I am Just an Average Tamer

Then—

A trail of blinding blue light zigzagged forward, intercepting Kivel mid-leap. The impact was violent.

FWOOSH!

The Midnight Wolf was blasted mid-air by a sphere of pure frost energy, its Lunar Howl exploding harmlessly as it was knocked aside, crashing into the underbrush.

Before Rashira could react, Frosty reappeared behind her with frost-charged claws.

Rashira spun, blocking with a barrier of wind—but the attack broke through the weakened spell.

SLASH!

Frosty's claws raked across her side. Not deeply, but enough to knock her back and disrupt her spellcasting.

Then Ivy emerged from the fog and lunged.

Rashira had no beasts left nearby. Vaendra was still hidden in the Mist Veil, Kivel was down.

The Ironfang Panther rammed into her, pinning her with its weight, one paw over her chest, fangs bared.

Then it slashed at her neck and.

Puff!

Rashira turned into motes of white, eliminated.

Meanwhile…

Just a few meters from the icy chaos of Aria and Rashira's duel, Kai and Serena were locked in a deadly dance of their own.

CLANG!

Sparks flew as Serena's twin short blades clashed against Kai's daggers, the metallic ring echoing through the forest glade.

She was fast. Brutal.

Each swing of her curved blades had the weight of raw power behind them, forcing Kai to duck, spin, and sidestep with razor precision.

"You're slippery," Serena growled, her breath heavy but eyes sharp with excitement.

"But I'll cut you down eventually."

Kai didn't reply. His gaze was focused, his stance low, body light on his feet.

A thin cut bled along his left cheek, but he ignored it.

Serena lunged, blades aimed for his sides. A feint.

Kai didn't fall for it.

[Ghost Steps!]

His form shimmered—then vanished.

She twisted mid-lunge, expecting a backstab and blocked just in time.

CLANG!

Kai reappeared with both daggers driving toward her ribs, but Serena deflected the strike and retaliated with a spinning sweep of her leg.

He leapt over the sweep—midair, he twisted his daggers and brought them down like twin fangs.

Serena crossed her blades above her head

CLANG!

Barely stopping the strike. The force drove her a step back.

"Tch… how the hell are you this fast?" she muttered, licking a bit of blood from her lip with a smirk.

"You're not that bad, pretty boy."

Kai's eyes narrowed.

"Thanks, I guess?"

The he moved.

[Phantom Slash!]

His dagger surged with dark energy.

A shadowy afterimage followed his swing.

Serena barely ducked in time as the phantom arc carved into the air above her.

She retaliated with a brutal cross slash. One blade carved through a tree behind him, the other aimed for his throat.

He bent backward unnaturally, almost horizontal, letting the blade pass over, then kicked off the ground with a spin.

[Warding Veil!]

A shimmering cloak of shadows enveloped him, dulling the light, his figure blending with the background. Serena's eyes flicked left and right, growling.

"Don't think hiding'll save you!"

She stabbed the ground blindly—once, twice—then twisted to block just as Kai reappeared behind her.

Clang!

Steel met steel.

They clashed again. And again.

Kai was faster, more elusive—slipping just out of reach, circling like a wolf.

Serena was relentless—her strikes thundered with strength, forcing Kai to dodge rather than block.

Her experience as a warrior gave her unshakable footing and momentum. One hit, and it'd be over.

Their blades blurred in a flurry of motion, footsteps tapping like drumbeats on the forest floor.

Leaves and dirt kicked up. A nearby tree cracked from a missed blow. Neither gave an inch.

Suddenly—

[Falcon's Sight!]

Kai's eyes glowed faintly.

The world sharpened—slowed.

Every twitch of Serena's shoulder, every adjustment of her grip, was laid bare before him.

He ducked, parried, twisted around her flank—then landed a precise cut across her ribs.

She hissed but didn't falter. Instead, she slammed her elbow into his gut and swept his legs.

Kai hit the ground but rolled away just before her blades came down.

Kai's chest rose and fell rapidly. One dagger was chipped. His arm was scraped. But his expression stayed cold.

He darted forward again.

She met him halfway.

Steel screamed against steel—both of them pushing in, muscles locked, eyes inches apart.

And then—

BOOM!

The earth cracked beneath them.

A violent shockwave exploded outward, throwing up a thick wall of dust and dirt.

Both Kai and Serena instinctively broke off, leaping back into defensive stances, eyes scanning.

The impact had left a crater, and within the settling haze—

A figure lay sprawled at its center.

Dust-covered. Bruised. A dwarf boy, unconscious or worse.

Kai narrowed his eyes. Serena gritted her teeth.

But before either could move—

SWOOSH!

A crescent blade cut through the air like a silent reaper's scythe, aimed for the fallen dwarf. It gleamed coldly, slicing toward its mark.

FWOOSH!

But just before impact—

The boy's body shattered into white motes, vanishing into the air like an illusion fading at dawn.

CLANK!

The blade struck the crater floor, digging in harmlessly.

And then—a shadow landed.

Boots hit the ground with practiced ease, kicking up a faint puff of dust.

A familiar figure stood at the center, tall and cloaked, his hand grasping the lodged blade.

Corrin.

His smirk was wide, cocky, the blade now resting lazily on his shoulder.

"Let's hurry up, pal," he said casually, eyes locked onto Kai.

But there was something wrong.

His eyes—

No longer the mismatched silver and grey Kai had come to know.

They were now pitch black.

Void-like. Reflecting nothing.

Kai's fingers tightened around his daggers, a chill crawling up his spine.

But Corrin didn't seem hostile.

Instead, he turned his smirk toward Serena, and with a playful tilt of his head, he taunted, "Still swinging those butter knives, I thought you'd at least learn how to aim by now."

Serena's brows twitched, but she grinned in return. "Still full of shit, Corrin. You back from wherever you went sulking?"

Corrin didn't answer.

His blade spun in his hand once.

A blur of motion.

And then he charged.

Their blades met.

CLANG!

Corrin's strike was fast and heavy.

Serena blocked, but the blow pushed her back, boots skidding across the dirt.

Kai's eyes flicked between them.

Corrin pressing the attack with rapid, fluid strikes, Serena barely able to keep up. It was clear—

Corrin had the upper hand.

Something about him felt… sharper. Stronger. And those black eyes…

Kai prepared to move in, twin daggers tightening in his grip.

But then—

His instincts screamed.

[Falcon's Sight!]

The world slowed. A shimmer of movement behind him—two gleaming knives arcing toward his back.

Kai twisted, one dagger deflecting the throwing knives mid-air. The impact stung his arm.

And then—

A shadow lunged from behind.

He barely managed to spin and block—

CLANG!

His daggers meeting another weapon in a flash of sparks.

Kai gritted his teeth, skidding back, keeping one blade.

*************

Charred earth smoldered.

Scorch marks laced the forest floor, trees snapped and blackened.

Smoke curled in the air, glowing embers drifting down like fireflies in dusk.

Tristan staggered, breathing heavy, flame sword flickering as his grip faltered.

His robes were torn, singed at the edges. Ash smeared his cheeks, a thin line of blood running from his jaw.

Across from him, Riven stood still, his chest rising steadily, muscles taut.

Fists clenched. A few shallow cuts lined his arms, but he looked steady… focused.

Behind him, his Flame Serpent slithered through the air like a living whip of fire, coils hissing with molten intensity.

"Nivex…"

Tristan muttered under his breath, his volcanic serpent rising beside him. Its obsidian scales glowed with heat, cracks between them revealing molten veins that pulsed with a dim red light.

The beast growled low, protective, even while scorched marks marred its hide.

"You're running on fumes," Riven said, his tone low and even. "Call it off."

Tristan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and gave a bitter grin.

"Still standing, aren't I?"

Then he lunged—

Whoosh!

His flame sword ignited, roaring to life as he dashed forward in a last-ditch blitz.

His form was shaky, but his speed was admirable, like a dying fire trying to burn bright one last time.

Riven's serpent snapped forward to intercept—

CRASH!

Nivex slammed into the Flame Serpent mid-air.

Fire against fire. Fangs collided in a spray of sparks, both beasts tumbling, roaring, and flaring.

Clang! Clang!

Tristan swung his sword.

But Riven blocked.

Barehanded.

The fire sword glanced off Riven's forearms.

He stepped in close, not giving Tristan space to recover.

"Too slow."

WHAM!

Riven ducked low, then drove his palm into Tristan's gut with a thunderous shockwave. The boy coughed blood, staggered back, and raised his sword to guard.

Too late.

CRACK!

A roundhouse kick followed, sweeping Tristan's legs clean from under him. He hit the ground hard, dust exploding around his body. His flame sword flickered, hen extinguished.

"Ghh… damn it…" Tristan groaned, trying to rise.

But Riven didn't hesitate.

His Flame Serpent surged through the air and coiled around its volcanic counterpart. Nivex screeched, trapped and choked.

Tristan's hand reached for his weapon again, shaking.

Riven approached.

CRACK!

A heavy punch drove into Tristan's chest,.

But before it could hit—

White motes rose from his skin. His outline shimmered and dissolved, vanishing like mist in moonlight.

Eliminated.