New World - A New Beginning

YU ELRATH'S POV:

"Welcome, Amelia. It's been a while," I said politely, welcoming the S-rank adventurer into my office. I had been slightly surprised by her visit, but it was also common for big names to appear for the examination battles every year.

"Hello, Yu. I was hoping you would allow me to spectate one of the fights that are going to be taking place today?" she asked, sitting down.

"Of course. Do you want a list of the top-ranked matches? I believe Princess Diana will be fighting later."

"That won't be necessary. I'm only interested in one student," she said, smiling. I nodded, extremely curious as to which attendee had managed to catch the attention of Amelia.

Amelia Lala was the first human lightning binder in decades, her mastery over the powerful element immediately taking her to the top. Even if she wasn't considered the most powerful of the S-ranks, she easily fit the number two spot, the others barely even standing a chance against her speed.

"Oh? Which attendee will it be, then?" I asked, intrigued.

"Jay Cadmium."

I flinched at the name. The boy who had given in his test at the very end of the exam and had barely managed to pass with a score of fifty. His general presence had also sparked something within me, and I had decided to correct his paper myself.

Each question was awarded one mark, with the topics ranging all the way from the history of Auroria to bind knowledge. When I had skimmed through his paper initially, one thing had shocked me, something I had never seen before.

He had only answered fifty questions.

Was it the biggest of coincidences? Or was this boy, Jay, someone who was purposely holding back? I smiled, nodding.

"I see. His match should be starting very soon. I'll join you," I said, getting out of my seat and escorting the S-rank out of my office and towards the arena.

Both Amelia and I had one goal in mind: learn more about this boy. There was no way his fight would be populated, so I was comfortable showing up to the match. Directors weren't supposed to attend the fights due to favoritism, but I think both of us had suspicions about Jay that needed to be settled.

JAY CADMIUM'S POV:

I walked onto the arena, my opponent already waiting for me. I squinted upon entering the bright light, my memory recalling my final moments as I walked onto an equally blinding arena.

Two unusual presences stood in the audience, my eyes glancing over to the stands to verify. I immediately saw Amelia and Yu standing in the shadows, their eyes locked on me. I sighed.

There was no way I would be able to keep my identity as Darck a secret, especially from someone who I had personally fought before. I looked at my opponent before me, analyzing them.

"I feel sorry for you," taunted the dwarf, resting a massive hammer on his shoulders. "To think that you'd be paired against me. I hope you weren't too excited about joining the Academy."

Dwarves were known for their superior strength in combat, resorting to brute force to overcome any situation. What they lacked, however, was strategy.

"Let's begin," I grumbled. Constant pain from the flooding of unwanted memories burned my brain, and the last thing I needed was unnecessary taunting from some hot shot dwarf. The peaceful chime of the bell rung simultaneously throughout the entire campus, commencing the duels.

My eyes shot around the arena one last time, confirming that the only spectators currently present were Yu and Amelia.

Guess there's no reason to stall then.

I opened a rift in front of me, taking out a shining crimson blade. I looked ahead, the dwarf was clearly wary about the divine weapon I had just pulled from a space ring.

"Y-you think some weapon is going to-" he started, my aura silencing him immediately.

"Just shut up, will you?"

I ignited a small spark of neutral bind around me, roaring flames surrounding me instantly. The sword glowed a bright red at the touch of the fire, absorbing the energy.

I had accidentally discovered what made the sword given to me by Yu so special during a training session. It was able to absorb the bind around it, storing energy from elements and combat, and release it on command with a massive burst.

I willed bind into my system, appearing right beside the dwarf.

"!!"

He raised his hammer, deflecting the swing from my blade as he launched back from the impact. I reappeared behind his predicted course, using a small current of lightning within my body to greatly increase my speed.

It wasn't visible on the exterior, but it definitely improved my overall power tremendously.

I kicked the heavy body hurling towards me, slamming my opponent into the ground.

The dwarf slowly stood back up, a small crater visible from his point of impact on the ground. He hadn't even launched a single attack yet, and I could see the shock in his eyes at how one-sided this fight was.

He lifted his hammer in between us, awaiting an attack. The Dwarves' custom ability was their art of 'perfect defense'. According to what I had read, they anticipated an attack and harnessed the energy from it, effectively reflecting everything that came at them on top of their own counter-attack.

I didn't care.

There was one single requirement for the ability to actually work, a vital prerequisite that couldn't be missed:

Stay standing after the attack.

I twirled my sword, planting it straight into the ground beneath me. The concrete cracked upon contact, the bind stored within the sword radiating with power. Words flowed into my mind, my lips mouthing the command without a second thought.

"Release Spirit."

Flames erupted around the sword, swirling outward as they closed in on the dwarf. The deep orange fire roared furiously, like a starving beast about to feast on its prey. I watched as the Dwarf's eyes shook in fear at the incoming attack, feeling the intensity of the flames. He closed his eyes, awaiting the impact.

BOOM

The dwarf dropped to the floor, burns visible on his skin. I looked at the body, not a single drop of remorse or guilt filling my soul. An opponent who had spoken too much and faced the consequences was all I saw. It was common back on Earth, with fighters boasting about their might solely to entertain the audience.

The crimson sword sizzled from the overwhelming heat of the attack, the blade shaking ever so slightly. The weapon reminded me of the legendary bird that was present in many of the stories I had read during my younger years living in Auroria; a beast present in both this new world and back on Earth.

Phoenix.

I threw the newly-named sword back into the void of the space bracelet, walking out of the arena.

"Let's see how Asthia does," I muttered to myself.