The coordinator of the match climbed the arena, holding his tablet and keeping his eyes glued to it.

He moved towards Evelyn, and raised his head slightly. A stretched smile was on his face. "Are you sure that you agree to this match—"

"Yes," Evelyn said quickly. "I am from the Olpha Region."

The coordinator exhaled, and moved towards the tall boy to ask the same question.

The boy nodded. "I am from the Leta Region."

"Alright." The coordinator moved back with quick jogs. "The match starts!"

The tall boy smiled. "Hello."

Evelyn responded, without smiling back. "Hello."

The boy seemed amused by her blunt reply, and his smile faded afterwards. He muttered words under his breath and the air shifted around the arena.

Water flowed from nowhere, gathering around his body in circular tides. The arena floor vibrated softly beneath the pressure as the scent of rain filled the air. The crowd whispered amongst themselves.

Evelyn raised a brow, finding it interesting. It felt less like facing an opponent and more like standing before an approaching flood.

She started walking closer to her opponent. "So you are the storm guy? I have heard about you."

While her tone was carefree, the stories she had heard about the Warden, nicknamed Storm, replayed in her head and they weren’t all good.

The crowd quietened when they saw the smallest of the two opponents marching freely towards the biggest one, who had a growing storm beside him.

At the edge of the arena, Killian sat forward. His eyes were already squinting as he watched.

"Why is she walking into the storm? She should keep a distance until he makes his first move."

Reginald remained calm. "Maybe she has a plan."

Killian glanced at him, and back at the arena. Seeing Reginald not looking worried at all somehow helped him calm down.

If someone who didn’t know Evelyn believed she had it under control, then he should as well. Killian relaxed slightly and returned his gaze to the field.

Green currents of wind spun around Evelyn’s frame protectively as she entered the outer edge of the storm. It had covered her entire body and her hair fluttered against the pressure.

Her opponent merely watched with mild interest showing no sign of being threatened or nervous.

That expression reminded Evelyn of her last match with Keith, who had been barely interested till the last few seconds.

She had already made a bet with herself not to get carried away by the frustration like she did the last time. She calmly stretched a hand forward.

"I will take the first move."

The tall boy gave a small bow. "Ladies first."

Evelyn smiled.

Then—

Click. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The compartments on her gauntlet opened, revealing the hole on her palm area. The crowd leaned in, expecting a burst of wind that should do less damage over the very close range.

Some expected a projectile of sorts, or a technique and they loudly talked about it.

Instead, dozens of tiny orb-like metallic machines shot out. The robotic insects crossed the distance instantly and latched onto the boy’s face.

"What?" The boy stumbled back. One landed on his forehead and another attached itself near his jaw.

Two more spread across his neck while he reached for the ones around his face. Several crawled onto his shoulders and arms, their tiny limbs digging into his uniform and locking themselves in place.

The boy pulled the ones on his clothes. "Get... off." but nothing happened.

His brows furrowed.

At that exact moment, Evelyn moved with the wind steady beneath her feet. She spun around once, and a roundhouse kick shot towards his head.

The boy barely dodged, and the kick missed by inches, yet the wind pressure behind it still clipped his shoulder.

He reacted quickly and pushed from his palm a wave of storm-force that blasted towards Evelyn.

The attack slammed against the wind shield protecting her and she was thrown backwards, yet she landed lightly.

The wind beneath her feet softened the impact before her boots touched the ground. A second later her silver hair settled neatly onto her shoulders.

The crowd erupted. More awes and oohs.

"She fights like S-Rank Warden Helen!"

"That landing!"

"She is like an angel!"

Killian found himself nodding. The robotic insects were the parting gift he had given her to improve her fighting style.

They would be very useful for this fight especially as her opponent used an element as lightweight and fluid as hers.

’If I had fought this Water user who could make storms, I would’ve been at a clear disadvantage.’

Also Evelyn’s new fighting style involved sequence moves and did resemble Helen’s fighting style.

The first move wasn’t overwhelming force, but summons and then the pressure. Her element was woven into every movement and will also make it harder to predict her next move.

Killian relaxed calmly into his seat. For the fact that Evelyn hadn’t made a big move with her element yet, just meant she was saving it for something else.

The thought excited him since he hadn’t seen her use her element in a while. ’And this will be her first match as a C-Rank Lower Warden.’

Killian nodded to himself, folding his arms. "This would be really fun to watch."

Meanwhile, Evelyn’s opponent reached for the robots again. Still nothing could pull them out of his body and his expression shifted to confusion.

He glared at the girl getting praised in front of him. He dragged his eyes to the robotic insects on his clothes again.

Small storms formed around each robotic insect. Miniature vortices trapped them against his body and prevented them from spreading further.

Evelyn watched the process with a faint smile. While her opponent seemed to be a Water User, his attacks mostly came in the form of storms.

She hummed, watching her robotic insects slowly stop buzzing but stayed in position. "When I want to use them," she said casually, "I will."

The boy studied her for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Understood. I will not damage them while I wait to see what you use them for."

While he spoke, the storm around him grew stronger and moisture escaped to the air so much that arena lights flickered.

The boy smiled as the pressure in the air increased.

"It is time for my own first move."