CHAPTER 169: 169 BORROWING.

The blinding roar continued to bore its ferocity, searing the red-haired girl within. Her cry echoed in the still arena, halting the atmosphere.

Above them, Lucya exhaled while her sharp blue eyes directed into the ocean of lightning. It was eerily calm and nearly indifferent.

Some students and spectators, who had imagined Lucya as both a graceful and a mischievous girl, now disappear like a lie.

Unlike her beauty and playful attitude, she hid sharp fangs that were ready to rip her enemy apart.

The crowds gulped and didn’t dare to stare at the girl hovering in midair and shifted to the thick mist.

Little by little, the moisture dwindled. The lightning dispersed into the atmosphere, revealing the now-charred ground and a girl standing still despite the peril.

’Are you kidding me!?’.

Lucya spat, her eyes narrowed dangerously and prepared her stance in midair.

In the middle of the arena, Selka kept her body still, like a pillar that stubbornly refused to fall.

She was battered from head to toe. Behind her torn uniform, a black skin filled with a foul smell assaulted the nearby crowds.

Her body flinched as she threw up a large amount of blood from her mouth, smearing the holy arena with its tangy stain.

The colosseum held its breath, witnessing the stubbornness of a warrior who held tremendous responsibilities on her back.

Nobody moved as if the world itself slowed.

Selka lifted her sharp gaze, meeting Lucya’s gaze above. She gritted her teeth, holding the searing pain that scorched her veins.

Her body was paralyzed, and Selka could feel the lightning still gnawing at her flesh, eating her from within.

She gripped the hammer shaft, followed by something snapping inside her.

’I can’t feel my fingers’.

The crack spread as if it were about to deliver its last blow.

Selka’s body glowed in blinding yellow before a thunderous clap resonated in the atmosphere, followed by scattering veins.

Lightning burst forth from her body, truly putting the red-haired girl on the brink of death.

However, Selka refused to admit loss. Her cry echoed in the place.

"Aaaaahh!".

Selka’s howl was like a wounded beast; it was hoarse and not too loud, yet filled with the dignity of a warrior and struck a chord in everyone present.

The crowds reached out to her chest, especially the students from Valor Academy.

Feeling the swelling emotion in their chest, their eyes blurred with tears streaming down their cheeks; they watched the leader they respected still refuse to fall.

At this moment, the world recognized Selka as a Hero.

Not because of her feat of saving someone but because her charismatic aura showed what determination was.

The temperature began to spike as mana pulsated around Selka’s surroundings.

A spark ignited, then turned into a brilliant flame that surged like a towering mass of magma, pushing across the atmosphere.

"Woah!".

A cheer erupted from the crowds, watching the resurrection of their fallen Hero.

On the other hand, the student from Prometheus Academy held their breath. The scene was too overwhelming for them to process.

The towering flames erupted once more, showing several pillars and turning the arena into an ocean of fire.

It gathered as one, creating a humongous storm that swept over the arena and the Colosseum.

Before the flame grazed the spectators, a thick barrier was erected across the edge of the arena walls, protecting the crowd’s safety.

Selka’s opponent, Lucya, gulped in nervousness. Her fist tightly dug into her palm, feeling suffocated.

’What’s happening?’. Lucya raised a hand to cover her eyes from the heat.

The storm before her imploded, and from its heart where Selka was standing, a majestic bird bathed in the fire rose to the skies, letting out a ’shriek.’

Its feathers left a trail of ash wherever it flew. Each clap of its molten wings burned the atmosphere around it.

"...Pyrion!?". Lucya muttered, disbelief upon the view before her.

One of the great elemental spirits she knew was Thalassa of Water and Zephyros of Wind. Now Pyrion, who governed over the flame.

"Huff, I don’t plan to show this power too soon, but". Selka’s voice was calm, but it resonated through the arena.

She lifted the hammer in her hand, then like a living thing. Flame slithered on the ground, crawling over her skin before it settled on the hammer.

"Pyrion".

With a command from its master, the bird shrieked and gently flew over the skies, raining down the Colosseum with its flame.

However, when the flame floated at the level of Selka’s hammer, instead of falling into the ground, it changed course and gathered into Selka’s hand.

The hammer burned brighter and hotter; even the nearby spectators were almost collapsed by the heat.

Lucya gritted her teeth, refusing to submit just because a great spirit was aiding her opponent.

She racked her brain, seeking an available option to counter.

’Should I use three? No I will pass out, two is my limit, but how...’.

As she clutched her throbbing head, Lucya noticed the distortion of wind, telling the firebird to hurry and leave the place.

’This is!?’.

Her skin trembled, shivering in the cold that permeated around her.

’I knew this feeling’.

Lucya shifted to the tunnel where her friend was watching. Her eyes faintly caught the fleeting blue and green mana that gently enveloped the space around her.

The princess couldn’t help but smirk. Never in her wildest dream that a great spirit was lending her a bit of their power, apart from their master.

’Thanks, Thalassa and Zephyros... I will borrow your power for a bit’.

"Hexa!".

A magic circle emerged from her back; it had six pointed angles that represented the elements.

Two of them, blue and green, emitted a bright glow that rivalled the flame underneath.

*Shriek! The Pyrion seemed to notice its friend’s interference and dove straight into Selka’s body, fusing itself.

"Water and Wind compound magic...".

Lucya brought her palms together; on her right palm, a blue elemental core was compressed into the size of a marble, and the same was true on her left, but it was green.

The sky growled in anger as black clouds began to gather, blocking the golden light from reaching the land.

Thunder roared, and the atmosphere divided into two.

Selka’s side, with its blazing heat, harnesses the power of great Pyrion.

Lucya’s side had a chill that generated snow and blizzard as she harnessed two powers from great spirits.

The red-haired girl clenched the hammer shaft tight as her orange eyes burned so bright.

"The Flame of Demise, Pyrion!".

She kicked the ground, rushing straight at Lucya like a meteor.

Meanwhile, Lucya clapped her hands together, fusing two elements into one and softly muttered.

"Bloom — Winter Lotus".

Her joined hands opened to reveal a lotus flower, each of its leaves glittering like crystals. It was ethereal and exuded a chilling force that could freeze even a city,

The flower left her palm, floating gently as Selka swung her blazing hammer, and two powers clashed.

At that moment, the world cracked.

Flame and frost collided in violent harmony.

Pyrion’s flame burned like a dying sun as it devoured everything in its surroundings. The translucent Lotus shattered, sending waves of endless chill that froze the erupting flame.

The sky split between grey ash and white snow, intertwined in between the vicious cycle.

Lucya gritted her teeth, and fresh blood flowed from her lips and nose.

Selka’s hammer cracked, and her power began to spiral out of control.

""Haaaaa!"".

Both screamed; their voices shook the air.

Then—a shockwave rippled through the Colosseum.

The students and crowds were knocked backwards, and the barrier that protected them flickered on the brink of collapse.

However, it prevailed as the thick dust rose, covering the entire arena.

And when the dust settled.

Selka’s steamed body lay motionlessly on the other corner of the arena, still gripping the shattered hammer in her hand.

Across from her, frost laced on the unconscious Lucya.

Two prodigies and great control over power, equal in that blinding moment.

The crowds went silent, not out of fear but out of awe and respect for the girls.

Within the silent moment, a single boy, his black hair, shone under the golden light that cascaded down the arena.

He slid both his hands under Lucya’s body, lifting the girl in princess carry.

His emerald eyes swept over the crowds and then stopped at the stiffened commentator.

"Senior Selene, both were knocked out, so how about we conclude a draw in this match?".

Selene snapped from her daze; her body flinched, and she abruptly stood up in front of the silent crowds.

"Right, ...kuhum, the second round third match both candidates fought bravely and knocked each other out, so the result is a draw".

A second passed, then two, before a wave of applause erupted through the arena.

They stood up from their seats; some even stifled in tears, seeing how great the conclusion of the match was.

"Jin, please carry them to the infirmary, please".

Selene’s voice echoed in the clamouring clap.

In the Arena, a white-haired boy appeared as he approached Selka’s side hel, held the girl in his arms, and left the scene with Jin in tow.

Some students in Valor Academy dashed away from their seats, wanting to treat their representative.

As the claps dwindled, Selene inhaled deeply, and her cheerful voice brought everyone’s attention to her.

"Okay, everyone’s We will do a bit of maintenance for the Arena and will continue the match later, so please be patient...".

There were no words of refusal, just a silent understanding when they saw the condition of the battlefield.

The ground split beneath them, red veins crawling across the frostbitten soil.

Selene exhaled; relief washed away the tension in her heart. ’They did their best, all of them’.

Time passed, and Selene continued the match without realizing something was happening behind the scenes.