Chapter 50: The Central Gambit!

The moment the runes for Round Two steadied, Cecil realized a critical detail. The rules for this three‑way free‑for‑all differed from the last round. The arena had not grown larger, yet the three boundary lines had shifted from an equilateral triangle into an irregular shape; the northern edge was compressed, shorter than the other two sides. That meant his side sat closer to the centre, with far fewer escape routes.

Lydia stood at the northern corner, Ivy coiled at her feet. She was calmer than usual, her breathing steady, as if she was conserving every breath for the fight ahead.

Once the dome’s metallic chime echoed, none of the three combatants moved.

Martha stood at the southeast corner, her battle‑axe held horizontally before her, with her rock bear Oli crouched beside her. The bear’s nose twitched in the air, its thick chest fur rising and falling with each breath. Martha’s gaze swept from Lydia to Leon and back again. Her rugged face gave nothing away, yet her feet subtly shifted on the stone bricks. Her weight rested firmly on her right foot, her left toe barely touching the ground, ready to strike at any moment.

Leon stood at the southwest corner, his Thunder Gryphon crouched at his side. The lightning arcing across its golden plumage had dimmed slightly, yet tiny crackling sparks still flickered between its feathers like writhing little serpents. Leon’s hands hung loose at his sides; he had not drawn his short staff, though his fingers were slightly curled, building up power.

Lydia did not look at either opponent. Her eyes fixed on the stone three steps ahead of her. Ivy slithered slowly at her feet, her emerald body gliding silently across the bricks. She was waiting.

The stalemate lasted roughly ten seconds. Then Martha moved.

She took a huge stride forward, switching her battle‑axe to her right hand. The blade flashed cold beneath the blue‑white glow. She was not charging at Lydia or Leon — she headed straight for the arena centre, the point where all three light‑bands converged. She aimed to seize the central position. Oli accelerated in lockstep beside her, heavy paws thudding against the stone.

The instant Martha moved, Leon moved too. Instead of charging forward, he sidestepped, shifting roughly three paces toward the east. His Thunder Gryphon flew low beside him, wings spread, and lightning flared brighter across its feathers. He repositioned from the southwest corner to due south, forming a right angle with Martha at the southeast. This way he stayed outside Martha’s frontal attack range and kept his distance from Lydia’s northern zone.

Lydia still waited.

Martha reached the centre and slammed her axe down hard onto the stone. A pale‑grey crack spread outwards from the impact, sending fragments flying. Oli halted behind her, claws digging into the ground, and let out a deep rumbling roar. The roar carried the distinctive intimidating force of a spirit beast. Lydia felt the ground vibrate beneath her feet, and Ivy shrank back slightly at her feet.

Cecil stood at the northern perimeter, Gwendolyn perched on his shoulder. Her tail rested against the nape of his neck, blue eyes fixed on the three fighters on the field.

"Martha is grabbing the centre," Gwendolyn whispered, her voice only for Cecil’s ears. "That convergence point is the arena’s control hub. Whoever stands there can strike in three directions at will, free from edge‑boundary restrictions."

Cecil nodded. He could see it clearly. Once Martha held the centre, Oli crouched at her feet, his massive frame blocking incoming attacks from both north and west. It was a position solid for both offence and defence.

Leon stopped at the southern position. He glanced at Martha’s occupied centre, then toward Lydia at the northern corner. His lips did not twitch, yet his Thunder Gryphon lowered its front body — a posture signalling it was ready to intervene.

At last, Lydia moved. She did not dash for the centre. Instead she stepped two paces westward, moving slowly, as if testing the waters. Ivy slid swiftly across the ground beside her, her emerald body slipping silently through the gap between two light‑bands.

Martha’s rock bear Oli turned his head toward Ivy. His nose twitched, and he shifted his limbs, anticipating the snake’s path.

In that split second, Leon struck.

The Thunder Gryphon spread its wings and launched itself off the ground. Its golden silhouette left a trail of lightning arcs through the air. It was not targeting Lydia — it went straight for Martha. Brilliant blue electricity blazed along its talons, and it plunged down toward Martha’s head like a projectile wrapped in thunderclouds. Martha raised her axe to block. The blade collided with the gryphon’s claws, bursting into blue sparks. Her arm jolted backwards, and she nearly lost her grip on the axe.

Leon charged forward too. He drew his short staff from his waist, and lightning arced along its tip, sweeping toward Martha’s flank. Martha was forced to step back half a pace. Oli lunged out from beside her, swatting at Leon’s staff with his paw. Lightning struck the bear’s paw with a dull crack. Oli’s claws twitched, yet he did not retreat.

Lydia seized the opening. Ivy slipped through the western light‑band gap, her emerald body coiling across Martha’s retreat path with pinpoint precision, wrapping around Martha’s trailing left ankle. The hold lasted less than two seconds before Martha shook her leg violently and flung Ivy off. But those two seconds were enough.

Leon’s second lightning strike came straight at her. The gryphon dove down again from above. Ivy had momentarily blocked Martha’s escape, throwing her off‑balance. She raised her axe to fend off the gryphon’s talons, yet Leon’s second lightning bolt slammed squarely into her left shoulder.

Martha staggered. Oli charged in from the side, slamming his heavy body into Leon’s staff and pushing him back two paces. But the gryphon launched its third dive, aiming for Oli’s nape. The rock bear had no time to turn. Its thick fur was sliced open by the talons, and blue lightning seeped into the wound. Oli let out a muffled growl, his limbs locking rigid for a heartbeat.

Martha straightened up. A charred, smoking mark blotted her left shoulder. Her lips pressed into a thin line. She glanced at the arena’s central point, then at Leon and his gryphon, and did something no one expected.

She turned and retreated eastward.

"—I surrender." Her voice rang clear and rough across the arena.

The dome’s metallic tone resounded: "Participant has surrendered. Two combatants remain in this round."

Martha led Oli back to the eastern zone. The rock bear limped slightly on its left hind leg, but could still walk. Martha’s left shoulder hung limp, yet her stride never faltered.

Only Lydia and Leon stayed on the field.

Leon turned to face Lydia. The Thunder Gryphon landed back on his shoulder, its golden feathers still crackling with dimmed lightning. His short staff hung loosely in his right hand, the electric arcs at its tip fading away. He stared at Lydia, his ice‑blue eyes deep beneath the blue‑white illumination.

Lydia stood in the western position. Ivy slithered back to her feet, her emerald body coiling slightly. She held her ground, not backing away.

"You cannot beat me," Leon said, his tone flat, as if stating an obvious fact. "Your vine snake can only bind, not attack. Your spirit beast has no offensive capabilities. You cannot stand against me head‑on."

Lydia did not reply. She knelt down, lifted Ivy from the ground, and set her on her left wrist. Ivy coiled around her wrist, her head resting in the crook of her thumb, flicking her tiny tongue.

Leon took one step forward. The Thunder Gryphon lifted off his shoulder, spreading its wings mid‑air. Lightning flared brighter and denser across its plumage.

Lydia charged forward. She did not head straight for Leon. Instead she sprinted toward the southern spot where Leon had stood moments before. Her speed caught Leon off‑guard. She dashed past him, two paces away, then flicked her left hand sharply downward. Ivy launched off her wrist, her emerald body stretching taut like a rope, and wrapped perfectly around one of the gryphon’s talons.

The gryphon was jerked mid‑flight. Its wing‑beat rhythm shattered, tilting ten degrees to the side. Lightning spilled from its feathers, scorching black marks into the stone floor.

Leon spun to swing his staff, but Lydia had already retreated three paces. She stood in the southern area, breathing heavily, faint sweat glistening on her forehead, yet a barely perceptible smile tugged at her lips.

Ivy released the gryphon’s talon and dropped to the ground. She slithered quickly past Leon’s feet and returned to Lydia’s side. The gryphon regained flight stability, yet its left talon bore a thin, dark‑green bruise from Ivy’s constriction.

Leon glanced down at his gryphon’s claw, then looked up at Lydia. His expression stayed unchanged, yet he lowered his staff.

"You bought me one and a half seconds," he said.

"Enough," Lydia replied. "Martha drained most of your power earlier. The lightning on your gryphon’s feathers has faded by half. If you push for a full‑power fight now, it will not have enough strength for the next round."

Leon fell silent for two seconds. The Thunder Gryphon settled back onto his shoulder, wings folded, its left talon curled slightly. He glanced at the dimming central runes, then at Lydia, and turned toward the western zone.

"Round winner — Northern Team. Fragment awarded."

A streak of dark‑gold light fell from the dome. The fragment materialised on the stone and bounced once. Lydia bent down and picked it up, clutching it tight in her palm. Her hand trembled slightly, damp with sweat, yet she held the fragment firmly.

As she walked back to the northern group, Cecil stepped forward from the perimeter. Freddy rushed over, lifting his hand to pat her shoulder before stopping short — he spotted the charred scorch mark on the cuff of her left shoulder, left by lightning.

"Did you get hurt?" Freddy asked.

"Just a graze." Lydia handed the fragment to Cecil. "No deep wound."

Cecil took it. The second fragment. Combined with Oliver’s first, they now held two pieces. He slipped it into his pocket and glanced across the arena. Victor stood at the edge of the western zone, watching him. His usual faint smile was on his face, yet his eyes held something Cecil could not quite read.

Gwendolyn’s tail brushed lightly against his shoulder, her voice low. "Victor did nothing the entire fight. His promised flanking manoeuvre never happened."

"I know," Cecil said. "Lydia won this on her own. Victor sent no support, and Leon did not fight at full strength — but the fragment is ours."

He turned back to the stone steps and sat down between Freddy and Edwin. Gwendolyn hopped onto his lap, her blue eyes glowing in the shadows.

"We have three fragments before Round Three," Cecil murmured, as if tallying numbers.

"Five left," Gwendolyn replied. "We need eight to complete the circle. The other two teams combined almost certainly have more than us."

Cecil nodded. The central runes began spinning slowly once more — the countdown for Round Three had started.