Grey took his first step into the arena deafened by raucous thunder that came from the crowd.
'Geez, that's a lot of people.' Grey thought, looking around. The arena was hundreds of meters in diameter, and fully packed. Not a single seat in the house was occupied.
To Grey's left, and Carlin's right was a raised platform with 3 chairs. In them sat the King, the Queen, and Aurora. Behind Aurora stood Anette, her guard.
- Hmm, that may be a problem. - Fallen Star said, noting the strength of the King and Queen.
'What?' Grey questioned.
- It doesn't matter, right now at least. -
'Okay.'
Soon enough, Grey and Carlin stood only 100 meters apart.
The announcer spoke once more.
"ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE? WELL THEN, BEGIN!"
At the words, Carlin shot forward. He traversed meters each second closing on Grey.
However, Grey didn't sit still; he 'chanted' 2 Spells.
"Venenum Acus, Trabem Lux."
He imagined a small needle of Poison, and all the necessary constituents; the potency, the type, the duration, and everything else.
With the second 'Spell', he imagined a thin beam of Light that encapsulated the needle. It came out of his hand as a small orb, covering the needle.
With only a thought, he sent the beam and needle flying.
Carlin saw the incoming beam, dodging instantaneously, and snickering at the missed shot. What he didn't see, however, was the smirk on Grey's face.
The beam of Light arced backward, striking Carlin dead center in the back.
Carlin shook off the impact like it was nothing and reached Grey, his sword posed to strike. The metal blade moved closer and closer, and when it was mere inches from Grey's face, the elf collapsed.
His hand relaxed, the sword falling from his grip to the side. His body fell harmlessly into Grey's arms.
Letting the elf down gently, Grey picked up the fallen sword and pointed it at Carlin's neck.
The duel was over.
WHOOOOO!
The crowd, which hadn't ceased cheering since the beginning, began to cheer louder at the end.
"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! WITH ONLY 2 TINY SPELLS, GREY HAS KNOCKED THE COMPETITION OUT COLD! WE LOVE IT!"
Grey heard the words, and dropped the blade, leaving the arena the same way he entered.
Once he was back in the room, Grey exited from a door that was behind the bench; unnoticeable unless you stood at the door. He stepped through, finding himself in a corridor. At the end of the corridor was a waiting room, filled with contestants.
They all watched Grey as he exited the corridor, shock on their faces.
'How did he take out the Carlin Bright with only 2 Spells?' They all thought. In the waiting room were several TVs, all showcasing the match. They had seen Grey's skill.
One person in the room, however, was consumed with other thoughts.
Aldrin Calvo could only think about why Grey was there.
'ARGH, It's all gone to shit now!' Since Carlin Bright had chosen not to go to The Island, Aldrin Calvo, the son of a Marquis, was the strongest noble elf. His plan here had been to best Carlin with his superior training and gain the Princess' hand in marriage. From there, he would prove his superiority as both a noble and an elf.
However, Grey being here rendered that plan null and void; his mere presence would end all plans he made.
'Fuck, fuck, why!? This was my chance!' Aldrin spiraled into emotion, diving deeper and deeper into his anger. However, he held no delusions —he knew he would not win.
He stood up, exiting the waiting room, and resigned from the competition.
'Next time, I'll be stronger!' He swore.
As he left, another elf entered.
Carlin Bright.
The Duke's son walked toward Grey, and stopped just before him, reaching out his hand.
"It was a good match." He said.
"Aye, you did well. Unfortunately for you, you were against me." Grey said, no mockery in his voice.
Carlin immediately recognized that Grey did not mean anything by that, merely stating the truth. "Agreed. I may have made it to the finals. Were you not here, victory would have been mine."
"Maybe." Grey laughed.
After that, they both separated, seating themselves in the waiting room.
Match after match was played, taking only a few hours, and soon the contestants had been halved.
Only 128 participants remained.
Next up was Grey. He re-entered the small dark room just before the corridor to the arena.
Once more, he chose not to wield a weapon. He did not need to after all.
In just a few minutes, the announcer called for the next 2 participants.
Grey stepped out of the room and into the arena. Again, the crowd went wild, eagerly awaiting the fight.
WHOOOOO!
He stood against his opponent, an elf with blue hair, and smiled.
It was going to be a fun one.
"IN THE ONE CORNER, WE HAVE GREY HEART! HE WON THE FIRST ROUND WITH JUST 2 SPELLS, UNHEARD OF IN THE HISTORY OF THESE DUELS! LET'S SEE IF HE CAN DO IT AGAIN?"
WHOOOO!
"IN THE OTHER CORNER, WE HAVE JOSIAH SHARP! HE EXPERTLY HANDLED HIS AXE TO DISARM HIS OPPONENT IN THE FIRST ROUND! WILL HE BEAT GREY WITH HIS SPELLS?"
WHOOO!
Grey moved to his position, standing 100 meters from Josiah, just like he did in the first match.
Grey looked at the Royal Seating, waving at Aurora.
She ignored him, her 'cold demeanor' unchanging, but one could spot a little grin on her face.
The crowd, however, were shocked by his action, and by the Princess' inaction. The host chose not to comment on either, instead marking the beginning of the duel.
Josiah was wary of Grey, choosing not to rush in, but he knew that Grey's Spells would come. He would have to move quickly.
'How should I do this?' Grey thought.
- End it fast. It's not fair to begin with. - Fallen Star commented.
'Alright.'
Grey raised his hand, 'chanting' a Spell.
"Lux Inspiratione." A circle of Light the diameter of Grey appeared, leaving the crowd to speculate. They couldn't hear what he said, the hollers too loud, however, those with enough Magical prowess were able to catch a glimpse of it. The use of Magic had amplified their natural senses.
The circle of Light transformed into a beam of Light, moving much faster than the first Spell Grey had cast that day.
It reached Josiah in just a second, leaving the elf no time to dodge. He attempted to leap out of the way, but couldn't make it in time.
The beam hit him, sending him flying like a top. He had been struck on his lower half, causing him to spin, revolving in a similar way to a barrel roll.
BOOM!
He crashed into the wall of the arena in a cloud of dust and fell to the ground with a thud.
'Ouch.' Grey sympathized with the elf, feeling only slightly sorry.
Once the dust settled, and all could see Josiah, the announcer spoke.
"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! ANOTHER FLAWLESS VICTORY FROM GREY! JOSIAH'S INDECISION LED TO HIS DOWNFALL! IT WAS A WONDERFUL PLAY FROM GREY! EVERYBODY GIVE HIM A SHOUT!"
WHOOO!
Under everyone's hollers, Grey left the arena a second time.
---
[Moments before the match started]
After seeing Grey wave at Aurora, her parents asked her a few questions.
"Who is that boy, Aurora?" Her father asked.
"And why did he wave at you?" Her mother continued.
"His name is Grey Heart, and he is a friend. I believe that answers your questions." Aurora spoke, keeping her cold act up.
"You know, when you're with us, you don't have to act." Her father pointed out.
"Yes, but we're not alone. I need to keep the act up; I've started it and so I'll finish it." She explained.
"Of course, dear, you can do as you wish, but you never really explained why." Her mother stated. Aurora had started this act back when she made her debut at 11, and neither the King nor Queen knew why.
"Well, I read a lot of books, and the female leads that are cold are always more popular among readers. So, I thought that being an Ice Queen would be the best way to get popular, and it worked."
Her father face-palmed at her reasoning, whilst her mother let out a laugh. Aurora seemed convinced that that was the best way to be popular, yet she had never tried to just be herself.
"Anyway, back to the topic at hand," Her father began. "Can you tell us about Grey? We'd love to know more."
"Fair, you 2 are always busy. Grey is a good friend whom I met at The Island, and he's the strongest person my age. His strength is very mysterious, and as such, I am intrigued by it. However, he left The Island after the first course, so I haven't had much of a chance to study it."
"I see, so he's strong and you wanted to find out why because it can't be attributed to talent." Her father filled in the gaps, to which she nodded.
"And he left The Island because?" Her mother asked. "Was he expelled?"
Aurora gently laughed at her mother, imagining a scenario in which The Island would expel Grey, and finding that she couldn't. In her eyes, there was no way any place would ever remove Grey of their own accord. He was just that strong.
"No, mother. He left because he knew everything already, and the students were too weak."
"I see." Her father nodded at her response.
"Well he seems rather arrogant, however, I must admit that he has the strength to back it up. Say, Aurora, do you know if he'll use a weapon?" The Queen asked. Grey's Magical prowess was undeniable, but if he couldn't use a weapon, he was only so useful.
"He won't use a weapon, I'm sure. If there's anything I do know about him, it's that he's pragmatic. It's a waste of time to use one."
"A waste of time?" Her mother smiled at the response, yet there was an obvious flaw. "Can he keep up with the Mana expenditure?"
At the question, the King's interest was peaked. Someone's Mana capacity was a good indicator of talent, and anything around 5,000 before 20 was the sign of a genius if not a monster.
"Of course, he can. The entire tournament would be a negligible expense for him."
Aurora's beating around the bush only heightened her parent's intrigue, and she saw that they looked at her with annoyance. Their faces screamed, 'Just say it already'.
"He has 18,500 Mana, roughly." She said with a straight face.
The King and Queen took a second to comprehend her answer, and once they did, they almost lost it.
"WHAT!" The King yelled before he could catch himself. However, he was composed enough to ensure that his slip of the tongue was quiet. No one else outside the vicinity of the Royal box would have heard it.
"Aurora, are you sure?" Her mother questioned.
"Yes, I'm sure. He has no reason to lie. Besides, when he first joined The Island, he was only at 12,000. Exceptional, unexplainable growth, right?"
"Indeed. I now understand your intrigue." The King finally understood. "Anette, get me as much info as you can about him, ASAP."
Anette, Aurora's guard, had been behind Aurora the whole time. She saluted to the King at his order and left immediately.