Chapter 117: light and darkness

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: light and darkness

The arena had barely recovered from Tolu’s semifinal victory when the announcer’s voice thundered across the battlefield once again.

"THE SECOND SEMIFINAL!"

The thousands of spectators erupted.

The noise rolled through the arena like a wave, echoing against the enormous walls and shaking the banners hanging high above the stands.

"One fighter has already secured his place in the final!"

The announcer raised one hand toward the VIP section.

"And now, we will determine who will stand opposite him!"

The crowd grew louder.

"On one side!"

A young man stepped onto the battlefield.

He was tall, lean, and carried himself with an almost theatrical confidence. Two curved blades rested in his hands, their edges shining beneath the sunlight.

Golden energy flickered around his body.

It wasn’t merely an aura.

Thin streams of brilliant gold moved along his arms and shoulders, gathering around his twin blades before bursting outward in small flashes.

The crowd immediately reacted.

"That’s Light affinity!"

"Look at that energy!"

"He’s beautiful with those blades!"

The announcer laughed loudly.

"And facing him!"

The opposite gate opened.

A young woman walked onto the battlefield.

She carried a single sword.

Unlike the boy, she made no dramatic entrance.

She simply walked.

Calmly.

Quietly.

Her expression was composed, almost unreadable.

The moment she stepped fully onto the battlefield, however, the sunlight around her seemed to dim.

Not because the sun had disappeared.

Something else was swallowing the light.

A thin layer of darkness spread beneath her feet.

The audience quieted.

"Shadow affinity..."

Someone in the stands whispered.

The announcer’s voice rose.

"A swordswoman with the Shadow affinity!"

The reaction was immediate.

"Shadow!"

"She’s using it already!"

"She’s insane!"

"Does she know how much energy that consumes?"

Tolu watched from the contestant area.

His eyes narrowed.

This would be something else.

The boy raised one of his blades.

The golden glow intensified.

The woman slowly lowered her sword.

Neither spoke.

The referee stepped between them.

"Begin!"

The boy vanished.

BOOM!

A streak of golden light crossed the battlefield.

The woman raised her sword.

CLANG!

The collision sent sparks flying.

The boy twisted in midair and immediately attacked again.

One blade.

Then the second.

Then both together.

Golden arcs tore across the battlefield.

The woman blocked the first.

Dodged the second.

Parried the third.

Then stepped backward as a fourth slash passed within an inch of her face.

The crowd exploded.

"He’s too fast!"

"Look at those blades!"

"She’s barely keeping up!"

The boy grinned.

"You won’t survive if you keep defending."

The woman said nothing.

He disappeared again.

This time, he attacked from behind.

She turned at the last possible moment.

Her shadow stretched.

The golden blade struck it.

Instead of cutting through her body, the sword sank into darkness.

The boy’s expression changed.

"What—?"

The woman pulled her sword free.

The shadow beneath her suddenly erupted.

Dark tendrils shot toward him.

He leapt backward.

Several tendrils tore through the ground where he had been standing.

The audience roared.

"She almost got him!"

"That’s Shadow manipulation!"

"How much energy is she spending?"

Tolu remained silent.

He could see it.

Every use of Shadow was draining her.

Her breathing had already changed.

Only slightly.

But it was there.

The boy saw it too.

"So that’s your weakness."

Golden light erupted from his body.

His two blades became covered in brilliant energy.

"Then I’ll make you spend every bit of it."

He charged.

The battlefield became a storm of gold.

The woman’s shadow followed her movements like another body.

She blocked.

Dodged.

Countered.

Darkness and golden light collided again and again.

Every impact shook the arena.

BOOM!

A golden slash tore through the ground.

BOOM!

A wall of shadow swallowed the attack.

BOOM!

The woman emerged from the darkness behind him.

Her sword flashed toward his neck.

He twisted away.

The blade cut through his shoulder guard.

The crowd screamed.

"She got him!"

"That was close!"

The boy landed several meters away.

A thin line of blood appeared on his shoulder.

He looked at it.

Then smiled.

"Good."

His golden aura suddenly expanded.

The entire battlefield became illuminated.

The light was so bright that some spectators raised their hands to shield their eyes.

Even the VIP section reacted.

Several elders leaned forward.

Tolu’s expression became serious.

The boy crossed his blades.

"Let’s finish this."

The golden energy surrounding him compressed.

For one brief moment, the entire battlefield became strangely quiet.

Then—

"LIGHTFALL!"

The boy swung both blades.

A massive wave of golden energy exploded forward.

The battlefield disappeared beneath it.

The audience erupted.

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

"That’s a finishing technique!"

"She’s finished!"

"There’s nowhere to run!"

The woman stood directly in its path.

Her expression remained calm.

She lowered her sword.

The shadow beneath her feet expanded.

Five meters.

Ten.

Twenty.

Then it spread across the entire battlefield.

The golden wave crashed into it.

Light and darkness collided.

For several seconds, neither side moved.

The arena trembled.

The formations around the battlefield lit up.

The spectators fell silent.

Then the darkness began to consume the golden light.

Slowly.

Piece by piece.

The woman’s face had finally tightened with effort.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Her energy was dropping rapidly.

But the darkness continued spreading.

The boy’s eyes widened.

"No..."

The golden wave began disappearing.

The crowd stared.

"She’s eating the attack!"

"How much energy does she have?!"

"That’s impossible!"

"No! She’s burning through everything she has!"

The woman suddenly raised her sword.

The darkness gathered behind her.

Not around her.

Behind her.

A massive black shape began forming.

The silhouette resembled an enormous beast made entirely of shadow.

Its head rose above the battlefield.

Its eyes opened.

Two dark-red points appeared within the darkness.

The entire arena went silent.

Even the announcer stopped speaking.

The boy stared upward.

For the first time, his confidence disappeared.

The woman whispered.

"Shadow Beast."

The creature descended.

The boy crossed both blades in front of himself.

Golden energy exploded from his body.

"COME!"

The shadow beast crashed down.

BOOOOOOM!

The battlefield disappeared beneath a massive explosion of darkness and light.

The shockwave slammed into the arena walls.

The protective formations activated fully.

The audience screamed.

Some spectators stood.

Others grabbed the people beside them.

The VIP section was equally chaotic.

When the dust finally began clearing, the battlefield was almost unrecognizable.

Cracks covered the ground.

Smoke drifted through the air.

The boy was on one knee.

One of his blades was broken.

The golden glow around him flickered weakly.

Across from him, the girl stood with her sword planted into the ground.

She was breathing heavily.

Her legs trembled.

She looked exhausted.

But she was still standing.

The boy slowly looked up.

He tried to rise.

His leg gave out.

The referee stepped forward.

"Can you continue?"

The boy looked at his broken blade.

Then at the girl.

He laughed quietly.

"Not against that."

The referee raised his hand.

"The winner is—"

The crowd already knew.

"THE SHADOW SWORDSMAN!"

The arena exploded.

Thousands of voices erupted at once.

"WHAT A FIGHT!"

"LIGHT AGAINST SHADOW!"

"I’VE NEVER SEEN A SEMIFINAL LIKE THAT!"

"THE FINAL IS GOING TO BE INSANE!"

The announcer turned toward the remaining contestant’s area.

Tolu stood there silently.

The woman across the battlefield slowly lifted her head.

Their eyes met.

She didn’t smile.

Neither did he.

But for the first time that day, Tolu felt something different.

The final wouldn’t be another fight.

It would be the greatest battle he had faced since entering the competition.

And now, everyone in the arena was waiting to see it.

....

An hour after the second semifinal ended, the arena was louder than it had been all day.

The final was about to begin.

The stands were packed again, with even more people having returned after hearing what had happened in the semifinals. Conversations filled every section, and everywhere Tolu looked, people were discussing the two remaining contestants.

Some had even started making unofficial bets.

"I’ve got five silver on the Shadow girl."

"Only five? I’ll put ten on Tolu."

"You saw what he did in the first semifinal. He was exhausted, then suddenly recovered completely."

"Exactly why I’m betting against him. Whatever that technique was, he can’t keep relying on it."

"The Shadow girl just fought a Light-affinity user and survived that attack. How is Tolu supposed to deal with her?"

"With that hammer, apparently."

A few people laughed.

Others were more serious.

"Tolu’s earth affinity is a problem for her. She can’t afford to waste energy against someone that durable."

"Durable? He nearly lost to that wind girl before revealing that hidden reserve."

"But she had to spend most of her energy too. The Shadow girl fights differently."

In another section, several cultivators watched the arena entrance.

"I’m telling you, Tolu’s unusual energy is the deciding factor."

"No. You don’t know what it is."

"Whatever it is, it worked."

"Against one opponent. This is the final."

Nearby, another group had their own argument.

"The Shadow girl."

"Why?"

"Because she doesn’t waste movements. Watch her fight. Everything she does has a purpose."

"And her Shadow affinity consumes too much energy."

"Then she won’t use it carelessly."

"That’s exactly why I think Tolu has a chance."

The arguments continued throughout the arena.

Some people were betting silver.

Some were betting gold.

A few were betting meals, favors, or small cultivation resources.

Most of the bets were nothing more than entertainment between spectators.

But the anticipation was real.

Everyone wanted to see the final.

The announcer eventually stepped onto the platform.

The thousands of conversations slowly faded.

"Everyone!"

His voice echoed through the arena.

"The moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived!"

The remaining spectators erupted.

"The final battle of the Third-Generation Competition!"

The noise became deafening.

"One contestant has defeated every opponent placed before him with earth affinity, a war hammer, and a mysterious reserve of power that has left everyone wondering just how much he was hiding!"

The crowd immediately began shouting Tolu’s name.

"And standing against him is the swordswoman who has fought her way through the competition with precision, discipline, and the power of Shadow!"

Another wave of cheers erupted.

The announcer stepped back.

"Today, only one of them will leave this arena as the champion!"

The two gates at opposite ends of the battlefield began to open.

The crowd fell almost completely silent.

Tolu stepped forward.

His hammer rested against his shoulder.

Across the battlefield, the Shadow swordswoman emerged.

She carried her sword in one hand.

Neither contestant spoke.

They simply looked at each other.

The final had begun.