A Bug In Fate

The first battle had come to its conclusion, and now the crowd was shouting Liam’s name while the citizens of Ravenhold seemed pleased with the outcome.

Some people were still discussing the final exchange between Liam and Kael, especially how Liam had managed to touch Kael’s bracelet at the last moment.

"That was close!"

"Kael almost got him!"

"Liam was faster!"

Others were already looking forward to the next battle, as they knew there were still eight participants waiting for their turn.

Alice, floating in the air, didn’t let the crowd catch their breath or let their excitement die down before she spoke.

"Now, let’s start our second battle."

Her voice immediately caught everyone’s attention.

The crowd became silent as their eyes turned toward the screen above the arena. There were now only eight names left, as Liam and Kael had already been selected.

A few participants on the ground also looked up at the screen with serious expressions.

Unlike the spectators, they had no idea who would be selected next, and there was no way to predict who they might have to fight.

The two familiar dots began moving randomly across the screen again before finally stopping at two names.

The movement continued for several seconds as the dots passed over the names of the remaining participants.

The crowd watched without making a sound.

Some people even held their breath as they waited for the result.

Finally, the two dots slowed down.

One stopped first.

Then the other followed.

The screen changed as the two selected names appeared clearly for everyone to see.

"Nyx vs Lucas."

The names appeared clearly on the screen, and the two exchanged glances before moving toward the centre of the battlefield.

The crowd erupted into an uproar as the entire arena was filled with the voices of the audience.

"NYX!"

"GRAYHAVEN!"

"LUCAS!"

"BLACKWOOD!"

"SHOW THEM!"

Some people were already shouting the name of their chosen participant, while others were simply excited to see another battle begin.

Nyx was from Grayhaven City, the same city as the twins, while Lucas was from Blackwood, the city under the Blackthorn family.

Unlike the previous battle, neither of them seemed to be in a hurry.

They slowly walked toward each other before stopping several meters apart.

Nyx adjusted her stance as her eyes remained focused on Lucas.

Lucas also lowered his body slightly, his hands moving toward the daggers at his waist.

The two looked at each other for a moment before introducing themselves.

"I’m Nyx, from Grayhaven," Nyx said calmly.

"Lucas, from Blackwood," Lucas replied with a faint smile.

Neither of them lowered their guard even for a moment.

The atmosphere around them became tense as the crowd slowly quieted down, waiting for the battle to begin.

Seeing this, Alice didn’t waste any more time. She glanced between the two participants before a smile appeared on her face.

"Start."

The moment her voice fell, both of them moved.

Nyx carried a short sword with her, which looked quite expensive. The sword seemed to be specially made for her small hands.

Meanwhile, Lucas held twin daggers made of red metal. They seemed to have some kind of special effect, as the weapons appeared to assist him in controlling his mana while fighting.

He had met the Blackwood family’s young master yesterday, so it was possible that the weapons had been given to him for a specific task.

The two clashed as their weapons met, and sparks flew from the impact. Lucas quickly slid one of his daggers from the other side, taking advantage of having two weapons.

His target was Nyx’s bracelet.

However, having more weapons didn’t always guarantee an advantage. Since Lucas had to divide his strength between both daggers, Nyx managed to push her sword forward and instantly twisted the blade.

A thin red line appeared across Lucas’s face.

The first blood had been drawn.

The crowd immediately roared Nyx’s name as they watched Lucas distance himself from her and wipe the blood from his face, his eyes narrowing.

"Whoa... did you see that?"

"She’s talented!"

"Lucas got caught off guard!"

"Grayhaven!"

"Nyx!"

Alice also joined in with an excited voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the first blood! Now, what will Lucas do?"

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Lucas looked at Nyx for a moment before suddenly moving his hand and beginning to cast a spell.

"Fire Bullet."

Lucas muttered as several small fire bullets formed from the magic circle. They dashed toward Nyx with impressive speed, leaving red trails across the battlefield.

Nyx, on the other hand, simply raised her hand as she also began casting a spell.

"Wall of River."

Her affinity was Water, and a large wall of water appeared in front of her, blocking her from view.

The fire bullets struck the wall one after another, but none of them managed to penetrate it despite their speed. Small explosions occurred against the surface of the water, sending droplets in every direction.

Nyx watched everything with a calm expression, confident that she had successfully defended against the attack.

She could still see the flames flickering through the water, but the thick wall made it difficult to see what was happening on the other side.

But suddenly, her eyes widened.

Something felt wrong.

Lucas appeared out of nowhere.

He had already closed the distance between them while her attention was focused on the water wall.

Nyx’s expression changed as she realized that Lucas hadn’t been trying to break through her defense at all.

Apparently, Lucas’s main goal had never been to hurt her with the fire bullets. He simply wanted to block her vision and create an opportunity to approach her.

And it had worked.

The water wall had protected her from the attack, but at the same time, it had also prevented her from seeing Lucas’s movement.

His footsteps had been hidden by the continuous sound of the explosions, while the flames had kept her attention focused on the wall.

His daggers weren’t aimed at any vital point.

They were aimed directly at her wrist.

More precisely, at her bracelet.

"H-How?"

Nyx was caught completely off guard. She tried to pull her hand away, but Lucas had already reached her.

His dagger moved toward the bracelet with precise control.

Nyx’s eyes followed the red blade, but there was no time left to react.

Before she could understand what Lucas intended to do, her bracelet suddenly glowed faintly.

The next moment, her figure disappeared from the battlefield.

And just like that, she was eliminated.

The water wall collapsed moments later, falling onto the ground and creating a large splash around Lucas’s feet.

For a moment, Lucas simply stood there while the remaining water dripped from his clothes.

Then he slowly lowered his daggers.

The crowd remained silent for a brief moment before their voices erupted throughout the arena.

"Lucas won!"

"He used his brain!"

"He tricked her!"

The crowd erupted as they reacted to the result of the second battle. Some were impressed by Lucas’s strategy, while others were disappointed that their chosen participant had been eliminated.

Alice announced the result of the second battle as her eyes lingered on Nyx before shifting toward Lucas.

"The winner is Lucas from Blackwood City!"

"BLACKWOOD!"

"Hahaha! That was amazing!"

The citizens of Blackwood cheered loudly, celebrating their participant’s victory, while those from Grayhaven and the people who had placed their bets on Nyx could only shake their heads.

Still, it wasn’t much of a loss for some of them, as their primary bets had been placed on the twins, who were also from Grayhaven.

Below, Lucas nodded toward Nyx, who was now standing among the eliminated participants. She simply returned the gesture with a nod of her own.

Meanwhile, Lucas began walking back toward the remaining participants.

Alice smiled as she watched him return, already preparing to start the next battle.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we now have only six participants remaining, which means there are three more battles before Round Three!"

The crowd immediately became excited again.

"WHY ARE YOU WAITING?! START THE NEXT BATTLE!"

"LET’S GO!"

"SHOW US THE NEXT FIGHT!"

Alice’s smile widened as she looked toward the screen above the arena.

"Then let’s see who will be fighting next!"

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