[INT. DIVINE STADIUM – ROUND THREE, MATCH TWO]
The Divine Board shimmered, casting its next declaration across the six realms:
> Match Two
Veloria Aestra – Light School
vs.
Rellis Fen – Space School
The crowd buzzed.
Veloria stood calmly at the edge of the glowing arena, her silver hair tied behind her, eyes closed. Her hands were folded neatly behind her back.
On the opposite side stood Rellis Fen, one of the most well-known prodigies from the School of Space — a warrior-mage who'd once bested five opponents in a simulation using only spatial blades.
> Ray (from the Light School viewing balcony):
"He's not going to be easy."
> Rika:
"He won't be enough."
Veloria's gaze didn't waver. She walked forward with elegance, no visible tension in her steps.
The Divine Bell tolled.
> Match Start!
---
[PHASE ONE – THE WARPING FIELD]
Rellis immediately activated his spatial zone — the floor beneath the arena bent like water. Space cracked and folded around Veloria.
Blades of compressed air shot from distorted angles. Reality twisted.
> Rellis (confident):
"Let's see how a time girl handles no time at all."
Veloria's form shimmered. She didn't dodge.
She simply moved — and the blades passed through where she wasn't.
> Veloria (calmly):
"You should've attacked the moment the bell rang."
She vanished.
> Rellis:
"Wha—?"
From behind him — a gust of displaced time ruptured space, sending Rellis crashing into his own warped field.
> Veloria (thoughts):
I'm moving through the cracks in his domain…
> I didn't even know I could do that.
Rellis roared, summoning spatial chains and hurling dimensional anchors.
She walked through them.
No, she glided. Like time herself was parting for her.
> Veloria (softly):
"Time Layer: Fractal Rewind."
In an instant, Rellis's last five seconds repeated. His attacks reversed, traps undone. He was back where he began — confused, open.
She raised a single finger.
> Veloria:
"Pause."
Rellis froze.
Completely.
The crowd went silent.
A god-tier silence filled the stadium.
> Time God Aion (narrowing his eyes):
"That's... advanced control."
> Time Maiden Aestra (smiling):
"She's not even aware she's doing it perfectly."
---
[PHASE TWO – THE SILENT STORM]
Veloria circled Rellis's frozen form, eyes narrowed. She wasn't taunting.
She was calculating.
> Veloria (to herself):
"Why does this feel so easy…?"
With a pulse of her palm, time resumed.
Rellis gasped — now disarmed, surrounded by spectral time glyphs.
He summoned a space rift to escape.
She didn't allow it.
> Veloria (calm):
"Absolute Second."
The rift collapsed.
She moved again, faster this time. To the audience, she was barely visible — streaks of lavender light trailing behind her.
Her blows weren't raw power — they were impossibly timed.
Every strike landed just as Rellis almost blocked. Every dodge was just before he attacked.
He staggered.
And finally, with a sigh, Veloria raised both hands.
> Veloria:
"I'm ending this now."
She formed a spiral ring of temporal energy — and struck the platform itself.
> "Chrono Break: Spiral Reset!"
The stage cracked.
Rellis fell, unconscious, mid-cast.
---
[DIVINE ANNOUNCEMENT]
> Winner: Veloria Aestra – Light School
Status: Qualified – Super Elite (2/20)
The crowd burst into applause.
But Veloria didn't react.
She simply turned… and walked off the stage.
---
[INT. STADIUM EXIT CORRIDOR]
Lyrion waited for her by the arched corridor wall, arms folded.
She stopped two steps away, breathing steady.
> Lyrion (quietly):
"You didn't even get hit."
> Veloria (still stunned):
"I didn't think I'd dominate that easily."
She looked down at her hands.
> Veloria:
"I thought… I'd be pushed. I trained for pressure. But they can't even touch me."
She looked up.
> Veloria (serious):
"So this is why you're holding back, isn't it?"
Lyrion blinked — but didn't answer.
> Veloria (stepping closer):
"I saw it. The way you let Zek move, the way you didn't even tap into half your strength."
> "You're trying not to show them how wide the gap is."
Lyrion smiled faintly.
> Lyrion:
"So you noticed."
> Veloria:
"Then promise me something."
> Lyrion:
"What?"
> Veloria (softly, but firm):
"Don't hold back anymore. Not in this tournament."
He hesitated.
She reached forward and touched his wrist.
> Veloria:
"Please… for me."
Lyrion looked into her eyes.
Then nodded.
> Lyrion:
"Alright. I promise."
She smiled.
> Veloria (stepping back):
"Good. Because I won't either."
---
[INT. GODLY SEATS]
> Time God Aion (smiling faintly):
"She's already becoming more than we ever dreamed."
> Time Maiden Aestra:
"And so is he."
---
[DIVINE BOARD – FINAL UPDATE OF THE DAY]
> Super Elites Qualified: 2/20
Round Three Continues Tomorrow
---
TO BE CONTINUED…