Overwhelming Firepower

The time had finally come. The start of the Royal Academy Tournament. For most students, it was the highlight of the year, a festival of strength, skill, and pride. For others, it was a battlefield to prove their worth.

The event would last an entire week, drawing spectators from every noble house, merchant guild, and even those not from the Norvaegard.

The rules were simple. All weapons would be provided by the Academy, standard issue and equal in quality. This was to prevent the use of relics, enchanted equipment, or weapons of unfair advantage.

The format would be a one-on-one duel. Each match will be ten minutes each. The winner will be decided if one party is unable to continue or forfeits.

If no one wins by the end of ten minutes, the victory will be decided by a panel of judges who will consist of the three dukes present and the principal of the school.

The arena was protected by a high-grade restoration barrier, a spell formation powered directly by the leylines running beneath the Royal Academy.

It was one of the few places in Norvaegard capable of sustaining such magic — a spell that reverted any damage, even fatal wounds, to the body's original state the moment the combatant stepped outside its boundaries.

However, the spell came with strict limitations. It could only process power below the Fifth Mantle or Fifth Circle. Any attack beyond that level would overload the formation entirely, rendering the protection useless.

The one who continues to win until the end will be crowned the champion.

***

Lucen was amazed to see the coliseum-like place in the middle of the school. It made him feel weird that everything about the Royal Academy was like a mix of ideas from different eras that did not match the aesthetic of the world outside.

He was also excited to see this coliseum. This was the place where many of the practical exams happened.

During the years the protagonist of the game, Alexander, stayed in the Academy, he experienced two tournaments.

The first Tournament ended with him losing in the finals against the last Thornehart, Cael Thornehart, his eternal rival.

In the second tournament, Alexander was about to win when, depending on the route, someone would interrupt the tournament, making Alexander and everyone in the coliseum flee.

'During Alexander's period, the only one from a Ducal household his age was Cael. Yet this time, all the heirs of the ducal households are present. Well, there were other powerful contenders in his time that weren't from the ducal households, which would later join his hero party.'

Lucen couldn't help but once again reminisce about the time he played that game. He could only wonder how much the story had already diverged from the one he once knew.

Trumpets blared across the arena, their sound echoing through the enormous coliseum. The noise of the crowd swelled in response, students cheering, the commoners clapping in excitement, the nobles started murmuring, and the instructors tried their best to calm the audience down.

Lucen stood among the participants in the waiting area, the vast field bathed in sunlight. Rows of seats surrounded them like a sea of faces trying their best to concentrate.

A faint blue barrier surrounded the arena; it was a spell to protect the audience from any stray spell or attack.

At the center platform, a tall man wearing a formal suit stood in front of everyone. This was the Principal Aldren Nikon, an aura user at the same level as Sir Thalos. He was a known scholar and warrior of Norvaegard.

When he raised his hand, the crowd fell silent.

"Students of the Royal Academy," his voice boomed, resonating through aura amplification.

"Today marks not merely the start of our tournament, but the celebration of perseverance, talent, and will. To show the strength of our youth, to let our youth shine brightly as they can."

Applause erupted.

Lucen quietly watched, arms crossed, his gaze drifting from the Principal to the stands. He spotted familiar faces.

Duke Kaelvar Runescar sat with a grin on his face, beside him was a frowning Duke Elandor Judicar, and sitting next to him was the alluring Duchess Seraphina. Three of the four Dukes were present in this tournament.

"As with the previous tournament, this year as well, the competitors are chosen at random. So let the Royal Academy Tournament start!"

The sound of the principal's declaration was followed by a thunderous cheer that shook the arena. Trumpets blared once more, and glowing words appeared above the stage showing the names of the upcoming fighters. Lucen's eyes scanned the projection.

Raina Graven vs. Elric Dawnworth

'So that girl is going first. Now let's see just how good she is.'

***

The two students stepped onto the stage. Raina walked with a calm but confident stride, her bow already in hand, a stark contrast to her opponent, Elric Dawnworth, a tall boy with a broadsword slung over his shoulder.

The two were using the provided weapons given by the Academy. They wore no armor and were simply wearing the school uniform.

"Sorry about this, little lady. This is my stage now, and I'll be taking the victory."

Elric grasped the broadsword provided to him by the Academy with both hands. Even though it was a different weight from what he was used to, he had no choice but to do his best with what was given.

"Heh, well, I was thinking the same thing, little boy." Raina did a teasing wink as she readied her bow and arrow.

The referee raised his hand."Both combatants ready?"

The two were already staring at each other without blinking. The referee then brought his hand down. "BEGIN!"

Elric dashed forward like a charging bull, his aura flaring faintly around his entire body. Each stomp cracked the stone floor, the sheer force behind his movement.

An arrow shot out, slicing through the air. Elric barely tilted his head, the arrow grazing his cheek before embedding into the wall behind him.

Raina had already drawn another. Her fingers moved in a blur, each arrow loosed in perfect rhythm. It was obvious that she didn't really plan for the first arrow to hit, but now she understood a little about Elric's reaction time.

Raina then fired two arrows, almost at the same time, aimed at Elric's leg and another at his chest. Elric blocked the one aimed at his chest with his sword, and the arrow aimed at his leg, he simply evaded.

Elric then finally got close enough to Raina that his sword could reach. Elric swung his sword down at incredible speed, but Raina evaded by jumping backward, and while doing that, fired three arrows at the same time.

The three arrows cut through the air like streaks of silver. Elric deflected one with his sword, the second nicked his shoulder, and the third grazed his thigh before clattering against the ground.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

Raina landed lightly on her feet, already drawing another arrow. Her movements flowed like water. She fired another arrow, this one aimed at Elric's head.

Elric roared, his aura mantle flaring. The arrow that hit his head was not able to penetrate as the aura mantle defended Elric.

Raina already expected that normal arrows would not be able to penetrate through an aura mantle. She quickly strung another arrow. This time, she twisted the arrow's shaft on the string.

Raina's aura mantle was now also flaring as she enveloped herself as well as her bow with the mantle. She then released the arrow.

The arrow spun like a tornado flying towards Elric. The speed at which it flew made it difficult to evade. Elric tried to block it with his sword, but upon contact with the spinning arrow, Elric slid backward a few feet.

The arrow fell to the ground, and so did Elric. Elric struggled to rise, his hand trembling as he used his sword to steady himself. His aura mantle flickered, unstable from the force of the impact.

It was at that moment that he felt pain in his legs, and he then saw that two arrows had pierced his thighs, making him fall to his knees. Elric tried to stand up, but his legs wouldn't respond.

He then saw Raina had an arrow already aimed at his head. At this distance, the only way he could attack was to throw his sword. Aside from that, he had no other options. Even if he evaded this next arrow, he would not be able to do anything else.

Elric gnashed his teeth in frustration. He thought that today he would become the protagonist and shine brightly on stage. He imagined the surname Dawnworth would echo once more through Norvaegard.

The same as his father, the baron who once stood on this stage as a commoner and showed his skills to become a baron. But in the end, he became nothing more than a supporting actor to make Raina shine even more.

Raina's bowstring creaked as she pulled it to a full draw, the arrow's tip glimmering faintly with aura. Her expression was calm, neither cruel nor smug, just resolute.

"Yield," she said, her voice carrying across the arena.

Elric clenched the broadsword's hilt tighter. He looked at Raina with a defiant expression and answered. "Never!" Elric roared as he threw the broadsword in his hand. Raina simply evaded the incoming sword by tilting her body.

"I knew you would say that."

She said before firing two more arrows into Elric's shoulders. His arms went limp, he could no longer move them. Seeing that Elric had no ability to fight back, the referee raised his hand.

"Winner! Raina Graven!" The referee announced.

Cheers exploded from the stands. The sound of clapping, shouting, and even whistles of excitement filled the coliseum.