Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 13: Sun City Regionals: Preliminary (2)
Chapter 13: Sun City Regionals: Preliminary (2)
Gasps broke out, followed by a swell of excited chatter. Some spectators leaned forward, others exchanged hurried looks, trying to process how fast it had happened.
The girl with the blue bowtie froze.
Her Azure Shell Turtle wavered, water ether trembling as she stared at her fallen teammate, disbelief all across her face before she forced herself to breathe.
The young master’s smile finally cracked.
His sunglasses tilted as his gaze snapped toward Aren, the fire around his Imperial Blazing Peacock flaring erratically.
"So that’s how you want to play it," he muttered. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Aren didn’t respond.
He shifted his stance slightly, eyes already moving, reassessing the field.
Luna’s ice wall still stood between the teams, reducing visibility as it spread across almost half of the arena.
The young master straightened.
If there was any hesitation left in him, it vanished behind a grin.
"Alright," he said lightly, spreading his arms. "Let’s make this worth watching."
The Imperial Blazing Peacock let out a loud screech, radiant plumes of flame erupting behind him as feathers of light unfolded across the arena. Heat rolled outward, dazzling and overwhelming, forcing several spectators to shield their eyes.
The crowd roared.
Aren shielded his eyes and squinted through the glare, trying to track the Young Master...but he hadn’t moved.
When the light finally died down, something shifted.
Behind the wall of flame, blue bowties had dropped to one knee.
She dropped both palms to the ground, teeth clenching as water ether pooled beneath her in tight circles.
Aren recognized it instantly.
She’s channeling her Arts.
"Shit," he muttered. "It’s a distraction—!"
"Hundred Tide Prison!" the girl screamed.
Water emerged from beneath the arena into large floating pools before instantly converging onto Aren’s location. Liquid hardened into a sealed prison before he could fully react.
The water closed in, pressure mounting from every side.
The girl with the blue bowtie gasped.
She dropped to the floor as the Arts completed, still conscious but barely staying upright.
Inside the prison, Aren drove his fist forward.
The water moved but slowly shaped itself back into the hole that he’d left.
Tch. By the time I get out of here...
He didn’t finish his thought as the Young Master was already on the move.
Sound warped as water pressed in from every direction, vibrations muffled into a distant hum. Aren could still see through the translucent barrier, but it felt like watching from the wrong side of the glass.
The young master didn’t hesitate.
The moment Aren was sealed, he moved.
Fire blazed brightly as the Imperial Blazing Peacock screeched again, flames condensing into a single beam instead of flaring outward this time.
"Lily!"
Aren shouted.
The word never made it past the water.
Outside, Lily had already reacted, vines snapping up instinctively as she shifted her stance. But without Aren drawing pressure...she was going to take the full blast.
Flame tore through the arena, burning straight through the grass blockade before they could fully take shape. Vines charred and recoiled, life energy struggling to keep up.
At the same time—
Luna moved.
Her gaze locked onto the girl with the blue bowtie, ice forming around her feet as she advanced, intent clear. The Arts user was weakened and vulnerable.
A mistake.
"Luna—no!" Aren yelled, pounding a fist against the prison wall. "Look at the Young Master!"
Only ripples answered him.
The water swallowed his voice whole.
He drove his fists into the prison rapidly, punching repeatedly without giving the water time to reform.
"Come on...come on!"
Outside, Luna struck.
With a motion of her hand, ice bound the girl with the bowtie before she could recover, freezing her in place and tightening until she finally surrendered.
"Emma Reed, disqualified!" the referee yelled out.
The young master didn’t even look back.
Lily tried her best, but the fire eventually broke through her shield, shattering it completely.
The blow sent her flying backward, over the arena boundary and into the ground below.
She coughed once, but it was over.
"Lily Wright, disqualified!"
With a final strike—the water prison shattered, droplets raining down as Aren stepped forward.
The flames around his Imperial Blazing Peacock flickered unevenly now, heat dissipating with every breath he took.
He turned, trying to compress fire ether into his hand, but froze.
Aren stood a short distance away, water still dripping from his sleeves, eyes locked onto him.
Beside him, Luna was staring daggers into his body.
The young master opened his mouth.
Ice erupted from the arena floor.
Jagged frost ripped upward in an instant, binding around his legs and arms before he could even step back. The cold bit deep, locking him in place as the ground beneath him crystallized.
"Wait—!"
Aren moved. At this point, rationality was out the window.
ether roared as water coalesced around his hand, draconic pressure flooding the arena before everyone finally felt it.
"Dragon’s Claw."
Three blades of water flew across the arena at rapid speeds, aiming straight at the trapped Young Master.
"I surrender!" the young master shouted, panic finally breaking through. "I surrender!"
Before the attack could reach, a translucent wall snapped into place between them as the Defensive-type Master intervened. The pressure dispersed harmlessly, claws dissolving inches from the young master’s face.
The whole stadium went silent.
A heartbeat later, the referee’s voice rang out.
"Sam Barnes, disqualified!" he continued. "The match is over."
Aren lowered his hand slowly.
The young master slumped as ice melted before quickly making a scared squeak. He sprinted off the arena as quick as he came.
Aren didn’t wait for the announcement.
The moment the barrier faded, he was already moving.
"Lily!"
She was sitting up when he reached her, one hand braced against the ground, the other pressed to her side. Her clothes were scorched in places but she looked up at him and waved weakly.
"I’m fine," she said quickly, before he could say anything. "Really. Just some burns and scrapes.
Aren crouched beside her anyway, eyes scanning her injuries.
"You sure?" he asked.
She nodded. "I’ve had worse."
He didn’t look convinced.
A moment later, Luna leapt off the arena and embraced Lily in a hug, which even caught the recipient off guard.
"I’m sorry," she said quietly. "I misread the situation and—"
Lily blinked, then laughed once under her breath.
"It’s fine, besides, it was my fault for not seeing it coming."
Luna hesitated. "...Still."
"It’s alright," Lily repeated, more firmly this time.
She smiled.
Aren saw it.
Her fingers were curled slightly into her sleeve as they trembled softly. She was keeping something to herself.
But this wasn’t the time to pry.
He straightened slowly, finally noticing the lack of noise.
The arena, every section of it, had gone still.
They were the last fight to finish.
Spectators stood frozen in their seats, eyes locked on the three of them.
For a heartbeat, no one spoke.
Then—
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"Did you see his Arts just now?!"
"And Luna—did you see the ice?!"
The noise rushed back all at once, louder than before, excitement and disbelief crashing together as the crowd finally erupted.
Aren slipped an arm under Lily’s shoulder and helped her to her feet.
She hissed softly as she put weight on one leg, then steadied herself, leaning into him without protest.
"See?" she said, forcing a light tone. "Still walking."
He didn’t answer.
He just adjusted his grip and guided her away from the arena.
Luna followed a step behind.
The cheers continued behind them, waves of sound crashing against their backs, but Aren didn’t turn around. Neither did Lily. Neither did Luna.
They passed through the exit tunnel and into the corridor beyond.
"With this, the Preliminary Round has come to a conclusion!" the announcer’s voice rang out.
"After such heated battles, contestants will be back after a break—"
"To resume the first bracket matches!"
