The Inner Odyssey

Drakon whistled internally.

The Night Ravens had pushed the Holy Knights surprisingly far, displaying exemplary magical prowess and understanding of battle. Of course, no one had thought the masked warriors were weak, least of all, Drakon.

…They had shown through the preliminaries that they were a force to be reckoned with.

Still, the Ember heir and the rest of the delegates expected the Holy Knights, to if not comfortably progress, then at least win with grace.

Instead, for the second time, they had suffered, paying a great price for their victory.

Drakon admired the Holy Knights, but not enough to stop supporting the Guilds of Flame. In fact, the next match involved the Flame Vipers, who would face off against the Ice Wraiths for a chance to contend in the quarter finals.

An excited polychromatic spark ignited in Drakon's eyes.

He had full confidence in the Flame Vipers.

It would also be fun to glimpse Elder Crystal's reaction as she watched her star Guild lose.

The Ember Heir might have been inclined to silently cheer for the Ice Wraiths if he and Eira were on better terms. As it was, though, they were not even on speaking terms, so Drakon's full support would go towards the Flame Vipers.

Still a little irked that Eira ignored him, the Ember Heir observed with indifference as the medics rushed to treat the Holy Knights, who were at risk of losing a lot of blood. The Night Ravens, meanwhile, appeared frustrated.

Drakon couldn't blame them.

After all, they had just lost the chance of winning more prize money.

While the victor of the Guild Tournament received the largest sum, those who had qualified for the knockouts would still gain a decent reward. Of course, it was not as substantial as first place, but it was still something. The Night Ravens just had to make do with what they had.

Once the two teams and medics departed, the Flame Vipers and Ice Wraiths took their place. The former wore scarlet armour with orange streaks, in conjunction with serpentine scales and engravings. In addition, jagged helms curving at the ends gave the impression of fangs.

The Ice Wraiths, meanwhile, were garbed in simple icy-blue robes - nothing too fancy.

It was as if they wanted everyone to believe they were unassuming.

Drakon knew better than to think that, though.

The Stone Apes learned that the hard way too, after all.

'The Flame Vipers have to be careful.'

The match hadn't even begun and Drakon was already beginning to grow slightly nervous - he could be confident the Flame Vipers had what it took to win, but also doubt himself at the same time, knowing that the Ice Wraiths would be far from an easy foe.

Idly, he tapped his finger on his cushioned armrest.

Moments later, he heard the deep wail of the announcer's horn and immediately channeled mana to his eyes, augmenting his vision.

…The start of the battle unfolded before Drakon's enhanced eyes.

A chilly, glacial mist immediately exuded out from the Ice Wraiths. It enveloped the grounds of the arena, shrouding the combatants in a fine haze.

Drakon had no trouble peering past it, though.

In response to the cold fog, he saw a brilliant flame encompass the Flame Viper's figures. The Ember Heir noted how their armour helped them channel the fire with more efficiency.

Mist seethed and boiled.

The crowd cheered. Even after so many fights, their energy never seemed to wane.

It was a strangely humbling sight.

Shaking off the threat of further introspection, Drakon's gaze turned wary.

Suddenly, a stunning amount of ice energy coalesced in front of the Ice Wraiths. It wriggled and writhed, seemingly drawing power from the mist, before a vague outline of its shape formed.

Its serpentine body brimmed with magical power, gelid scales shining with a glacial hue.

It was an Ice Dragon.

…And this frigid copy of the former ruler of the skies was currently barreling towards the Flame Vipers, releasing a roar that seemed capable of freezing the heavens itself.

Drakon's expression turned grim.

Alarmed, the fiery warriors scrambled, releasing their own impressive quantity of flame. In the next moment, three large scarlet vipers were born, hissing at the approaching Ice Dragon.

Moments later, the two forces clashed.

The Ice Dragon crashed into the fiery serpents, spawning a cloud of boiling steam that fused with the mist, thickening it. The fog roiled as fire and ice fought for supremacy.

The Ice Dragon was domineering, mirroring the might of arguably the most dangerous creatures under the heavens… before the Great Collision, of course.

Drakon couldn't help the hint of awe that sparked to life in his heart.

The fiery serpents, meanwhile, held their own.

…Or at least, tried to.

They plunged their scorching fangs - dripping with ethereal flame - into the side of the Ice Dragon's neck. The latter roared and buckled, its figure glowing with a frosty hue as it attempted to remove the asps attached to its neck.

However, they clung on, stubbornly refusing to fall.

Flame trickled inside the Ice Dragon's frame from the magical puncture wounds its foes had created. The immense creature's body began to sizzle, its internal gelid essence eaten away by the fire wreaking havoc.

For a brief, hopeful moment, Drakon thought the vipers had vanquished the terrifying Ice Dragon. Unfortunately, just then, its magical scales shone with a bright hue. And right after, an innumerable number of frozen shards pierced the fire serpents.

A moment later, the fiery asps fell.

The Ice Dragon was free to continue its charge. However, before it could, a rain of scorching arrows descended upon it from afar.

Steam hissed, more mist shrouding the arena.

Drakon had to channel more mana to see.

Another two rains of flaming arrows sank into the Ice Dragon, the air around it trembling as its mighty frame shuddered. In the next moment, an explosion of ice energy erupted from the terrible beast as it dissipated into a flurry of ethereal shards.

A massive wall of flame flared up to stop the remnant ice energy's advance.

Suddenly, Drakon tensed.

There, from behind the Flame Vipers, like ghostly wraiths, the Ice Wraiths lunged at their foes from the mist.

…Their gelid blades flashed.