The entire section for the Spirit Growth Stage martial tournament went crazy with their excitement for the Grand Final.
The announcer, standing at the center between the two stages, exuded a commanding presence, releasing a bit of her cultivation pressure outwards that drew every eye and ear toward her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests and valiant spirit warriors, we shall soon begin the pinnacle of the Spirit Growth level of this month’s Martial Tournament!" Her words sending another wave of cheers, echoing through the vast expanse of the arena.
"Prepare yourselves for a spectacle of unparalleled magnificence!"
With a graceful gesture, she activated a complex sequence of mechanisms embedded within the arena’s infrastructure.
The two separate duel arenas began a mesmerizing transformation, returning to their unified form from earlier. Their boundaries blurring and melding. They were slowly transforming into a unified battleground, but this time grander in design with parts more epic in proportion. It was merging into a stage truly worthy of a grand finale.
A shimmering holographic timer also materialized above, its luminous digits pulsating as it counted down from 45 minutes.
The countdown ticked down, marking the time it would take for the stage to finish it’s changes and the final moments of preparation before the ultimate clash of the top 3.
Lassim and Hallen, exchanged eager looks brimming with excitement.
Halley decided to join Lassim in staking their bets on #16, placing their trust in her formidable abilities.
"I wagered 5000 mid-grade ESS on #16 this time. I get this feeling that she still has something she’s kept hidden for the finals," Lassim announced boldly, his voice carrying a tinge of anticipation. "When she wins, I’ll earn 20,000 mid-grade ESS! Such good odds!"
Hallen nodded in agreement, his own bet reflecting a similarly sized wager. "I hope you’ve enjoyed the matches so far, Young Master!"
As they passed the time in idle conversation, the holographic timer counted down with brighter colors and intensity.
The audience joined in a collective crescendo, surging, their voices rising in unison. "Ten! Nine! Eight!..."
Each number reverberated through the arena, the anxiety and anticipation building in the contestants.
An almost tangible tension that seemed to charge the air once more. The final moments approached, each second ticking away like the heartbeat of an imminent battle.
At last, with a thunderous cheer that shook the foundations of the arena, the countdown reached its climax with the announcer’s voice joining in. "Three! Two! One!—Let the grand final commence!"
The edges of the transformed battlefield erupted into a dazzling display of lights and elemental energy as the three finalists, #16, #3, and #187, stepped onto the stage.
They took their entrance corners quickly and prepared themselves on the now triangular shaped stage as resplendent flares and fireworks bursted out high into the air.
With a flash of fiery red light, competitor #3 with his whip wasted no time in unveiling his only other trump card that was stronger compared to [Flame Ray], shouting out "[Inferno]!"
He unleashed a whirling and torrential blaze that threatened to engulf the arena. The swirling tornado of flame erupted around #3’s position in a roaring conflagration.
Flames danced and twisted, forming a colossal vortex of fire that threatened to consume everything in its path.
#187 and #16, were soon to be caught in the inferno’s deadly embrace. They reacted swiftly.
#187, lacking any proper defensive techniques, sprinted towards the far edge of the arena in a desperate bid to evade the searing flames.
However, her escape was short-lived as it brought her close to #16’s position where she had erected a giant wall of water.
The floor in that area, wet, gave #16 the chance to summon a powerful tendril of water that erupted from the soaked ground.
#16, concealed behind a formidable Wall of Water, used her mastery over the water element and flourished her fans as the tendril of water lashed out with swift precision.
It knocked #187 hurried retreat off-balance and sent her tumbling over the edge of the arena anticlimactically.
The crowd gasped as #187 struggled to regain her footing, but ultimately landed outside the arena’s platform; disqualifying her.
Meanwhile, #3’s [Inferno] continued to rage, its intensity unabated as it dominated the battlefield with its scorching fury.
The flames licked at the newly merged grand stage, casting an ominous glow on the crowd in the audience seating with jet streams similar to solar flares inside the arena’s array barrier.
As #16 swiftly had dispatched #187 with a calculated strike, her focus shifted to defending against the flames. This continued for nearly 10 minutes with #16 doing everything in her power to maintain the wall of water she created. Keeping the heat at bay, her forehead glistened with beads of sweat.
Thankfully, this intense kind of attack was too much on #3’s pool of mana. One downside of the [Inferno] ability was that he was also trapped inside the tornado of his making. His body was mostly immune to fire, but the damage of this powerful ability would be too much for his clothing and his control wasn’t that great yet.
He had more to improve, so he really hoped this ability would have knocked out at least one of his competitors. He couldn’t see outside the tornado’s fiery gales, so he could only cross his fingers in hoping.
The dwindling flames of #3’s [Inferno] retreated and dispersed.
Sensing his mana reserves nearing depletion, #16 seized the opportunity to turn the tide in her favor. With a commanding gesture, she directed the Wall of Water forward, unleashing it like a tidal wave that surged across the arena.
The wall crashed into the remnants of #3’s fiery onslaught, extinguishing the final flames it crossed and shrouding the arena in a mist of steam and water droplets.
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She then stood amidst the mist, dancing with her fans and commanding it to swirl all across the stage.
Her figure outlined in a shimmering veil of moisture from the mist, her eyes glinted with determination, "Thank you for the assistance," #16 called out to #3.
Her voice cut through the hiss of evaporating water, "You’ve made my next move much easier."
With a fluid motion, she hid her face behind the fans before calling out her trump card, "[Mirage Stream]!"
Infusing the misty air with her elemental prowess, the scattered moisture in the air across the stage coalesced into a legion of clones. Each was shimmering and identical to #16 in every possible way.
#3, though fatigued from his earlier display of power, braced himself as she glanced at the army of clones that surrounded him. "You’re not going to win that easily. I can still fight back!" he retorted.
The water mirage clones all surged forward, synchronized with ethereal grace.
As they approached, #3 countered with bursts of flame from the cracks of his whip, attempting to ward off the advancing clones.
However, #16’s [Mirage Stream] clones proved to be a formidable force, the clones multiplying with each dissipation and shifting with each other in mesmerizing evasive maneuvers.
As the battle raged on, the arena became like an outdoor hot spring, steam mingling with residual flames, creating a surreal updraft of heat and moisture into the atmosphere. The crowd also began to start sweating a bit from the humidity.
#3 continued to fight valiantly, his whip crack every few seconds with fire elemental energy, but the sheer numbers and deceptive nature of the water mirages posed a daunting challenge.
"You’re stronger than I anticipated," #16 remarked, her voice echoing through the mist. "But in the end, water will always extinguish fire. Good bye!"
The water mirages closed in, their shimmering forms closing the gap between them and #3.
They all, in unison, began launching water blades over and over, overwhelming #3’s defenses.
He gritted his teeth, summoning the last reserves of his mana to launch a final counterattack, but the relentless assault of the water clones proved too much to handle and he couldn’t resist much longer.
#3, exhausted but defiant, made his last stand amidst the onslaught of the mirages, "RAAAARGHHHHH!!!"
His whip, infused with his living flame elemental spirit, cracked back and forth over his head as he launched a ring of fire outwards towards the surrounding spirits and their water blades that were cutting through his limbs and clothing.
#16, her eyes glinting with determination, all of her watery clones spoke to #3 at the same time over the chaos of battle, "You’ve fought well, but that prize money is mine!"
#3, gritting his teeth, replied defiantly, "I won’t surrender!"
The clones surged forward in unison this time, their fans increasing in speed as the water blades shimmered in the air every time they launched a coordinated attack.
#3 swung and cracked his whip with blazing speed, trying to deflect the incoming strikes and to destroy every clone he saw. He desperately was searching the crowd of clones with his eyes to find the real #16, but the sheer number of water blades overwhelmed his defenses before he could even have a chance to succeed.
As the water blades cut through the air, #16 nodded to herself.
With a swift motion, she unleashed another powerful ability, commanding her clones to strike simultaneously. "[Torrential Assault]!" she called out, her voice echoing through the arena.
The clones responded with precision and matching movements, not giving away whom was the true and real #16.
They gathered and controlled all of the mana in the air, all of the steam that had turned the arena into a mist shower, before turning it into a giant pool of water that floated above.
The water formed spikes on the underside and began swiftly launching them downwards. They converged on #3 from above and covered any direction he might retreat from all sides.
The deadly water spikes crashed against the arena, filling it with the sound of piercing stone with jets of water, only to be punctuated by #3’s grunts of effort as he tried to hold his ground.
"I can’t… give up!" #3 shouted amidst the chaos, his whip flickering with remnants of fire as he struggled to defend against the onslaught.
However, the relentless assault proved too much. The water blades sliced through his body, tearing through his enchanted martial robe with a ferocity that left him in danger of dying.
With a final, desperate attempt to withstand the torrent, #3 was pierced through the chest with a spike of water while trying to jump backwards in retreat.
The arrays within the arena activated, teleporting #3 away in a flash of light just as the water blades were about to end his life.
#16 stood amidst the fading mist of battle, her fans lowering as she surveyed the now empty space. She had won.
The announcer’s voice reverberated through the arena, proclaiming #16 as the champion of the tournament.
"... AND WITH THAT! OUR NEW CHAMPION!! CONTESTANT #16, SPIRIT GROWTH STAGE LEVEL 7 SPIRIT WARRIOR.... MARISSA ANGELCROFT!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!"
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers, acknowledging the now named champion’s, Marissa Angelcroft’s, victory with admiration and excitement.
She raised her fans in a victorious salute and then into a graceful curtsy, a mix of relief and pride evident in her expression as she was happy with her new title as champion.
Lassim was filled with joy at his successful bet and prediction on Marissa’s win. He joined in the cheering and applause for the newly crowned champion.
As the crowd’s enthusiasm began to settle, the announcer’s voice boomed through the arena once more, capturing everyone’s attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, now comes the moment for our special showcase match!"
The announcer elaborated on the enticing offer, "Our champion has the opportunity to double her rewards if she so chooses to participate in this showcase battle, a tradition of our monthly tournaments!"
The crowd began a chant, "DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!"
A young girl’s voice could be heard calling out, "Give it a shot big sis!!!"
Amidst the buzz and rowdy crowd, the announcer conjured a spectacular holographic spinning wheel, suspended in mid-air by the dazzling lights of the arena’s array systems.
On each of the wheel’s slots, a depiction of mysterious silhouettes of various creatures and outlines of people appeared.
"I’ll do it!" called out Marissa, to the roar of the crowd’s enthusiasm.
With a dramatic flair, the announcer received Marissa’s confirmation and then pressed a button on her slate tablet, setting the wheel into a rapid spin.
The audience held their breath as the wheel whirled, each slot passing by in a blur until… it finally came to a stop.
Yet, to the surprise of many, the odd block shaped silhouette transformed into a colorful depiction of the stadium itself.
Murmurs of curiosity and excitement spread through the crowd as they tried to decipher what it meant.
The announcer’s voice rang out, cutting through the anticipation, "Behold, a very special category indeed! I do believe this is actually the first time this new addition has been landing on since it’s been added to the wheel. It was first added three years ago, but so far it hasn’t be landed upon yet. How lucky for those of you in attendance today!"
"We will now randomly select a member of our esteemed audience from the Spirit Growth stage for a chance at a reward equal to that of our esteemed champion if they choose to step into the arena!"
The crowd erupted into a mix of cheers and gasps. All eyes in the crowd turned to their neighbors, looking for individuals in the Spirit Growth stage that hadn’t actually signed up and participated in the tournament. Their hopeful faces spotting 4 people in the audience, each in the Spirit Growth stage and potential participants.
They then awaited, listening intently to the announcer’s next words, on how it would be determined of who would get the chance to shine in the showcase match.