ONLINE: Blades of Eternity-Chapter 273: A FATEFUL DECISION

Kaelen knelt beside Eldric, his hands pressing against his battered chest, trying to circulate whatever little mana he had left into his friend's body.

"Come on, Eldric... Wake up."

Lila was beside him, her ice magic forming a protective layer around Eldric's wounds to slow his deterioration. Kelvin and Magnus stood nearby, alert but silent, their expressions grim.

Eldric's eyelids twitched. A faint, weak breath escaped him.

Then—

A deep rumbling echoed through the area.

Everyone's heads snapped up.

Not far from them, a glowing passage materialized out of thin air. A massive archway of ancient stone rose from the cracked earth, shimmering with a golden hue that seemed almost... inviting.

It was unmistakable.

"That must be the entrance to the next trial," Magnus muttered.

"So it really isn't over yet..." Lila whispered.

Kaelen clenched his fists. Of course, it wasn't over.

But just as they were about to decide their next move—

"G-Go..."

A weak voice rasped from the ground.

Everyone froze.

Kaelen turned sharply back to Eldric, whose bloodied lips barely moved.

"What?" Kaelen asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

Eldric's pale golden eyes cracked open. His gaze, though weak, still burned with determination.

"Go on... Finish the trial," he breathed out.

Kaelen felt something twist in his chest.

"No," he said firmly, shaking his head. "We're not leaving you here."

Eldric forced a small, painful smirk.

"You don't... have a choice."

Kaelen's hands curled tighter into fists.

"Dammit, Eldric, don't start with that—"

"Kaelen!" Eldric suddenly snapped, his voice hoarse but sharp enough to startle everyone.

Kaelen flinched.

"Listen to me..." Eldric's breathing was ragged, but his tone was firm. "I'm done. You all saw it. I barely survived that last attack. My mana core is cracked, my body is—" He coughed violently, more blood spilling from his lips.

Lila tensed beside Kaelen.

"Stop talking like that, you stubborn idiot!" she barked, her usual composure breaking. "We can find a way to—"

"There's no time," Eldric cut her off. His breathing grew more unsteady. "If you all stay here worrying about me, you'll just waste the chance I gave you."

Kaelen gritted his teeth.

His entire being screamed against this.

Against leaving a comrade behind.

Against abandoning a friend.

Eldric, sensing Kaelen's turmoil, locked eyes with him one last time.

"You have to move forward, Kaelen."

Kaelen's jaw tightened.

Eldric knew what this meant.

He knew what was coming.

And yet, he still wanted them to go.

Silence stretched between them.

Then—

Kaelen slowly stood up, his fists trembling at his sides. But a small smirk still tried to form on his face.

"Fine,but I guess there is no point in keeping that our little secret" he forced out, his voice heavy with emotion.

"Don't you dare ruin the reputation I have built all my life!" Eldric quickly replied in a more anxious tone. But this still made Kaelen chuckle a little as replied. "Don't worry, I won't"

At this moment, Kelvin and Magnus have already gone onward through the entrance of the next trial.

As for Lila, she currently hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something with a curious look on her face, but Kaelen's next words silenced her.

"We'll finish this. And when we do..." His eyes burned. "I'll come back for you."

A faint, almost imperceptible smile crossed Eldric's bloodied lips.

"Tch... Don't make promises... you can't keep."

With that final exchange, Kaelen turned toward the glowing passage.

And without looking back—

They stepped forward, leaving Eldric behind.

The atmosphere in the coliseum was thick with an overwhelming sense of dread. The battle had reached its peak, and yet, the outcome was clear. Eldric's fate had been sealed.

In the commoners section, far from the opulent VIP seats, a woman with ashen hair and a face pale from years of sorrow watched the screen intently. Her hand gripped the railing of the section, her fingers white from the force. The woman's tear-streaked face trembled with each moment that passed. The moment Kaelen and the others moved forward—leaving her son behind—she broke.

Eldric's mother couldn't hold back the anguish. Her sobs were muffled, but anyone who paid attention could hear the piercing sorrow that echoed from her chest. Her eyes were locked on the screen, her world seemingly shattered with the sight of her son, who had once been so full of potential, now slipping away.

"Eldric... no... please... don't leave me like this..."

Her voice was a whisper to the wind, lost in the din of the coliseum. But to her, it was as loud as a thousand thunderclaps.

Meanwhile, in the VIP section, the mood was heavier than ever.

Castenada, the Pacesetters Academy Chancellor, sat in silence, his eyes narrowed in deep thought. His usual composure was long gone, replaced by a mixture of regret and sorrow. He had watched Eldric grow, seen his strength, his intelligence, and his unyielding spirit—yet now, that brilliance seemed to be fading. To see his student come to this tragic end felt like a betrayal of everything he had taught him.

"Such potential... such fire..." Castenada murmured, his voice barely audible, more to himself than anyone else.

Beside him, Marel, a figure of fierceness and sharpness, was similarly lost in his thoughts. His eyes were locked on the screen, and the sorrow on his face was unmistakable. He had seen countless battles in her time, but nothing had ever moved him the way Eldric's fight had. The strength, the determination, the heart he had shown. And now—he could only watch as it was extinguished.

"I never wanted to see this." Marel's voice was low, but his grief was tangible. "He was just a boy... fighting so much bigger than himself."

In the sub-VIP section, Reeves, the Vice Chancellor of the Pacesetters Academy, and General Cao sat close together, both eerily silent. Their usual postures of confidence had given way to solemnity as they too had witnessed Eldric's final moments.

Reeves' jaw clenched, his usual calm demeanor crumbling beneath the weight of guilt and helplessness. He had failed to keep his students safe, and in the pit of his stomach, he felt that sharp, aching sting of loss.

"We should have known." Reeves muttered to himself, his voice shaky. "We should have done something sooner..."

Beside him, General Cao, usually stoic and unwavering, was unusually still. His eyes were narrowed with deep sadness, and he remained silent, as if the weight of the entire world rested on his shoulders. He had seen battlefields before, but this... this was different.

In the center of the arena, where the battle was once raging, there was silence now. The once boisterous crowd seemed mute in its collective sorrow. The tragedy unfolding on the screen had stolen the words from their lips.

The arena had become a graveyard of hope.

"Why did it have to come to this?" General Cao finally spoke, his voice quieter than anyone had ever heard it.

Back in the commoners section, Eldric's mother, still weeping bitterly, looked up at the screen once more. Her heart shattered into pieces, but she couldn't bring herself to look away from the tragic end of her son's life.

In the VIP section, there was no more talk. No more discussion. Just the deafening silence of a battle lost and a future forever altered.

But despite the gloomy atmosphere that had settled over the coliseum in Valoria Kingdom, Kaelen and Lila pressed forward into the next trial. The sorrow of Eldric's loss weighed heavy on them, but they had no choice but to move on.

As they stepped through the entrance, their surroundings transformed in an instant.

Before them stood a tree of impossible magnitude—its colossal trunk stretching so high into the sky that its branches seemed to merge with the clouds. The bark glowed faintly, and the leaves shimmered in hues of green, gold, and silver. Hanging from the thick branches were multicolored fruits, each radiating an ethereal energy. It was a breathtaking sight, unlike anything they had ever seen.

However, they barely had time to admire its beauty—because what truly seized their attention was the chaotic battlefield surrounding the tree.

All across the vast expanse, battles raged—clashes of steel, blasts of magic, and war cries filled the air. Figures from different academies and noble families were locked in combat, their auras flaring as they fought for dominance in this mysterious trial. The entire area felt like a war zone, with combatants using every ounce of their strength to survive.

But among the countless duels, one battle stood out the most.

Kaelen's eyes narrowed as he spotted two familiar figures.

At the base of the grand tree, locked in a heated confrontation, was none other than Guinevere—the fiery mage prodigy of Pacesetters Academy. However, she was on the defensive.

Her opponent? Althea Dragonyx.

Kaelen's gaze darkened. His cousin.

Althea's majestic crimson hair flowed behind her like a river of lava, and her piercing crimson eyes shone with undeniable intensity. Unlike Kaelen, who wielded his blade with the might of a swordsman, Althea specialized in dragon-infused magic. She exuded an overwhelming pressure, her presence as suffocating as a storm waiting to break loose.

Guinevere, on the other hand, looked less composed than usual. Her flaming red mana cloak flickered violently as she barely managed to parry Althea's relentless attacks. The moment Kaelen and Lila arrived, they saw her desperately deflecting a powerful arc of dragon-shaped energy, her expression twisted with frustration.

Kaelen's brows furrowed. Guinevere was strong—without a doubt one of the finest mages in their academy—but against Althea, it was clear that she was at a disadvantage.

Lila's breath hitched as she whispered, "That girl... Althea Dragonyx. She's forcing Guinevere back..."

Kaelen's grip on his sword tightened. His cousin wasn't just winning—she was toying with Guinevere.

Althea's voice rang out through the battlefield, sharp and confident.

"What's wrong, fire mage? I thought you were the prodigy of your academy. Is this truly all your flames have to offer?"

Guinevere gritted her teeth as she barely managed to block another energy-infused strike, her body skidding backward from the impact.

Kaelen exhaled sharply.

"This isn't good."

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And as he watched the battle intensify, he knew—sooner or later, he and Lila would have to step in.