My DragonicVampiric System

Episode 29 — Fade’s Sword Awakens

Kaien complained about his loss for the rest of the afternoon. He insisted seven hundredths of a second wasn’t a real victory, Ruben Veyrox insisted the tournament screen disagreed, and Drako made the situation worse every chance he got.

By the time the group reached the training hall, Kaien had threatened to burn Drako six times. “You know what your problem was?” Drako asked. Kaien kept walking. “I already know I’m going to regret answering.”

“You weren’t fast enough.” Ruben immediately laughed. Kaien turned, Phoenix flames appearing around both hands.

“You lost before I did!” “Yes, but I lost by more, which means I don’t have to spend my life wondering about seven hundredths of a second.” Mira covered her face.

“That makes absolutely no sense.” Teck looked at his screen. “Correct. It makes no mathematical or logical sense.” Drako pointed at him. “Nobody invited mathematics into this conversation.”

Adrian whispered to Ruben, “He gets angry whenever Teck proves him wrong.” Drako turned. “Blood Sense, Adrian. I can hear you.” Adrian froze. “I said you look handsome today.” “Better.”

Fade walked ahead of them with his sword against his shoulder. “You don’t.” Everyone laughed, including Kaien. Drako stared at Fade. “Winning one fight has made you disrespectful.” “Maybe I was always disrespectful.” “That’s actually worse.”

Their joking ended when the tournament announcement appeared across the academy. Only four competitors remained.

SEMIFINAL ONE: RUBEN VEYROX VS. JAX ORION.

SEMIFINAL TWO: FADE VS. LYRA VALE.

Drako immediately focused on Fade’s matchup. Lyra Vale was Rank 6, Level 6, and one of the strongest students in the entire tournament. Teck opened her profile. “Ability: Resonance.” Drako looked at him.

“Meaning?” “She manipulates vibrations. Sound, physical impacts, structural vibration, possibly internal disruption depending on her control.” Kaien whistled. “That’s nasty.” Mira nodded.

“Especially against Fade.” Drako understood. Fade navigated the battlefield using strange energy waves that allowed him to perceive his surroundings without sight. If Lyra could manipulate vibrations, she might interfere with that perception.

Fade remained calm. Drako looked at him. “You know this is probably the worst matchup you could’ve gotten?” “Yes.” “And you’re just standing there?” “Would panicking improve it?” Drako considered it.

“No, but it would make me feel better.” Fade started walking toward the arena. “Then panic for me.” Drako looked at the others. “I don’t like confident Fade.”

The semifinal arena was larger than the previous battlefield. Fade entered wearing his dark blindfold, his sword still sheathed. Lyra stood opposite him, carrying no weapon. Her short white hair moved slightly as invisible vibrations surrounded her.

The referee activated both defensive shields. “Begin!” Fade drew his sword. Lyra tapped one finger against her palm.

THUMM. The entire arena vibrated. Fade immediately shifted his foot. Lyra smiled.

“So the rumors are true.” Fade said nothing. Another pulse traveled through the ground. Fade moved again. “You don’t see through your eyes,” Lyra continued.

“You read movement through energy and vibration.” Drako leaned forward. “She figured it out already.” Teck shook his head. “She probably knew before entering.” Lyra tapped her fingers twice.

Two vibration waves crossed each other. Fade suddenly turned toward the wrong direction. Drako’s expression changed. “She’s scrambling his perception.”

Lyra attacked. Her palm struck the air. A compressed vibration blast traveled toward Fade. He raised his sword toward the wrong side. At the last second, instinct made him move.

BOOM! The blast clipped his shoulder and sent him spinning. His defensive shield flickered. Fade landed on one knee. Lyra attacked again. This time vibration waves came through the floor, air, and walls simultaneously. Fade’s sword moved rapidly, but he couldn’t determine which signals were real.

One blast struck his ribs. Another hit his back. A third threw him across the arena. Drako stood. “Come on, Fade.” Kaien looked at him. “Thought you were mad at him.” “I am. He’s still my friend.” “That’s surprisingly mature.” “Say that again and I’ll deny it.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Fade slowly stood. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth. Lyra lowered her hands. “You can surrender.” Fade tilted his head. “Why?” “Because without your perception, you can’t fight me.”

Fade tightened his grip on his sword. “Then I’ll fight without it.” Drako stopped smiling. Something about Fade’s energy changed. The silver-black power Drako had seen during their fight began moving along Fade’s sword.

Lyra released another vibration wave. Fade didn’t react. He simply stood there. The attack approached. At the final moment, Fade moved his sword. One slash. The vibration split apart. Lyra’s eyes widened.

Drako immediately activated Dragon Blood Vision. “There it is.” Ruben looked at him. “The energy I couldn’t copy?” “Yeah.” Silver-black power coated Fade’s blade, but now there was more of it.

Lyra attacked repeatedly. Fade stopped trying to sense the entire battlefield. Instead, he reacted only when attacks entered the immediate space around his body. Vibration blast. Slash.

Ground pulse. Jump. Air distortion. Duck. His movements became simpler. Cleaner. Drako smiled. “He’s adapting.” Ruben crossed his arms. “That’s what he did against you.” Drako’s smile disappeared.

“We don’t need to revisit historical tragedies.” Kaien laughed. “Historical? It happened two days ago.” “Ancient history.”

Lyra realized Fade was adjusting and increased her output. She slammed both palms together.

RESONANCE FIELD.

The entire arena began vibrating. Cracks appeared across the floor. Fade stumbled. Blood appeared from his nose. His sword shook violently. Lyra moved through the distorted arena and struck him directly in the chest.

Fade flew backward. His shield flashed dangerously close to elimination. “FADE!” Adrian shouted. Fade pushed himself upright. Lyra prepared another attack. Drako’s Dragon Blood Vision suddenly noticed Fade’s sword energy flowing backward into his body. “Something’s happening.”

Teck’s scanners reacted. “His energy output just tripled.” Ruben stared. “That’s impossible. He was hiding that much?”

Fade raised his sword vertically. Silver-black energy traveled across the blade and into his hands. His breathing slowed. For the first time, his calm expression disappeared.

Pain crossed his face. Drako recognized that expression immediately. It was the same pain he experienced when his own body changed. “He’s unlocking something.”

Fade whispered a word nobody could hear. Then his sword changed. The ordinary dark blade became covered in silver cracks. Energy poured from those cracks like smoke. Lyra stepped backward.

“What is that?” Fade turned directly toward her. Despite the blindfold, Lyra reacted as if he were staring into her eyes. “Something I wasn’t supposed to use.”

Lyra released her Resonance Field at maximum strength. Waves of vibration rushed toward Fade from every direction. Fade placed one hand on his sword. Then he cut once.

SILENCE.

Every vibration inside the arena disappeared. Not weakened. Not blocked. Gone. The crowd became completely silent.

Even the sound of the impact seemed to vanish for one impossible second. Lyra’s Resonance Field collapsed.

Drako’s System reacted despite him not being the fighter. [Unknown Sword Bloodline Technique detected.] [Analysis failed.] [Energy classification unavailable.] Drako frowned.

“Again?” Kaien looked at him. “What?” “Nothing.” Ruben stared at Fade’s sword. “I can’t feel the ability anymore.” Teck’s scanner displayed errors. “Neither can my equipment.”

Fade moved.

Lyra didn’t see him approach.

His sword stopped against her defensive shield.

The shield activated.

WINNER: FADE.

For several seconds, nobody reacted. Then the arena erupted. Fade immediately lowered his sword. The silver cracks disappeared, and his knees buckled.

Lyra caught him before he fell. “Idiot,” she whispered. Fade gave a weak smile. “You offered surrender.” “You should’ve taken it.” “Probably.” She helped him stand before academy medics rushed onto the battlefield.

Drako and the others met Fade outside the arena. Drako immediately looked at him. “Okay. Explain.” Fade walked past him. “No.” Drako followed. “You can’t just erase somebody’s ability and say no.” “I just did.”

“Ruben can’t copy it.” “I know.” Ruben stopped. “You knew I tried?” Fade nodded. “I felt the attempt.”

Teck moved beside him. “My scanners couldn’t classify the energy.” Fade kept walking. “Good.” Adrian looked at Drako. “He’s somehow more annoying after winning.” Drako nodded proudly. “He’s learning from me.”

But Mira wasn’t laughing. She was staring at Fade’s sword. “That symbol.” Everyone stopped. Near the bottom of Fade’s sword was a tiny marking exposed by the cracked outer covering. A symbol resembling two intersecting circles surrounded by a blade.

Mira pulled out her mother’s pendant.

A nearly identical symbol was carved along its edge.

Fade became completely still.

“Where did you get that?”

“My mother.”

For the first time since they had met him, Fade looked genuinely shaken.

“My teacher had the same symbol.”

The group fell silent.

Drako looked between Mira’s pendant and Fade’s sword. Two friends with completely different powers had just discovered their hidden pasts might be connected.

Before anyone could speak, the tournament board activated.

FINAL MATCH CONFIRMED: RUBEN VEYROX VS. FADE.

Drako slowly smiled.

Ruben looked at Fade.

Fade rested his hand on his sword.

Kaien immediately said, “I’m betting on Ruben.”

Drako shook his head. “Fade.”

Mira smiled. “Fade.”

Adrian looked nervous. “Can I bet on nobody getting hurt?”

Teck answered, “No.”

Ruben laughed. “Good to know my friends believe in me.”

Drako put an arm around him. “Don’t worry. If Fade destroys you, we’ll make jokes about it for weeks.”

Ruben pushed him away. “Great friendship.”

The tournament final was coming. But now Drako cared about something even more: discovering why Fade’s mysterious sword and Mira’s hidden bloodline carried the same ancient symbol.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!