After all the exciting matches in Round 1, the Rookie Tournament moved forward with even more energy. The crowd had grown louder, the cheers sharper, and the excitement more intense. With every round, the competition was getting tougher, and so was the spirit of the fighters.
Lila and Sera stood near the waiting area, watching the big display board that showed the matchups for Round 2. Their names appeared, along with their next opponents. Sera read the list and gave a small smile. "Looks like I'm up first." Lila gave her a fist bump. "Go get them."
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Sera walked calmly into the arena. Across from her stood her opponent — a tall young man with pale blue robes. His eyes were cold and sharp, and small bits of frost danced around his fingertips. He held a short wand in one hand, shaped like an icicle, and his breath came out as visible mist.
"A nature mage, huh?" he said with a small smirk. "This should be interesting."
Sera didn't respond with words. She smiled, placed her hand on the ground, and summoned a few vines at her feet. The referee raised his hand. "Begin!"
The ice mage moved quickly. He raised his wand and sent a burst of sharp ice spikes flying toward Sera. She reacted just in time, causing a thick wall of vines to rise from the ground and block the attack. The ice shattered on impact.
He didn't stop. A second later, he created a slippery field of ice under Sera's feet. She stumbled a bit but quickly grew thick roots from the ground that latched onto her boots, keeping her steady.
"Smart girl," he muttered, now growing more serious.
Sera spread her arms, and a group of thorny vines shot forward, aiming for the mage. He froze them mid-air with another ice spell, but that was exactly what Sera wanted. She pulled her hand back, and the frozen vines swung like a whip, breaking apart and spreading frost and thorn pieces all over him.
He tried to back off, but Sera closed the distance quickly. More vines sprang up, wrapping around his legs. He tried to freeze them, but Sera poured her magic in faster now, pushing her element harder. The vines grew faster than he could destroy them.
With one last effort, the ice mage tried to summon a large ice shard from the sky to slam down, but Sera summoned a thick tree trunk that shot up and knocked it aside. The broken ice rained down around her, but she didn't even flinch. She used a final vine whip to disarm him, sending his wand flying. With no weapon and vines wrapping up his arms, the ice mage could do nothing more.
"Match over! Winner: Sera!"
The crowd cheered again. Sera smiled gently, stepped back, and gave her opponent a polite nod. He didn't say much, but there was a bit of respect in his eyes now.
Back in the waiting area, Lila greeted her. "Nice one." "Thanks," Sera said. "You're up next."
Lila nodded and walked to the arena, adjusting the grip on her sword. Her opponent was already waiting. He looked to be in his late 40s, a tall and calm man with a long brown robe and a thick book tucked under his arm.
He gave Lila a kind smile. "I used to teach magic for over 20 years. Thought I'd finally try living the adventurer life. Don't go easy on me." Lila smiled back. "I wasn't planning to." The referee raised his hand. "Begin!"
The man opened his book, and instantly the ground around Lila shook. Large rocks burst from the soil, forming pillars and walls to trap her. She moved swiftly, dashing between the gaps, slicing with her sword and using small fire bursts to break parts of the stone away.
The teacher mage didn't rush. He created a moving wall of earth to push Lila back, and from the sides, small stone spears emerged, trying to strike her. Lila used water to slide across the ground, dodging the spears and swinging her sword to send a heated wave of steam into the air.
She reached closer, but the man stomped the ground, sending a quake through the arena floor. Lila stumbled for a moment, but recovered quickly, jumping into the air. She twisted midair and sent a stream of hot water toward him. The water hit his arm, causing him to drop the book. Now she closed the distance. He tried to raise a wall between them, but she sliced through it with her fire-coated sword, breaking the stone apart. With a clean swing, she stopped just short of his chest.
"Match over! Winner: Lila!"
The crowd was beginning to like her more and more. She stepped back and offered her hand, and the teacher took it with a proud smile. "Excellent sword work." "Thank you," she replied, bowing lightly.
Back at the waiting area, Lila joined Sera again. "We both made it to the next round," she said. "Yeah," Sera replied, feeling proud. But just then, one of the staff members arrived with news.
"Sera," he said, "your next opponent has been injured and won't be able to continue. You've been given a direct entry to the quarter-finals."
Sera blinked. "Oh, that's... lucky, I guess?" The man nodded and walked away. Lila smiled. "That means I'll be the only one fighting in Round 3." Sera chuckled. "I'll be cheering for you."
Lila looked at the display board. Her next opponent had just been announced — a young swordsman known for his quick movements and strong defensive style. "This is going to be fun," Lila said, already warming up again. She stretched her arms and practiced a few swings of her sword. Sera watched her from the side. "You're in your best shape today." Lila nodded. "I feel great. I want to see how far I can go."
And with that, the two girls prepared for what came next, moving forward in the tournament with courage in their hearts and determination in their eyes.