CHAPTER 62: DAGGERS, SPEARS AND A SHIELD.

Celeste and Liam faced each other in the battle Arena. Quill was also there, but he was practically invisible compared to the other two guys.

The way Liam had said Celeste was dangerous had piqued Theo’s interest a lot. Celeste has always been the quiet, calm type in her eyes, though she could tell that there was something else behind that Facade of his.

And those purple eyes..., they held darkness.

Celeste had chosen dual daggers as his weapon of choice, while Liam had countered with a short spear. Quill held a shield and a long sword, and they all waited, tension hanging in the air, waiting for the horns to blare.

And when it did, something shocking happened.

Celeste moved so fast it was almost as if he disappeared from where he stood. Dust scattered around the arena, rising high, and the next thing everyone saw was a body sent flying out of the dust.

Liam landed on both feet, his face tight with pain and blood pooling down his face. Before he could even look up, Celeste was already in front of him again, swinging his daggers.

Liam countered with his spear, putting distance between himself and Celeste. Then, Liam lunged, attempting a counterattack with his spear, but Celeste ducked under the strike with his blade flashing upward, catching Liam across the chest.

Liam grunted, twisting instinctively, his spear snapping Celeste’s balance just enough to throw him off for a heartbeat, enough for Theo to exhale shakily, clenching her fists in both worry and awe.

"Wow...," She whispered to herself. She never would have imagined Celeste was this good.

Suddenly, Liam was caught in a whirlwind of strikes. Every parry forced him to retreat, every block another small burn of pain along his arms. And yet, he pressed on, thrusting his spear, pivoting and aiming for Celeste’s legs, trying to force him off balance.

Liam attacked from the front and Quill came from the side. Their coordination so far had been great, and at that moment, it looked as if they had finally cornered Celeste.

But the hope was short-lived as Celeste unleashed crazy reflexes, ducked under Liam’s spear tip, pivoted, and the blades sliced in perfect harmony. One caught Liam’s shoulder guard, the other sliced Quill’s side. Both first-years staggered back, but neither went down.

The spectators were on their feet now, roaring. It was the first time the first-years were surviving this long against a second-year and putting up a good fight. But it was still clear to everyone that Celeste was dominating the match.

Theo had long stood up from her seat, gripping the railings in front of her so tightly as she watched Liam twist, dodge, and stab, sweat beading on his forehead as Celeste’s blades came so fast it was almost impossible to see them clearly, "Keep moving," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else, "Don’t stop... you can’t stop..."

Liam pivoted, his spear angled diagonally, and with a roar, he charged at Celeste from the left. Celeste sidestepped the attack, his blade flashing and it found Liam’s shoulder again.

Liam gritted his teeth through the pain and retaliated, jabbing the spear at Celeste’s side. He caught him in a quick counter-surprise attack, and the spear plunged into Celeste’s side, making him stagger back as blood began dripping from the grave injury.

Theo howled in relief.

The other first-years were also on their feet, stomping and growling from the excitement of the match.

But Celeste wasn’t done. His purple eyes flashed a dangerous golden gleam, and his attack speed doubled. Before Liam could blink, the sound of steel smashing against speel reverberated throughout the arena.

Liam froze for a moment, his muscles taut and strained and he looked up, only to see Quill standing in front of him, and had blocked the strike aimed at Liam, forcing Celeste to leap back.

Theodora could see the tension in Liam’s stance and could feel the adrenaline rushing through him as he attacked again. He wasn’t just fighting for survival right now; he was fighting for pride and honour, especially with his father’s eyes fixed on him.

And for Quill, although he was struggling even more and had sustained far more injuries than the other two, he refused to be crushed by the second year.

Celeste leapt into the air, his daggers slicing erratically. Liam dodged, pivoting his spear to land a blow, but Celeste twisted himself away mid-air with wolf speed, and as his daggers came down, Quill ran up and blocked the attack again.

The Match was going on longer than the rest, and everyone was being pushed to their limit. Quill had begun to transform into his wolf form, with his hands and feet now covered in hair and claws.

She could see fatigue creeping into Liam’s muscles, but that didn’t stop him from pushing. Liam twisted his spear again and caught Celeste at the same spot as the first.

Celeste groaned in pain and quickly retreated back, now clutching his bleeding sides. He was losing a lot of blood and was turning pale faster than the other two.

But once again, that expression of intense pain vanished like it was nothing and he stood up with a deadpan, relaxed expression.

Could he not feel the pain any longer, or what?

They attacked each other again, and sweat mixed with blood. Celeste was relentless, but Liam and Quill were no pushovers. Liam focused on attacking while Quill focused on defending. They quickly adapted to Celeste’s speed, blocked, countered, staggered, twisted, while still sustaining injuries and holding on.

Minutes stretched like hours, and by now, Quill’s shield had been partially broken by a few of Celeste’s daggers and punches.

Liam wasn’t any slower than before. He had this determined look in his eyes, and purple eyes met Liam’s, acknowledgement flashing like fire.

The next time Celeste attacked Quill again, he knocked right into Quill’s side with his feet and the boy was sent flying through the arena like a ragdoll. He smashed him back against the wall, blood spewing from his lips, and crumpled to the floor.

He was knocked out.

Theo’s heart raced.

It was just Liam and Celeste now.

And Liam’s defence was gone. He was much more prone to that insane speed and those swift daggers.

Celeste and Liam stood at opposite sides once again, staring at each other. Liam had a terrible cut on the head, and blood kept flooding down his face, while Celeste didn’t even mind his severely injured side as though it didn’t exist.

They stared at each other with murderous, competitive intent.

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