Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

It was all determined by who finished first because that was when the 3-hour countdown would begin.

Kyle inwardly hoped that Milo and Orion were still fighting as that was where his next opponent would come from per the future screen.

Upon observing the matches, he found out that they were still fighting.

Sure enough, after over 30 minutes of intense back-and-forth between the two, Milo managed to claim victory.

But it hadn\'t been easy for him. Kyle noticed the Blitz limping off to the side.

Milo\'s companion had taken a nasty hit, and even though the medics healed him immediately, the injury was too severe for Blitz to continue.

The medics were restricted in how much they could heal the contestants. Some wounds were left untreated to force them to drop out and visit the general academy infirmary.

Milo\'s expression looked devoid of any emotion, but one could see the sorrow and frustration if they looked at him closely.

Kyle on the other hand equally felt sad for him, but a greater share of relief.

Milo might have won, but without Blitz, Kyle\'s battle against him would be an easy one.

\'Hopefully, he saves himself the additional stress and drops out.\'

Kyle directed his gaze to where Riya and Lora sat. He was disappointed he had missed Lora\'s victory over Jacob, who he had later found out to be a dual-elementalist of fire and water.

Still, he had watched Riya\'s match with Anne, where Riya had shown incredible grit and determination, overcoming her opponent in a hard-fought battle.

Both of his friends had made it through, and that gave him a small sense of satisfaction... Now, it was all about who would fight him between Riya and Lora.

\'It would obviously be Riya,\' Kyle concluded without much pondering.

Kyle knew how determined Riya was and didn\'t think Lora would be able to put up a fight against her.

Before he knew it, his rest time was over. Kyle stood up, feeling refreshed and anew once again and ready to go for round two.

He made his way to the arena and spotted Milo on the other side. The boy looked frustrated, and his eyes locked into Kyle in great anger.

\'Chill, man... It\'s not my fault you\'re handicapped,\' Kyle wanted to say but held back his thoughts.

He might have lost his companion, but Kyle wasn\'t going to underestimate him, after all a wounded lion was always the strongest of all.

Despite Milo\'s fatigue, he knew that he would push himself to the limit, and that meant he had to be sharp.

As they both stepped into their respective starting positions, the arena went quiet for a brief moment.

The atmosphere thickened with anticipation as the referee raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Milo wasted no time. With a surge of mana, he launched himself forward using [Lightning Dash], his body becoming a blur of crackling electricity.

Kyle instinctively equally dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding the first attack as Milo came crashing down where he had been standing moments before.

Kyle was still surprised by Milo\'s agility, even with all his stat points, Milo was somehow able to keep up with him.

"This is going to be fun," Kyle remarked, loud enough to Milo\'s hearing.

Milo didn\'t speak. Instead, he responded by firing a quick [Lightning Bolt], the arc of electricity zipping toward Kyle with blinding speed.

Kyle raised his arm and released his own [Lightning Bolt], the two spells colliding in midair with a deafening crack.

The explosion of light and sound sent ripples of energy through the arena, but Kyle was already on the move.

He shot forward using [Lightning Dash], closing the distance between them in an instant.

Milo barely had time to react before Kyle was upon him, delivering a sharp punch to his midsection, charged with the residual electricity from his dash.

The force of the blow sent Milo stumbling backward, gritting his teeth in pain, but he didn\'t falter.

With a quick recovery, Milo retaliated, swinging his arm forward and casting another [Lightning Bolt] at point-blank range.

The bolt slammed into Kyle, sending a jolt of electricity surging through his body.

[HP: 64/76]

Kyle grunted as the shockwave pushed him back. It was painful... But he wasn\'t out yet.

"Is that all you got?"

Milo\'s brow furrowed in frustration, but he kept his composure, launching into another [Lightning Dash] to try and keep Kyle on the defensive.

Kyle dodged, narrowly evading a strike, and countered with a rune he had been charging in his hand.

With a quick toss, the rune hit the ground, forming cracks in the earth that shook Milo\'s balance.

Taking advantage of the opening, Kyle charged up a [Lightning Bolt] and hurled it at Milo\'s back.

The spell hit its mark, sending Milo sprawling to the ground, electricity crackling across his body as he groaned in pain.

Kyle took his chance, moving in quickly, he delivered a quick kick to Milo\'s side and pushed him further across the arena floor.

Milo coughed, pushing himself to his knees. There was still a spark in his eyes, evident of his unwavering determination.

Kyle shook his head, admiring Milo\'s resilience.

"I told you to drop out, didn\'t I?" he said, his tone almost mocking. But deep down, he respected Milo\'s spirit.

"The point of this tournament is to fight using the different boons of your electives and you\'re planning on beating me raw."

"Like hell I will!" Milo growled, summoning the last of his mana reserves.

He stood up shakily and launched into one final desperate attack, casting [Lightning Bolt] after [Lightning Bolt] in rapid succession.

The air was filled with the crackle of electricity as the bolts shot toward Kyle one after another, but Kyle dodged them with ease, each movement precise and controlled.

Milo\'s attacks grew sloppier and his mana was nearly depleted already.

Sweat kept pouring down from his face and his breath came in short gasps. Kyle could see that Milo was already nearing his limit.

With a calm breath, Kyle decided it was time to end this.

He activated an amplification rune before gathering his mana on one hand, preparing his final move.

Milo was still struggling to catch his breath when Kyle unleashed [Lightning Dash], closing the distance between them in a blink.

As he appeared right in front of Milo, he slammed his fist into Milo\'s chest, the force of the blow amplified by the rune he had activated.

The impact was devastating. Milo\'s eyes widened in shock as he was launched backward, his body tumbling across the arena floor until he finally came to a stop, unmoving.

For a moment, the arena was silent, the tension thick in the air. Then, slowly, Milo pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, panting heavily.

But it was over. He had no mana left, and his body was too battered to continue.

With a resigned sigh, Milo looked up at the referee and gave a small nod.

With that, the referee raised his hand, signaling the end of the match.

"And the winner is… Kyle!"