I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

The 4th ability of his trait was manipulation. Of course it depended greatly on the target. Depending on their strength, it would either work perfectly or fail miserably.

He could use it perfectly for at least an hour and thirty minutes on targets with three stars or circles below him, an hour for targets with two stars or circles below him, thirty minutes for a star or circle below him and even less for those with the same number of circles or stars as him.

It would work effectively if the target with the same level had run out of mana or aura and it would be absolutely useless against targets with a higher circle.

It was meant for subduing the weak and he had checked beforehand to ensure she had run out of mana.

It was completely empty but he was still filled with growing energy.

The battle had finally ended, with silent whispers and muted expressions etched on the Audience expressions as Michaelo prepared to go down to conclude the battle.

Ciara's gaze remained fixed on Raph, her eyes wide with disorientation. A few mages had approached her from the sky when Michaelo appeared in between the two tired contestants.

His gaze lingered on Ciara, as the mages wrapped her shivering body with a blanket and whisked her away while another set of Mages appeared. Their task of patching up the Arena began in earnest.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Michaelo slowly turned his gaze to his son, a soft chuckle escaped his lips, noticing the genuine smile that grew on Raph's face.

"Winner ! Raffaelo Jun !" He announced tuning out the Audience's murmurs.

The crowd's soft cries and whispered conversations created a bittersweet atmosphere, a mix of negative emotions that lingered like an aftertaste.

He walked over to his son, two more mages breaking away from the others that were patching up the Arena, flying over towards Raph.

"You look exhausted" Michaelo said, hovering over his son as the Mages attended to his physical wounds.

Raph stared blankly at him for a short while and smiled brightly.

"What can I say, It was a tough battle".

The mages helped him up and led him away from the Arena as His father watched silently from his spot. "Your mother and sisters have arrived" He said.

Raph jerked, nearly tripping down on his foot but the mages held him firmly.

"Wha–What seriously ? I didn't even feel their presence…" He turned towards his father and froze for a moment. "Oh. There it is". His smile widened as his gaze locked onto the podiums, noticing the familiar figures that waved at him.

He waved back in response, their startled expression still etched on their faces.

It wasn't difficult to locate his family by their auras after imprinting them in his heart for so long.

"Beautiful women aren't they". He said, turning towards the Male mage that supported him at his left.

"I–I wouldn't know" The mage replied, startled. They continued walking towards a gate between the stands.

It led upwards towards the Royal podium but another stairway was located to the left and right, leading further down to the resting rooms of the Great Families.

Raph shook his head and turned to the female mage by his right.

"Can you imagine this poser ? He doesn't see beauty when they're standing right in front of him".

The female mage giggled. "Tha–That is true, Young Lord. He tends to hide his feelings a lot". Continue your adventure with empire

The Male mage glared at her with a stifled expression as they walked away from the stinging rays of the sun into the hollow cool darkness of the stairways.

****

About an hour had passed and the sun had climbed higher, brimming its warm rays on the surface of the Arena.

The stands were filled with the bustling of the Spectators, using the break to prepare for the next battles to come.

Some had already begun betting on the next match, eager to make a quick profit. Though, one sided.

The time had ticked noon, signaling the end of dawn.

The snow had been cleared…mostly, and the walls were patched up, looking as good as new.

The stage had been set for the next battle and a new rejuvenating aura had encompassed the Stadium.

However, some spectators had departed, perhaps to handle personal matters. The next battle wasn't anything special to most people even.

Darell Silvan Vs Jane Lucia.

The Elven prince and the Divine son will be having a battle soon, though most people didn't expect it to be as good as the previous.

The battle between Ciara and Raph had left an imprint on most of the Spectators. The King included.

Though he sat on his royal recliner, his expression was stiffened and lost in thoughts. His right finger tapped incessantly on the armrest and his gaze fixed on the podiums of the first six Great families. It seemed to send a feeling of restlessness deep in his heart. He sighed deeply.

Meanwhile, the participants had gathered in the Arena. Michaelo standing in between them as they waited for the Mages to retreat.

Jane was currently staring at Darell, both having the same tense expressions.

"So, where you perhaps planning on defeating Ciara ?" Darell spoke up first, his tone laced with doubt.

Jane's eyes shifted, then focused as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, I would have died if I had fought her like young master Raph". His matter–of–factly tone belied the tension in the air.

Darell nodded in agreement. "same here. That wasn't what I expected from her".

"Right ? Who could have thought she had all that much ability as a mage at this early stage?" Jane said, tapping his feet on the ground.

"young master Raph isn't any different. He cut down whatever was thrown at him". Darell folded his hands as they enjoyed the conversation they were engrossed in.

Michaelo watched quietly, unintentionally or intentionally eavesdropping. He didn't care and quite frankly, neither did they.

"It was a ghastly sight. Especially his eyes, it almost seemed like he controlled her with it" Jane said, his finger on his chin and his brows furrowed down in deep contemplation.

"True, though it seemed like it required a condition since he only used it in the end". Darell nodded his head. "And now….one of us must face him and Jang in the finals".

Jane looked up at him, silence settling in their conversation then a cold chill crept up their spines at the same time.

"Wa–Wait, Its possible for Lady Mariam to win".

Their gazes locked on each other and yet another short moment of silence passed. They chuckled lightly.

"No…Forgive me, even I find that impossible" Jane said, stifling his laugh.

Darell nodded lightly and then another moment of silence settled in.

"So….you will let me win right ? After all the Looser technically wins…having not to face two monsters at the same time". Darell said, an awkward smile on his face.

Jane stared at him for a while, pondering on something he wasn't sure of. "No, You should let me win, you wouldn't want to face two monsters yourself now. Would you ?"

Another moment of silence settled in. A long one this time. Michaelo, who has been observing from the sidelines felt a cold sweat form on his forehead when he finally noticed the mages leaving.

'Finally. Now I can leave this place'. He thought to himself, trying desperately to keep his smile up.

He raised his hand in the air and the Spectators hurriedly cried out, tired of the prolonged break.

"READY !!!!"

The two participants in question, readied themselves in a stance.

"May the best looser, win" Darell said, a smirk on his face.

Jane nodded and said. "May the best looser, win".

Michaelo sighed softly. 'What are these kids saying ?'. He dropped his hand down and disappeared, the loud voice of Spectators, echoed loudly in the Stadium.

"FIGHT !!!".

Darell charged forward, a silver spear materializing in his palm as he slid accross the ground with incredible speed and precision towards Jane.

He thrust it forward, unleashing a powerful strike that created a deep depression in the ground.

Jane's eyes ignited with a golden hue as he stretched out as his right fist, meeting the tip of the spear with great forceful punch.

A defeaning sonic explosion occured and the ground between them turned into a deep crater. The force blew Darell away, pushing him backwards, with his spear as he struggled to gain balance in the air.

'What was that ?' Darell thought, blood spurting out of his mouth as he slammed his spear into the ground, stopping the momentum.

He quickly looked up to find Jane floating in the air, his right hand still outstretched.

"I didn't want to use this until the end…but…after watching Master Raph's battle. I've changed my mind". Jane said, a smirk appearing on his face and new found confidence laced in his voice as a mysteriois stigma of a crescent moon with an eye in the middle formed on his forehead.

He raised his palms, clasping them together as he invoked.

"Bless me with your gifts, O'great Shiva".