Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

As the tournament progressed, various contestants displayed their extraordinary abilities and mastery of techniques. A few hours passed, with the sun now high in the sky as the first round came to a close.

Here were the results of the matches that swiftly followed:

[Lyria vs. Cordelia: Lyria emerged victorious]

[Nylah vs. Elara–Winner: Nylah]

[Celaine vs. Ilyana–Winner: Celaine]

[Aria vs. Sylra–Winner: Aria]

[Asami vs. Arielle–Winner: Asami]

[Althea vs. Melina–Winner: Althea]

[Tessa vs. Faela–Winner: Tessa]

[Rhea vs. Luna–Winner: Rhea]

[Talina vs. Lyana–Winner: Talina]

The arena was alive with the roar of the crowd as the next group to compete was announced: Mira, Seraphina, Nova, Rayna, Eden, Everly, Lyria, Nylah, Celaine, Aria, Asami, Althea, Tessa, Rhea, Skye, and Talina.

This line-up wasn't all that surprising, with most of them being Core Disciples, Direct Disciples, or those with the strength/cultivation of a Core Disciple. Skye was the only major surprise in the first round, but now it was time for the real battles to begin.

The combatants waited at the edge of the arena, each immersed in their thoughts and strategies, preparing themselves mentally for the grueling battles ahead.

"That concludes the first round of eliminations! We will begin the second round immediately!" Aelina's voice cut through the noise, announcing the next match, "Mira vs. Talina! Approach the arena!"

Mira stepped forward, the blood-red glare in her eyes sweeping across the arena like a foreboding shadow. Her presence seemed to silence the crowd, turning the vibrant atmosphere into one filled with a chilling sense of dread.

On the opposite side, Talina entered the arena, a determined flame burning in her eyes. She appeared composed, ready to face the ominous force that was Mira. As someone who had reached the 2nd Stage of the Soul Transformation Realm within the Secret Realm, she certainly wasn't an easy target. 

As the barrier went up, Mira and Talina faced each other. A silence descended, the crowd holding their breath in anticipation of the clash between the powerful energies that both combatants possessed.

Mira had to respect the fact that Talina walked up so confidently. However, she was growing bored of this. She wanted to fight someone strong, not these nobodies. 

'Put me up against Nova or something. Hell, even Celaine looked quite strong. It's been a while since we've fought, and it'd be good to check on her progress. She should be able to put up a decent fight.' She grumbled, glaring at Aelina, who just stuck her tongue out at her. 

'That fucking… She did this on purpose, didn't she?' Mira had speculated this, but now she was sure. This whole fucking competition was rigged. It was just a place for the top disciples to show off their strength in front of the rest of the Sect. 

As the cherry on top, she could 'promote' Mira, so nobody objected when she eventually became the Prime Disciple.

For a moment, she thought about losing intentionally just to piss Aelina off but quickly knocked that urge down as a feeling of disgust overwhelmed her. 

Lose? To these weaklings? Her?! 

'Not a chance in hell!' She roared internally, her bloodline almost coming to life as it pulsed inside her. 

Her gaze shifted over to Talina like a predator that just spotted its prey. The poor girl nearly fainted when she saw the killing intent oozing out of Mira's body, but she bit her tongue and forced herself to stand tall. She couldn't give up now! 

"I'll force Aelina to use everything at her disposal to save you," Mira said in a deep, throaty voice that sent shivers down Talina's spine.

"Wha-?!"

She didn't get to finish her words as Mira waved her hands. Instantly, two giant ice walls appeared on either side of Talina. Her eyes widened in fear, but it was too late. The two walls smashed into one another with her in the center. 

A resounding crack rang throughout the arena, followed by a muffled cry of agony. The crowd went silent as they watched in horror one of their fellow disciples get smashed like a pancake. 

Mira snapped her fingers and the walls burst into a mist of ice, leaving behind an icy rock with Talina frozen in the middle, her face still reflecting the pain she went through. Her heart was still beating, and a faint life signature emanated from her, but she was clearly at the end of the line. Without immediate treatment, she would die.

She directed her gaze back at Aelina, whose face had become solemn and sent her a Sound Transmission. 'Parade me around like some zoo animal again, and bodies will start dropping.'

"..."

Aelina didn't respond, but she lowered the barrier and allowed the Elders to rush in and grab Talina before dragging her off to get immediate treatment. 

With a sigh, she sent them a Sound Transmission, '...Do everything you can to heal her.'

'Yes, Sect Master!' They responded. 

With a sigh, Aelina watched Mira leave the arena. There was no need to call the winner, as it was more than obvious. A part of her almost wished Mira had just killed the woman, as the amount of resources it would take to save Talina wasn't small. 

Everything about her was broken systematically, except for core and meridians. With the help of the Elders, there shouldn't be any lasting damage, as Mira had made sure to leave her in a near-perfect broken state. 

With Talina's talent and strength, plus the damage, it would require Mystic-Grade pills and herbs to heal her, which she didn't exactly have an abundance of.

With another sigh, she rested her head on the seat with her arm. 'At least Mira is growing those in her… farm…'

That's when she realized that Mira was still carrying around a large chunk of the Sect's foundation. Pissing her off now was no different than putting the entire Sect on the line!

'Fuck!' Her amethyst eyes glowed. '...Looks like I'll have to tone it down a bit before I get all those back.'

Taking a deep breath, Aelina called for the next match. "Seraphina and Tessa! Come up!"

*** 

Meanwhile, Mira walked off to the side of the arena and leaned against a pole with her eyes closed. Everyone around her backed away in fear, not wanting to be her next victim.

She knew she may have been a bit excessive, but that was the only way she could think of that would send a message. 

'Don't fuck with me.' That's what she wanted to tell everyone, mainly Aelina. 

The woman's been bothering her for a while now, and the fact that she was treating this tournament as an advertisement for her eventual win was the last thread of her already minuscule patience. 

'You can order me around to complete certain tasks or do certain things, but don't get in the way of my fights.' She inwardly grumbled. 'I already don't like fighting those weaker than me, but now she's deliberately putting me against people she knows can't win against me?!' 

For some reason, her bloodline abhorred the thought, and she just snapped. Everything happened so fast that by the time she could collect herself, Talina was already frozen. 

'...I should probably give the girl something after this to make up for my mistake.' She thought, her frown deepening before she sighed. 'Haa… Emotions suck.'

It seemed she was still riled up about Maria's absence, and it was affecting her more than she thought it would. 'Tch. What a shitshow.' She clicked her tongue and fell into meditation to clear up these distracting thoughts.

Aelina watched all of this from the side and shook her head. 'This girl… Why is she so unstable?' A part of her wanted to ask Mira what was wrong, but she refrained from doing so. It's not like she would tell her. 'I should definitely cut the teasing before she threatens to burn down everything.'

While all of this was happening, the crowd had momentarily forgotten about Mira's outrage as they were captivated by Seraphina and Tessa's fight. 

Attacks, Techniques, and spells were flying around, shaking the barrier and ripping up the ground. 

At that moment, the arena felt a shift as a mixture of water and metal energies began to converge around Seraphina's shield.

The air thickened, and a cold, metallic scent spread throughout. Before everyone's eyes, the energies solidified, forming a colossal five-meter-tall replica of Seraphina's shield.

Tessa, sensing the imminent danger, quickly mustered her defenses, gathering her energy into a protective barrier around her. 

With a battle cry, Seraphina charged forward, clutching her shield tightly. The ground trembled under her feet as the massive energy shield surged ahead, moving with a momentum that was almost impossible to stop. 

Waiting for the perfect moment, she bashed with her shield, sending the giant energy construct crashing towards Tessa.

Despite her defenses, the force of the impact sent Tessa sprawling. But she wasn't defeated just yet. She rolled away with almost perfect reflexes, narrowly avoiding being completely crushed.

Without missing a beat, Seraphina launched herself into the air, her sword poised and ready to strike. Her eyes locked onto Tessa's. With a powerful thrust, she aimed for her fallen opponent.

However, Tessa somehow managed to block the strike, using her weapon to parry the attack. 

But she had little time to celebrate, for Seraphina's momentum was unstoppable. Using her shield, Seraphina bashed Tessa right in the face, forcing the back of her head into the ground with a resounding thud.

Before Tessa could recover, Seraphina's sword was at her throat.

"Winner – Seraphina!" Aelina announced.