Chapter 315: Sweet [1]

Chapter 315: Sweet [1]



A strange silence took over the studio as Kiera's match came to a sudden end. Neither Karl nor Johanna were able to say a single word as they sat in silence, staring at the figure that stood in the middle of the platform in silence.

As the darkness that gripped her body started to fade, revealing the outlines of her body and her platinum-colored hair, Karl silently hissed.

<This was an unexpected result>

<....Indeed it was>

Johanna quietly nodded her head as she pursed her lips, replaying the scene from before in her mind.

It was just when Agatha was planning to end the match...

Her sword twisted through the air, gliding toward Kiera's weakened body. It had just been a few inches away from Kiera when she disappeared.

Even as they slowed down the replay nobody could see clearly what had happened.

Everyone was caught off guard, except for Johanna, who noticed a flicker in Kiera's ruby-red eyes just before she vanished. In the next instant, Kiera reappeared right behind Agatha, her entire body cloaked in black, with her finger pressed against the back of Agatha's hand.

<Dual Element...>

Johanna quietly murmured.

It was faint, but enough for Karl to hear as he snapped out of it.

<Uh? Ah!? Did you just say she's a dual elemental?>

<Yes>

Johanna nodded as she elaborated.

<Fire and Darkness>

<So that's the case!>

Karl slapped his thigh in realization. It wasn't as though the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but the skill was so quick and weird that he hadn't had the time to properly process the situation. However, upon noticing how the darkness was leaving Kiera's body, he understood that she was a dual elemental user.

Such users were actually quite rare.

It was rather common for a genius to have talent in two different fields. Most of the participants were like that, with only a few specializing in just one category. Nonetheless, the rarest ones were those that had talents that lay in the same category.

One such example was Caius who was talented in the [Telekinesis] and [Emotive] fields which both belonged to the [Mind] category.

Belonging to the same category, they were much easier to practice since the two fields complemented one another.

There were many correlations between the two fields, making it easier to excel in both. This allowed them to progress more quickly, as they didn't need to spend as much time practicing each one separately.

Kiera's profile detailed her as a single attribute [Flame] user. Her other talent was completely undisclosed.

It was for that reason that Johanna and Karl were surprised.

This changed a lot of things!

Taking a deep breath, Karl watched as Kiera gripped the cube and disappeared from the platform. At the same time, Agatha was escorted down by the referee who waved his hand at once and disappeared alongside her.

Watching all of this happen, Karl began to mumble,

<We might have found ourselves our dark horse...>

***

[That was a wonderful first round of battles]

A voice quietly boomed throughout the Plaza as the final combatants, Kiera and Agatha, stepped off the platform. Yet again, nobody was able to associate the voice with a figure as the one speaking didn't show themselves.

For what reason? I didn't know.

I just stood in silence while staring at Kiera who appeared a few moments prior.

She was weird...

No, she had been acting weird.

I pursed my lips.

'Is it because of what happened to her with her aunt?'

It made sense when I thought about it.

With everything that had happened to her, it was only normal that she'd react this way. But at the same time, since when did she start using her other element?

I had hardly ever seen it use it.

In fact, most people around her had no idea she wielded two elements, as she typically only used her flame element. This was the first time she had ever displayed her second element, and it was truly terrifying to see.

The moment in the first vision was the one that stood out to me the most.

I never really quite understood why she had never shown it or used it, but after witnessing her past with the third leaf, I more or less had an idea.

'She's scared of the dark'

...Or at least, was.

That no longer seemed to be the case any longer.

[There are only twenty-four of you left now, and after such grueling and fierce battles, it's time you were given a well-deserved rest.]

The voice, hoarse yet authoritative, let out a quiet chuckle.

[The second stage will begin tomorrow at this time. In the meantime, you are free to do as you please. You can rest, eat, study your opponents, or recover from your injuries. The choice is yours, and we will not restrict your freedom. You are allowed to roam freely around Grimspire or Bremmer if you wish.]

I noticed some of the expressions around me brighten significantly at those words.

I felt the same way. My mind was drained, and my body was on the brink of collapse. I needed

to recover as quickly as possible.

Of course...

That wasn't what I was most looking forward to.

'....Can I do it?'

What I was looking forward to the most was the development of my domain. Since the fight with Angela, it felt as though I had brushed against the edge of something profoundly

important.

It made my body itch and I wanted to do nothing more than try it.

So long as I carefully worked along those lines, I was confident in further developing my

the sensation was more focused, targeting my calves and legs.

But what exactly was it?

Throb!

The orb throbbed again, and the pain in my head intensified.

I bit my lips and resisted.

'More...! I want to see more!'

Throb!

'0'

The muscles in my calves squirmed and twisted as a hidden energy I hadn't experienced

before surged through them. My mind began to ache, and my vision blurred as time seemed to

slow down, each moment stretching out before me.

Looking down, I saw several outlines of my hand tracing its path. Each time I moved my hand,

two outlines followed, creating a weird trail.

'How odd...'

It was strange. As I looked ahead, the orb once again seemed to call out to me, squirming like

the first one had.

It throbbed and squirmed violently, but I ignored it.

Throb!

The last letter arrived.

My head shook, and I stumbled back.

"Ukh!"

But not before seeing the last letter.

'Y'

Gazing at the orb beside the other one, I placed my hand on my chest and read the words

beneath each orb.

"Rage... Haa... joy..."

I saw a pattern in all of this.

Soon, a new orb appeared in the distance. It was blue in color and began moving toward me. It

headed in the direction of the two orbs, and as I stared at it, my vision shook.

"Uakh!"

I felt a certain throbbing pain and my eyes flared open.

"Ahkh!"

Squirming on the ground, I clutched my head and rolled around for a few seconds. Despite

being accustomed to pain, this was something I couldn't endure. It was a pain so intense and

disorienting that it sent my body into shock.

Bang!

I thrashed my surroundings, sending the lamp crashing to the ground and tearing the

bedsheets apart in the process.

It hurt... It hurt so much!

Bang, bang!

"Akh!!"

It only came to a stop after a full minute, by which time the floor was covered in sweat and

torn sheets.

"Наа.. Наа..."

Breathing heavily, I leaned against the bed's frame and took deep, steady breaths to calm

myself.

'....I've overdone it.'

In my excitement, I overexerted my mental energy. This was especially bad considering that I

had yet to recover from the fight.

In my excitement, I neglected myself. "Haa..."

I clenched my teeth.

The pain just refused to leave.

As I bit my lips, I felt something in my pocket. Fiddling with it for a few seconds, I pulled out

a small chocolate bar.

I stared at the chocolate bar for a few seconds before popping it into my mouth and chewing.

In that moment of pain, I forgot about all the hate that I had for sweets and savored the taste.

The pain started to subside, and I was able to finally breathe in peace.

Finally opening my eyes, I let out a long breath.

"Still too sweet."

But...

It wasn't too bad.