Chapter 336: The Final Duel

Chapter 336: The Final Duel

The Heralds voices boomed across the coliseum, MAY THE FINAL MATCH OF THE CHALLENGE OF SPELL & STEEL BEGIN!

Belle didnt waste a split second. She wouldnt give Stryg a moment to react. She channeled blue mana into her hands and formed a storm spell. Tendrils of azure crackled over her fingers. She threw her hands forward and aimed at Stryg who was standing stillUpdated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

A beam of light shot out from Strygs palm and struck her in the face. The aurum aegis across Belles neck trembled to life as golden particles of light formed a shield over her face, stopping the bright spell from searing her skin.

Yet the aegis protection did nothing to stop the excruciating light from blinding her. Belle shouted in surprise and stumbled backward, the lightning bolt forming in her hands fired off to the side in an erratic path.

Orange mana filled Strygs body and formed into an agility spell, turning his veins a shade darker. He sprinted towards Belle with a burst of speed. He drew Nameless from its sheath and swung the broken blade at her thighs.

Belles legs skirted past Nameless jagged edge at the last moment. With closed eyes, Belle drew her own longsword and slashed at the goblin in three quick strikes, each slice blending seamlessly into the next.

Stryg grimaced and tried his best to block, but his shattered sword was shy of a foot long, not even a third of its original length. Worse, his limbs were pathetically short in comparison to his foe. Belles long arms seemed to almost stretch above and behind him as her blade managed to slip past his defenses.

He jumped back and tried to make some distance, but he could already feel the blood dripping down his arm from the nicks of her blade.

Stryg cast a simple healing spell over his bleeding shoulder as he stared at Belle in frustration. Its not just her sword skill, shes much stronger and faster than before. And how can she?

How can you fight while blind? Stryg asked warily.

Wow, its not every day I can surprise you, Belle laughed in delight, eyes still closed, My abilities go beyond my sight. My eyes may help, but I dont need to see to fight you.

He narrowed his eyes, How?

She leaned forward and tapped the tip of her sword on the sand, I can still feel the steel of your blade as it moves through the air and I can still sense your thirst for battle emanating off your skin. You may as well be a torch in the dark to me.

Is that right? he muttered.

Belle opened her scarlet eyes and blinked several times. Its still a little blurry, but much better. Its funny, when the match began I thought I was fast enough to hit you first, but your bright spell still got me. Youre quite the quick spell caster.

Not quick enough it seems.

She shrugged, Meh, maybe, maybe not. If were talking about casting skills, Calex was on a whole nother level compared to us, and he still lost to me.

Then Ill have to try something different. He shifted his feet and fell into one of the five Nature Stances, the only one Gale had deemed him sufficiently proficient to use.

Belle cocked her head to the side, The Cascade Stance? Really?

Strygs eyes widened in surprise, How did you?

Ever since I first fought you in the training grounds of the academy I tried to learn more about your fighting style, but once I realized you were training in the fabled Gale Style, Belle smiled, Well, lets just say I took a special interest in your techniques.

Youve been studying me? he asked, surprised.

As would any warrior who respects the strength of their opponent, she said in a sober tone. It wasnt easy, but Ive learned much about the Gale Style this past year, from the stances to the daily training routine. And if there is one thing I truly came to understand about the Gale Style is that it is heavily reliant on a longsword. You cant properly use the Cascade Stance with that broken blade. Dont do this.

I dont need your pity nor advice, Stryg glared at her and gripped Nameless tightly.

He channeled brown mana into his muscles and cast a vigor spell. His body burned from the agility and vigor magic clashing within his body, but he refused to show the pain on his face.

Double enhancement spells? Impressive, Belle broke into a grin, Now Im getting excited.

Brown mana flooded her arms, vigor magic enhancing her already indomitable strength.

Belle raised her blade, Well? What are you waiting f?

Stryg poured yellow mana into his hands and cast a wind spell underneath Belle, launching her up into the air. Her heavy body soared twenty-feet above the arena before Strygs own shadow tendrils lashed out, grabbed her by the ankle, and flung her into the ground in an explosion of sand.

The crowd cried out in shock at the sudden chain of spells that began and ended in a flash.

...I think surviving and defeating your enemy makes you a better mage, Stryg said coldly.

He knew her aegis protected her from incoming attacks, but it did nothing to protect her from a grapple or a fall. She may have been a dire, but she was not a yellow mage, she had no durability scales. A 20-foot crash into the earth would still knock anyone unconscious.

Belle lay on the wet sand, unmoving. She stared at the dark cloudy sky as the rain fell on her skin. To Strygs surprise, she groaned in pain and slowly sat up.

Ugh, dammit, that was a cheap strike, Belle rubbed her back.

Strygs eyes widened, How can you move?

My body is tougher than it looks. She pushed herself to her feet and winced, Still, with these damn dark skies there is very little I can do to heal

What? Stryg frowned.

Belle chuckled under her breath, I think I finally understand why I feel anger towards you. Stryg, you always know exactly what you need to do and you just do it without hesitation. I think I always envied that

Golden flames burned across her body and the rain sizzled and evaporated all around her. Stryg took an unconscious step back in fear.

Belle stared at him resolutely, But things are different now. I know what I want. I want to win this tournament. I am going to win this tournament. And Im done holding back, even against a friend.

Stryg swallowed hard. He was hoping to defeat Sylvie before she could use those mysterious golden flames, but it was too late. He couldnt stop her flames, he had seen Calex try and fail.

Stryg was afraid but he didnt want to lose, he didnt want to let his tribe down

His eyes wandered towards the crowds, searching for any familiar face, but he dreaded what he might see. What would Feli think? What would Rhian do? What would Maeve say?

Would they try to tell him to keep fighting? That everything would be alright? Or even worse, would they tell him to surrender? To run?

The shame of that cave deep in Vulture Woods slipped over him like a heavy cloak. The screams of his tribemates as he ran away from a foe he couldnt defeat. Since that night he had tried so hard to become a different goblin. Yet all his instincts were now telling him to run, to concede the duel

Strygs sharp eyes wandered past the thousands of faces. He stiffened, in the middle of the crowd on the west side, he saw her. Loh stood tall, watching him steadily. Their eyes made contact and Loh paused as she noticed the fear and anxiety in his eyes.

She pointed at herself and then at him, and mouthed silently, No matter what, I am proud of you.

As the rain fell, a tear slipped down Strygs cheek. The cloak of shame fell away and though the fear lingered, he felt a sense of calm he hadnt before.

He steadied his breath and channeled all his orange mana into his hands. A torrent of orange flames burned above his hands in a small cyclone of flame, reminiscent of Lohs favored spell style.

Belle growled in a mixture of excitement and anger. Golden flames exploded out of her palms and clashed with Strygs cyclone. As the two fires clashed across the center of the arena in a cage of infernal heat, the golden flame began to devour the cyclone.

Yet Stryg did not stop, he screamed in defiance and channeled what little orange mana he had left as the head threatened to overwhelm him.

To his strange lilac eyes, the world seemed a mixture of darkness, splashed with pastels of gold and orange. It was beautiful and terrifying all the same. Yet none but his eyes noticed the swirl of black and green forming underneath the fires and sands.

Some part of his instincts yelled at him to get away, but his focus was on the flames threatening to overwhelm him.

The swirl of black and green suddenly erupted in a mass of tendrils that coiled around Stryg and Sylvie.

The flames went out and the arena was filled with smoke. The crowds shouted in confusion and tried to crane their necks around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the duelists.

The smoke cleared and the crowds cried out in shock. Stryg and Belle lay on the burned sand, unmoving, vacant eyes wide open.