CHAPTER 117: BARRIER BREACH

The battle finally began. A grand, circular ring had been conjured in the very middle of the field, its boundary a shimmering, almost translucent wall of pure mana, rising from the concrete platform that formed the arena floor. The material felt solid, yet pulsed with contained energy. It was roughly thirty feet in diameter, a confined space for what was about to unfold.

"And here it is finally! The final game for our first day of the sports festival!" Mr. Blade’s voice thundered, his excitement barely contained. "The mechanics are simple: all you have to do is push your opponent out of the ring, beyond the glowing boundary, and then you win. The last one standing wins the day! Easy right?"

Claps and cheers erupted from the bleachers, a wave of anticipation sweeping through the crowed. The sound surrounded the ring, a wall of eager noise, and Eirin could feel her heart thumping a frantic rhythm against her ribs as she waited on the side, watching the empty ring, waiting for her cue.

"For the first round," Mr. Blade announced, "which is quite looking unfair on paper, but we believe in Eirin’s incredible ability!" He paused for dramatic effect. "And for that, let us welcome our two battlers! On the right, the new rising star, Eirin Luxfield! And on the left, well-known for his fiery attitude and unmatched power, Shade Cromwell!"

The roar of the crowd intensified as their names were called. Eirin walked onto the concrete ring, her steps steady despite the tremor in her hands. She met Shade Cromwell’s eyes across the ring, his face once again alight with that infuriatingly smug expression. He looked confident, at ease, as if this were just another casual spar.

"I don’t even understand how this would make it fun for you," Eirin said, her voice steady, though a hint of irritation colored her tone. She glanced at the faint line that marked the boundary behind her, a white against the grey concrete. One wrong step, one careless push, and she would be out of bounds, eliminated.

Shade scoffed. "It’s fun for me to watch you struggle, Luxfield. To see how you push your limits." His eyes gleamed, a dark, dangerous sparkle. "It’s making me want to taunt you more."

Eirin’s forehead creased, a surge of defiant annoyance rising within her, momentarily overriding her fear. Her mouth opened, and the words tumbled out, unbidden, fueled by a strange mix of bravado and frustration. "Do you like me that much, Shade Cromwell?"

That question struck Shade like a physical blow. He froze, his expression of smug amusement melting away, replaced by a flicker of genuine shock. His jaw tightened, and he couldn’t reply. His mind, usually so sharp and calculating, seemed to short-circuit. And he didn’t have the time either. A sharp, piercing whistle cut through the air, signaling the start of the match.

Eirin immediately snapped into her fighting stance, her body low, her mana already humming, ready for action. "Don’t you regret this, okay, Shade?" she challenged, her voice firm. She swung her arm, a swift, practiced motion, and a concentrated blade of wind went straight at Shade.

But the young man, despite his momentary disorientation, reacted with the instinct of a seasoned fighter. He jumped, effortlessly soaring over the wind blade, his mind clouded by Eirin’s question, but his body still operating on pure reflex. He formed a flame arrow in mid-air, a shimmering projectile of pure fire, and shot it towards Eirin, which she quickly dodged, rolling to the side just as it struck the concrete where she had been standing, leaving a charred scorch mark.

’Me? Liking that stupid Luxfield girl? Impossible,’ Shade thought, a fierce denial raging in his mind as he landed flawlessly on his feet, light as a feather. He stared at Eirin across the ring, watching her move, and suddenly, everything seemed to slow down, as if time itself had warped.

Eirin began sparkling in his eyes, not literally, but as if her form was overlaid with glittering light, a captivating, almost ethereal glow. She was the only one he could see, the noise of the crowd, the details of the arena, fading into an indistinct blur around her. It was a strange, unsettling sensation.

Shade blasted a huge fireball right at her, a furious torrent of flame, trying to get rid of all the distracting sparkles surrounding her, to burn away the bizarre vision that had taken hold of his perception. ’I’m going crazy,’ he thought.

In a desperate attempt to rid himself of these unsettling thoughts, to regain his focus, Shade showered Eirin with a relentless barrage of flaming fireballs, a desperate, almost uncontrolled offensive.

"Are you crazy!?" Coleen screamed from the bleachers, her voice filled with fear, watching the barrage of flames that threatened to engulf her friend.

But Shade couldn’t hear a thing; the outside world was muffled, distant. His eyes were focused solely on Eirin, on her struggling form, on the way she moved, weaving and dodging, her agility a desperate dance against the onslaught. The sweat rushing out of her temples, catching the light from the fireballs, made it look like her face was literally twinkling, each bead of moisture a tiny, shimmering gem.

Shade’s heart started beating faster, and everything around him seemed to go so slow he thought it was some kind of powerful magic, a strange, beautiful trance he couldn’t break. His perception of time stretched, making Eirin’s movements seem graceful and deliberate, even in her desperate struggle.

"Are you seriously distracted right now, Shade Cromwell?" Eirin’s voice, sharp and clear, cut through the bizarre haze of his perception. She hadn’t stopped moving, her evasive maneuvers surprisingly effective against his unfocused attacks.

Eirin charged at Shade, covering the distance between them in a flash, until their faces were only inches away from each other, her breath warm against his skin. Her eyes, wide and challenging, bored into his. "You’ve let your guard down, Shade Cromwell," she whispered, her voice a triumphant hiss.

With a sudden, swift motion, she placed her hand on his shoulder, used it as a pivot, and with surprising lightness, jumped above him, wrapping her legs around his neck, effectively riding on his shoulders, an echo of the cavalry battle.

Eirin wrapped her legs tightly on the young man’s neck, a human vice, and tried to pull his head, attempting to force him into submission. "Say you surrender!" she screamed at him, her voice strained with effort, her body pressed against his back. But Shade, despite his momentary distraction, was a force of nature. He started laughing, a deep, rumbling sound that vibrated through Eirin’s body, filled with amusement rather than distress.

With an effortless movement, Shade pulled Eirin’s leg, unwrapping her from his neck, pulling her off him, and in front of him, holding her steady, her back pressed against his chest.

A faint, almost tender smile formed on Shade’s face, a soft, unfamiliar expression. "That isn’t very ladylike of you, Miss Luxfield," he said, his voice unusually soft, unlike his usual abrasive self, a striking contrast that sent a shiver down Eirin’s spine. His eyes held a strange, new light, a curiosity that bordered on affection.

Eirin forced herself out of Shade’s grasp, pushing away from his surprising gentle hold, and immediately created a safe distance between them, her mind reeling from the unexpected tenderness in his voice.

However, the whole ground started shaking, a deep rumble that vibrated through her very bones, causing Eirin to stumble, losing her balance on the concrete ring. She looked around, confused, her eyes darting frantically, trying to understand what was happening.

The shaking intensified, and then another loud, tearing sound, as if the sky itself was being punched, permeated her ears, a horrifying, rending noise.

Coleen, from her position in the bleachers, stood up abruptly, her face pale, her eyes wide with terror. "The barrier! There’s a crack on the barrier!" She screamed, her voice hoarse, pointing a trembling finger at the sky, at the glowing barrier that protected the academy from miasma.

It was too late.

Before anyone could react, before the academy’s defenders could even mobilize, the barrier, once a shimmering, impenetrable dome, shattered into a million glittering fragments, dissipating into nothingness.

The sound was deafening, a cascade of imploding energy. And through the gaping hole it left, tons of monstrous beings, grotesque and terrifying, came rushing down into the field. Chaos erupted. Screams filled the air as large, bird-like monsters, their leathery wings beating furiously, their talons extended, dived into the field, attacking students indiscriminately, their hungry cries echoing across the now-vulnerable grounds.

Eirin looked around, her mind racing, trying to find a safe place, a spot of refuge in the sudden horrifying pandemonium. That was until one of the monstrous birds, its sharp talons extended, grabbed her by her waist, its grip surprisingly strong, and she was lifted into the air, screaming, a helpless toy in its grasp.

Shade, seeing plight, reacted, a blur of motion, rushing to her air, a furious expression on his face. But then, a thick, black mana, a dark, suffocating energy, the miasma brought by the monsters, began to spread rapidly, seeping into the academy grounds from the shattered barrier.

It hindered the mana, choked the air, and suddenly, Shade’s powerful strides faltered. The miasma was making him lose control as he stumbled and fell to the ground, coughing, the miasma overwhelming his senses, leaving him vulnerable, unable to reach Eirin as she was carried higher into the sky.