Edwin Lunar Chapter 20: Skyblade Arena

Read chapter 20 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

By the time the underground reactor stabilized, news of the Shadow Ruins incident had already spread across all of Lunar Dominion Academy. Again. Students whispered through hallways. Professors held emergency meetings behind sealed chambers. And for the third time in less than a week— Edwin Lunar somehow stood at the center of it all. The academy sky was bright blue two days later when the Third-Year Skyblade Tournament officially began. Massive floating platforms surrounded the central arena while thousands of students filled the viewing towers high above Noroel's clouds. Giant holographic banners moved across the skies displaying academy symbols, combat rankings, and tactical divisions. The atmosphere felt electric. Carl stared upward in complete amazement. "Okay… THIS is incredible." Even Edwin paused for a moment. The Skyblade Arena floated between several suspended academy towers connected through glowing silver bridges. Hovercrafts moved around the structure carrying professors, officials, and high-ranking students while advanced combat drones recorded everything overhead. At the center of the arena floated dozens of metallic aerial boards. Skyblades. Each one glowed faintly with Flame-powered propulsion systems. Carl pointed excitedly. "We finally get flying combat." "You nearly failed normal combat," Iris reminded him. "Yes, but now it's dangerous in the sky." That somehow sounded worse. A loud metallic sound echoed through the arena. The crowd became quieter instantly. Professor Raith stepped onto the central command platform beside Headmaster Humming while giant holographic screens activated around the stadium. WELCOME TO THE THIRD-YEAR SKYBLADE TRIALS Students erupted into cheers. Raith's voice echoed across the entire arena. "Today you will compete in: aerial maneuvering, tactical retrieval, combat synchronization, and survival trials." Carl whispered slowly: "Why does every academy event include survival?" Iris ignored him while studying the competition layout. The holographic display shifted. Several floating checkpoints appeared above the arena while combat zones activated between moving platforms. "This year," Raith continued, "teams will compete together." Edwin immediately noticed something strange. TACTICAL UNIT ORION Their names appeared across one of the giant screens. Not Unit 07. Orion. Carl blinked. "…We're keeping the underground death-team name?" Lucien approached from the neighboring preparation platform while adjusting his combat gauntlets. "The academy updated the tactical registry this morning." Edwin frowned slightly. "So it's official now?" Lucien nodded once. "Apparently." Carl looked suspicious. "Why are YOU here?" Raith answered before Lucien could. "Orion Team structure requires four members." The arena became quieter near them. Students nearby were openly staring again. The academy had clearly heard about the Shadow Ruins incident already. Edwin rubbed his forehead slightly. "I hate attention." "You attract it naturally," Iris replied calmly. Aerial staff members began distributing Skyblades across the launch platforms. Edwin stepped toward his slowly. The metallic board floated slightly above the ground while silver Flame lines pulsed beneath its surface. The moment his hand touched it— The Skyblade activated instantly. Silver light spread across the machine far brighter than the others nearby. Several students noticed immediately. Carl pointed dramatically. "See? Even the flying boards know you're suspicious." Lucien stepped onto his own Skyblade smoothly. Unlike most students, he already looked experienced. Confident. Controlled. Carl climbed onto his and immediately lost balance. "WHY IS THE FLOOR MOVING?" "It's literally flying," Iris replied. "That feels unnecessary." Professor Raith raised one hand. "All teams prepare for launch." The arena shields activated around the floating platforms. Far below them, clouds moved across the endless skies of Noroel while giant academy towers rose