Chapter 104: Awakened Tournament Crisis (10)

An hour passed before the arena was ready for the next match.

The stadium’s restoration systems had been pushed to their limits during the previous battles. The enormous crater left by Jax’s final attack had taken nearly twenty minutes to repair, and the protective barrier surrounding the battlefield required additional maintenance after the shockwave had cracked it.

By the time the workers finally withdrew, the arena looked almost as though nothing had happened.

The audience had witnessed enough destruction over the past several hours to understand that the reinforced floor beneath their feet was the only thing separating an ordinary tournament from a disaster. Even the Association’s technicians looked exhausted as they finished checking the barrier’s stability.

The audience was still discussing Jax’s impossible technique, arguing over whether his attack had truly stopped time or whether it had simply been so fast that the human eye could not follow it.

Jax himself had been carried away for treatment shortly after his surrender. He had barely been able to walk, and his right arm was temporarily unusable after the strain of unleashing his strongest technique.

Elio had been taken to the infirmary as well.

His jaw had been severely damaged, and even the healers had struggled to understand how he had remained conscious through so much punishment. By the time he was removed from the arena, he had finally collapsed completely.

Yet the image of him standing up again and again had already become one of the most discussed moments of the tournament.

And for Eden, it had raised more questions than it answered.

He sat in his seat with his arms crossed, watching the arena through the enormous viewing window.

Elio’s strength, his unusual Essence, his ability to steal attributes, and his seemingly absurd endurance all pointed toward something Eden couldn’t quite put together.

He would have to investigate it later.

For now, however, he had a more immediate problem.

Or rather, a more immediate opponent.

Across the lounge, Lucy was sitting on a bench. She had changed into a fresh outfit, but she still wore the same determined expression she had shown throughout her fight against Luvian.

She looked toward Eden.

Their eyes met.

Neither spoke at first.

Lucy eventually smiled.

"You look awfully serious."

Eden raised an eyebrow.

"Am I not allowed to think?"

"Of course you are. I’d be pretty worried too if I had to face myself."

"You think I’m worried?"

"You look the part."

"You have some balls acting cheeky right before our match."

Lucy laughed.

Eden leaned back in his seat.

He had anticipated this match ever since the tournament bracket had been revealed. So had Lucy.

They had trained together, raided Gates together, and watched each other grow stronger. Eden had seen her fight through injuries, overcome opponents who had once seemed beyond her reach, and steadily develop the control needed to wield her terrifying skills.

But seeing someone grow stronger and fighting them yourself were two very different things.

Especially when that person had reached B-Rank.

Lucy had accomplished that without Eden’s ridiculous advantages, without his knowledge of the future, and without a skill that could devour almost anything unfortunate enough to touch it.

She had earned her strength.

And Eden intended to acknowledge it properly.

"Don’t go easy on me," Lucy said suddenly.

Eden turned his head toward her.

She wasn’t smiling anymore.

"I mean it. No holding back just because we’re friends."

He studied her for a moment before answering.

"Wasn’t planning to."

"Good."

Lucy stood and stretched her arms above her head.

"You’ll never hear the end of it if you embarrass me in front of the entire country."

"That’s a strange thing to worry about when you’re about to fight someone who can eat abyss creatures whole."

"You’re the one who keeps telling me that’s perfectly normal."

"It is perfectly normal."

Lucy stared at him.

Eden stared back.

"...Right," she muttered.

A moment later, the announcement rang through the lounge.

"ATTENTION, EVERYONE! THE ARENA IS READY! PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEXT TWO SEMIFINALISTS!"

The stadium erupted.

Eden rose from his seat.

Lucy did the same.

For a brief moment, they stood facing each other.

Then Lucy extended her fist.

Eden bumped it with his own.

"Let’s have some fun," she said.

Eden smiled.

"Try not to cry when you lose."

Lucy snorted.

"Try not to choke on your own blood."

"Now that’s the spirit."

Together, they headed toward the arena entrance.

---

The stadium was louder than in all the previous matches.

Thousands of spectators filled the seats, while cameras hovered above the battlefield and enormous screens displayed the two contestants as they emerged from opposite entrances.

The announcer’s voice thundered through the stadium.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! AFTER FOUR INCREDIBLE QUARTERFINAL MATCHES, WE HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE SEMIFINALS!"

The crowd roared.

"Our first semifinal will feature two of the tournament’s most talked-about contestants!"

"One has already defeated a previous contestant in a single hit!"

"The other has advanced through her own efforts by defeating an opponent renowned for his destructive firepower!"

The screens shifted.

Eden appeared on the left.

Lucy appeared on the right.

"FIGHTING FOR A PLACE IN THE GRAND FINAL... EDEN VERSUS LUCY!"

The stadium exploded with cheers.

Lucy waved briefly toward the audience.

Eden, on the other hand, looked as though he would rather be anywhere else.

He glanced at the cameras.

’You think I have to smile?’

[Perhaps your fans would appreciate a small gesture like that.]

’Fans...?’

"What kind of nonsense is Sylvia coming up with now?"

A nearby camera operator seemed to focus on him.

Eden gave it a perfectly expressionless stare.

The crowd laughed.

Lucy covered her mouth, trying not to laugh herself.

"You’re hopeless."

"I’m conserving energy."

"By standing there like a statue?"

"Every movement matters."

"I see you’re quite desperate to win."

’This woman...’

They walked toward the center of the arena.

The announcer raised his hand.

"THE SEMIFINAL BETWEEN EDEN AND LUCY BEGINS... NOW!"

Neither moved.

For a moment, the entire stadium waited.

Then Lucy held out her hand.

Eden looked at it.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

He clasped her hand.

They pulled each other closer.

"Don’t hold back," Lucy said quietly.

Eden’s smile widened.

"You first."

"Deal."

And the instant their hands separated, Eden punched her in the face.

Lucy’s head snapped to the side.

But before Eden could withdraw his fist, Lucy retaliated with a punch of her own.

Her knuckles struck his cheek.

Eden’s head barely moved.

Lucy clicked her tongue.

She threw another punch.

Eden blocked it with his forearm and drove a fist toward her stomach. Lucy twisted aside, caught his shoulder, and attempted to throw him off balance.

He resisted.

She drove a knee toward his ribs.

He blocked it.

Eden countered with an elbow.

Lucy ducked beneath it and punched him across the jaw.

For the next several seconds, neither used a skill.

They simply fought.

Fists, elbows, knees, and kicks collided in a relentless exchange.

The sound of their blows echoed through the arena.

Eden’s physical superiority was immediately apparent.

Every time his fist connected, Lucy felt as though she had been struck by a truck. Even when she managed to block, the impact forced her backward and sent a dull ache through her arms.

Meanwhile, her own punches barely moved him.

She struck his ribs.

His body barely reacted.

She kicked his thigh.

He glanced down as though she had tapped him with a finger.

"Are you even trying?" Eden asked.

Lucy gritted her teeth.

"Shut up!"

She feinted toward his face and swept her leg low.

Eden jumped over the sweep, but Lucy was already moving. She drove a fist into his chest, then followed with another toward his jaw.

Eden caught the second punch.

"That’s better."

He twisted her arm aside and delivered a short punch to her stomach.

Lucy staggered backward, coughing.

The crowd reacted to the exchange with a mixture of excitement and disbelief.

"Even without skills, Eden is completely dominating the physical exchange!"

"Lucy is B-Rank, yet the difference in Ranks is so obvious!"

"She’s going to have to use her skills if she wants to compete!"

Lucy heard the commentary.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t disagree.

Eden’s movements were simple, his technique efficient, and his attacks devastating. He didn’t need to waste Essence when his natural attributes already gave him such an overwhelming advantage.

If she continued like this, she would lose before she could properly demonstrate how much she had improved.

Lucy wiped a thin line of blood from the corner of her mouth.

Then she smiled.

"Alright."

Eden tilted his head.

"Giving up already?"

"Dream on."

Pink Essence erupted around her fist.

[Quick Charge]

She thrust both hands forward.

Two concentrated spheres of pink Essence shot toward Eden.

He immediately crossed his arms.

Two explosions swallowed him in a pair of expanding pink fireballs. Shockwaves swept across the arena, scattering dust and sending loose fragments of stone skittering across the floor.

The crowd cheered.

But Lucy was already moving.

[Burst-Step]

Her figure blurred.

Eden’s eyes widened as she appeared directly in front of him, her foot already swinging toward his torso.

Pink Essence gathered around her leg.

[Quick Charge]

The kick connected.

A third explosion erupted at point-blank range.

Eden was driven into the ground.

The arena floor cracked beneath him, and a cloud of dust burst outward from the impact.

Lucy landed several meters away, her chest rising and falling as she watched the crater.

For a moment, there was no movement.

Then a hand emerged from the dust.

Eden climbed out.

His clothes were torn around the impact point, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He touched it with his thumb.

Then he looked at the blood.

"...Well, that’s new."

Lucy grinned.

"What’s wrong? Did that hurt?"

Eden looked up.

His silver eyes were bright with genuine amusement.

"Quite a bit, actually."

He rolled his shoulders.

"I didn’t expect you to force me into using this so quickly."

Lucy straightened.

The joking atmosphere between them faded.

She had managed to hurt him.

That alone was an achievement.

But Eden’s expression told her something else.

He wasn’t worried.

He was enjoying himself.

A moment later, crimson Essence erupted around him.

It poured from his body in violent waves, spreading across his body like a living tide. Red tendrils curled around his arms and shoulders, while the air itself seemed to grow heavier.

The audience quieted.

The crimson energy intensified.

[Corrupted Surge]