Chapter 60: The Duel at Rank 26
The Obsidian Circle was alive.
Dark, polished stone shimmered under the pressure of soul energy that soaked the coliseum-like arena. Its elevated seats were packed—not just with students, but instructors, staff, and even a few robed members of the Grand Council's envoys. The air crackled, soul signatures sparking and overlapping in the crowd like volatile storms waiting to ignite.
Karen, Jim, Leslie, and Marie sat near the mid-tier viewing platform, tension writ into their postures. Joshua Ikemba stood just above them, arms folded, gaze unreadable.
Cassandra stepped into the center of the arena, her long black-and-purple robes flowing, expression distant but unwavering. Her aura was calm—7th Spirit Cycle, not nearly as loud or flaring as the 10th Spirit Cycle across from her.
Rank 26.
A fourth-year Soulborne named Garran Vel. His build was monstrous, wide-shouldered and tall. Thick red soul energy coiled around him like fire and smoke, rising from his skin in streaks of pressure. His gaze was one of disdain, as if this wasn't a duel, but an execution.
"You're not even 9th Cycle," Garran growled. "This might be a waste of my time."
Cassandra said nothing. She just adjusted her stance.
The signal flare ignited—white fire arcing into the sky.
The duel began.
Garran moved like thunder—fast, brutal, heavy. His soul energy collided into the field like a meteor, shaking the obsidian stone. A palm strike came with an echoing boom, barely dodged by Cassandra, who slid under his arm and retaliated with a soul-forged blade from her hip.
Clang.
His aura hardened on impact, repelling her.
He followed with a soul technique—Scarlet Bindings. Dozens of crimson chains of condensed soul force erupted from the ground to trap her limbs.
Cassandra flicked her wrist and shattered them with a razor-like burst of compressed energy—but it cost her aura to do so.
Then came his Proto Domain.
Garran's field expanded in a circular burst—Blazing Dominion. It intensified heat and pressure in a wide area, suppressing soul energy outside his own. It was known to overwhelm those below the 9th Cycle almost instantly.
Karen rose slightly in panic. "Cassandra—!"
Inside the heat, Cassandra was on one knee, shoulders trembling under the overwhelming pressure. Blood ran down her arm from a shallow burn. Garran stalked forward, eyes blazing.
"You thought you could reach the top 30?" he sneered. "You're weak. Privileged. That's all."
He launched forward again—this time with Soul Lance, a concentrated javelin of volatile soul essence in hand.
Cassandra stood.
A calm breath. A flicker.
Her aura vanished.
And then something shifted.
A pulse spread from her body—subtle, invisible, but absolute. Garran paused mid-strike. His aura flickered, soul energy stuttering unnaturally.
"What—?"
The dome around Cassandra shimmered with a strange translucent light... then turned colorless.
Blank. Pure. Empty.
Like a void without shape or sound.
"Null Field," Cassandra whispered.
Garran's eyes widened. He tried to summon another soul technique, but his energy barely moved. The suppression was complete.
A Proto Domain that didn't amplify her strength—but erased his.
Cassandra surged forward, now fluid, swift, and surgical.
One step.
She moved through his defenses.
Second step.
A slash across his chest—his aura no longer able to block it.
Third step.
A kick to the knee. Garran stumbled.
Final strike.
Cassandra's palm struck his chest and unleashed a compact burst of energy—amplified by the Null Field—that sent him flying across the arena into the wall.
Silence.
Then the flare erupted red.
Cassandra Ikemba. Winner.
—
The audience erupted.
Karen stood in shock. "She… suppressed his soul energy."
Jim exhaled sharply. "That domain… it didn't boost her—it broke him."
Leslie and Marie looked stunned. "A suppression-type domain… that works on a 10th Cycle?"
Even Joshua, standing above them, nodded slowly.
"Indeed," he murmured.
—
As Cassandra left the arena, her expression remained unchanged, though her breathing was heavier. Her aura slowly returned to normal as she passed by the crowd—many of whom looked at her with new wariness and respect.
She stopped briefly near Karen and the others.
"Rank 26," she said simply.
Marie blinked. "You just jumped 12 spots."
Leslie leaned in. "So that's why you weren't rushing up the ladder…"
Cassandra gave a light shrug. "It's not about rushing. It's about knowing when to let go… and when to erase what stands in your way."
Karen stared at her, silent for a moment—then smiled.
"Let's catch up."