CHAPTER 286: CHAPTER 286: THE FINAL DUEL

The arena shook with the roar of thousands. Mana-crystals burned brighter in their sockets, illuminating the colossal coliseum carved into the mountain’s heart. Every seat was filled, every eye locked on the stage where the two strongest had finally reached the end.

A voice thundered across the arena, amplified by magic, silencing the chaos in an instant.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Tharvaldur!"

The crowd erupted, banners waving, boots stomping against stone.

"Tonight, we witness the final battle of this grand tournament! Two remain—two unmatched prodigies, whose names will be carved into history!"

The announcer stretched out his hand toward the western gate.

"From the Imperial Academy of Valor—Noel Thorne!"

The crowd cheered wildly as the gate opened. Noel stepped forward, Revenant Fang at his side, cloak trailing behind him. His face betrayed no fear, only calm focus.

"A name once overlooked, a student who walked in the shadows... but one who rose, match after match, crushing every rival in his path. His flames burned through giants, his ice shattered walls, his lightning split the sky itself! And now he stands here—son of the famous Thorne family of Valor!"

The cheers hit like thunder, echoing through the cavern walls.

The announcer turned to the eastern gate, his voice dropping lower, heavier.

"And against him—Selene von Iskandar!"

The gate groaned open, and she emerged. The air dropped instantly, frost creeping across the floor where she walked. Her wand gleamed with pale light, her short blue hair catching the glow of the crystals.

"Her spells freeze even volcanoes! Colder than the winters of Iskandar itself! She is the overwhelming mage of gravity and ice, the arctic storm given form—the unrivaled Selene!"

The crowd exploded, torn between the two, chanting both names as the announcer’s voice thundered once more:

"Noel Thorne versus Selene von Iskandar—the Final Duel begins!"

The roar of the crowd still echoed when the referee’s hand cut the air. "Begin!"

Selene didn’t hesitate. She raised her wand, the ground freezing instantly beneath her boots. "Glacial Thrust!"

A spear of jagged ice tore through the air, sharp enough to split stone. Noel stepped forward, flames bursting along Revenant Fang. "Fire Arc!"

The curved blaze ripped outward, colliding mid-air with the ice. Steam exploded across the field, hissing white clouds rolling upward. The front rows shielded their faces as sparks and shards rained down.

Selene advanced, cold mist swirling around her. "Frozen Lance!" A massive lance of condensed frost shot forward, heavier, denser than the first.

Noel lifted his palm. "Fireball!" A blazing orb ignited and streaked out, slamming against the lance. The impact detonated in a shockwave, shards of fire and ice scattering like molten glass across the stone.

The ground trembled. Selene flicked her wrist, mana surging through the arena floor. "Cryo Grasp!"

Hands of ice erupted from the ground, reaching to snare Noel’s legs.

Noel kicked back, his blade bursting with crimson heat. "Ignition Surge!" Fire roared along Revenant Fang, melting through the grasping claws as he slashed them apart. The flames spread across the ground, forcing Selene to leap back.

The audience roared louder with every exchange—half blinded by steam, half mesmerized by the clash of elements. Firestorms seared across one side of the field, while frost spread in jagged veins across the other.

For a heartbeat, both stood still. Noel, his blade blazing with fire, shoulders squared. Selene, frost curling from her wand, her eyes sharp and calm.

The opening had ended in deadlock. The true duel was just beginning.

Selene lifted her wand, her voice cutting cold through the steam. "Gravition Hold!"

The arena floor groaned as weight crashed down on Noel’s shoulders. His knees bent, stone cracking beneath his boots. Every muscle strained against the invisible pressure. Selene advanced slowly, her cyan eyes unblinking, the tip of her wand glowing frost-blue.

Noel gritted his teeth, sparks crawling across his frame. He forced his arm up, Revenant Fang trembling in his grip. "Voltage Needle!"

A spear of lightning shot forward, tearing across the field. Selene twisted, deflecting with a curtain of ice, but the force still cracked her shield, sending shards spinning.

The crowd screamed at the impact, voices echoing like thunder.

Selene steadied herself, lifting her wand again for the next strike. But Noel’s form suddenly blurred, the shadow beneath him rippling unnaturally.

"Shadow Step!"

His body dissolved into the darkness, slipping under the crushing gravity. In a blink, he reappeared behind Selene, blade already raised.

Gasps erupted across the arena.

In the stands, Elyra shot to her feet, eyes wide. "What—? He can use shadow magic?!"

Beside her, Elena’s golden eyes narrowed, lips parting in disbelief. "He’s been hiding this... even from us."

And further down the row, Charlotte clutched her veil, staring flatly at the scene. "Surprised? He woke me up doing that under my bed a few nights ago..."

Elyra and Elena turned toward her at once. "What?!"

Charlotte simply crossed her arms, cheeks puffed, refusing to elaborate.

On the field, Selene spun, her wand flaring. "Gravity Step!" She vanished upward, propelled by an unnatural shift, Noel’s blade cutting nothing but air. Their eyes met mid-motion—his alive with lightning, hers unshaken as ever.

The crowd roared louder. For the first time, Noel’s shadows had joined the fire, ice, and storm.

The air shifted. Cold crept through the arena, biting into skin and stone alike. Selene lifted her wand slowly, mana flooding outward in a pulse so dense that even the crowd fell silent. Frost spread in veins across the battlefield, the temperature plummeting.

"Frostfall Requiem!"

A wave of white mana burst from her core. In an instant, the arena became a blizzard—wind howling, snow and shards of ice filling every corner. Micro-needles of frozen death rained down, sharp enough to pierce through armor.

The spectators shielded their faces, their shouts muffled under the roar of the storm.

Noel braced himself, arcs of lightning snapping violently across his frame. His grip tightened on Revenant Fang, his voice cutting through the blizzard.

"Stormpiercer!"

The sharp crack of lightning split the air. Noel vanished in a streak of blinding light, electricity condensing into a single line that ripped forward with unstoppable force. He became pure storm, surging straight through the blizzard.

The collision was cataclysmic.

Lightning and frost met in the center, detonating with a force that shook the mountain itself. The floor of the arena fractured under the pressure, a deafening boom echoing through the coliseum as the shockwave blasted outward.

Spectators screamed, clutching the railings as arcs of electricity and needles of ice shot into the stands before dispersing into harmless sparks. Dust, snow, and light swallowed the battlefield whole, erasing both combatants from sight.

For long moments, nothing could be seen. Just a white haze, the hiss of ice, and the crackle of fading thunder.

The announcer’s voice, strained but steady, boomed out over the chaos: "Noel Thorne! or Selene von Iskandar! The arena cannot yet see who stands—!"