Freedom Jumper-Chapter 95: A Fated Matchup

The erratic applauds and shouts of victory, defeat, and laughter meant nothing to Elijah simply because of the vexing ringing noise moving in and out of his ears. Yes his hand was high in the air from how proud he was, but Elijah knew very well he could have ended Elyas' run with the simple use of his space affinity.

"You must stop! There is blood coming from your head and side!" The muffled voice of a female stopped him in his tracks. A sensation of warmth that was mountains more powerful than his own healing rushed through every crevasse, splintered bone, torn muscles and ligaments, and even the brain. The sensation of his body vibrating began to overwhelm him, and he subconsciously pushed the healer away and tumbled to the floor.

"Wh-at the hell are you doing?"

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I was moving too fast. Please follow me, you need to rest."

Elijah saw a full head of long and luscious blonde hair draping over a blue coat and black pants, and followed slowly into a wooden room filled with white beds and green plants. Knowing he was supposed to fight today, he immediately passed out after taking off the semi-bulky clothing he had been using for their tournament. Nothing like his catacomb crawling outfit, but thick enough cotton to protect him from easily avoidable burns and other harsh elements while keeping the freedom of his limbs in mind.

Hours passed, and when awake, Elijah patted his body with a refreshed energy, but barely not up to par with his state after waking up from a long nine hour rest.

...

The entire stadium was lit with bright and large torches accompanied by the light orange hue of the light runes. When the hand and voice of the ref motioned the start of the match, neither Emery nor Elijah began whipping up any spells, but slowly walked towards each other with smiles on their faces.

"I'm glad you came around Emery."

"Now that I think about it, I feel like an idiot. I'm sorry. I hope this match can rectify any problems between us." Emery said while putting his hand out.

Clasp*

"Me too."

The moment Elijah agreed, the stadium went into uproar at the sight before them. Uproar that consisted of anger, confusion, and applauds of sportsmanship.

"AS YOU CAN TELL, THIS WATER MAGE IS QUITE POWERFUL! HE IS NO NOBLE, NO ONE SPECIAL, YET HE IS ABLE TO CONTEND WITH THE BEST! DO NOT GIVE HATRED WITHOUT A CAUSE, AND PLEASE WITNESS THIS FIGHT AS FRIENDS, FOR I HAVE NO ONE I HATE!!" Emery caught his breath and bowed while relishing in the silence of the arena. Small bits of chatter began to erupt, and what quickly followed were applauds and shouts of happiness.

"I did not expect that Emery! Are you ready?" Elijah was baffled and happy for the person Emery had turned into. This fight was sure to be his most anticipated fight, which also gave him a sense of happiness. Elijah was right about thinking Emery was someone worthy of showing the world to.

Abel, Landon, Mikhail, Leah, Niko, Novius, Alexia, Raylen, Theon, Don, and now Emery...

A bright red flame was seen in Emery's hand, and within Elijah's was a spinning ball of water that he had concentrated on creating. Maybe as an orange core mage, this much would come easier.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Hiss!

The fight had started with a display of magic that created a bomb of smog that lifted into the air. Elijah had seen the way his spinning ball of water interacted with Emery's spell as parts of it were able to pass through and splash into his face and chest.

A melodic exchange of swords began to rang out, and when Elijah felt he had enough of playing at a disadvantage, a stream of bright blue water was forced out of the shoes of his feet blanketing the area in liquid that faltered the steps of Emery.

Astonishment was on Elijah's face while backing away on a small wave of water. A dense and hot beam of fire passed by his small ear while taking his sideburns with him. During the entire exchange, Emery had his left hand behind his back, which to Elijah seemed completely normal due to his previous fights. It seemed Emery was holding a card not yet thrown behind his back, and waiting for the moment to show his rival.

If it were possible, Elijah would act on the idea of creating a wall of water that could be thrown at Emery. Due to the nature of water, something that large was not naturally able to move fast enough, at least not yet when he thought about his core level. A blade of water the size of his limb began coalescing around the back of his hand, and with a simple wave of his hand—and help from the mana itself—it was thrusted forward while Elijah moved in an unpredictable path.

What Elijah received in return were three throbbing balls of condensed fire within seven feet of his body. When the mana within was released, vibrations of heat and smoke clouded Elijah's judgement as he feared a sword would be coming from the other side of the smoke.

Swish!

The one difference that set Emery apart from the rest of the red core mages was his ability to cast spells and swing his sword at the same time. It was not necessarily multitasking, but a spell would be ready within his palm while striking with his sword.

A shiny silver metal sword whizzed through the shield of water that fell to the floor with the disruption in mana flow. Not even a second later, a horizontal line of fire was seen wrapping around the legs of Elijah.

Was it the water affinity, or the poor excuse of strategy running laps in Elijah's mind?

Or simply the determination inside the mind of Emery...

The tightly knit cotton was instantly burned along with the skin of his shins. "AHHHHGGH!"

This feeling of holding back was something he cared deeply about with his match against Emery. Elyas was not someone Elijah acted for much, and did not mind possibly harming him with spatial magic, but Emery... was different, and even similar to Niko with the way his attitude had changed towards him. This could simply be his benevolence, but maybe it wasn't all that?

Everything happened too fast when Elijah understood his reasons. Literally his figure disappeared from sight as he fell into an infinite void—only to shoot out of a portal on the ground with the help of gravity.

Emery who had just come out from the other side of the smoke was confused as to why he didn't see Elijah. The scream was blatantly obvious, so where was he?

"Behind you Emery." Elijah's hand waved forward, and within a matter of seconds, Emery's hands were on the floor while his bare back was seen drenched in water.

Predicating Emery's motivation, a thin shield of water ingrained with the stars of the sky was created in front of Elijah, and when Emery's blast of fire—that continuously came from his left hand—made contact, it was cleanly distributed to the side while creating steam that rose into the air.

The crowd was going wild at the magic they had just seen, and a few council members—high above in a pavilion—were staring at each other in satisfaction.

Elijah's back foot planted against the ground, and with a swift and strong motion, a punch of glory was released into the sparkling water that began to droop at the loss of its mana.

Bam!

Any spell that Emery had been conjuring after realizing his previous spell was fruitless was instantly deleted from the water and moisture that squeezed the life from the flame.

Bam!

A punch to the right shoulder sent Emery spinning backwards into a shield of water that had materialized into thin air.

The beating of Elijah's heart was racing, and his smile could not be contained. Lost in the moment, he never saw the bright light coming from Emery's palm.

Boom!

Both contestants were sent flying at a mini bomb that had exploded only a couple of feet between them. However, Emery was better off as the clothes on his back were burned, and not his face.

Elijah rolled against the floor with visible steam coming from his eyebrows. The first thought that came to mind was his beautiful face!! A warm liquid coalesced around his entire body that allowed him to stand up pain free. Visibly, the intricacies of water flowing into the wounds of his body were seen as small whirlpools.

Fifty feet away from each other, two large magnificent spells were being created and concentrated for one final bout. Whoever had the bigger nuke would win right?

While one spell was bigger than the other, the smaller concentrated explosive fireball had far more firepower when compared to the violently spinning ball of water. However, the plan was not to beat Emery with a water based attack, but use his space affinity to swallow his own attack and redirect it at Emery.

BOOM!

A mushroom cloud the size of a small building was created at the center of the arena. While Emery grew a smile, it instantly turned into a frown of dissatisfaction. How would anyone predict what has happened?

A translucent and pearlescent rimmed portal the size of ten feet opened in front and behind the exact point of impact, and acted as a gateway to Elijah's victory. The violently spinning ball of water rammed directly into Emery—swallowing him up like a fish that unfortunately was flushed down a toilet.

Minutes of silence passed within the stadium, and finally when the torrent of water had settled, the victor was announced.

"ELIJAH VERAN!!!"