Melanthina continued to dominate her opponents, even in matchups against those of superior rank. The matches resulted in awkward looks between the elders of the Combining Luster Sect, including Elder Rimantas who had escorted them down below and Sect Head Ardalion. It wasn’t the most embarrassing things could be- after a few more combined victories under their belt both Ursel and Tirto eventually faced defeat. Likewise, other members of the Tenebach clan’s younger generation were defeated.

It was just Melanthina who had specially trained to defeat light cultivators that was doing concerningly well. It was embarrassing to be defeated by someone so young and in many cases lower cultivation rank, regardless of her being the young mistress of a powerful clan. Obviously they could not bring out Soul Expansion Phase cultivators- that was simply inappropriate. And, John saw in their eyes, it would be a greater embarrassment than continuously losing if she somehow managed to defeat one. Frankly, John couldn’t say whether that was possible. In a battle between light and dark elements the stronger cultivator would usually dominate while those who were closely matched would find themselves both on the losing end. Usually strength was pure power and cultivation rank, but there were always exceptions based on familiarity and special training. He’d paid attention to a good majority of Melanthina’s training, but she was performing better than even he would have thought.

John sidled his way closer in time to overhear a vaguely whispered conversation. That began with Ardalion leaning over to Elder Rimantas, “Didn’t one of our lesser disciples defeat her in the tournament just last year?”

“That seems to be the case but…” Elder Rimantas shook his head, “At the time it was thought to be a difference of age. We didn’t really pay it much mind.”

“Why not send in whoever it was?”

“Well… he’s just the same rank as her and kind of… specially requested not to be placed against her.”

“Not confident?” the sect head asked.

“Unclear, though I would presume that to be the case.”

John caught their eye as he was now less subtly approaching the pair. “Ah, the Tenebach clan head. Your daughter is certainly… something special.”

John smiled, “Yes, quite problematic, isn’t she? I couldn’t help but overhear part of your discussion. She has been quite eager to have a rematch with a certain opponent for matters of pride. Perhaps it would be best to convince this fellow to fight. I’m sure I could convince her to withdraw afterwards, win or lose.”

Sect Head Ardalion sighed, “Though it would be nice to keep our technical record of having defeated her, it is probably best to get this over with.” He turned to Elder Rimantas, “Talk to him and offer him rewards for participating, and more if he can win,” Ardalion’s eyes turned back to John at that.

John just shrugged, “If he can defeat her still, it would be for the best. If not, we’ll have to find something to deflate her ego elsewhere.” It was one thing for the Tenebach clan and Melanthina to get prestige from continuous victories, but he also wanted his daughter to have her head on straight for the future. That wasn’t going to happen without this fight, one way or another.

-----

“Finally,” Melanthina said when her next match was announced. “I mean, um… it is good they found another opponent willing to face me.”

John was tempted to inform her that her strong feelings on the matter were easy to read, but perhaps it was best to keep that a secret for the moment. It was kind of fun having her think she was subtle about something and completely not be, especially when she was actually rather good at subtlety in most cases. With luck, her victory over Nik would clear her of this momentary obsession and things could return to normal. That was what John liked to tell himself.

John was surprised to see the confidence with which the young man walked into the arena opposite Melanthina. Nik was a few years older, fifteen where Melanthina was twelve. A significant gap at the moment, but one that would quickly become insignificant. That still made him younger than the rest of her opponents.

Besides the display of confidence- which John thought was at least partly a front- the young man didn’t have much to distinguish himself from the common disciple. He was not equipped with anything particularly fancy, just a staff with a crystal head like the others of the Combining Luster Sect.

The battle began slightly differently than most of the other matches. Nik opened up with not a single beam directed at Melanthina but two, split apart to either side. Those two beams of light then further split into a rainbow of colors forming a wall- momentary but significant. Melanthina hadn’t been quite sure how to react, her prepared counter going unused.

She had still reacted well, going for a pillar to cover herself and when she found her way blocked she shifted the gathered darkness that was supposed to counter a direct attack to cover her dagger, slicing apart the curtain of light element. Surprisingly, this happened with little gravitas and no explosions.

Melanthina had cover but her position was not unknown. Before she could manage any sort of distraction, Nik had another beam of light going for the closest pillar behind her, somehow managing to bounce his beam off the cylindrical shape in the direction he desired. As it reflected it split into a rainbow. Melanthina moved to dodge the recombined beam, but it never did that. Instead, it remained a cone that covered the area.

John expected a particularly nasty reaction when it struck her defensive energy, but she continued to surprise him, casting off a net of darkness and pushing the light away from her without a detonation.

Now out in the open once more, Melanthina didn’t immediately seek cover again. Instead, she launched her own attack, a beam of darkness from her bare hand. Unamplified by equipment and less of a formalized technique it was weaker than the Combining Luster Sect’s attacks, but it forced Nik to cease his next attack and deflect it. His staff swept forward in an arc, creating a sweeping trail of light. The attack flowed along with the trail, light and darkness burying themselves in the ground with only several flashes along the way, minimal as clashes of light and darkness went.

This already put Nik ahead of most of the opponents Melanthina had faced, who were either unaware of her location or occasionally out of the fight at this point. Only those who were higher in cultivation than her so easily took her attacks head on, others dodging. Those at the peak of the Foundation Phase had enough extra spiritual energy to simply overpower her attacks, but that hadn’t lasted as the explosions of mutual annihilation were hard on their defenses.

Then Nik did something unexpected. From John’s angle, it didn’t look like that much. He simply held his staff vertically, moving it from his right side around the front to his left. There was a shimmer of light and clear usage of light element, but that was about it. Melanthina’s reaction was quite different, her eyes darting around and her senses reaching as she fled for cover.

Nik positioned himself behind a horizontal pillar, a triangular shape lying flat on one side. He managed to bounce an attack between two pillars, splitting and combining as it moved around the arena to come at Melanthina from the back rear side. She only barely reacted in time, her dagger chopping awkwardly into it. This time there was some level of negative reaction from light and dark meeting, but the force of the impact was mostly pushed away from Melanthina even in that moment of panic.

At the same time, after that attack Melanthina shrouded herself in darkness to dull the senses. John could keep track of her only by virtue of his much greater strength and advantageous positioning. Plus the fact that she wasn’t concerning herself with those outside the arena.

Nik quickly shot beams around, reflecting off of several other surfaces in a different direction before finally spreading out in a wide pattern to cover everything around Melanthina’s former position. She couldn’t have gotten far- and she hadn’t, simply slipping to the far side of the pillar which ironically put her on the same side as Nik. Yet shrouded in darkness and with the young man maintaining cover and apparently concealing his position, the two of them didn’t quite have track of each other.

The next minute or so involved both combatants slinking around, during which time Nik expanded his technique in all directions, turning invisible. He was even difficult to track with energy senses, which outsiders had to keep passive. The two combatants even passed quite close to each other on the opposite sides of one pillar without either quite picking out the other.

The stalemate was broken when Nik extended his staff out from behind his current cover, sweeping it horizontal to the ground. A thin beam of light cut across the arena, small parts of it manipulated to intentionally reflect around the rears of the pillars. It was impressive how much he could do at once, especially given that the actual pillars were not reflective on their own.

The thin beam of light was not enough to do damage, but it revealed Melanthina’s position as she automatically tried to bend it around her. In turn, however, the act revealed Nik. Bolts of light and darkness met each other in the middle, creating flashes of light and darkness that blinded both opponents as they sought out different locations.

Melanthina shifted her tactics from stealthily approaching her opponent to get him in melee combat to covering as much of the arena as she could, circling each pillar as she passed. She crouched low, beneath the previous height of Nik’s sweeping beam. That allowed her to pass unknown on his next attempt, and she had a dagger ready for it. The weapon flew towards his revealed location- unfortunately for her on the far side of the arena. By the time it reached its destination he was gone, and she had been unable to track him down.

Nik didn’t make the same mistake twice, seeking her location with not one but two beams, the light splitting from his staff to end up somewhere around knee and neck height as they swept across the arena. The way they covered the area behind pillars was less expert with the multitasking, but they did well enough to catch the back of Melanthina’s knee as she tried to duck behind a hexagonal pillar.

The beam did minimal damage, but revealed her location. Melanthina quickly began to dart around the arena, keeping what cover she could, but Nik moved opposite of her. Everything was fine for him until he ducked behind a particular pillar and found himself stepping on a ring of darkness element, placed by Melanthina’s movements and concealed there. The majority of the energy exploded uselessly on the other side of the pillar, but the trap certainly damaged his defensive energy.

Unfortunately for Melanthina, she’d placed many of them and he’d so far only set off one, meaning both were using up their spiritual energy. Nik decided to forego cover from then on, leaving him vulnerable to counterattacks when she saw through his invisibility but saving him from unexpected reactions beneath his feet.

Ultimately the two of them fought their way towards each other, Nik realizing he couldn’t keep tabs on Melanthina long enough to do anything but wide area attacks targeting her, and Melanthina preferring melee combat to begin with.

The climax of the battle came with Melanthina finding her way behind Nik, stabbing towards his spine. Yet instead of that being the end for him, his staff flicked backwards, knocking Melanthina’s dagger out of her hand.

He spun around, light element coating his staff. Melanthina did the craziest thing possible, interlacing her hands with his on the staff. They both controlled one end with one hand in the middle of the others, their energies clashing. Both tried to direct the destructive energy towards the other, but the control of either side was greater near their own bodies, and most of it was deflected around them.

At nearly the same time Melanthina twisted the staff, Nik kicked towards her- the end result being they staggered apart, the staff flying off to the side.

Instead of seeking out their own weapons or even attempting ranged attacks without augmentation, both seemed to mutually agree on an unarmed brawl- perhaps because they were nearly out of spiritual energy. The battle turned from a dazzling display of light and darkness to two exhausted individuals attempting to pummel each other, gradually getting slower but neither having an advantage.

Soon enough they were both exhausted of spiritual energy- the match would have normally been called at that point, but neither of them had a readable advantage. Then Melanthina pulled a page from her sister’s book, finding the opportunity to headbutt Nik when they got close.

They both staggered back. Melanthina cussed and held her hand up to her forehead, Nik reached up to his nose… and then they toppled over unconscious.

John sighed deeply, looking over at Matayal who was shaking her head. Then they both laughed, because they didn’t know what else to do.