Eclipsed

Chapter 34

The arena was electric with excitement, the crowd roaring as Katsuo unleashed his ultimate technique, summoning an enormous fire dragon. The beast towered over the battlefield, its flame-filled body casting an eerie glow across the arena. The audience gasped, unable to look away, as the dragon bellowed a fierce roar that reverberated through the very ground.

Katsuo, his face twisted with determination, grinned. "Alric, you are the strongest warrior I've faced," he yelled, his voice filled with respect but tinged with fury. "You are no prince, you are a soldier!"

Alric, standing coolly in the center of the arena, merely sighed, unphased by the dragon's menacing presence. "Whatever you say, a compliment from you is quite nice," he quipped, his voice light-hearted despite the intensity of the battle.

The crowd erupted, cheering loudly, their excitement reaching a fever pitch. King Harudan beamed with pride, his chest swelling as he watched his son. Queen Mizarra, standing beside him, raised an eyebrow in concern. "Isn't this a bit too much, dear?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

Harudan chuckled, clearly entertained. "No, of course not," he said, his tone full of amusement. "Let it continue. This is entertaining. I didn’t expect my son to be a fighter."

Taven, watching the spectacle with a smirk, muttered under his breath, "That idiot is going to feel it now." He crossed his arms, confident that Katsuo’s fire dragon would end things quickly.

But then, Kaelen stood up, her face clouded with worry. Her usually composed demeanor cracked as she watched the fire dragon, her voice trembling slightly. "Stop the fight, please, father. He won’t survive this!" she pleaded, her concern for Alric outweighing her usual regal poise.

King Harudan, his eyes never leaving the battlefield, waved her off. "No, of course not," he said firmly. "Now sit down, Kaelen." His tone was final, and Kaelen, unable to argue, sank back into her seat, her eyes wide with fear as she turned her gaze away from the fight, her worry palpable.

Alric, unfazed by the immense dragon before him, gave a low chuckle. "Oh, how nostalgic," he mused. "I fought a beast very similar to this, but that time..." He smirked, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "It had a body." His voice was filled with playful confidence, though everyone could see the underlying intensity in his eyes.

Then, in an instant, Alric's expression shifted to something far more serious. "Well, if you have a trump card, so do I!" he declared, his voice now cold and resolute. He shifted his stance, planting his sword firmly into the ground, the air around him crackling with energy.

The Crimson Vanguard members, watching from the sidelines, could hardly believe what they were seeing. One of the men, his sharp eyes narrowing, whispered to the others, "Our perception of this prince was wrong this entire time..." His voice was filled with awe and disbelief, his thoughts clearly reeling. "He’s no ordinary fighter."

The other three members of the Vanguard watched, stunned, as they saw Katsuo fight with such desperation and intensity. None of them had ever seen him struggle like this before. The woman with braided hair clenched her fists, her expression shifting from concern to full-blown shock.

And then, as if to show that he was no mere participant in the fight, Alric raised his hands, drawing upon a vast well of power. A massive figure of Hiraigen energy began to take shape before him—an imposing demon-like figure, towering over the arena, its face adorned with a fearsome mask and curved horns. The crowd fell silent for a moment, the magnitude of the figure’s appearance leaving everyone speechless.

The massive Hiraigen figure stood toe-to-toe with Katsuo’s fire dragon, both creations equally matched in size and power. Alric, his eyes locked onto Katsuo, raised his voice, commanding his energy construct with a calm, almost casual air. "Well, let’s fight for real now," he said, his voice carrying over the arena as the giant figure raised its massive arms, ready to clash with the fire dragon.