Chapter 458: Meeting Friends
During his walk, Moon spotted large screens positioned throughout the grounds on raised pillars. They were everywhere, impossible to miss.
He approached one and discovered they were interactive guides. Touch-enabled panels that displayed a full map of the grounds, listed every battle currently underway, showed upcoming matches with timestamps, and provided directions to any platform.
Moon joined the short queue in front of one. When his turn came, he began searching through the active battles. He scanned the names of every participant currently fighting.
Selene wasn’t in any of them.
He switched to the upcoming matches and began scrolling. First page. Nothing. Second page. Nothing. Third page. Still nothing.
Fourth page.
Platform 39 — Match begins in 10 minutes
Selene — Elemental Sorcerer.
vs.
Kluivert — Sword Specialist.
Moon memorized the platform number and checked the directional map. Platform 39 was on the eastern side of the grounds, roughly a six-minute walk from where he stood.
He stepped away from the screen and began making his way. His pace was faster than before, weaving through the crowd, his eyes already scanning the numbered signs above each platform as they grew closer.
He was going to make it with time to spare.
A grin tugged at his lips. He hadn’t seen Selene or Yara in what felt like a lifetime. The Second Sanctuary had consumed every waking moment, every ounce of his focus. There had been no time to miss anyone.
But now, walking through a crowd of ordinary people under an open sky with sunlight on his face, the anticipation hit him all at once.
He picked up the pace.
Moon arrived at Platform 39 with a few minutes to spare. The viewing area surrounding the elevated stage was already filling with spectators, most of them chatting idly, waiting for the match to begin.
His eyes found Selene first. She stood on the platform, her posture relaxed, her staff held loosely at her side. She looked different from the last time he had seen her. More composed, and sharper than before.
It was clear to Moon that Selene had not been wasting time in the Second Sanctuary. But rather, she was getting stronger, developing her strength and patching her weaknesses.
Moon’s gaze searched the crowd and landed on Yara a moment later. She sat in the front row of the viewing area, her legs crossed, watching Selene with a cheering smile that suited her.
Neither of them had noticed him yet.
Moon’s attention moved to the other side of the platform. Selene’s opponent, a man named Kluivert, stood with his weapon drawn, stretching his arms in preparation.
Moon glanced at him for a brief moment, conducting a quick assessment.
The man’s aura sat at Second Star. Firmly within it, but weak for the rank.
His stance was also filled with loopholes, lacking any sort of refinement that came from being tested against real threats.
His equipment was decent but unremarkable. Everything about him screamed average.
Moon dismissed him in under two seconds.
His attention returned to Selene. He focused on her aura, feeling it out carefully.
It was strong. Much stronger than what he had expected. The pressure radiating from her body sat near the peak of Second Star, brushing against the threshold of Third Star. For someone who had evolved later than most of their peers, the progress was nothing short of remarkable.
’She’s filled roughly twenty acupoints. Maybe a little less.’ Moon estimated based on what he could sense. The density of her spiritual energy suggested quality foundations, not just quantity.
Her brother would have provided her with a powerful Spirit Art Manual. A Surpasser Rank at minimum, possibly Ascender.
That meant her acupoints were more efficient than most, each one outputting above the standard baseline.
Selene’s talent had always been real. What she had lacked before was time and resources. With her recent talks with her brother, both of those problems had been solved.
Moon leaned against a pillar at the edge of the viewing area, arms crossed, and watched the platform.
He was content to stay hidden for now. He wanted to see her fight first.
A referee stepped onto the platform between the two fighters. He was a middle-aged man with a stern face and an Association badge pinned to his chest.
"This is a qualifying match. You will fight until one side surrenders, is knocked off the platform, or is deemed unable to continue." His eyes moved between Selene and Kluivert. "Any attempt to kill, maim with intent, or use killinf techniques will result in immediate disqualification. Am I understood?"
Both fighters nodded.
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
He stepped back and the match started.
Kluivert moved first. He charged forward with his sword raised, closing the distance quickly, aiming to pressure Selene before she could set up a spell.
He understood that his power lay in close range. And letting Selene start the fight was not in his advantage.
Selene sidestepped his opening slash gracefully.
The blade passed by her shoulder and she let him overextend before tapping his wrist with the end of her staff.
Kluivert recovered and swung again. Selene deflected it with the shaft of her staff, redirecting his momentum to the side. He stumbled half a step.
He came at her again. Faster this time, a three-hit combination aimed at her torso and legs. Selene blocked the first two and stepped around the third, positioning herself behind him.
The crowd murmured. A few spectators frowned, wondering why she wasn’t pressing her obvious advantage.
Kluivert grew frustrated. His attacks became wider, more aggressive, throwing everything he had into breaking through her guard. Selene absorbed it all, her staff moving in small, economical arcs that neutralized each strike without revealing the full extent of her speed or power.
She was controlling the pace entirely. Letting him attack. Letting him tire. Showing the audience and anyone watching through the broadcast screens exactly enough to win and nothing more.
Moon watched from the pillar with his arms crossed.
’She isn’t showing her full power. She knows that if she does, the stronger competitors in the later rounds will study her fights and build strategies around what they see.’
Every match in the tournament was recorded and broadcasted. Every technique displayed became public knowledge. The smart fighters understood that the qualifying rounds weren’t just about winning. They were about winning while revealing as little as possible.
"Smart girl." Moon murmured.
Selene ended the match two minutes later. A single sweep of her staff caught Kluivert behind the ankles and dropped him flat on his back. Before he could rise, the tip of her staff hovered an inch from his throat.
"I surrender." Kluivert said through gritted teeth. Not from fear of danger, but fear of further humiliation.
He had come to try his luck, and it was clear that he had run out of that.
The referee raised his hand. "Winner, Selene!"
Polite applause rippled through the crowd. Nothing explosive. To most spectators, it had looked like a comfortable but unremarkable victory.
There was no fancy spells being thrown, or any exciting moments.
Moon knew better. Selene wasn’t just hising her trump cards...but she was training against the other evolvers.
Gaining experience against close range combatants would be very good for later rounds. This was the best time to do so.
"Time to say hi." Moon smiled, walking towards Selene and Yara that had already united after the fight.
