CHAPTER 104: TACTICAL FORFEIT!

The arena maintenance crews worked frantically between matches, their repair enchantments struggling to fix the devastation left by Ren’s impossible dual resonance display.

Cracked stone merged back together under magical influence, but the scorch marks and tears would take minutes to fully heal.

Ren sat in the candidate observation area, his body aching from wounds that ran deeper than flesh.

The sympathetic damage from Shadow’s attacks had created injuries that confused even experienced spirits, while the strain of achieving dual resonance had pushed his mental sea beyond their normal limits.

But his mind remained razor-sharp as he studied the remaining quarterfinalists with methodical precision.

The second quarterfinal featured two Block C candidates whose fighting styles represented textbook academy training.

Elemental manipulation met battlefield control in exchanges that were competent but predictable.

After witnessing the brutal innovation of his battle with Shadow, their techniques seemed almost quaint in their adherence to conventional magical theory.

’Standard approaches,’ Ren noted mentally. ’Effective within established parameters, but no tactical evolution under pressure.’

The third match showcased something more interesting.

A Block A candidate known for her impenetrable defensive barriers faced a Block C fighter who specialized in sustained magical bombardment.

For nearly thirty minutes, the arena became a testing ground for the fundamental question of whether perfect defense could outlast overwhelming offense.

The Block A candidate’s barriers were masterworks of magical engineering—adaptive, self-repairing, and designed to counter every known form of magical attack.

Her family’s three generations of weaver legends had produced defensive techniques that bordered on artistic in their sophistication.

But her opponent’s offensive capabilities proved equally impressive.

Wave after wave of weaves crashed against those perfect barriers, each attack more innovative than the last.

The battle became a fascinating study in resource management and psychological endurance.

The defensive specialist won, but barely. Her victory came only after her opponent’s mental reserves were completely exhausted, leaving both fighters in conditions that would affect their future performance.

But it was the final quarterfinal that provided the day’s most shocking result.

Mirabella stepped onto the arena floor with her characteristic confidence, facing the last remaining Block A candidate—a girl whose bloodline traced back to some of the most notable names in the current surface.

The expectation was that this would be the tournament’s most evenly matched contest.

Instead, Mirabella ended the fight in ninety-three seconds.

Her opponent’s prestigious heritage and training proved somehow inadequate against magical power that operated at levels beyond normal academy curriculum.

The Block A candidate’s carefully choreographed weavework was systematically dismantled by techniques that seemed to command fundamental ice in real time.

When the medical staff carried away another unconscious opponent, a stunning reality crystallized: Block A had been completely eliminated from the tournament.

Every single candidate from the supposedly elite block had failed to reach the semifinals.

The crowd’s murmur of confusion grew into outright bewilderment as this impossible result sank in.

Block A represented the pinnacle of traditional magical education—students from the most prestigious families with access to resources and training that lesser candidates could only dream of.

Their complete absence from the final stages suggested that something fundamental about this tournament had defied every prediction and assumption that shaped academy hierarchy.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the witch announced as stunned silence fell over the arena, "your semifinal contestants!"

Magical displays above the arena illuminated four names in golden letters that seemed to burn with significance:

REN - BLOCK B

MIRABELLA - BLOCK B

LYDIA THORNFIELD - BLOCK C

SERA NIGHTWIND - BLOCK C

The crowd’s reaction was immediate and intense. Two candidates from supposedly "average" Block B had not only survived but dominated their way to the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Block C—traditionally viewed as the least promising group—had managed to place two fighters in the final four.

It was a complete inversion of every hierarchy and expectation that had defined academy culture for generations.

Ren studied his potential opponents with calculated interest.

Lydia Thornfield was the defensive specialist whose barriers had proven capable of withstanding sustained magical bombardment for half an hour.

Her fighting style emphasized patience, resource management, and methodical exploitation of enemy weaknesses—an approach that suggested sophisticated tactical thinking beneath conventional techniques.

Sera Nightwind specialized in mobility and precision strikes, favoring quick decisive engagements over prolonged battles.

Her magical abilities centered around wind manipulation and enhancement magic that could dramatically amplify her physical capabilities while maintaining the speed advantages necessary for hit-and-run tactics.

Both were formidable opponents, but Ren’s analytical mind was already identifying potential strategies for each matchup.

The random selection process began with the witch materializing on the central platform, her ancient eyes gleaming with obvious excitement for what promised to be an extraordinary day of competition.

"Semifinal matchups will now be determined," she announced as magical displays began cycling through the four remaining names with deliberate ceremony.

The first pairing crystallized in golden letters: REN versus SERA NIGHTWIND.

Ren felt his pulse quicken with determination as he processed this matchup.

Sera’s mobility-focused fighting style would require entirely different tactical approaches than he’d used against Shadow’s dimensional manipulation.

Her wind magic and enhancement abilities created challenges that conventional defensive positioning couldn’t solve.

But his mind had already formulated a comprehensive strategy based on her observed combat patterns.

Her reliance on speed and precision strikes created predictable vulnerabilities that could be exploited through proper positioning and momentum manipulation.

’Force close-range engagement where mobility advantages become liabilities,’ he thought with calm confidence.

’Use momentum drain to neutralize her speed enhancements. Control engagement distance to prevent her preferred fighting range. Simple counters for a straightforward opponent.’

As they took positions at opposite ends of the arena, Ren activated his momentum precognition to study her movement patterns.

The white lines revealed exactly what he’d expected—Sera’s fighting style emphasized rapid repositioning and hit-and-run tactics that relied on maintaining optimal distance while delivering precise magical strikes.

His kusarigama felt comfortable in his hands as both fighters prepared for what should have been an intense battle between fundamentally different combat philosophies.

"Begin!"

But instead of the explosive opening attack Ren had prepared for, Sera simply raised her hand in the universal gesture of surrender.

"I forfeit," she declared clearly, her voice carrying across the suddenly silent arena.

The words hung in the air for a moment as twenty thousand spectators processed what they’d just heard.

Then, instead of shocked gasps or confused murmuring, the crowd’s reaction was surprisingly muted.

Disappointed, perhaps. But not shocked.

"Smart choice," someone called out from the stands, and several spectators nodded in agreement.

"No point in getting demolished for pride," another voice added matter-of-factly.

The crowd had watched Ren’s impossible dual resonance achievement the previous day.

They’d seen him defeat an opponent whose abilities seemed specifically designed to counter conventional fighting techniques entirely.

The mathematical reality was simple: challenging someone who could rewrite fundamental rules of magical combat wasn’t strategy—it was suicide.

Sera’s forfeit wasn’t cowardice. It was rational tactical assessment of an unwinnable situation combined with intelligent resource preservation for future opportunities.

Ren accepted the decision with his characteristic calm, showing no smugness or disappointment at being denied another challenging fight.

He simply noted that his reputation had reached the point where opponents were making strategic decisions based on probability analysis rather than emotional pride.

He returned to the candidate observation area without ceremony, already turning his attention to the second semifinal match that would determine his finals opponent.

"The second semifinal," the witch announced with renewed energy, "Mirabella versus Lydia Thornfield!"

The crowd’s energy immediately shifted as two genuinely evenly matched opponents took the arena floor.

Unlike the previous non-contest, this promised to be a battle worthy of the semifinal stage.

Mirabella’s approach was characteristically direct and overwhelming.

The moment combat began, she launched into a devastating offensive assault that tested every aspect of Lydia’s legendary defensive capabilities.

Magical barriers met crushing force in exchanges that sent shockwaves through the reinforced protective systems.

But Lydia’s defensive specialization proved far more sophisticated than initial appearances suggested.

Her barriers weren’t just magical walls—they were adaptive systems that analyzed incoming attacks in real time and adjusted their properties to provide optimal protection against specific threats.

Each of Mirabella’s increasingly powerful strikes was absorbed, redirected, or neutralized through defensive techniques that bordered on artistic in their precision and innovation.

The battle became a fascinating study in contrasting combat philosophies.

Mirabella’s overwhelming magical power met Lydia’s immovable defensive mastery in exchanges that showcased the highest levels of elite training pushed to its absolute limits.

For fifteen intense minutes, neither fighter gained a decisive advantage.

Mirabella’s attacks grew more innovative and devastating while Lydia’s defenses became more sophisticated and adaptive.

The crowd was treated to a masterclass in both offensive and defensive magical techniques that few had ever witnessed.

But the decisive moment came when Mirabella demonstrated why she’d been considered Block B’s most naturally gifted candidate from the beginning.

Instead of continuing to hammer against Lydia’s defenses with increasingly powerful direct attacks, she began using her overwhelming magical capabilities to systematically alter the battlefield environment itself.

The arena floor became a weapon. The air became a trap.

The very space around Lydia transformed into an environment where traditional defensive positioning became impossible to maintain.

When Lydia’s final adaptive barrier fell under assault from attacks that came from the battlefield itself, she yielded with grace and obvious respect for Mirabella’s tactical evolution.

The crowd erupted in thunderous appreciation for a battle that had showcased magical combat at its most sophisticated and entertaining levels.

And just like that, it had been decided. The final battle would be between Ren and Mirabella!