Unable to react fast enough to the change in element. The fire mage is flung into the air, his expression turned ugly as he quickly realizes that he is vulnerable and unprotected from the demon's attack. He tries to summon a shield of fire to protect himself, but unfortunately for him, it is too late. The demon unleashes a barrage of spikes from his hands, and they fly true.

The mage frantically tries to dodge the incoming spikes, but it is a futile effort. One of the spikes grazes his arm, leaving a deep wound. Another one impales him in the stomach. The pain is excruciating, causing him to grit his teeth, in an attempt to stay conscious.

But with his focus shattered, the fire mage plummets to the ground, landing with a loud thud. He struggles to stand up, his vision blurry from the pain. The demon approaches him slowly, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

The air was thick with tension as the Lumia fans held their breath, watching in horror as the fire mage crashed to the ground, his body broken and bleeding. The demon moved toward him unhurriedly, savoring the victory that was now within his grasp. The mage struggled to stand, his vision blurry from the pain and his body numb with shock.

"Goodbye," The demon said before a spike suddenly rushed from behind the fire mage and impaled him in the neck.

The crowd gasped in shock as they watched the fire mage fall to the ground, lifeless. The demon simply smirked, showing no remorse for what he had just done. The cheers from the Yadour Empire, on the other hand, were deafening, as they celebrated their victory.

The Yadour emperor's face contorted into a gloating smirk as he looked over to the booth where Lumia's emperor was seated with a stern expression. He reveled in his victory, basking in the glory of his Earth mage demon's success, before turning his head to look at me, and giving a deep bow in respect.

"Great Lord, thank you for allowing us the opportunity to showcase our strength," he said, his voice ringing with pride.

I nodded in acknowledgment, a faint smile playing across my lips.

'With this, we had our second casualty of the tournament. Both of which, surprisingly came from the leading countries.'

And as Lumia mourned the loss of their mage. The fate of their position in the tournament hung in the balance as they now possessed only two ascended mages, while their opponents Yadour and Zasal boasted three. Tinada, who already left the tournament, also held two ascended mages, making Lumia's situation all the direr. But it was Rimor, the dark horse of the tournament, the most surprising one out of the bunch, for they had a staggering five ascended mages in their ranks.

****

As the tournament continued, my eyes were fixated on the new contestants. The first water mage from the Zasal dynasty against an earth mage from the Rimor kingdom stepped into the arena, ready to face each other.

The water mage stood tall and poised, with a calm expression on her face. She wore a flowing blue robe, which seemed to be alive with the gentle rippling of water. The earth mage, on the other hand, was burly and muscular, with a fierce scowl etched onto his face. His brown and green robes were rugged, with patches of dirt and stones attached to them.

The match quickly began with the water mage taking the lead by summoning a wall of water that rushed towards Rimor's earth mage. Without flinching, he raised his hand and summoned a shield of rock that blocked the wall causing water to splatter on both sides. The water mage then willed the element and used her control over the liquid to turn the water drops into spikes that came crashing down on the earth mage. Sensing the imminent danger, the earth mage reached out to the elements, the arena ground hollowed beneath him as a tunnel of dirt appeared allowing him to dodge the attack.

The two continued to trade blows, with the water mage using her control over the liquid to create massive waves, while the earth mage used his control over the earth elements to create quakes that threw his opponent off balance. He took the chance to land a few hits, but the water mage's control over the water elements allowed her to heal her wounds and continue fighting. It was an impressive feat, although she only managed to heal the small cuts, but the fact that she could manipulate the elements to such an extent already spoke volumes of her talent as a mage as well.

From my platform high above the arena, I watched as the battle between the two mages unfolded. The two contestants moved with grace and precision, their movements a dance of elemental magic.

As the two traded blows, I observed the skillful use of their elemental magic, their affinity to mana was relatively high for mortals, especially the water mage. She summoned walls of water to shield herself from Rimor's mage attacks, while he created spikes of earth that he launched at his opponent.

Despite taking a few hit, she was unfazed and continued to use the mana to heal herself and counterattack. She summoned the elements to create fast water whips that lashed out at the earth mage with such speed that caught him off guard and struck him with a force that sent him tumbling backward.

The earth mage struggled to stand up, but Zasal's water mage did not give him a chance to recover. She summoned a massive wave that crashed down onto the earth mage, sending him flying through the air before he landed with a thud, dazed and disoriented.

Not giving him any time to rest, she quickly raised both her hands and summoned a deluge of water that rained down onto the earth mage, crushing him under its weight. His body twitched for a few seconds in pain and struggle before he lay still, defeated. The water mage dispersed her spell when she saw the mage had fallen unconscious.

After a few seconds, a cough escaped his mouth as he threw up the water he swallowed. The water mage then approached him and offered him a hand to help him up. He hesitated for a moment, before taking it, she then helped him to his feet. The two exchanged a nod of respect before the water mage turned and bowed to me, as I looked down at her from my platform.

"Great dragon lord, we of the Zasal dynasty thank you for the honor of being able to participate in this tournament," she says, her voice echoing through the arena. "It is through your generosity and wisdom that we are able to showcase our skills and test ourselves against others."

I inclined my head slightly in acknowledgment. "You have fought well, young water mage," I said. "Your control over the water element is impressive, I can see the mana likes you, otherwise you would not have the ability to heal yourself in battle."

Zasal's water mage bowed her head before speaking. "Thank you, great dragon," she said. "It is an honor to receive your praise."