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[Kaleidoscope] was a powerful spell.
That much, even Seraphina had told him.
She'd been adamant he be careful in its use. So much so that she'd help "seal" it in his sword, turning the sword into something much more in the process, thus why he had it on his person always and could summon it at will.
Theodore hadn't tried this spell a lot, but when he had, he'd found it was far too much to be used in a normal situation. It had been a while since he'd last used it, given how much of a mana hog it was.
But Julius was not an ordinary opponent, and so, Theodore had decided to bring out his trump card.
A sword formed in his hand, and he unsheathed it halfway through, preparing to use his trump card.
As he unsheathed it, he could feel the mana drain from his body, and the sword glowed, lighting up the arena. Julius realized the danger he was in, and so, he was onto Theodore in a moment, [Blinking] near him and slammed a fist into his stomach, making him go flying.
It wasn't the first time he'd been hit in the stomach this match, and Theodore felt himself grow a bit tired of the same thing happening again and again. His stomach was fine, of course. But it didn't feel nice. Theodore was thrown back, skidding to a halt and he straightened his posture, seeing as Julius was onto him already, trying to use the opening he'd created.
Theodore didn't particularly care. The process to fuel [Kaleidoscope] had already begun, all he had to do was maintain his concentration on the process.
And so, he did. He focused on his [Mind Division]. He unsheathed the sword a bit more, and it started to glow even brighter, the glow spreading over the arena.
Until finally, he had enough mana to launch a simple attack.
Dust settled back on the ground slowly as Theodore took in a deep breath, and slashed his sword, unsheathing it fully.
A barely visible white line formed in the air, and in the blink of an eye, it slammed into Julius. Julius had done everything in his power to defend himself, but that's the thing with [Kaleidoscope].
It was not something anyone could defend themselves from.
It was not something anyone could dodge.
After all, it was a peculiar spell that did not exist in this world. Sure enough, another blink, and the spell hit in its entirety as dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of overlapping slashes from various parallel worlds slammed into Julius. In his mind that was currently observing more than a single parallel world, Julius dodged and survived many of those slashes, however there were hundreds if not thousands he couldn't.
And those slammed into him, shredding through his body like butter. They hit him from all over the place, slicing off his limbs, cutting through his torso, decapitating his head, dismembering him, and slicing and dicing him in any way possible. It was a gory sight to say the least, and one that did not last long before the blood and gore disappeared, replaced by nothing but pink mist.
The spell hadn't ended, however, and it slammed through the barrier behind Julius, shattering it, and slammed then slammed into what Theodore could only assume to be the fabric of this space itself.
Uh oh. Not again—
Before Theodore could finish that thought, the space itself was sliced open, and the atmosphere started getting sucked into it. The void started sucking everything in the arena, and cracks started spreading from the slice in the air, as if the entire space was about to collapse on itself.
Theodore panicked. He hadn't thought about what it'd do to this space. The spell hadn't even fully manifested. Heck, it had barely manifested.
Theodore sheathed the sword, knowing full well this wouldn't stop the spell, but it all just... stopped.
Theodore blinked.
One moment, there was a hole in space as well as cracks spreading from it, and the next, it was gone, and in its place stood an old man. Theodore didn't recognize him. The old man turned slightly, giving him a glance.
"This is the second time you've broken the barrier in this place. Not to mention you almost destroyed this whole pocket space. Do try to be more careful, will you?" The old man said.
"Um... Alright?" Theodore said.
"Good." The old man said, and then, he disappeared.
What just happened? Theodore thought. He looked around, there was no sign of the old man or the damage he'd dealt. The barrier was there, and so was the audience.
In fact, everything seemed the same, and even Julius, who he'd thought was dead, was there, looking at him with confusion.
"The winner... is Theodore Lockheart!" The stunned announcer called out.
It seemed that the damage Theodore had caused had been reverted by that old man, though Theodore had been declared the winner.
The silence finally shattered, and the crowd erupted into cheers, screaming and yelling his name. Theodore felt his ears ringing. It was quite uncomfortable. He raised his hand up, and the crowd went silent for a moment, before erupting into cheers even louder than before. Theodore sighed.
He really hated the noise.
A moment later, he was teleported back to the waiting area, where Julius sat on one of the sofas. He looked at Theodore with a raised eyebrow, and Theodore gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that."
"I don't even know what that was." Julius said. "But it was quite the experience."
"I see." Theodore said, sitting down on the sofa across from the man. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." He said. "Just a little tired. You?"
"I am alright. Just glad it's over." Theodore said.
Julius laughed, and Theodore smiled.
For a moment, there was silence.
"I have to admit, I'm not used to losing." Julius said. "It's a strange feeling."
"I see."
"Well, congratulations on winning." He said. "It's rare that I meet someone who can match my abilities, much less exceed them. I'm quite impressed."
"Thank you." Theodore said, smiling.
They talked a little longer, and soon, the door opened, and a man walked in. He was wearing a fancy suit, and his hair was neatly trimmed. His eyes were a deep shade of brown. He looked at them both, and smiled. "Congratulations on a great fight." He said. "Now, Theodore, if you would follow me, we can talk about your prize."
Theodore nodded, getting up, and followed the man out of the room, leaving Julius alone.
Theodore was led into a room, where he felt himself wrapped into various spatial spells before he was teleported into a room of sorts. The transition had been very smooth, and he hadn't even felt the change until he was already inside the room.
"Welcome." The old man who'd fixed the space said, gesturing for him to sit. "Please, have a seat."
Theodore sat down, and looked around the room, which was rather plain. There was nothing of note here, except a desk in front of him, behind which the old man was seated. The man had a long beard, and wore simple clothes.
"Would you mind a cup of tea?" the old man asked, though Theodore felt as though it wasn't really a question.
"Yes, please." Theodore said.
"Help yourself."
Theodore grabbed onto the teapot, and poured himself a cup, before taking a sip of the tea. He felt himself relax. The old man smiled. "I see you've calmed down. Good. Now, to business."
"Yes." Theodore said. "What can I do for you?"
"You caused some trouble for us today, didn't you?"
"I didn't mean to," Theodore said.
"Oh, I'm not blaming you." The old man said. "After all, we should have been more prepared. But, still, you've made these old bones of mine work quite hard."
"I'm sorry." Theodore apologized.
The old man waved it away. "No matter. What's done is done. Now, your reward. You've won the tournament. That's impressive, and you did so in such a spectacular fashion. The audience ate it up."
"Thank you." Theodore said.
"And, as the winner, you are entitled to your prize." The old man said. "I'm sure you're aware of the prize?"
"No."
"Curious. Well, no matter. It is a relic of great power."
Theodore furrowed his brows. "What kind of relic?"
The man smiled. "You'll find out once you receive it."
Theodore was silent, and they continued sipping their tea. Their peaceful time, however, was interrupted by a rather jarring shudder that shook everything. The old man frowned as a hand tore through the air, and parted the space, stepping out of it was a familiar face.
"Hello, Alfred, long time no see."