Chapter 260 (1/2)

Ciel bit her lip, doing her best to maintain her posture after she forced herself to use The Shrike Cries over a Barren Land twice in a row. The burden on her body was extraordinary. More so than she had anticipated. Originally, she had assumed she would still have some strength remaining, enough to counter Randidly when he would use his strange, Phantom’s Embrace skill to avoid her strikes.

But now… she would be lucky if she could stand afterwards.

It was due to the short time in between uses. There was an exponential increase in toll on her body. Which was predictable, but in the heat of the moment… still, nothing she could do now-

The air around her changed, abruptly. So quickly it sent a shiver down her spine. The grown became grey and cracked, their air sulfuric and dry. Ciel abruptly found herself on a barren wasteland, but not the one she was always told to imagine while using the skill. That was a barren flatlands type of desert, with a waving mirage in the distance.

This… this was a dead world of fire, choked with ash. And in front of her…

Randidly stood in front of a volcano, his spear pointing at her, his eyes this strange mix of emerald and orange.

“The Spear Advances, Ash Trails.”

Suddenly he exploded forward, filled with momentum, the volcano erupting, spewing death and heat and more ash, filling the sky. It was swirling and all encompassing, swimming around towards her, and Ciel felt very, very afraid.

But at the same time, she felt excitement. Because although there was a small voice in the back of her head that whispered she could overcome this if she would only just reach out and take the power offered to her, Ciel had no intention of doing so.

“I want to win…” Ciel whispered, her voice drowned out by the vicious explosion of ash and lava, “But I want to win on my own. Not… as a puppet to some other power.”

It was at that moment that Randidly’s momentum, collected at the point of his obsidian spear, met the wave of force from her skill, and her skill shattered like an egg, some of the recoil coming back towards her, sending Ciel stumbling backwards. Then she was hit by the noise of the world cracking.

****

Aethon Thai jumped to his feet, his hands balled into fists.

The referee, a man that Aethon trusted completely, gave him a knowing look. He was well aware that Aethon Thai wanted to immediately leap out there and protect Ciel, but that would be an automatic forfeiture, no matter how much influence Aethon had on the Northern Regional Tournament.

In the referee’s mind, the hope that Ciel would turn this around and win was why Aethon Thai didn’t act, but the referee was mistake. Sure, Aethon was filled with fear, but it was a dreadful, excited fear.

Because in the moments that the Ghosthound boy used his skill, such was the force of his will in that moment that the world changed. And not just for the recipient, but for the whole of the audience. The world flickered, just for a split second as the skill was unleashed, but everyone watching saw that desolate, ashy world of broken ground and volcanos.

The boy had reached the Artisan level. Even if it was only for a short moment, he had crossed the threshold of potency of image. The rest would come with time.

And it was with a skill that was definitely not from the Spear Phantom’s inheritance.

This meant… well it could possibly mean many, many things. But what it definitely meant was that there would be changes to the Northern Regions politics as this boy, from a storied but relatively weak Style, fought toe to toe with the greats of his generation. And possibly earned himself a place in the Inter-School Tournament.

This potential would shake up the political structure. It was hard to maintain a sense of superiority in the face of this example. Even if most believed he was a once in a lifetime talent, others would see the example he set and plot, clawing their way up the social ladder. And it was currently crowded enough up here as it was, especially as they extended a hand towards the Breaking Dawn Style…

Which was not what they needed. Aethon felt a headache coming on. But again, the excitement about the boy’s talent, especially as he continually improved over the course of the tournament, couldn’t be discounted either. All in all-

“Heh,” His drinking partner, who was apparently the Ghosthound’s spear attendant, said as he elbowed Aethon Thai in the ribs. “At this rate, it looks like you will have a new son in law.”

Aethon froze. The strange business man announcer they sat with at the table, began to grind his teeth as he stared out at match.

Still laughing, his drinking partner slapped Claptrap, the businessman. “Ah, don’t make that face. The Ghosthound already has Helen. She will only ever be a second wife anyway, so Claptrap I’m sure you will get a turn-”

Aethon made a brushing motion with his hand. Very quickly, it was only him and Claptrap remaining on the platform, the previous bug having been flung and smashed into the ground behind them with a small act of will. To Aethon’s surprise, that bug had some skill, because he was able to activate a skill with a strong image, preserving its life. But that was no matter.

It was not that he really would hold this against his drinking partner in the long run. But a precedent must be set. Ciel should not be discussed in such terms.

Ciel would never marry this Ghosthound.

“Ahem,” Aethon said lightly. “Let us… continue watching the match.”

Claptrap nodded mutely.