My Soul card is a Reaper-Chapter 1019: Dreams of the Past: Battle for the spots (1/3)

Chapter 1019: Dreams of the Past: Battle for the spots (1/3)

The night was silent, save for the occasional crackle of torches lining the bandit camp.

Raphael stood on a cliffside, watching as Gabrielle moved like a shadow through the encampment. Her silver hair gleamed under the moonlight, but her movements were seamless, blending into the darkness.

One by one, the bandits fell without so much as a cry, their bodies bound by glowing chains of sealing energy before they slumped unconscious. Even the bandit leader, a formidable 7-star Arcana Master, was subdued without a chance to retaliate.

Raphael, still standing on the outskirts, sighed in mild disappointment. "I guess I really didn’t need to be here," he muttered under his breath.

When the last of the hostages were freed, he finally approached Gabrielle. She looked at him, unimpressed, as if waiting for a comment.

"You didn’t leave a single one for me," Raphael noted, crossing his arms. "At least let me do something next time."

She gave him an unreadable look before turning away. "If there is a next time. Anyway, thanks for the assistance, kid. It is time I return."

And with that, she disappeared into the night.

Raphael mumbled, staring into the night-lit sky. "There’s something about her I can’t just shrug off. I wonder what it was." After a brief pause, he shook his head, throwing off other thoughts. "Anyway, I need to get back to the palace and pass Master’s message to His Majesty. I just wonder why he wants me to participate in that silly little tournament."

*

The next day at the Heavenly Academy, murmurs filled the air as students gathered in the grand hall. It saw the appearance of all 304 students from all divisions, not just 51 special division students. Rael, Eon, and Artaigne sat together as the Vice Principal, Ban Zhao, stood at the podium.

"Attention, everyone," Ban Zhao’s voice carried through the hall, immediately silencing the chatter. "The official dates for the World Tournament have been announced. The main tournament begins on the 1st of December—four weeks from now."

A wave of excitement rippled through the room.

"To determine the eight seeded participants from our academy, an Inter-Academy Tournament will be held. Battles for the Junior Division will take place over the next two weeks, followed by the Senior Division. Each division has eight seeding spots available."

Rael leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. "Four weeks? That’s plenty of time to prepare."

Nuada, who sat in the upper row but right behind Rael, smirked as he heard Rael’s comment. "Only if you make it past the qualifiers. It is not easy to get into top 8."

Qin Shi Huang, who was sitting right beside Nuada, added. "I would love to battle Azrael, though. Out of all here, his aura is the densest."

Nuada gleamed at Qin Shi Huang’s comment. "Is that so? Then, it should be fun."

Rael shrugged off their comments as Ban Zhao continued, "Just as every year, The Junior world tournament is open to those under seventeen, limited to peak-rank-5 and below. The Senior tournament is for those under ninety-nine, ranging from low-rank-6 to peak-rank-8. We have forty-eight participants registered for the Junior Division, divided into eight groups of six. Each participant will face five opponents in round-robin matches. The top two from each group will advance to the knockout rounds, where the final eight will be determined."

A massive display projected above her in the form of energy, revealing the groups.

Group A:

Eon

Arjuna

Chitraganda

Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Esther

Wu Zetian

Group B:

Beowulf

Brynhildr

Taharqa

Bai Qi

Nakano Takeko

Group C:

Azrael

Bheema

Kratos

Esfandiar

Fionn

Li Xiu

Group D:

Artaigne

Yudhisthira

David

Skuld

Ragnar Lodbrok

Tomoe Gozen

Group E:

Qin Shi Huang

Nzinga

Gilgamesh

Etana

Sargon

Hilda

Group F:

Nuada

Lughvarn

Rostam

Wei Qing

Yamato Takeru 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Zulqarnaim

Eon let out a low whistle. "First match, and I’m up against Arjuna?" She turned to him with a grin. "Guess I’ll finish my brother’s pending battle with you."

Arjuna chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I had a feeling this would happen eventually."

Rael scanned his group, his gaze narrowing slightly when he spotted Bheema’s name. "Well, well, looks like I get to put a certain someone in his place."

Bheema, sitting a few rows away, also turned his head to meet his gaze with Rael. He looked at Rael as if he couldn’t wait to go out there for the battle.

Artaigne, meanwhile, looked at Yudhisthira’s name in her group. She clenched her fists slightly, then exhaled. "This is a good chance to test myself against him, the one who could parry anyone."

Ban Zhao, after announcing the senior tournament’s candidates, looked over the students. "The tournament begins tomorrow. Train well, because once you step into the arena, there will be no excuses. Dismissed."

As the students stood, the air buzzed with anticipation. The tournament was set. Battles would decide who would represent the Heavenly Academy on the world stage.

The following day;

The arena was hushed, tense, alive with expectation. Spectators leaned forward, breaths held, as Eon stepped onto the battlefield, her divine Mace resting lazily against her shoulder. Floating beside her was the Hourglass, an artifact of immense power, pulsing faintly with golden energy.

Across from her stood Arjuna, his stance relaxed yet unwavering. His deep blue battle tunic billowed slightly in the breeze, and in his hands, his legendary bow Gandiva shimmered with an ethereal glow. He rolled his shoulders, muscles taut with readiness, his sharp eyes locked onto his opponent.

The air between them crackled with unspoken challenge.

Arjuna tilted his head slightly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Let’s see how strong you are compared to your brother."

Eon exhaled, her grip tightening around the handle of her mace. "If you can’t defeat me, forget about thinking of having any rivalry with Rael."

A single bell chimed.

Ding!

And the match began.

The moment the sound faded, Arjuna disappeared. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared mid-air, already drawing his bow in a seamless motion.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

A volley of six arrows shot toward Eon at blistering speed, each infused with condensed spirit energy.

She reacted instantly. Her Hourglass rotated.

"Soul skill: Time Stop."

Time froze.

Everything became eerily silent—the swirling dust in the air, the burning arrows streaking toward her, the distant cheers of the crowd halted mid-sound.

Eon walked casually through the frozen battlefield, weaving effortlessly between the suspended arrows as if they were mere decorations. She let out a low whistle, admiring Arjuna’s precision.

"Not bad," she mused before flicking her wrist.

Time resumed.

BOOM!

The arrows crashed into the ground, erupting into an explosion of golden sparks, sending shockwaves rippling across the arena.

At the same time, Eon was seen in mid-air, her mace swinging at Arjuna.

Arjuna’s chest was struck by the divine mace. He blasted away dozens of meters, crashing to the ground.

He slowly sat up, staring at Eon, who slowly landed on the ground with a smile on her face.

"Annoying ability." Arjuna raised his arm. The bow immediately flew toward him, and he tightly grabbed its handle.

"You should sit there." Eon then charged forward, her mace crackling with raw energy, glowing brighter with every step. Her movements were deliberate—every muscle in her body coiled like a spring, her mind calculating Arjuna’s possible counters.

The moment she reached him, her mace swung down with devastating force.

BOOM!