.
"PRESSURE VEIL—!"
Water folded inward, compressing until it formed a translucent, rotating barrier around her body. The pressure was so intense the stone beneath her cracked.
Daniel didn't retreat.
He raised his forearm.
"LUMEN GUARD."
Light condensed instantly—not glowing, not soft—but dense and opaque, forming a hexagonal shield that hummed like a struck bell.
CRAAAAANG—!
Water blades smashed into it, spraying the air with razor-sharp droplets.
The crowd gasped.
"LIGHT AS A SHIELD—?!" "He's blocking WATER PRESSURE—!"
Sensei's voice flowed smoothly through Daniel's mind.
"Angle the refraction. Light doesn't resist—it redirects."
Daniel twisted his wrist.
The shield tilted.
FWIP—!
The water blades curved, veering off course and slamming into the arena wall behind him.
BOOOOM—!
Elara's eyes narrowed.
"So that's how you're surviving."
She stomped again.
"DEPTH SURGE!"
The water pooled beneath Daniel's feet suddenly collapsed inward, forming a spinning vortex that dragged at his legs like a living thing.
Daniel's boots skidded.
Stone cracked.
For a split second—
He was losing ground.
Leslie's breath caught in her throat.
"Daniel—!"
Aurelia clasped her hands together, nails digging into her palms.
Then Daniel smiled.
Not arrogantly.
Calmly.
He bent his knees.
"LIGHT—ANCHOR."
A thin line of white brilliance shot downward from his foot, piercing the stone and locking him in place like a stake driven into the world itself.
The vortex screamed.
FWOOOSH—!
Daniel ripped himself free and leapt forward.
Elara reacted instantly.
"AQUA LANCE!"
A spear of condensed water screamed toward him.
Daniel twisted midair.
The spear grazed his shoulder—
SSSSHHH—!
Blood sprayed.
The crowd roared.
"He's hit!" "Elara's got him—!"
But Daniel didn't slow.
He landed, rolled, and came up inside her range.
"FLASH STEP."
Light exploded under his feet.
FWAAAAASH—!
He vanished.
Elara's eyes widened.
"—?!"
Daniel reappeared at her flank.
Not teleportation.
Acceleration.
Pure light propulsion.
He slammed his palm forward.
"PHOTON IMPACT."
THUUUUUD—!
The blast hit Elara square in the ribs, launching her backward.
She flipped midair, twisted, and landed on one knee, coughing.
Blood dripped from her mouth.
But she laughed.
"HAHA—! This is insane!"
She rose, water swirling violently around her.
"ONE LAST EXCHANGE!"
The air thickened.
Mana surged.
Even the kings leaned forward.
Elara raised both hands.
"GRAND TIDE—LEVIATHAN FORM!"
The entire arena floor flooded.
Water rose in a towering wave, shaping itself into a colossal serpentine form that loomed over Daniel, eyes glowing blue-white.
People screamed.
"That'll crush him—!" "No way—!"
Sensei's tone sharpened.
"Daniel. End it. Condense everything."
Daniel inhaled.
Every flicker of light in the arena responded.
Torches.
Mage-lamps.
Reflections.
They all bent toward him.
The world dimmed.
Only Daniel shone.
"LUX—SINGULARITY."
The light collapsed inward.
Not outward.
Inward.
A sphere the size of his heart formed in his palm, humming with unbearable intensity.
He thrust it forward.
FWOOOOOOOOOM—!
The beam tore through the wave.
Not burning.
Not cutting.
Overwriting.
The water construct disintegrated into harmless mist.
Elara screamed—not in pain, but exhilaration—as the force threw her back.
She hit the ground—
THUD—!
—and didn't rise.
Silence.
Then—
The healer sigils flared.
Elara groaned and pushed herself up, laughing weakly.
"…Damn it."
Daniel approached her slowly.
He knelt.
Light flowed gently from his hand.
"HEAL."
The bruises faded.
The strain vanished.
He extended his hand.
"That was… incredible."
Elara took it.
She stood, smiling genuinely.
"My best fight ever."
They bowed to each other.
For a heartbeat—
No one spoke.
Then—
The coliseum exploded.
"DANIEL—!" "DANIEL—!" "DANIEL—!"
Not bastard.
Not healer.
His name.
Chanted.
Earned.
Leslie collapsed into her seat, tears streaming freely.
"That's my son…"
Aurelia's chest felt like it would burst.
She was glowing.
Cedric stared in silence.
His world had cracked.
---
As Daniel and Elara turned to leave—
The sky split.
BOOOOOOM—!
Something crashed into the arena between them.
Stone shattered.
Dust exploded upward.
A figure stood at the center of the crater, laughing loudly.
"Hahaha—! Enough foreplay!"
Prince Darwin Steelbrand straightened, rolling his shoulders.
"Light boy," he said, eyes blazing. "Fight me. Now."
The crowd went silent.
Kings rose.
Queens tensed.
Daniel turned.
Met Darwin's gaze.
And for the first time—
The air itself trembled.
To be continued.