"Divine arrow!"

Rena's words echoed throughout the kingdom of Nethnore, the amount of bind flowing into her shot sending chills down my spine. A glint of light shined brightly as Rena unleashed the attack, sending a ray of golden energy straight down towards her opponent.

I glanced at Asthia. She was currently facing the full-blown attack of an S-rank, and the world was watching. The Dragon girl remained calm, preparing her sword as she opened her mouth slightly.

She let out a long breath, igniting the air around her. Crimson flames encircled the girl, roaring like an untamed beast as they awaited her orders.

"Hell's... Judgment!" yelled Asthia. The dark inferno burst into motion upon the execution of the oral trigger, swirling into Asthia's blade. The Dragon slashed outwards, sending a massive wave of fire hurling at the divine light.

Both spells approached each other at blinding speeds. I closed my eyes, preparing for the impact of the two terrifying techniques.

BOOOOOOMMMM

A shockwave of energy spread across the region. I planted my feet into the ground, feeling my body being swept back from the gusts of wind. I grinned behind my hand that had been protecting my face.magic

Energy like this could only be produced from the clash of two S-ranks.

The elements began to meld together; the darkness of infernal bind and the light of holy bind intertwined, each combatant being exposed to a certain degree of their opponent's attack as the rest erupted in midair.

Rena dropped from the sky, a trail of black smoke following her body as she went unconscious momentarily. Her eyes shot open shortly after, allowing her to absorb her fall and point her weapon back in the general direction where Asthia had been standing.

Thick smoke blocked her view, but I managed to make out Asthia's silhouette from the sidelines. She was clutching one of her arms with the other, trying to nullify the pain as peaceful rays of holy bind escaped her palm.

She could use holy bind as well?!

Her mastery over the element was still extremely basic, but she was able to heal herself nonetheless. The damage inflicted upon her by Rena's Divine Arrow still lingered, but she managed to soothe the burns on her skin and bring her attention back to the fight.Asthia touched the ground with her fingertips, sensing the area around her before hastily turning her head and vaulting backward. Three more arrows crashed down onto where she had previously stood as Rena emerged from the smoke, not wasting any more time.

The Dragon girl slid back momentarily from her earlier evasive maneuver before dashing back, engaging the archer exactly where she was weakest: up close.

Asthia unleashed another combination of ruthless attacks, imbuing her blade with flames and using wide slashes to spread the fire as much as possible with every strike. Rena continued to dodge, leaping around her target and firing quick volleys of shots whenever she had the chance.

Both fighters were no longer respecting the rules of the match, but I held off on canceling the duel. How long could Asthia keep up the attack against Rena at full strength?

Rena fired off another volley, forcing Asthia to leap into the air to avoid it. The Fei immediately repositioned, concentrating her energy momentarily before firing off a single deadly arrow at the girl.

Asthia twirled midair, converting her momentum before engulfing herself in flames.

"Dragon Dive."

BOOM

The Dragon Princess smashed through the attack, heading straight for the wide-eyed Fei that stood below her. A giant blaze erupted once again from the impact, but this time Rena was one step ahead.

The world slowed down as I witnessed the next events transpire. Rena shot backward, letting loose a barrage of golden arrows at point-blank range. My eyes narrowed onto Asthia's expression, and dread overcame me upon seeing her fearful gaze.

She couldn't dodge it!

"!!"

A burst of bind silenced the roaring crowd as a flash of bright yellow energy swallowed the area.

"A-Amelia?" muttered Asthia, seeing my figure in front of her with my arm extended toward the arrows that had threatened her life. The projectiles remained absolutely still as lightning jumped between them, keeping them in place."What are you doing, Amelia," growled Rena, but I calmly revealed a small gold pocket watch that had been in my hand the entire time. The second's hand of the watch ticked, revealing that the fight had ended exactly five seconds ago. Taking into account my intervention, the duel had ended before I saved Asthia.

"You lose, Rena," I announced. The Fei's eyes burned with anger, but she regained her composure and dematerialized her bow.

"It seems so."

She headed back with her fists clutched. I watched her carefully, deducing that she was not in fact enraged at Asthia, but at herself. She had failed to eliminate an unranked Dragonkin within 300 seconds, and even I could feel the horrified looks from King Valven.

I glanced back at the white-haired girl; her body was bruised and bloody from the countless scrapes of arrows and explosions. She had not been able to come out on top of Rena Vye, but that was to be expected.

Even so, Rena was drastically more powerful than the last time I had dueled her. I had noticed her newfound strength on the battlefield, and something told me the rankings had to be adjusted. The memory of Jay and Jean's duel flashed in my mind, and I suddenly remembered how the boy had achieved victory against the number one ranked individual in Auroria.

A sudden burst of bind had exploded from within him, almost as if he had received power from elsewhere...

"!"

Was that an ability that was innate to the Dragons? If it was... did that mean Asthia held back the technique when she fought Rena?!

If that really was the case, that meant that the girl standing before me hadn't been fighting at full strength. What would've happened if she had unleashed the ability? Jay had completely turned the tide of battle with that one ability, and something told me that Rena probably wouldn't have been breathing if Asthia had gone all out.

These kids man... just how powerful was this younger generation of binders?

I erased the monstrous thoughts from my head, concentrating on the individual in front of me. There was no point contemplating what could've happened if it didn't. I had to stay focused on the present. That was the only way we'd be able to take down Jay.

I offered my hand, smiling, as Asthia gratefully grabbed onto it and straightened herself.

"Good job," I said encouragingly. Asthia nodded, but her eyes felt distant. I tried to grab her attention, continuing my monologue: "you've now managed to gain the cooperation of the dominant nations."

The Dragon girl looked at me, her gaze combining a mixture of emotions.

"Asthia?" I asked, unsure as to what was bothering her.

"It's Jay," she whispered, "He's on the move."