"Begin!"
The announcer, as well as the referee for the match, signaled,mencing the start of the match.
L wasted no time after the match had begun, she raised her hands to the sky,manding her falcon.
"Zephyrion, take flight!"
The Tempestwing falcon screeched, its powerful wings beating as it soared higher above the arena, circling with the grace and speed of a predator ready to strike.
Kyle remained calm and care-carefree hands cooly tucked inside his pockets.
There was a pouch of runes strapped to his waist, and he made sure to take notice of it too.
He had not exactly prepared for this match-up, a fight against a flying creature. But to an extent he was ready for multiple scenarios.
All he needed to do was y smart and avoid exposing too much.
L smirked. "Trying to prove tough, aren''t you?" she called out before chanting her spell,
"Wind sh!"
Swinging her arm forward, condensed air was released in the form of a razor-sharp gust. The de of wind quickly approached Kyle, its sound howling through the arena.
Kyle reacted instantly, activating a rune he had slipped onto the ground earlier. The rune glowed briefly before an earth wall of hardened mud materialized in front of him.
The Wind sh collided with the mud wall, dispersing into the armless wind.
''That''s one rune,'' Kyle mentally took note.
He was allowed to bring in a maximum of 7 self-made runes, and he wanted to be mindful of the way he used it.
"Lightning Dash!" Kyle muttered under his breath.
In a sh of electric energy, Kyle''s form blurred as he shot across the arena like a bolt of lightning, closing the distance between him and L in a heartbeat.
The sudden burst of speed startled L, but she reacted quickly, her falcon screeching above.
"Wind Dash!" she shouted, her body bing a blur as the wind propelled her backward at a slower speed than Kyle, but it still did its work, putting enough space between them once more.
The battle was already fast-paced, both of them darting around the arena, lightning and wind colliding in bursts of energy.
Above, Zephyrion circled menacingly, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Kyle skidded to a stop, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the situation.
He couldn''t rely too much on his spells; he had to be conservative, pretending to operate within the same limitations as everyone else.
His runes should be his key to victory.
Quickly, he activated another rune at his feet—a lightning rune he had inscribed with precision before the match.
This one functioned like [Lightning Dash], its primary function being to increase his speed and reaction time.
As the rune glowed beneath him, Kyle felt a surge of energy flood his body.
"Zephyrion, now!" L''s voice rang out, shortly after he had activated his rune.
The Tempestwing falcon screeched once more, diving toward Kyle like a silver arrow. Its talons crackled with wind energy as it aimed for his exposed back.
Kyle''s eyes flicked upward, catching the glint of the falcon''s wings as it dov.
He had been anticipating the Tempest Falcon''s move since the match began, and he was able to avoid the surprise attack easily.
Without hesitation, he threw a Paralysis Rune to the bird that hovered very closely to him, mming the glowing inscription onto the Falcon''s body just as it was about to strike.
A pulse of electrical energy shot outward from the rune, crackling through the air and briefly stunning the Tempest wing mid-dive.
Zephyrion faltered and its wings seemed to vibrate as the electric pulse coursed through its body.
The few spectators who were paying attention to the match gasped at the sight—the mighty falcon was momentarily paralyzed in the air.
Kyle didn''t waste a second, nning to seize the chance and take the initiative.
He thrust his palm forward and cast a spell.
"Lightning Bolt!"
A bolt of lightning shot from his hand, arcing through the air and striking the paralyzed Zephyrion directly.
The falcon let out a screech of pain as the lightning rippled through its body, sending it careening off course.
It wasn''t enough to take the creature down, but it had certainly weakened it.
L''s eyes widened in fear and shock.
"Zephyrion, recover!" She screamed anxiously, prompting the Falcon to desperately p its wings in an attempt to regain altitude.
The falcon pped its wings desperately, regaining altitude, but Kyle could see the strain in its movements. The paralysis rune and lightning strike had done their job.
Now it was time to continue pressing his advantage. He reached for another rune—this one etched with a symbol for Amplification.
As he activated it, he felt the effects immediately. His next attack would hit harder, and he had just the right spell in mind.
But L wasn''t going to give him the opportunity so easily.
"Wind sh!" she cried out again, sending another de of wind hurtling toward Kyle.
Kyle didn''t flinch. He didn''t n on wasting the amplification he had applied on himself, so he quickly threw another rune, hisst defense rune.
Like before, an earth wall sprung up from the ground, easily blocking the spell.
L gritted her teeth. "You can''t hide behind runes forever!"
Kyle smirked and thought, ''I don''t n to.''
"Constantly fighting with the Veil Of Silence has made him appreciate staying silent in a match.
''My skills would do the talking!''
Kyle dashed forward once again with [Lightning Bolt], his movements a blur thanks to the amplification rune that was still on.
L was quick to react, her own Wind Dash sending her sliding across the arena floor, but Kyle was already prepared for her evasive tactics.
Kyle had a mischievous smile as L approached a certain spot in the Arena.
''Hehe. Right into my trap!''
The ground beneath L glowed as the Trap rune he had ced at the early stages of the fight red to life.
It got muddy and soon became thick, slowly making her legs sink until it bound her in ce.
The Rune he had ced was a Tier-2 rune, an advanced rune that took after the spell [Mud Trap].
It had taken him a lot of effort to craft it, but with Lora''s kind help, he had managed to master it.
The rune worked wonders when it came to binding opponents and that was what he needed right now.
He didn''t hesitate, ready to finish her off. With L trapped, Kyle raised his hand, lightning crackling around his fingers.
"Lightning Bolt!" he shouted, sending another bolt of electricity streaking toward her.
L raised her arms to defend, but the lightning struck true, sending a jolt of energy through her body.
The lightning made her wince in pain, and her knees buckled slightly from the impact.
The crowd let out a collective gasp as they watched L struggle to stay on her feet.
But Kyle knew it wasn''t over. HL still had Zephyrion, and the falcon wasn''t out of the fight yet.
"Zephyrion!" L cried out weakly in desperation. "Take him down!"
The Tempest Falcon screeched once again, its wings red as it summoned a gust of wind around its body.
The wind whipped into a vortex, and in an instant, Zephyrion dove toward Kyle with blinding speed, its talons glowing with wind energy.
Kyle''s eyes narrowed. This was the moment he had been waiting for.
As Zephyrion closed in, Kyle activated his final rune—another Paralysis Rune that he had been saving for this exact moment.
The Rune had done its job thest time he used it against the bird. Now... He expected it to deliver.
The rune shed in his hands, as he waited for the perfect moment to ce it on the Falcon.
Zephyrion, mid-dive, saw Kyle''s n and used its whole strength to twist its body out of the way.
Unfortunately, it was toote and Kyle''s hand had already mmed into the bird, paralyzing it mid-air.
The falcon let out a screech as it felt its body seize and wings locked in ce
It then crashed into the ground in front of Kyle, skidding across the arena floor and leaving behind a cloud of dust.
L''s eyes widened in horror as she watched her prizedpanion fall.
Kyle didn''t waste any time. He dashed forward once more, casting [Lightning Dash].
And in a sh, he was already in front of L, his hand crackling with lightning.
"Lightning Bolt!" Kyle whispered, using the st of his mana'' to deliver a final, decisive blow.
The air crackled with lightning for a moment before a burst of lightning energy surged through her, sending her stumbling forward.
The Tempestwing falcon, still recovering from the stun, let out a weak cry as it struggled to rise.
The battle was over.
L copsed to her knees, panting heavily, while Zephyriony weakly on the floor.
Everywhere was rtively quiet, no one celebrated the win because they didn''t care much about the results.
The announcer''s voice cut the prevailing silence, confirming the result.
"And the winner is… Kyle, of Rune Making!"
Kyle stood tall with a proud grin, raising his hands high to savor the victory. He was happy about his win because he deserved it.
The system might not have deemed the match tough enough to assign a quest, but a win was still a win.
He nced down at L, who was being helped to her feet by a medic. She gave him a hard smile, nodding at him out of respect.
Kyle returned the nod, respecting her efforts before he walked out of the stage.
"3 points. 6 more to go!"