Sacred Arts

23. Rank Number Three

The next pair of warriors stepped onto the stage, prepared for their upcoming battle. Raquel Jackson, who held rank three in last year's tournament, faced off against Matthew. The crowd fell into a hushed silence, eagerly anticipating the outcome of the battle. "You have surpassed all my expectations in this tournament," Raquel complimented Matthew. "Look, there is no need to try and get on my good side," Matthew replied.

"Come at me with all your strength, so that I completely crush it," Matthew continued, with a confident grin on his face. "This guy may not be rank one or two, but I know he's going to be very tough," Matthew thought to himself. "But regardless I will not lose!" he muttered under his breath. Both warriors released their auras, causing them to meet in the center of the stage, creating a dazzling spectacle of power. "You may begin," Master Shawn announced.

"I will unleash the full extent of my power from the very beginning!" Raquel declared, grinning. He materialized a massive bow, readying himself to shoot an arrow at Matthew. "This is perfect," Matthew thought. Seizing this opportunity, Matthew decided to focus on close-range combat, hoping it'd put Raquel at a disadvantage. With remarkable speed, Matthew charged towards Raquel, his intention of engaging in close combat apparent.

"I figured he would decide to bring our battle into close quarters combat," Raquel thought happily, anticipating this strategy. "It seems he thinks I am a normal archer," Raquel thought, with a smile forming on his face. Taking aim, Raquel released an arrow directly at Matthew, and in the blink of an eye, it struck his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse to the ground. Reacting quickly, Matthew clutched his wounded shoulder, bewildered by what had just happened. "What was that?" Matthew wondered, replaying the scene in his mind.

In frustration, he muttered under his breath, "I saw him draw his bow, but it was as if the arrow vanished after being fired." "That's his bow of light," a spectator spoke out loud. "That bow is what allowed him to make rank three in last year's tournament, because only two people were able to counter it," another person chimed in. Determined to find a solution, Matthew knew he had to act quickly. "In order for me to fight in close quarters combat I have to find a way past his invisible arrows," Matthew thought.

Summoning his strength, he stood up and emitted his aura, and a long silver sword materialized in his hands. Raquel, observing Matthew's actions, couldn't help but think of him as a fool. "These are arrows that cannot be seen, and he has no way to counter them," Raquel thought confidently. Matthew began sprinting at full speed in unpredictable patterns, abruptly changing directions in an attempt to confuse his opponent. Sensing his opportunity, Raquel drew his bow and released another arrow.

Matthew caught a glimpse of the arrow being released, but before he could react, he felt an excruciating pain as it pierced through his thigh. Overwhelmed by the agony, Matthew let out another cry and dropped to one knee. Frustration consumed him as he thought, "How is this even possible?" "It's as if I ran straight into the path of the arrow!" Matthew thought as anger bubbled up inside him. "If his arrows are special enough to be invisible to the naked eye, then I should be able to sense them," Matthew muttered to himself. Determined, he rose to his feet, pointing the tip of his sword in Raquel's direction, and closed his eyes.

"He wants to try and sense my arrows, huh?" Raquel laughed sarcastically. In response, Raquel aimed an arrow into the sky, and it descended towards Matthew. At that moment, one arrow multiplied and continued to do so until dozens of more arrows began to rain down upon him. Overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught, Matthew's anxiety grew as he realized that one arrow had turned into almost a hundred in seconds. However, to Raquel's surprise, as the arrows pierced through Matthew's aura, they were instantly sliced in half, until there were none left. Confused by Matthew's ability to effortlessly neutralize the arrows, Raquel wondered about the situation.

"Even if he increased the perimeter of his aura to sense my arrows, and gave him more time to counter them, it still doesn't explain how he actually is managing to keep up with all of them with such remarkable speed," Raquel thought. "The amount of time he is buying himself should literally only be mere seconds, if that," he continued. Undeterred, Raquel continued to shoot arrows at Matthew while Matthew, fueled by determination, charged directly towards him. The battle between Matthew and Raquel intensified as they exchanged attacks. Matthew's ability to slice through Raquel's arrows remained consistent, and he took advantage of his proximity to deliver a powerful slash to Raquel's shoulder, leaving a deep gash.

Reacting swiftly, Raquel swung his bow at Matthew, but Matthew managed to dodge the attack by moving backward. Not willing to back down, Raquel put away his bow inside his divine dimension and retrieved two daggers, impressing Matthew with his versatility in wielding different weapons. "I can't believe he is able to comprehend two weapons already," Matthew muttered to himself. "Now that I think about it, no one in the tournament so far has displayed such skill," Matthew thought back to all the warriors he has observed so far in the tournament. Raquel unleashed his aura, and behind him, a massive light brown cheetah flickered into existence.

"Let's see how he deals with my full power," Raquel muttered through gritted teeth. In response, Matthew released his own aura, summoning a gigantic black lion that flickered behind him. Realizing that they both possess the ability to summon their soul beast's power, Matthew and Raquel prepare for the real battle to begin. "This is quite the match," Headmaster Edward said, amazed. "This is a battle between two majestic soul beasts that happen to both be wild cats," he continued.

"I agree, one has power and one has speed," Master Jacob chimed in. "I wonder which one will triumph in this amazing match," he continued. The battle between Matthew and Raquel had reached its peak as they charged at each other with incredible speed. Their weapons clashed in the center of the stage, creating sparks and the resounding clanging of metal. Despite Raquel's strong daggers, Matthew's sword proved to be a formidable force.

With their soul beasts empowering them, the two warriors continued their intense clash, slashing and parrying with great skill. However, as time passed, neither warrior was able to gain the upper hand on the other. "When it comes to speed and agility he definitely has me beat," Matthew thought to himself, panting heavily. "I need to find a way to slow him down, just for one moment," he continued. "All I need is one strike, and I can put an end to this match," Matthew thought angrily.

Realizing the need to slow Raquel down, Matthew devised a plan. Raquel circled around him with even more incredible speed, resembling a tornado with Matthew being in the center of it. From all sides, Raquel launched attacks, but Matthew skillfully defended himself, parrying each strike. "I need to make him think I let my guard down," Matthew thought as he formed his strategy. Matthew lured Raquel in, waiting for the perfect moment.

When Raquel saw what he had believed to be an opening in Matthew's defense, he charged at him and drove a dagger deep into his side. "I got you now!" Raquel roared confidently. The pain caused Matthew to cry out through gritted teeth, but he remained determined to continue the fight. Raquel attempted to retreat, but Matthew seized him by the hand that held the dagger lodged in his side. "I'll show you what else you got!" Matthew yelled as he endured the pain of the dagger in his side.

With a swift and decisive blow, Matthew drove his long sword through one of Raquel's thighs. The pain was excruciating, causing Raquel's voice to echo throughout the fighting area as he dropped to one knee. "Did he bait me?" Raquel wondered as pain shot through his body. "This kid is willing to sacrifice himself all for the sake of taking down his enemy," Raquel whispered as this revelation sent a chill down his spine. Though in pain, Raquel admired Matthew's sacrifice.

Summoning every ounce of his remaining strength, Matthew channeled his energy into his fist and unleashed a powerful energy blast at point-blank range. "It ends here!" Matthew roared. Drawing upon the strength of his soul beast, the blast struck Raquel with tremendous force, sending him flying off the stage and crashing onto the floor below. As the energy blast dissipated, Matthew collapsed to the floor, utterly exhausted. He managed to stop the bleeding from his wound by circulating his energy throughout his body to close the wound, but his body was spent.

Master Shawn rose from his seat and declared Matthew the winner of the third match. The crowd cheered and applauded another spectacular match between two top tier warriors. Matthew slowly made his way off the stage, his injuries hindering his movements. He sat cross-legged, preparing to tend to his wounds. Meanwhile, the healers quickly retrieved Raquel and took him to the recovery room.