Duel's End

The two tunneled forward and raised their weapons. Hoshi pulled his blade in front of himself to intercept the straight thrust of the spear. He let the spear roll off the edge of the sword, hurling his body forward and slicing through Valtros's chest.

Valtros: "----Hkkk!"

The spearmen's eyes widened and he grunted, throwing himself to the side and skidding backwards. A trail of red was left on the sword, matching the crimson of Valtros's scarf. The sound of Valtros's pained groans filled the quiet atmosphere of the battle, the crowd held their breath.

Valtros: "You—actually struck me…"

Hoshi let his body relax a bit, his attack had landed and for the first time, he drew blood from Valtros. It was definitely a sight to see, Valtros had managed to stop the bleeding by running mana through the wound; a skill that Alkia also taught Hoshi but he's decided not to burn through his reserves until necessary.

Valtros: "Fine, Hoshi Saito…I'll honor your accomplishment in this battle by telling you the name of this spear I hold. It's called…Velindra."

And so, words spilled out of Hoshi's own mouth to respond to the given name of Valtros's spear. 

Lyra (before the duel): "This blade of promise…I call it—!

Hoshi: "Ecliptor…that's the name of my sword."

Valtros nodded, he closed his eyes as to search for his next words. A streak of red still marred his chest and he straightened his posture, his fingers gripped around the handle of Velindra tightly.

Valtros: "A fitting name for such a dastardly powerful weapon, it'll be a welcome addition to the evergrowing collection of trophies I've obtained."

Hoshi: "Wh–!"

Hoshi's control wavered, his speed slipping back to normal for only a second; Valtros's eyes flew open and he lunged, becoming a blur and traversing in zig zags all around Hoshi, afterimages of his body materializing from raw speed. Hoshi's eyes stung from the sweat that ran down his face, his gaze darted to every figure surrounding him.

Shit—I let my guard down, which one is the real one, I have to find out before he…!

The ground tore open, the afterimages were instantly blown away as the wind crackled with mana. The crowd covered their ears in pain and the air itself popped, sending a shockwave that nearly blew Hoshi in two. With near instant speed—Valtros blitzed forward, the air itself bended around his spear, he passed where Hoshi stood and landed elegantly.

He—broke the sound…!

A gash blew open at Hoshi's side, blood spilled out of his mouth as he clutched at the injury. The taste of iron ran through his tongue as he processed what he'd been hit with. Valtros turned around toward Hoshi, his crimson scarf glowed with a strange power unlike mana.

E–Embrasia…

It was true, Hoshi had been struck by Valtros's very own Embrasia, named Eryndra. It allowed Valtros to store momentum from any movement he performed. Throughout the battle, Valtros was slowly building up a store of power to use in a devastating attack. He'd perfectly waited for the moment where his own power had built up and Hoshi's guard was let down.

Hoshi raised his blade, steam emanated from his injury as he poured mana toward the gash. The bleeding slowed down and Hoshi released his side, wincing with an adjustment of his stance.

Valtros: "Hmm…trying to self-heal? It's a good idea if you weren't trying while the wound is marked."

Marked? Alkia didn't mention anything about that…

Valtros raised his spear and Hoshi screamed, the wound on his side began glowing a crimson similar to the scarf Valtros donned, red tendrils flowed out the wound and into Valtros's spear.

Valtros: "This ends now—you fought well for a child. I'll never forget you, Hoshi Saito."

The energy infused within Velindra, coiling around its spearhead and whirring as if it were an animal telling its prey the battle was over. The air itself pulled toward the spear to support the strike. He put a leg forward and energy flew out from within Valtros, crackling and dancing like lightning around him. From the corner of his eye, he could see the people of Floor 1 shielding their eyes.

Hoshi's hand trembled on the handle of Ecliptor, his resolve crumbling over the inevitable outcome soon to arrive. He looked as the man before him raised the spear, Velindra, mana coursing through the weapon.

I…have no choice, I have to face the attack head on.

To put it simply, dodging Eryndra's charge was a feat no one could accomplish, and to try and parry was like expecting your sword to slice through lightning itself. But still, Hoshi Saito wasn't going to let his life end like that, for the weight of his promise was greater than any strike.

With a deafening boom, the arena behind Valtros blew apart and flew against the dark floors of Floor 1. Drops of blood trickled down Hoshi's ears with the sound barrier being shattered, his eyes slightly widened as he took in the sight. His perception was slowed, he could see Valtros charging forward and Velindra slowly closing the distance between its tips and Hoshi's chest. Perhaps Ţ̵̇̂͊͌͜h̸̫̬̩̺́̃̈́̒̓̒͆̕͠ḙ̸͚̩̱̯̥̱̙̙̓̏͑̍́́̕ͅ ̷͖̬̣͎͎̟̂̊̏̉̊̽͐̽̈́̕͜W̷͙̥̍̏̀̀̌̿͝ǭ̷̞̫̫̬̘́̇́̌̽̉̚͠͠ṙ̴̻͍̣̣̰̈́̂̈̿͠ḷ̸̑͋͆̾̂͛̚d̴̥̟̓̎̄͒ itself was punishing Hoshi by letting him see his own death. 

I—promised them I'd win.

I promised that Barek would be safe.

For the first time in my life, people are relying on me, and here I am about to fail again.

I can't die like this, they all put their faith into me. 

If I fall here, then so does the belief that keeps them going..!

Even if it's written, even if The World itself plans to end me here.

I can't let my story end as another failure…

The faint hum of mana echoed in the distance, a contrast to the silence that was present during this slowed-time. Hoshi's mouth quivered and a new promise had already brewed in his mind. One that even outweighed the declaration to save Barek. One that'd already been whispered into his ear when he slept.

I will definitely…

Hoshi's blade began to move within the slowed time, defying the laws set by Ţ̵̇̂͊͌͜h̸̫̬̩̺́̃̈́̒̓̒͆̕͠ḙ̸͚̩̱̯̥̱̙̙̓̏͑̍́́̕ͅ ̷͖̬̣͎͎̟̂̊̏̉̊̽͐̽̈́̕͜W̷͙̥̍̏̀̀̌̿͝ǭ̷̞̫̫̬̘́̇́̌̽̉̚͠͠ṙ̴̻͍̣̣̰̈́̂̈̿͠ḷ̸̑͋͆̾̂͛̚d̴̥̟̓̎̄͒. The blade of promise—Ecliptor, had been bound to a new goal, one that even Hoshi himself could barely believe in…but he did. 

A comforting warmth spread through Hoshi's chest, similar but more intense than the time he'd trained with Alkia. With speed that exceeded the normal limits of his body, Hoshi swung Ecliptor across Velindra, guiding his sword through the spearhead and tracing the wound on Valtros's chest.

…SAVE THEM!

Hoshi felt a pop from within his being, a pang of heat and power coursed through his veins. Power incarnate drove itself through his body, a sign that something had awoken.

It had awoken.

The gift given to Hoshi the moment he was transported into this world.

The Embrasia of Belief, Worldweave.

Time resumed, Hoshi's vision was filled with the splatter of red and from the corner of his eye, he could see Velindra spinning chaotically through the air, its spearhead cracked straight through the middle, unbound to its wielder. He looked forward, Valtros flew back like a ragdoll, the previous wound inflicted on his chest had fully opened even worse than before, his clothing absorbed the blood and the color drained from his face, a horrified look in his eyes.

Valtros: "M-Monster…what are you?"

His eyes flickered between staring at Hoshi and something behind him, the crowd had already begun rearing its heads toward the sight. 

The Mark of Orion, which had laid dormant in Floor 1 for the entirety of its existence, shimmered with a brilliant blue glow and cast a beam up to Floor 1's ceiling.

A sign that not all hope has been destroyed by The Council quite yet.