CHAPTER 267: PRIMARY ROUND

Eleanor stared at the lifeless body of her opponent. From the moment this vampire had entered the arena, she had felt the killing intent seeping out of him. Though he had tried to contain it within himself... and might have succeeded in deceiving others... he could not deceive Eleanor. Her Predator’s Awareness ability was always active due to its passive nature. She could sense even the faintest flicker of hostility in her surroundings, if it was directed at her.

She had no quarrel with him beforehand. She couldn’t fathom why this man wanted to kill her, even within a virtual arena. If there had been any prior encounter, her eidetic memory would never have missed it.

At first, she had intended to treat this battle merely as practical training for her newfound combat prowess. But as time went on, the killing intent radiating from her opponent only intensified. Eventually, she decided to show the vampire the true difference between them, if only to prevent further provocation.

"He might be one of those vampire cultists who spread hatred against werewolves in general," she thought.

At that moment, a mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

"Congratulations! Cadet 10156659 is the winner of the qualifying round. You will be removed from the arena in 3, 2, 1, 0."

Eleanor found herself once more in the familiar darkness of the space capsule. The lid hissed open, and the room’s light spilled into her eyes. She was now accustomed to using these capsules... the abrupt shift between light and environment no longer disoriented her as it once had.

Sliding down from the capsule, she closed the lid and glanced around. A few cadets had already gathered in front of the platform. She walked towards them at an unhurried pace.

Soon, more cadets joined... some with bright, triumphant smiles; others with sour, defeated expressions; and a few, like Eleanor, entirely indifferent to the outcome.

Nonetheless, all eyes were fixed upon the figure standing on the platform, a tablet in his hands.

After some time, Instructor Daniel Tremblay set his tablet down on the table and turned to face the gathered cadets.

"Cadets, the qualifying round is now concluded," he announced. "To those who emerged victorious... congratulations. You have demonstrated both skill and determination. Your journey, however, is far from over."

He continued, "The winners will now advance to the primary round. As stated earlier, this stage will pit qualifiers ranked one through twenty-five against those ranked twenty-six through fifty. Only the victors of these matches will proceed to the space capsules. Those who did not qualify... you have a choice. You may remain here to support your comrades, or you are dismissed to attend to your other duties."

"This will be the last match of the day," he added. "Tomorrow, the final round begins. Let me outline its structure clearly. There will be a total of three hundred matches. Each match will last thirty minutes. A clear victory earns one point; a loss earns none. If there is no winner within the time limit, the match is declared a draw, and no points are awarded."

He paused briefly before continuing. "The round will span five days. Each finalist will fight four to five matches per day. You will have a ten-minute break between matches to recover and refocus. To ensure fairness, each cadet will receive one round of rest...a bye... which will be scheduled systematically, starting with finalist number one."

His sharp gaze swept across the crowd. "You now have five minutes to prepare for your primary-round duels. Locate your assigned capsule, steady your mind, and prepare to fight. Dismissed."

The cadets dispersed at once, scattering into small groups and erupting into conversation. A few left the room outright, their expressions heavy with disappointment.

Eleanor scanned the crowd for her friends, but before she could move, she spotted Ophelia and Maira already heading her way. She stayed where she was and waited for them to approach.

"You two ready for the next round?" she asked as they came closer.

Maira raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly are you so sure we won our duels?"

"That’s a given. Ophelia won’t lose unless she’s struck by a bout of serious bad luck. You, on the other hand, trained much harder these past few days," Eleanor said.

Maíra’s smile brightened. "I thought you hadn’t even noticed. All you ever do is run around the academy training or lock yourself in your room. Sometimes, you don’t even return to the dormitory for days. Sigh! Anyway, yes... we both won our matches."

At that moment, Eleanor felt the faint vibration of an incoming message on her device. She opened it and read silently:

"Instructor Arrichion: Do not show all your abilities in the duels. Remember, your battles will be posted on the Academy forum. Don’t let others see all your cards."

Eleanor’s eyes widened slightly, though her expression remained composed. She had never known that the matches were being recorded. No one had mentioned it before. The tone of Arrichion’s message made it clear he had already reviewed her first duel... which likely meant that the other instructors had as well.

Maybe not mine specifically, she thought, but if the duels are uploaded to the forum, every cadet will be able to study them. Her opponents could analyse her techniques and prepare countermeasures. Of course, she could do the same in return... but that meant she needed to be even more cautious from here on.

She decided to warn her friends too. Just then, Jaciara, Marsha, Phoebe, and Izumi joined their group.

Marsha Kirana Tidebringer... young miss of the renowned Tidebringer Naga Clan of Indonesia, had joined Eleanor’s small group after enrolling in the School of Lightning.

Phoebe Juno Solstice had joined their group only a few days earlier. A light elemental from the Solstice Court of fairies, her ancestors hailed from Ireland, and she had initially sought out Eleanor of the Raynor Clan to learn more about her ancestral homeland. After a few meetings, however, she found herself naturally blending into the group.

Izumi Tsuki Kuroda, young heiress of Japan’s Kuroda Clan, possessed formidable air abilities and the poise of a skilled samurai. She had become close friends with Maira and soon became part of their circle as well.

Joshua Cordillera, meanwhile, had gradually distanced himself from the group, which had by now become almost entirely composed of girls. Though he maintained friendly relations with them, he preferred spending more time with the boys.

Eleanor informed the group that their battles were being recorded and advised them to prepare accordingly. After exchanging stories of their previous matches, they made their way to the space capsules for the next round.

This time, Eleanor materialised in a familiar room lined with weapon racks. She declined to take any, as before, and stepped straight into the arena.

A girl already stood within the ring, a bow gripped in her hand.

Eleanor didn’t slow her pace. She approached the platform, climbed the stairs, and entered the ring, standing opposite her opponent. Instinctively, she could sense that the girl was of merfolk descent.

Before Eleanor could speak, the girl smiled and said, "I am Alina Calypso Istros of the Danube Delta Clan. It’s nice to meet you."

"I am Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor," Eleanor replied calmly.

Before they could exchange another word, the countdown began.

10... 9... 8...

3... 2... 1... Go!

Eleanor wasted no time. The instant the match began, she charged straight at her opponent.

Alina was taken aback by the sudden aggression. She had expected a cautious sparring pace, the kind typical of training duels in the Combat Department. Flustered, she raised her bow and loosed a flurry of arrows while retreating rapidly to widen the distance.

Eleanor, seeing the bow, instantly understood what she had to do. If she wanted to win swiftly without exposing her full range of abilities, she had to force close combat. Giving a ranged opponent like Alina the chance to prepare her shots would make victory far more complicated.

Thus, she had already decided to end the fight with the same technique she had used to end her previous battle. Reckless as it seemed, every risk had been measured.

She activated her support abilities all at once. Mental Lock sharpened her focus solely upon her target. Mind Acceleration heightened her perception, allowing her to anticipate every twitch of Alina’s movement.

Lightning began to crackle faintly around Eleanor’s clenched fist as Voltaic Strikes activated, electricity gathering in her palm. She didn’t intend to reveal any of her more advanced attacks this round.

Arrows sliced through the air towards her. Eleanor’s body twisted and swayed, dodging most with fluid precision. A few struck her, but she neither slowed nor faltered... each wound calculated, each step relentless. She twisted her torso so none of the arrows struck a vital point. Storm Heart flooded her with endurance, dulling pain and amplifying strength.

Bloodlust Instinct guided her toward the most decisive strike, while Killing Precision directed her blow toward the heart.

Eleanor leapt forward, her lightning-charged fist hurtling toward Alina’s chest.

Alina’s eyes widened in disbelief. Despite her barrage, Eleanor was already upon her. Desperately, she raised a wall of water, summoning her full strength in a shimmering barrier between them.

But Eleanor didn’t stop. Her lightning tore through the barrier, evaporating water into steam, and the punch connected squarely with Alina’s chest.

Alina knew it was over. As her vision dimmed, she caught one last glimpse of Eleanor’s face... calm, emotionless, unreadable.

A heartbeat later, she was back inside her space capsule.