Shadow Over the Heavenly Throne-Chapter 51: Who’s next?

The blade fell from the sky like the wrath of the gods. Violent, unrelenting, scorching the air to blinding white. The arena trembled under the weight of that single technique. Thalos’ fiery sword tore through space, leaving behind a blazing scar in the sky—as if it intended to split the very earth.

And Calista... didn’t move an inch.

She closed her eyes.

Her breathing slowed, as if she had suddenly detached from her body and drifted into another world. The space around her blurred. Sound vanished. Time itself seemed to grind to a halt.

In that spiritual depth, a single flower floated.

A lotus—majestic, glowing with inner light, slowly blooming in the void. Eight petals. Each one quivered gently, as if sensing her presence. Her Qi resonated with the flower, flowing through her body like a calm river.

This was the Chamber.

This was the heart of her path.

The outside world—noise, fire, chaos—felt distant, as if it belonged to another reality.

Silent Qi flowed through her body. The edge of her robe lifted in a sudden breeze. For a brief moment—everything froze.

"Lotus Chamber... open," she whispered.

The blade struck.

An explosion of fire lit up the arena, shockwaves of energy slamming outward. Dust surged into the air, and many in the audience shielded their eyes. Heat slammed against the protective barrier with such force that cracks appeared.

And then... the storm dispersed.

The figure standing in the center was no longer there.

Calista appeared several meters away, untouched.

In the stands, Sylphia held her breath, eyes wide with disbelief.

"What... was that?" she whispered.

Beside her, Queen Veynessa didn’t move. She watched her friend with a soft smile.

"That’s her technique, Sylphia. The Lotus Chamber," she said quietly. "Watch closely. The real battle is just beginning."

"First Petal. Reflection in Water," Calista whispered, not even looking at the scorched ruin left behind by the illusion.

A crimson symbol shimmered on her left hand, pulsing beneath the skin. She didn’t even glance at it. Ignored it completely.

Thalos narrowed his eyes.

"Interesting..." he muttered. "Let’s see how many times you can run."

He moved.

A wave of fire surged like a tsunami, splitting the arena down the middle. The ground glowed red-hot, spiritual flame peeling from his feet with each step. Calista leapt sideways, rolled mid-air, avoiding the fire by inches. For a moment, her body trembled.

Sweat beaded on her brow.

Not yet. Not the moment.

She landed with grace, touched the earth—and countered.

Her fingers traced a circle. Qi vibrated.

"Second Petal. A Second of Silence..."

Thalos felt it.

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His Qi stopped. Like a door had slammed shut on the flow of his spirit. For the briefest instant—a blink—he couldn’t move.

Calista vanished.

She reappeared behind him, kicking his knee. Not with force, but with precision. Thalos stumbled, and before he could recover, another wave of Qi struck his back.

"Fourth Petal. Whisper of the Void."

Qi exploded along his acupoints, like invisible needles piercing vital energy nodes. There was no pain—only shock. His flow was disrupted, his body thrown off-balance from within. The heat in his veins faltered, uneven, like his own fire had lost its rhythm.

Thalos gritted his teeth. Every muscle tensed too sharply. His Qi swirled wildly, as if the inner flame had turned to smoke.

He couldn’t let her dictate the pace.

He reacted instinctively—a retreat, a strike, brute force—everything he knew. But his arm sliced through empty air.

He hit nothing.

"Where..."

Calista stood several meters away, already in another stance.

Thalos glared down at her. His Qi still burned, dense and heavy, the air around him warping from the heat.

"So you really think fancy footwork and illusions are a substitute for a real fight?" he snarled.

Calista lifted her chin slightly. Her gaze was ice.

"No. I think they’re enough to make sure your attack never touches me."

In that moment, their gazes clashed with the same violence their Qi had.

Without waiting, she spread her hands. Around the arena, faint points of light appeared—barely visible lotus petals.

"Fifth Petal. Path of Lotuses."

Before Thalos could react, Calista vanished. His strike hit nothing but an echo. She appeared at his side, sliding beneath his attack, her movement leaving behind a spiritual trail.

"What the..."

"Too slow."

Thalos roared, unleashing a wave of flame from both hands, turning the space before him into an inferno. The barrier groaned under the pressure, spiritual heat rising like the breath of an enraged dragon. He knew he couldn’t let her dominate the field any longer—he had to destroy anything she could use to anchor her techniques.

If everything becomes fire, she’ll have nowhere left to hide.

He clasped his hands into a seal. His Qi surged, fiery sigils swirling around his body. This was an advanced technique—the Circle of Nine Tongues of Flame. The fire didn’t just burn. It crawled across the ground, climbed the air, bent space itself. Every move he made became a storm.

This time, Calista didn’t completely evade. The flame grazed the ends of her hair.

They sparked.

Not good. One more of those, and... this could end badly.

She felt the pressure rising inside her. Her Qi circulated faster, preparing itself for the next phase. Thalos's fire wasn’t just powerful—it was intelligent. It searched for weaknesses, forcing her to react.

I can't keep holding back.

Her hand tightened slightly.

Time to rise higher.

Thalos charged forward, eyes blazing.

"Enough games!" he snarled, watching her slip through his attacks with uncanny ease.

He knew if he didn’t break her now, if he let her continue dictating the pace, the fight would spiral out of control.

Qi erupted around him. This time, his fire wasn’t wide—it was focused. He gathered all his power into a single seal, the air around him vibrating from spiritual pressure.

"Flame of the Judging Soul..."

The ground beneath him split. Pillars of flame shot from his feet, and from the sky, spiraling tongues of fire answered. They merged into a single, massive form—a blazing two-handed sword. This technique was not just meant to wound—it was designed to burn away the spiritual presence of its target, to tear apart their Qi from within.

His eyes held no calculation now. Only fire. And fury.

He seized the massive, blazing sword with both hands. For a moment, the weight of it dragged the air downward, warping space itself around the blade. Then—he swung.

A massive arc of flaming Qi burst forward, carried by something more than heat alone. The infernal wave ripped across the arena like a divine punishment, its howl shaking the very air.

Sensing the shift, Calista dropped to one knee. She touched the cracked arena floor with her palm.

"Third Petal... Lotus of Eternity..." she whispered.

And then... silence.

The entire arena stilled. Thalos’ Qi froze. His fire halted, as if something had severed it from its source.

Thalos stepped back, confused.

And then he felt her.

Calista was beside him.

Her fingers brushed the side of his neck. A quiet pulse of Qi surged through him.

"Without your flame... you're not even a threat," she whispered.

Thalos tried to retreat, but his body didn’t respond in time. A thin red line appeared on his cheek. Blood trickled down, hitting the ground...

Then his knees buckled, like the spiritual force keeping him in the fight had been cut.

He dropped to one knee, gasping for breath.

Silence reigned.

Kaen raised a brow, his gaze sparking.

Sylphia covered her mouth—not from shock this time, but from awe.

Thalos... lowered his head.

"I lost..." he whispered.

Calista looked at him coldly, then turned to the throne where Kaen sat.

Kaen rose slowly.

"The first match is over," he declared, his voice resounding through the arena. "Calista is victorious."

Calista stood where she had landed her final blow, breathing deeply, letting the tension drain away. Her shoulders rose slightly, then fell as she closed her eyes, focusing inward.

On her left hand, the red mark pulsed once... twice... a third time... then faded, deactivating completely. Her aura settled. The Lotus Chamber closed.

Calista lifted her head and turned toward the stands. Her gaze slowly swept across the gathered faces.

"Who’s next?" she asked coolly, her voice echoing across the silent arena.

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