Chapter 80: Kyle Vs Lora
"Welcome, everyone, to the final day of the tournament!" Dan began, his voice echoing powerfully.
"Over the past days, we\'ve witnessed talent like no other. From fierce battles to brilliant strategies, our students have proven their mettle in every way.
Today, we see the best of the best compete for the title of champion. Only two remain, and soon, we will know who stands above the rest."
He paused before continuing:
"In our final match, two exceptional Rune Makers will face each other in a battle of skill, magic, and runes.
On one side, we have Kyle, whose prowess in combat has been nothing short of remarkable.
And on the other—Lora, a master of advanced runes, whose tactical genius has brought her to this stage."
Dan\'s voice rang out again. "And now, without further delay—let the final match begin! Kyle versus Lora!"
Kyle made his way to the center of the arena. He could hear his heart pounding.
\'Why is it pounding?\' Kyle thought, before a certain thought surfaced on his mind. \'I\'m not nervous, am I?\'
He brushed all thoughts aside and tried to calm himself, stepping onto the arena.
The main arena was made up of a vast, circular, sand floor, surrounded by a magical barrier to protect the audience from stray attacks.
Kyle stood across from Lora in the arena. Her usual soft gaze was filled with determination, the shy girl he had known was replaced by someone serious, someone ready for battle.
Both of them were allowed to use up to ten runes in this final match, a limit that added strategy to the battle.
He had prepared with this in mind, focusing on a combination of offensive and defensive runes.
But Kyle knew Lora should have a whole lot of advanced runes that could change the course of a fight.
He took a deep breath, stepping forward slightly. "Hey, Lora," he said while trying to keep his tone light despite the tension in the air.
"Didn\'t think we\'d end up here, huh?"
Lora\'s lips curved into a small smile, though she didn\'t quite meet his eyes at first.
"Yeah... I didn\'t expect this either," she murmured with a soft voice. "But... I guess it had to happen sometime."
There was a while of silence between them. It didn\'t last for long though as Lora chose to break it:
"I\'ve been watching you fight and I noticed you\'ve gotten better with your runes," Lora continued, her tone gaining a little strength as she glanced up at him.
"I mean, I always knew you would, but... you\'ve really improved."
Kyle chuckled softly. "Well, I\'ve had a good teacher."
His smile faded slightly as he realized they were wasting much time. "You ready for this? I know it\'s weird, but I won\'t be holding back because we\'re friends."
"I don\'t plan on holding back either."
Before either of them could say more, the referee stepped forward, raising his hand.
The crowd roared to life once again, their anticipation very evident as they waited for the match to begin.
"Good luck, Kyle," Lora said, her voice barely audible over the din of the crowd.
Kyle gave her a small nod, feeling his heart rate pick up once again. "You too. Let\'s give them a show."
[You sure about this? She looks like she\'s going to wipe the floor with you]
Void\'s voice interrupted in Kyle\'s mind, sounding as casual as ever.
Kyle kept his focus, trying not to let his playful teasing get to him. \'This is serious, Void. I need to concentrate.\'
[Just saying, you might want to be careful. Wouldn\'t want you to embarrass yourself in front of all these people.]
Kyle sighed, tuning Void out as best he could. He didn\'t have time for distractions.
And with that, the referee\'s hand dropped, signaling the start of the match.
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"Begin!"
Lora was the first to act, channeling her mana for a spell the moment the match started.
The area around the two of them became surrounded by an enveloping blinding light.
Kyle instantly recognized the spell.
"Blind," he muttered, trying to adapt his eyes to the sudden brightness.
His vision blurred and the world around him began transforming into a haze of white light.
He had earlier found our that Lora had two offense oriented Light spells: [Blind] and [Light Beam], she didn\'t go for any of the support Tier-1 skills, but Kyle was prepared for this.
\'Lightning Dash!\'
Without hesitating, his body crackled with lightning and he zoomed out of the spell\'s radius.
Lora didn\'t take long to launch another rune at Kyle after seeing him escape from the [Blind] radius.
This one was unfamiliar to Kyle—it glowed with a pulsing silver light, burst open in midair, and transformed into several streams of energy that shot toward him.
His instincts immediately took over, using [Lightning Dash] to move swiftly, Kyle zipped out of the way, his form blurring as he sped across the arena.
The streams of light slammed into the ground where he had just stood, leaving scorch marks in the sand.
"That\'s new," Kyle muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing at Lora.
They were realms apart when it came to Rune Making, Kyle had to admit... That didn\'t mean he was going to lose though.
He skidded to a stop and pulled out another rune from his pouch, one of his trump cards—a Paralysis Rune.
On activating, he hurled it toward Lora. The rune glowed with a faint blue light as it arced through the air.
Lora, seeing the incoming threat, reacted quickly. She placed her hand in her pouch once more, releasing another rune, this one glowing with a golden hue.
As it activated, a wave of golden light spread out from her, forming a protective shield around her. The [Paralysis Rune] struck the shield, but its effects were neutralized instantly.
Lora\'s shield shimmered for a moment longer before dissipating, leaving her unscathed. Kyle gritted his teeth. He knew she had strong runes, but seeing them in action was another story entirely.
"You\'re not going to make this easy, are you?" Kyle called out, his voice tinged with some amusement.
Lora shook her head, her lips forming a small smile. "You didn\'t really think I would, did you?"
Kyle couldn\'t help but grin. This was what he had wanted—a real challenge.
Lora\'s movements were fluid as she drew yet another rune from her pouch, this one glowing with an intense light.
Kyle knew he had to act fast. He grabbed a Mana Siphoner Rune, intending to disrupt her flow of magic.
He threw it toward her just as she activated her rune. The moment the Mana Siphoner took effect, a faint glow surrounded Lora, drawing some of her magical energy toward Kyle. It wasn\'t a game-ending move, but it would weaken her, even if only for a short time. Kyle could feel the boost in his own mana reserves as he absorbed some of her energy.
But Lora wasn\'t done yet. Despite the siphoning, she drew her mana,
sending a blinding [Light Beam] straight at Kyle.
The beam shot toward him at incredible speed, and Kyle barely had time to react.
His instincts took over again before the spell left her hand as he activated a rune, mud wall.
The towering wall of earth rose from the ground quickly enough to stop the approaching spell, sending a ripple of energy through the air.
The impact was powerful, and Kyle could feel the strain as his barrier struggled to hold up against the attack.
The barrier held, but only just. Kyle could feel the last remnants of its energy flickering out as the [Light Beam] dissipated.
He couldn\'t afford to stay on the defensive any longer. He needed to push back.
With a swift motion, Kyle reached into his pouch and pulled out his next rune—a spell amplifier.
He held it tightly, feeling its magic hum in his hand as he activated it. The rune\'s energy surged through him, amplifying his next spell.
Kyle raised his hand, and with a sharp motion, he cast [Lightning Bolt].
The familiar crackle of energy built up in his hand before surging forward, the bolt of lightning enhanced by the spell amplifier rune. It shot across the arena, aimed directly at Lora.
Lora\'s eyes widened in surprise at the sheer power of the attack. She moved quickly, activating another rune from her pouch.
A bright burst of light surrounded her as she formed a protective shield, but even with her defense in place, Kyle\'s amplified [Lightning Bolt] was too strong.
The lightning bolt struck her shield with a deafening crack, and the barrier shattered like glass, sending Lora tumbling backward across the arena floor. She hit the ground hard, sliding to a stop in the sand.
Kyle stood there, panting slightly from the exertion, watching her carefully.
For a moment, he thought it was over. Lora lay on the ground, unmoving, her rune pouch scattered beside her. The crowd had gone silent, the air thick with anticipation.
But then, slowly, Lora began to stir.
She pushed herself up on her elbows, wincing in pain, but her eyes were still sharp, still full of determination.
Kyle\'s heart sank a little after seeing her get back up. She wasn\'t done yet.