⚔️ Federation Arena — Sudden Death Duels: Round Two
The golden field shimmered one final time, retracting in arcs of light. Beneath our feet, the shattered battlefield repaired itself in pulses—craters flattened, runes reformed, and blood evaporated in flecks of steam and lightning.
The seven of us stood on individual elevated platforms now, separated by energy rails, suspended above a newly constructed dueling field far larger than before.
No applause this time.
Just silence.
Tension thickened the air like a fog no caster had summoned.
⸻
🎙️ "Round Two: Sudden Death Duels. Initiating now."
A new screen flared above us—names flashing beside unfamiliar titles.
Opponent Pairings:
• Fan Yumei vs. Yan Yixuan (Division 8 Elite – Dual Qi Channeler)
• Jin Minhe vs. Ye Lan (Division 8 Elite – Soul Refiner)
• Liang Chenwu vs. Ruo Jian (Division 8 Elite – Qi Manifestor)
• Division 5 Swordsman vs. Wu Bao (Division 8 Elite – Lightstep Assassin)
• Division 4 Brawler vs. Kai Shi (Division 8 Elite – Blood Iron Body)
• Division 2 Spellcaster vs. Min Zhao (Division 8 Elite – Dual Element Caster)
• Division 3 Movement Specialist vs. Zhou Qian (Division 8 Elite – Dimensional Stepper)
Even I held my breath at some of those titles. Dual Element Caster? Dimensional Stepper?
These weren't normal students.
These were advancement candidates, all handpicked from Division 8 — the Elite Preparatory Division, usually reserved for academy-sponsored talents trained outside the general system. Rumor said they didn't take classes with us. They took missions.
Hard missions.
⸻
Observation Platform – VIP Sector
Above the battlefield, behind a transparent rune-paneled enclosure, high-ranking officials and instructors sat in hushed formation.
Principal Renshu, tall and eagle-eyed as always, leaned forward on his cane. "That girl—Fan Yumei—she's holding something back," he muttered.
Beside him, Commander Qian, head of the Iron Guild and chief observer of this year's Ascension roster, tapped a gloved finger against the data rail. "More than just talent. She's evolving mid-combat. That kind of adaptation only shows up in Tier-3 awakened or actual field operatives."
"Jin Minhe too," chimed in Professor Long. "His beast bond is sealed for these rounds, yet his coordination barely faltered. Either he's trained far beyond his rank or…"
"…or he's been in real fights before," the Guild Commander finished.
"Liang Chenwu from Division 6," Principal Renshu added, voice low but certain. "He just redirected a Manifestor's strike with less than two layers of defense. His refinement of inner qi is almost monastic."
"Three Division 6s in the final round," someone from the upper desks whispered.
"And four from the elite branch," murmured another. "Interesting spread."
Commander Qian didn't smile, but his tone carried a rare note of intrigue. "We may need to revise our recruitment lists. Especially if that girl—Fan—survives the final."
⸻
I cracked my knuckles.
Yan Yixuan stood across the ring from me. Taller than me, lean, one black gauntlet on his left arm and a pressure band braced around his right knee. His core flared a faint silver-green.
He didn't smile. Just nodded once.
⸻
🎙️ "Match One: Fan Yumei vs. Yan Yixuan. Commencing in 5… 4… 3…"
I rolled my shoulders.
My braid was still half-loose. My lip still tasted like copper. I didn't care.
The rune lines on my boots reactivated, spark by spark.
⸻
"2…"
I locked onto his stance. Center-weighted. Favoring left leg.
"1…"
My pulse dropped into that cold, quiet space before chaos.
⸻
🎙️ "BEGIN."
⸻
He lunged—not with speed, but with displacement. He blinked forward like a flickering mirage, reappearing two meters from my right. I twisted instantly, my left arm catching his strike just as the gauntlet flared. The impact numbed my entire shoulder.
I dropped low, swept my leg.
He jumped, kicked off the energy rail behind me, rebounded like a damn bird of prey, and came down with a compressed elbow strike—
I activated my palm glyph and blocked it with both arms, skidding back across the reinforced arena tiles.
["He's a rhythm breaker. He's waiting for my reaction time to slip."]
Fine.
I let the next strike almost hit.
He dove in with a vertical punch—I pivoted, slipped under, and slammed a spinning heel strike into his ribs. He stumbled, but didn't go down.
He retaliated with a chain-kick combo and an elbow to the side of my neck. I blocked one, took the second, rolled to dampen the impact, then surged forward with a qi-infused shoulder bash.
We separated, both panting.
His gauntlet hissed.
My ribs throbbed.
Then he smiled.
"Good. You're not just trophy bait."
I spat blood. "You talk too much for someone about to get disqualified."
He lunged again. This time faster.
I let my glyphs activate full cycle.
My rune spike lit—
And I drove it directly into the energy sheath on his knee brace.
It shattered.
He screamed and dropped to one leg.
I didn't hesitate. Two jabs. A downward strike to his collar. Then a palm to the chest that activated my compression glyph.
He flew backward, hit the energy rail, and triggered his elimination sigil.
⸻
🎙️ "Victor: Fan Yumei."
⸻
The crowd exploded into sound again for the first time since the sudden death round began.
My breath came fast now. My arms burned. My vision narrowed at the edges. But I stayed standing as the platform rose back up.
Across the arena, I spotted Jin Minhe finishing his match. He ducked under a high kick, swept Ye Lan's feet, and pinned him with a sealing rune the moment his arm touched ground.
Jin exhaled. "I'm still hungry."
Another screen updated:
Advancing Students So Far:
• Fan Yumei
• Jin Minhe
• Liang Chenwu (win confirmed moments later with a flawless qi palm to Ruo Jian's core)
• Kai Shi (from Division 8) — overpowered the Division 4 Brawler
• Zhou Qian (Division 8) — used a step-split movement that nobody could follow
• Wu Bao (Division 8) — defeated the Division 5 Swordsman
• Min Zhao (Division 8) — overwhelmed the Division 2 Spellcaster with elemental convergence
⸻
🎙️ "Sudden Death Round complete. Final Advancement Candidates Identified."
——-
The updated finalist list shone bright on every hologram across the arena:
——-
✅ Final Tournament Qualifiers:
——-
• Fan Yumei – Division 6
—
• Jin Minhe – Division 6
—
• Liang Chenwu – Division 6
—
• Kai Shi – Division 8
—
• Zhou Qian – Division 8
—
• Wu Bao – Division 8
—
• Min Zhao – Division 8
⸻
The crowd began to chant now—waves of sound hitting us like wind.
Some shouted "Division 6 dark horse!"
Others yelled "Division 8 supremacy!"
But I just stared straight ahead, blood still running from the side of my mouth, heart drumming like a war drum in my chest.
["Next round… we're not fighting to survive anymore. We're fighting to define our place."]
⸻
Beside me, Jin Minhe finally sighed and muttered:
"Spicy dinner. You promised."
I smiled faintly, shoulders aching, and nodded.
"Win the final round, and I'll make it double portion."
I checked the elimination chart on my 0ni9x phone mentally preparing myself for the next rounds.
______________________________________________________
Sudden Death Duels : Victory Stats
——————————————————————————
🧍 Name |🎓 D | ⚔️ O | ☠️ OS | 🌱 CP | 🏆 V | 🎯 TB
——————————————————————————
Fan Yumei | D6 | Yan Yixuan |❌ Eliminated |SF&EMC | 1 | 1
——————————————————————————
Jin Minhe | D6 | Ye Lan | ❌Eliminated | SP&RF | 1 | 1
——————————————————————————
Liang Chenwu | D6 | Ruo Jian | ❌Eliminated | EC | 1 | 1
——————————————————————————
Kai Shi | D8 | Ren Ji | ❌ Eliminated | COMBT& BL | 1 | 1
——————————————————————————
Zhou Qian | D8 | Liu Fang | ❌Eliminated | SP&BL | 1 | 1
——————————————————————————-
Wu Bao | D8 | Wei Rong | ❌Eliminated | COMBT | 1 | 1
——————————————————————————-
Min Zhao | D8 | Zhou Wei | ❌ Eliminated | ELMC | 1 | 1
———————————————-———————————
I am ready for the final battles showdown