Chapter 26 – Crimson vs. Velocity Begin's
The arena thrummed with restless noise. Word of the duel had spread faster than any announcement from the Academy itself, and by dusk the stands were filled shoulder-to-shoulder with students. The stone walls shimmered faintly with layered barrier fields, proof that the faculty expected more than a friendly spar.
Chatter rippled like wildfire.
"Can Luxifel even keep up with someone like Jarek?"
"He's all raw power, but Jarek's speed is legendary."
"They say he broke the sound barrier once in training."
"Yeah, but Redmond's crimson energy… no one even understands what it is."
Kael whistled low as he leaned on the railing. "Never thought I'd see the day the whole school treated Red like headline news."
Selene, arms folded, didn't look away from the arena. "You'll see more of it. He doesn't want attention, but it finds him anyway."
Tiran's gaze was sharp. "This isn't just about Redmond. Everyone's looking at Jarek too. If he wins, he steps into a spotlight big enough to rival the Supremacy Seven."
"Or burns alive in it," Kael muttered.
The gates below ground creaked open. Jarek Veylan stepped into the arena first, silver eyes glinting, aura humming with restless vibrations. Every step he took seemed to blur the air around him, leaving afterimages that dissolved before anyone could blink.
"Fast," one student whispered.
"He hasn't even started yet."
Across the ring, the opposite gate opened. Redmond emerged in silence. No flaring aura, no theatrics. His posture was relaxed, hands loose at his sides, but every eye fixed on him anyway. The faint crimson shimmer across his frame betrayed the living energy beneath his skin.
The two met at the center, stopping a meter apart.
Jarek's voice carried, firm and clear: "Luxifel. I don't seek fame. I don't seek whispers. But I won't be overshadowed. Today, I'll prove speed breaks power."
Redmond tilted his head slightly, eyes steady. "We'll see."
The arena buzzed.
Above, staff members took their positions on the observation terrace. Dean Ward stood with his hands clasped behind his back, impassive. Commander Locke leaned forward like a predator waiting for blood. Ava Stroud muttered something about resonance fields, while Cassian Holt simply sighed.
And further above, in the restricted box, two Supremacy Holders had already taken their seats — Lyra Veylan and Drake Holloway. Their presence alone made the crowd whisper louder.
"Even Supremacy Five and Four are watching…"
"This duel just became official history."
The signal bell tolled once.
Jarek vanished.
The sound cracked like air splitting, his figure reappearing behind Redmond in less than a heartbeat. His palm struck outward, but Redmond turned just enough, crimson flaring at his shoulder to absorb the blow. Dust kicked up from the impact, the stands erupting with gasps.
"Already behind him—!"
"He didn't even move!"
Jarek was gone again, darting across the arena in zig-zag bursts, speed trails like lightning across stone. Each strike came faster than the last: elbow, knee, fist, heel. Redmond deflected with minimal motion, crimson energy snapping into temporary barriers that dissolved as quickly as they formed.
Fast. Even Redmond admitted it inwardly. The boy's movements weren't just quick — they were calculated, impossible to track with normal perception.
Jarek appeared above him in a spinning dive-kick, and for the first time, Redmond countered with offense. His crimson energy formed into a jagged spear, thrusting upward. Jarek twisted midair, narrowly avoiding, landing in a crouch a few paces back.
The crowd roared.
"He forced him to move!"
"Redmond finally attacked back!"
Jarek smirked, breath calm. "So it reacts that way, huh? Good. Don't hold back. If you do, you'll never touch me."
Crimson flickered faintly across Redmond's arms, his eyes narrowing. "You talk too much."
And with that, the duel began in earnest.
Perfect. Here's Part 2 of the Duel Chapter — escalation, Redmond being pressed, Elira's advice surfacing, and his first Void Access + Vermilion breakthrough.
( Battle Escalation )
The arena cracked beneath Jarek's momentum. His speed was no longer a blur but a distortion — air folding and snapping in waves every time he launched forward. Students shielded their eyes against the shockwinds; dust whipped up with each strike.
Redmond held his ground, crimson constructs sparking in rapid succession: a shield, a wall, a whip of energy that cracked like lightning. Each form barely lasted a breath before collapsing under Jarek's relentless assault.
"Too slow!" Jarek's voice cut through the haze, each word punctuated by an impact. "Strength means nothing if you can't land it!"
Redmond slid back across stone, boots carving shallow grooves. His crimson energy lashed out like chains — first fire, then ice, then jagged crystal — but Jarek slipped between them all, his silhouette scattering into afterimages.
From the stands came a wave of cries:
"He's dominating him—!"
"Luxifel can't keep up!"
"No… watch closer. He's not breaking. He's reading."
Above, Commander Locke grinned savagely. "Good. Let him bleed a little. Let's see if the boy has more than inherited reputation."
Dean Ward's eyes narrowed. "His constructs are unstable. He still hasn't learned to command that energy."
Elira's voice lingered in Redmond's memory like a steady echo:
Then learn to lead it. Don't let it drag you. Even living energy respects willpower. Yours must always be stronger.
He steadied his breathing. The crimson glow around his body surged violently, crackling into erratic shapes before collapsing again. He closed his eyes briefly even as Jarek lunged.
Lead, not follow. It's not about forcing it into form. It's about… direction.
The next strike came — Jarek flashing at his left flank with a vibrating heel-kick. Redmond's eyes snapped open. Crimson energy surged, not as a wall but as flowing current, shaping itself into a seamless arc. The kick slammed against it — and stopped.
For the first time, Jarek's smirk faltered. "What—?"
Redmond's crimson flared darker, tinged with void. A blade, then a shield, then a spear, all shifting without collapse. Not erratic anymore. Directed. Led.
The stands erupted.
"What is that—?!"
"It's stable now!"
"No, more than stable — it's evolving!"
Jarek gritted his teeth, aura spiking. He blurred again, vanishing into pure distortion. The sound barrier shattered with a thunderous crack as he struck from every direction at once, a storm of velocity.
Redmond moved.
His crimson-dark energy expanded outward in a pulse — constructs blooming like flowers midair: whips, shields, blades, even crystalline pillars. They intercepted each strike in perfect rhythm, guided not by reaction but by anticipation.
And then, for the first time, Void Access stirred.
It wasn't summoned. It was simply there, woven into the crimson, filling gaps with seamless darkness. His energy no longer looked like Vermilion constructs alone. It looked like a living storm of crimson and void, adapting endlessly.
Jarek struck again — and Redmond caught his fist mid-strike, crimson-dark energy gripping like a vice. The arena floor cracked beneath the force.
Gasps tore through the stands.
"He… he caught him!"
"Impossible! No one can pin Jarek mid-burst!"
Above, Lyra Veylan leaned forward, her radiant aura trembling faintly in surprise. "That isn't raw talent. That's… something else. A fusion."
Drake Holloway let out a low chuckle. "The Luxifel boy just became interesting."
Redmond's gaze locked with Jarek's, his voice low but steady. "You were right. Speed breaks power… if power stays still. But mine doesn't."
The crimson-void energy pulsed, rippling outward like a heartbeat.
The duel had shifted.
(Battle Resolution)
The arena trembled under the clash, Jarek straining against Redmond's grip, veins bulging as his aura surged. "Don't think— you can match me in speed!"
In a desperate burst, he vanished — space fracturing around him as he launched into his fastest sequence yet. To the untrained eye, he was gone; even to most cadets, only streaks of silver light marked his passage.
But Redmond's gaze didn't waver.
The crimson-dark energy around him contracted sharply, pulling inward, molding tighter. Not wild, not sprawling. Focused.
Elira's voice echoed again in his mind:
Then learn to lead it.
The energy obeyed. It didn't scatter into constructs this time — it streamlined along his body, compressing into his muscles, nerves, and bones. His form shimmered faintly with crimson-black arcs.
Then he moved.
The crowd didn't see it. One instant, Redmond stood rooted; the next, the entire arena rang with a sharp crack as if the world itself had split. A sonic boom rippled outward, tossing dust and debris into the air.
Gasps tore through the audience.
"He—he vanished—!"
"No—he's moving! He matched Jarek's speed!"
Above, Professor Ava Stroud clutched the railing, eyes wide. "That's not mere speed. He redirected living energy into propulsion. His body's acting like an adaptive construct itself."
In the storm of distortion, Jarek's afterimages scattered wildly — only to blink out one by one. Each time, Redmond appeared at his side, striking faster, sharper, crimson arcs grazing him until the real Jarek staggered, breath ripped from his lungs.
Impossible! Jarek's thoughts raced faster than his own steps. No one can chase me in my domain! Not with raw power— not with constructs—!
A final blur, head-on. Jarek aimed to end it with a direct burst strike, velocity cranked beyond safety, body screaming under the strain.
But Redmond was already there.
He cut across Jarek's path with a step so precise it seemed inevitable, his crimson-void aura compressing into his palm. The strike met him—
And stopped.
A single hand caught Jarek's chest, absorbing the full brunt. The impact echoed like thunder, shockwaves cracking the stone underfoot. But Redmond didn't move. Not an inch.
His eyes burned with calm certainty. "Speed means nothing if you've already been led where I want you."
Then the crimson-dark energy detonated, not outward but inward, disrupting Jarek's aura. The boy's momentum collapsed, his body skidding helplessly across the arena floor until he crashed against the barrier wall with a sickening thud.
Silence fell.
Jarek slumped forward, coughing, his aura in tatters. He tried to stand, but his legs quivered, refusing him. The match was over.
The crowd erupted into chaos.
"He beat him at his own game—!"
"That wasn't power— that was speed! Faster than Jarek!"
"Who the hell is Redmond Luxifel?!"
Up in the terrace, the Supremacy Seven stirred. Lyra Veylan's lips curved in something between awe and wariness. Drake Holloway let out a long whistle. Even Veyra Thal, the Ice Sovereign herself, turned her head, her frosted gaze narrowing in silent evaluation.
Dean Ward's hands tightened behind his back. "So… the boy can adapt even velocity. Crimson, void, now speed. What foundation does he stand on?"
Commander Locke grinned, teeth bared like a wolf. "One that's going to make this year's Tournament the bloodiest in decades."
On the arena floor, Redmond's aura receded, leaving him calm, steady, almost indifferent. He looked once at Jarek, then turned away, his crimson energy whispering faintly at his shoulders like restless wings.
The duel was done. But the storm it unleashed in Aurelius Academy had only begun.