Chapter 112: Semifinals

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Semifinals

The fifth round was where the competition began to feel truly different.

Only eight contestants remained.

There would be no second chances after this.

Four would advance to the semifinals.

Four would walk away from the competition.

Tolu stood beneath the enormous arena gates, rolling his shoulders as he watched the previous match end.

His body had accumulated the damage of every battle before this one.

His muscles were sore.

Several small cuts covered his arms and torso.

His breathing was steady, but the exhaustion was there.

He had fought four opponents already.

Every fight had demanded something different from him.

And now there were only four victories separating him from the final.

The referee stepped into the center of the arena.

"The next match!"

The crowd gradually quieted.

"Tolu, representing the Omimi Family branch!"

Cheers erupted.

The referee turned toward the opposite entrance.

"His opponent..."

The gates opened.

A young man walked out wearing the distinctive uniform of Ologunri Academy.

He carried a massive battle axe over one shoulder.

The weapon was broad and heavy, designed for powerful swings rather than speed.

Frost clung to its edge.

The young man stopped at the center of the battlefield.

"I’ve seen all your fights."

Tolu raised an eyebrow.

"And you’re still willing to fight me?"

The young man smiled.

"I wouldn’t have made it this far if I wasn’t."

The crowd laughed.

The referee raised his hand.

"Begin!"

The young man moved immediately.

His axe came down with tremendous force.

Tolu raised his hammer.

BOOM!

The collision shook both fighters.

Tolu’s feet sank slightly into the ground.

The young man pushed harder.

Ice crawled from the axe onto Tolu’s hammer.

Tolu immediately flooded his weapon with earth energy.

The ice cracked apart.

He shoved the axe away and swung toward the man’s side.

The young man twisted.

The hammer missed by inches.

The axe came around again.

Tolu ducked.

The blade passed over his head.

He stepped inside the man’s reach and struck with the hammer.

The young man blocked with the axe handle.

The impact drove him backward.

Tolu pursued.

The Ologunri fighter suddenly stomped his foot.

Ice spread across the ground.

Tolu’s footing disappeared.

He slipped.

The axe came down.

Tolu threw himself sideways.

The blade smashed into the ground where his chest had been.

Ice exploded outward.

Tolu rolled away and quickly recovered his footing.

The young man pulled his axe free.

Neither spoke.

They simply charged again.

This time Tolu attacked first.

His hammer smashed against the axe.

The Ologunri fighter blocked.

Tolu struck again.

And again.

The young man absorbed every blow.

Then he countered.

His axe swung horizontally.

Tolu blocked.

The force pushed him several meters across the arena.

The crowd erupted.

The young man didn’t give him time to recover.

He rushed forward.

The axe descended.

Tolu blocked.

A second strike.

Blocked.

Third.

Tolu barely caught it.

His arms trembled.

The fourth strike broke through his guard.

Tolu twisted at the last instant.

The axe cut across his side.

Blood appeared.

Tolu gritted his teeth.

He answered with a hammer strike to the man’s shoulder.

The young man staggered.

Tolu followed.

The hammer struck his chest.

The Ologunri fighter was thrown backward.

He landed hard.

But before Tolu could capitalize, the man slammed his palm against the ground.

A massive sheet of ice erupted between them.

Tolu smashed through it.

The young man was already waiting behind it.

The axe swung.

Tolu raised his hammer.

CLANG!

The force nearly knocked the weapon from his hands.

The young man stepped forward.

Tolu stepped back.

They exchanged another series of blows.

Neither could gain control.

The battle became a brutal rhythm.

Axe.

Hammer.

Ice.

Earth.

Steel against steel.

Element against element.

Every time Tolu found an opening, the young man closed it.

Every time the Ologunri fighter cornered him, Tolu found a way out.

The crowd became louder with every exchange.

Even the spectators who had been talking during earlier matches had fallen silent.

This was one of the closest battles of the competition.

Tolu’s breathing grew heavier.

The young man’s face was equally strained.

Neither had much left.

The Ologunri fighter suddenly raised his axe.

Ice gathered around the blade.

Tolu felt the pressure immediately.

The young man charged.

Tolu met him.

The axe came down.

Tolu swung upward.

BOOM!

The impact cracked the ground beneath both of them.

Neither weapon moved.

They pushed against each other.

Tolu’s arms shook.

The Ologunri fighter’s teeth clenched.

Then Tolu forced the axe aside.

He swung again.

The young man blocked.

The impact sent him stumbling.

Tolu chased him.

The young man suddenly spun.

The axe swept toward Tolu’s neck.

Tolu ducked.

The blade passed above him.

Tolu drove his hammer into the man’s ribs.

The young man flew sideways.

He crashed into the ground and rolled several times.

For a moment, he didn’t move.

The arena became silent.

Then he slowly pushed himself up.

Blood ran from his mouth.

He looked at Tolu.

Tolu was barely standing himself.

The young man smiled.

"One more."

Tolu nodded.

"One more."

The Ologunri fighter gripped his axe with both hands.

Ice surged around the weapon.

Tolu lowered his hammer.

Earth energy gathered around him.

They charged simultaneously.

The axe descended.

The hammer rose.

The two weapons collided.

CRACK!

A shockwave tore across the battlefield.

The Ologunri fighter’s axe cracked.

Tolu’s hammer was knocked from his hands.

Both weapons flew away.

For a heartbeat, neither man moved.

Then they charged at each other bare-handed.

The Ologunri fighter swung.

Tolu blocked.

Tolu punched.

The young man staggered.

He swung again.

Tolu ducked.

Tolu grabbed his arm.

The Ologunri fighter twisted free.

They exchanged blow after blow.

Neither wanted to fall.

Finally, Tolu caught him with a heavy strike to the chest.

The young man stumbled backward.

One foot crossed the boundary.

He froze.

The referee immediately raised his hand.

"The winner is Tolu!"

The arena erupted.

Tolu stood there, breathing heavily.

He looked toward his opponent.

The young man stared down at the foot outside the boundary.

Then he laughed.

"So close."

Tolu picked up his hammer.

"Very."

The young man retrieved his axe and approached.

He extended his hand.

Tolu shook it.

"You deserved that win."

Tolu shook his head.

"Could’ve gone either way."

The young man smiled.

"Maybe."

He looked toward the remaining arena.

"But next time, I’ll make sure it doesn’t."

Tolu gave a small smile.

"I’ll be ready."

Tolu turned away.

Only four contestants remained now.

He had reached the semifinals.

....

The cheers for Tolu had barely begun to settle when the referee returned to the center of the arena.

Four contestants remained.

The next match would determine the first finalist.

Tolu stepped away from the battlefield and joined the other remaining contestants at the edge of the arena. His eyes remained fixed on the center.

The referee raised one hand.

"Our next semifinal!"

The crowd erupted.

"Contestant number—"

He announced the two names.

A young man entered from the eastern gate.

He was dressed in brilliant crimson and gold, his long coat fluttering dramatically behind him. A pair of curved blades rested at his waist, and small sparks of golden energy danced around his body.

He walked into the arena as though thousands of people had gathered specifically to watch him.

The crowd loved it.

He raised one hand.

A burst of energy exploded above him.

The spectators roared.

His opponent entered from the opposite gate.

A young woman.

She wore a fitted dark-blue combat outfit with silver patterns running along the sleeves and waist. Her long hair was tied high behind her, and a slender sword hung at her side.

She looked far less interested in the audience.

She simply walked to her position and stopped.

The boy smiled.

"You’re rather quiet."

The girl glanced at him.

"I don’t have anything to say."

The crowd laughed.

The boy’s smile widened.

"Then I’ll make this entertaining for you."

The referee raised his hand.

"Begin!"

The boy vanished.

A burst of golden light streaked across the arena.

The girl drew her sword.

CLANG!

She blocked the first strike.

The boy spun around her, leaving streaks of golden energy in the air.

He attacked again.

And again.

Every movement was accompanied by flashes of light.

The audience erupted whenever he performed another elaborate maneuver.

He leaped into the air.

Golden energy formed beneath his feet.

He kicked off it and changed direction in midair.

The girl followed him with her eyes.

The boy descended with both blades crossed.

She stepped aside.

The blades struck the ground.

BOOM!

A burst of golden energy exploded outward.

The girl was thrown several meters back.

The boy landed gracefully.

He spread his arms.

The crowd cheered.

He looked toward the girl.

"How was that?"

She straightened.

"Unnecessary."

The crowd laughed again.

The boy’s expression twitched.

Then he attacked.

This time he stopped playing around.

His speed increased.

The golden energy around his body became brighter.

His blades moved like flashes of lightning.

The girl blocked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then she began moving.

Unlike the boy, her movements were small.

Efficient.

She didn’t waste a single step.

Every time he attacked, she shifted just enough to avoid the blade.

Every time he created distance, she closed it.

The boy’s flashy movements began to lose their effect.

He leaped backward.

Golden energy gathered around both blades.

"Let’s see you avoid this!"

He crossed his swords.

A massive golden crescent erupted toward her.

The girl raised her sword.

She didn’t block it.

She stepped forward.

The crescent passed behind her.

The boy’s eyes widened.

She was already in front of him.

His expression changed.

She struck.

He barely crossed his blades in time.

CLANG!

The impact forced him backward.

She struck again.

He blocked.

Again.

Again.

The boy’s feet slid across the ground.

His flashy smile disappeared.

He suddenly released a burst of golden energy.

The girl was forced backward.

He rushed forward.

His entire body became a streak of light.

He attacked from the left.

Then the right.

Then above.

Golden afterimages filled the battlefield.

The audience screamed.

The girl disappeared among them.

For a moment, nobody could see her.

Then—

CLANG!

One of the afterimages vanished.

CLANG!

Another disappeared.

The girl moved through them with astonishing precision.

The boy’s eyes widened.

She wasn’t following his movements anymore.

She was predicting them.

He appeared behind her.

She turned before he attacked.

Their weapons collided.

He spun away.

She followed.

He created distance.

She closed it.

He launched another wave of energy.

She cut through it.

The boy’s breathing became heavier.

The girl remained calm.

Finally, he gathered everything he had left.

Golden energy erupted around him.

The entire arena seemed to brighten.

He raised both blades.

"Then take everything!"

He launched himself forward.

The girl waited.

At the last moment, she stepped aside.

Her sword flashed.

The boy’s blades were knocked from his hands.

Before he could recover, she struck him across the chest with the flat of her sword.

He flew backward.

He crossed the boundary.

The referee immediately raised his hand.

"The winner." Pointing in her direction.

The arena erupted.