ONLINE: Blades of Eternity-Chapter 217: ELDRIC’S ACHILLES HEEL

In another corner of the Northern Wind Spire Coliseum, the tension surrounding Eldric’s final duel was palpable. The audience leaned forward in anticipation as Eldric, the lightning swordsman known for his raw power and tenacity, stood at one end of the mini-arena. Across from him was his opponent, a girl draped in a black robe adorned with crimson runes—a member of the Brightmore House, renowned for their mastery of necromancy and death magic. Her cold, piercing gaze seemed to dissect Eldric, and her smirk exuded condescension.

"Seems like Eldric will have it rough from the point forward"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Can’t you see who his opponent is?"

"Uhhh..... I don’t really know her...."

"Gosh! That is Annabeth, the cursed tongue"

Annabeth Brightmore, her name whispered through the crowd, was infamous for her ability to provoke and dismantle her opponents mentally before she even struck physically.

As the signal to begin the duel was given, Annabeth tilted her head, her voice soft but laced with venom.

"Tell me, Eldric, how does it feel to fight for glory when the only person cheering for you is a lowly single mother? No father to guide you, no lineage worth mentioning... just the son of a nobody."

Eldric’s grip on his sword tightened, his knuckles white. A vein pulsed in his temple, his usually calm demeanor unraveling as he spoke grimly.

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"Keep my mother out of this."

Apparently, right when the stage one of the individual class battles were reaching it’s middle stages, Eldric waved at his single mother who is also doing the same from the commoners stands with decrepit and given up atmosphere all around her even if she was smiling so resplendently to Eldric.

Annabeth chuckled, raising her hand as tendrils of black mist began to coil around her like serpents. The ground beneath her feet darkened as she summoned spectral warriors, their hollow eyes glowing with a sickly green light while she spoke up.

"Oh, but she’s the only thing you have, isn’t she? Such a fragile, pathetic existence. No wonder your father left."

The crowd murmured uneasily at her words. Eldric’s jaw clenched, his body trembling with suppressed rage. He launched forward, his sword crackling with lightning, aiming to silence her once and for all.

Annabeth calmly sidestepped his attack, her smirk widening as she continued.

"Sloppy. Is that the best you’ve got? No wonder you’re barely hanging on in this competition."

She waved her hand, and the spectral warriors lunged at Eldric. He dispatched them with ease, his blade slicing through the ethereal figures as arcs of lightning danced around him. But her words continued to chip away at his composure.

"Face it, Eldric. You’re nothing but a disappointment, just like—"

Her sentence was cut off as Eldric roared, the air around him crackling with an ominous energy before he spoke furiously.

"Enough!"

Swish!!

Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from his body as he unleashed one of his tribulation lightning techniques called the Sky Piercer, an advanced and forbidden move he had been warned never to use recklessly by Vice chancellor Reeves himself. The sky above the mini-arena darkened, and bolts of lightning descended like the wrath of the heavens, obliterating Annabeth’s spectral warriors and striking her directly.

The crowd gasped in horror as Annabeth was thrown back, her body crumpling to the ground. She groaned in pain, her limbs twitching unnaturally as the aftermath of the lightning coursed through her. The barrier around the arena flickered, struggling to contain the sheer force of Eldric’s attack.

Annabeth’s supporters from the Brightmore House rose to their feet, their faces a mix of shock and fury.

Seraphine Gale, the supervisor, immediately intervened, her voice suddenly booming like an earthquake.

"Stop this madness at once!"

Eldric, his chest heaving and eyes glowing faintly with residual lightning, slowly lowered his blade. But the damage was done. Annabeth was barely able to stand, her body visibly trembling as she glared at him with venom in her eyes.

Seraphine raised her hand, signaling the end of the match.

"Eldric, for your reckless use of advanced techniques and deliberate intent to harm your opponent, you are hereby disqualified from this event!"

The announcement sent ripples of shock through the crowd. Eldric’s face paled as the weight of Seraphine’s words sank in.

"Disqualified...? But she—"

"There is no excuse for such conduct. This is a competition, not a battlefield. Your actions have endangered not only your opponent but the integrity of this event." Seraphine interjected with a determined tone in her voice.

Eldric stood frozen as Annabeth was escorted off the arena by medics, her mocking smirk still intact despite her injuries.

As Eldric left the mini-arena in disgrace, murmurs filled the coliseum.

In the VIP section, Castenada’s expression darkened as he turned to Marel.

"That boy’s temper has cost him dearly. And it’s brought unnecessary attention to us."

"He’s young and reckless, but this will haunt him. A harsh lesson, but a necessary one." Marel commented

Meanwhile, Annabeth’s father, seated among the Brightmore representatives, exchanged a cold glare with Terron, making it clear that this incident wouldn’t be forgotten easily.

As Eldric walked off, his head bowed and fists clenched, the realization of his failure hit him like a lightning strike of his own making. He had not only lost his chance to advance but had tarnished the reputation of his academy and himself.

From their respective mini-arenas, Kaelen and Ethan watched as Eldric trudged off the battlefield, his head hung low in defeat and disgrace. The weight of his disqualification was evident in his hunched shoulders and clenched fists. Both of them had fought alongside Eldric back at the Pacesetters Academy, and while he could be reckless, they knew how deeply his pride and the burden of his family circumstances shaped his actions.

Kaelen adjusted his grip on his sword, his sharp eyes following Eldric’s every step as he spoke up.

"Poor guy... He let his emotions get the better of him."

Ethan, standing in his own corner at his assigned mini arena with his twin blades sheathed, had a sympathetic expression along with a faint frown on his face while he muttered.

"It’s not easy fighting someone who knows how to strike at your weakest points, especially when they bring your family into it. He’s stubborn, but I don’t blame him for snapping."

Kaelen sighed, his gaze shifting briefly to General Cao, who had risen from his seat in the VIP section and was already waiting at the edge of the arena to meet Eldric. The general’s expression was stern but not unsympathetic, and Kaelen could only hope he would guide Eldric rather than scold him further.

"General Cao’s a good mentor. He’ll help Eldric process this... hopefully turn it into something he can learn from." Kaelen suddenly said with a hopeful feeling for Eldric.

"Let’s just hope the Brightmore House doesn’t make things more complicated for him." Coincidentally, it seems like Ethan heard him as he quickly spoke up next.

As Eldric finally reached General Cao, the two exchanged a few quiet words, their voices drowned out by the low hum of the spectators and participants discussing the conclusion of the first stage. General Cao placed a firm hand on Eldric’s shoulder, and though his expression remained unreadable, the gesture carried a semblance of reassurance.

Before Kaelen or Ethan could dwell on it further, a sudden ripple of energy swept through the coliseum. The once-separate mini-arenas shimmered and flickered before merging back into a single grand battlefield. The barriers dissolved into thin air, and the participants found themselves standing together once more in the massive arena.

In the center of it all, Seraphine Gale materialized like a whisper carried on the wind. Her emerald-green robes fluttered lightly, though there was no breeze, and her presence commanded instant attention.

Her melodious voice resonated across the coliseum, silencing the crowd.

"And thus concludes the first stage of the Individual Class Battles."

Her gaze swept over the participants, her sharp eyes assessing each one as though she could see into their very souls as she continued.

"You have all endured the trials of the round robin phase. Some of you have triumphed, while others have faltered. Such is the way of competition. But take heart, for every victory and defeat shapes the warriors you are becoming."

Her words hung in the air for a moment before she raised her hand, and a series of holographic screens appeared above her, displaying the names of those who had advanced to the next stage. Kaelen’s and Ethan’s names were prominently featured among the qualifiers, though Eldric’s absence was painfully noticeable.

"To those who have advanced, steel yourselves. The next phase will demand even more of your skill, strategy, and resolve. To those who did not, your journey does not end here. Learn from today, and grow stronger."

The audience erupted into applause, their excitement for the next stage palpable.

Kaelen exchanged a brief glance with Ethan who is beside him, both of them nodding in silent acknowledgment of the battles yet to come.

"Well, one stage down. The real challenge begins now."

"And we’ll need every bit of strength we’ve got to face what’s next." Ethan replied with sheer determination.

As Seraphine concluded her address, she vanished once more, leaving the participants to reflect on their performances and prepare for what lay ahead. Meanwhile, in the VIP section, Castenada and Marel exchanged a knowing look, their thoughts already turning to the next phase of the competition.