novelraw Chapter 220: Happy Few
Chapter 220: Happy Few
The crowd roared for Ulv’s victory, oblivious to the girl crying in the sand.
Lothar, ever the showman, spun the narrative instantly.
"A heartbreaking loss for Lady Aurelia, but a monstrous evolution for the Ice Knight! Give it up for them!"
The cheers were deafening.
"But we must march on!"
Lothar boomed.
"Next up, we have... Kaelen the Water Vanguard versus Lyra of the Singing Blades!"
With that, Ignotus lost all interest.
The matches continued and began to blur together while he sat in a dark waiting room beneath the stands, munching on snacks and enjoying his break with Eris.
He didn’t watch Kaelen shatter Lyra’s swords. He didn’t watch a Spear user cut off a hapless Lava Runebearer. Nor did he watch Mer utterly destroy some random.
Again, Ignotus didn’t care for the squabbles of those who didn’t interest him.
Hours passed, and the sun began to dip, painting the sky orange.
That was when finally...
"It is time."
John announced, his voice carrying a rare note of anticipation.
"The Semi-Finals."
Ignotus stood up, dusting crumbs off his pants.
"Finally."
Apparently, the bracket had been brutal.
Gaia, mentally exhausted from her war with Lykos, had lost to a surprisingly competent Third Year. Ulv, despite his evolution, had fallen to Mer’s sheer firepower in the quarter-finals.
That left the fiery cat versus the Stranger for the right to face Rosa in the finals.
And it was only natural that it was her; she hadn’t gotten that position for nothing.
"IN THE RIGHT CORNER!"
Lothar bellowed.
"She is the walking inferno! The girl who burns brighter than the sun! Merlin of House Fire, daughter of Leo!"
Mer walked out, looking focused. Her usual slothful demeanor was gone; instead, her pink eyes burned with a terrifying intensity.
"AND IN THE LEFT CORNER! The anomaly! The Stranger! Ignotus of House Calamity, son of Genus!"
Ignotus walked out, waving casually at the crowd.
It was time for him to dominate.
***
Merlin stared at Ignotus across the arena.
He looked relaxed, bored, even. But she knew better... the smile was coming.
She had seen him in the trial and the dungeon. Though barely conscious, her eyes witnessed him tear a Greater Demon apart with his bare hands.
’I have to win.’
She gripped her wand tighter.
’I can’t be the lazy genius anymore.’
They locked eyes, and her mind drifted back.
To the Second Stratum. To the home she ran away from.
She was the older sister. The prodigy. The one born with perfect Divinity channels and an instinctive grasp of Fire. She excelled without trying. She was the sun everyone orbited.
And then there was Arthur.
Her younger brother. Talented, yes. Hardworking, definitely. Arthur bled for every ounce of power he gained. He practiced until his hands were raw. He studied until her eyes burned.
But it didn’t matter.
No matter what Arthur did, he was just a candle held up to Merlin’s bonfire.
Merlin remembered the look in Arthur’s eyes.
It was an obsession, a desperation... A hunger to be seen, to carve out a space in the light that Merlin hogged so naturally and easily.
The allure was just another manifestation of his desperate quest for recognition. A reflection of his enduring need to prove himself in the shadow of his sister’s brilliance.
A need that likely remained even now, wherever he currently was.
Yet Merlin knew, deep down, that Arthur would never beat her. The gap was talent, not effort. Arthur would never be able to bathe in that light, and that realization broke her heart.
So Merlin ran.
She left the Second Stratum and joined a vassal House of theirs in the Third Stratum, hoping to hide her light under a bushel, hoping that if she disappeared, Arthur could finally shine.
That was where she met Lykos. Two runaways hiding from their own potential.
After that, the two became childhood friends, and her demeanor changed.
’We were drowning...’
Merlin’s thoughts brought her back the present, sparks dancing on her fingertips.
’But we’re happy now, I hope.’
Indeed, they were happy.
The happy few.
Ignotus, however... Ignotus had changed everything. He showed them that running away was stupid. That holding back didn’t save anyone.
’I won’t run anymore, Arthur.’
Merlin’s Divinity flared.
’I’m going to burn so bright you’ll see me from the Second Stratum!’
The cat-folk didn’t wait for the call and began channeling immediately, preparing for the moment the referee raised his hand.
Her body glowed white, and the air around her shimmered. She was charging a massive, arena-wiping Fire Blast, intent on letting loose the moment the duel began.
"Hey! That’s cheating!"
Ignotus barked at her.
"Life isn’t fair!"
Merlin meowed back.
Today was the day she’d leave her reputation behind.
No longer would she be a one-trick cat!
"BEGIN!"
She thrust her wand forward.
"BURN!"
A tsunami of blue fire erupted from her, filling the entire arena instantly. There was no dodge. There was no cover.
It was a wall of annihilation.
Ignotus sighed.
"That’s so unfair~."
The [Fortune’s Wheel] appeared in his left eye. It spun rapidly and quickly decided on an Element... a fiery one.
Ignotus stomped his foot, triggering [Wise Fool].
To anyone else, stomping the ground against a wall of fire was useless. But Ignotus, using the extra strength he’d gotten [Wise Fool] and his Luck, managed to flip up a large stone slab beneath the arena’s sand.
Without pause, he used [Wise Fool] once more, coating the stone slab with his Divinity, greatly increasing its strength.
Knowing that it wasn’t enough, he also used his new Element, Magma, surging molten rock to coat the flipped stone slab and expand it into a crude tower shield.
BOOM.
Merlin’s fire crashed into the magma shield.
Her fire wrapped around it, scorching the sand, but Ignotus stood behind his improvised wall, unharmed.
"Two can play at that game~."
Ignotus peeked out, grinning, his skin glowing with veins of molten gold and red.
"It’s my turn."