William closed the door and stared at the book Lyanna had given him. He opened it and saw pages filled with detailed analysis, diagrams showing attack patterns, and suggested counter strategies for Adrian's fighting style.
He flipped through a few pages before closing it and setting it on his desk. Something about using this felt wrong, like he'd be relying too heavily on someone else's preparation instead of his own instincts.
It wasn't that he was a saint but even if he won with this information it wouldn't feel like one to him.
The match against Elena had gone well because he'd observed her patterns during regular training and figured out counters himself. Using Lyanna's detailed playbook for Adrian felt like it would make the fight too easy and predictable.
William wanted to be pushed to his limits, to see how far his own abilities and instincts could take him without following a script someone else had written.
He left the book on his desk and went to bed.
The next day he spent time in the training courtyard practicing his fundamentals and working on his essence control endurance. Seraphina showed up around mid-morning like she'd been doing lately.
"You're not drilling specific counters," she observed while watching him practice. "Did Lyanna not give you information about Adrian?"
"She did," William admitted while finishing a form. "I just decided not to use it."
"How did you know about it? Both of you are in on it aren't you" William gazed at Serpahina who kept her expression unreadable and seeing as she didn't reply he took it that he was correct.
Seraphina looked at him with an expression that was hard to read. "That's either brave or stupid you know Arian is actually skilled enough that going in without preparation could get you destroyed."
"Maybe," William said while resetting his stance. "But I want to fight him based on what I can figure out myself, not follow someone else's analysis."
Seraphina was quiet for a moment before releasing a sigh and suddenly a small smile appeared on her face. "I understand. Sometimes the best growth comes from figuring things out under pressure."
She spent the next few hours drilling him on general technique and pushing his essence control limits, but she didn't offer specific advice about Adrian's style.
The day of the quarterfinals arrived and William woke up feeling nervous but also excited. This was going to be a real test of everything he'd learned.
The arena complex was packed even more than before. Only eight fighters remained and the energy in the stands was intense. His match was scheduled for three o'clock in Arena One, which meant the largest audience would be watching.
He spent the morning watching other quarterfinal matches. Liam fought first and won with the same overwhelming skill he'd shown in previous rounds. Seraphina's match was ruthless and fast, her opponent yielding after less than a minute.
When his match was finally called, William made his way to Arena One. The crowd noise was louder than anything he'd experienced so far. Adrian Thorne was already waiting, a tall guy with dark hair and sharp eyes that studied William carefully.
The referee went through the standard rules and they took their positions. William settled into his stance and channeled essence through his body.
"Begin!"
Adrian moved forward with obvious confidence and William immediately understood that this was a completely different level. Adrian's first strike came fast and precise, forcing William to block with more effort than he'd needed in previous matches.
They traded strikes and William found himself purely on defense for the first minute. Adrian's technique was clean and his movements flowed naturally from one attack to the next without any wasted motion.
William tried to find patterns that could favor him but Adrian's style was adaptive, changing his approach based on how William responded. This wasn't someone who fought the same way every time like Lyanna's notes probably described.
Two minutes passed and William was still mostly defending. He managed to deflect and dodge but couldn't find openings to counterattack. Adrian's essence control was refined and he wasn't showing signs of fatigue yet.
William realized he needed to take risks if he wanted any chance of winning. He committed to a counterattack after blocking one of Adrian's strikes and managed to force Adrian back a step, but the opening cost him a hit to his shoulder that jarred his whole arm.
The fight continued with William looking for any opportunity to land strikes while Adrian maintained pressure. Three minutes in and William's essence control was straining from the sustained enhancement and constant defense.
He spotted a brief opening when Adrian shifted his weight for a particular strike and William went for it, stepping inside Adrian's guard and delivering a solid hit to his side.
Adrian's expression changed to something more serious and he increased his tempo. William found himself being pushed back toward the arena boundary with strikes coming faster than he could fully process.
His back was getting close to the edge and William knew he was running out of space. He dropped low and swept at Adrian's legs while dodging to the side, barely avoiding getting knocked out of bounds.
Both fighters paused to catch their breath. Five minutes had passed and William's essence control was wavering. His body was tired and his arm still hurt from the earlier hit.
Adrian came forward again and William met him in the center. They traded strikes with neither gaining a clear advantage. William was reacting on pure instinct now, his body moving based on the training William had continuously been doing rather than conscious thought.
He saw an opening and took it, landing a strike to Adrian's chest. Adrian staggered but recovered quickly and countered with two strikes that William barely blocked.
Six minutes. William's essence control was failing and he could feel his enhancement flickering. Adrian was also breathing hard but seemed to have better stamina management.
Adrian launched a combination of strikes and William knew he didn't have enough left to maintain full defense. He committed everything to one final exchange, trading hits with Adrian in a desperate attempt to land something decisive.
William's strike connected with Adrian's shoulder at the same time Adrian's blade caught him in the ribs. The impact knocked the wind out of William and he stumbled backward, his essence enhancement failing completely as he struggled to stay standing.
Adrian pressed forward with two more strikes and William, unable to properly defend without his enhancement, felt his practice sword get knocked from his grip.
He tried to dive for it but Adrian's blade was already at his throat.
"Yield?" Adrian asked while breathing hard.
William raised his hands. "I yield."
"Winner, Adrian Thorne!"
The crowd's reaction was mixed. William had put up a good fight but ultimately lost. He picked up his practice sword and Adrian offered him a hand.
"That was well fought," Adrian said. "You pushed me harder than I expected. Another minute and it could have gone either way."
William nodded while trying to catch his breath. His body hurt and he felt disappointed but also satisfied. He'd fought at his absolute limit and only lost because his essence control had given out first.
He walked off the arena floor and immediately saw Seraphina in the stands. She wasn't smiling but she gave him a nod that felt like approval.
Mira appeared beside him with water. "That was intense. You almost had him a few times."
"Almost doesn't count in tournaments," William said while sitting down heavily.
"True, but you made it to quarterfinals and gave a top-fifteen fighter a real challenge. That's way better than anyone expected when you started here."
William watched the remaining quarterfinal matches while his body recovered. Lyanna advanced to semifinals, as did Seraphina. The final semifinal bracket would be Liam versus Adrian and Lyanna versus Seraphina.
That evening William was back in his room when Lyanna knocked on his door.
"You didn't use the notes I gave you," she said without preamble.
"No," William admitted. "I wanted to fight based on my own instincts."
Lyanna looked annoyed but also something else. "That was stupid. You could have won if you'd prepared properly."
"Maybe," William said. "But I learned more from that loss than I would have from following a script and winning."
Lyanna stared at him for a moment before sighing. "You're frustrating. But I understand the reasoning even if I think it was the wrong choice."
She turned to leave but paused. "For what it's worth, you fought well. Your essence control is still your biggest weakness but your combat instincts are developing properly."
After she left, William collapsed onto his bed. The tournament was over for him but he felt satisfied with how far he'd come. A month ago he couldn't win a single sparring match and now he'd made it to quarterfinals of a tournament with hundreds of participants.
His body hurt and his pride was bruised from losing, but he'd proven to himself that he could compete at this level.
[Catastrophic Allure Activated!]
[First Compatible Target Found!]
[Lyanna Stormweaver: 3%]
"Eh?" Willam thought, staring at the floating message with deep confusion.