Single Mother of a Werewolf Baby

Chapter 270: Aria Nightwind

Among Eleanor’s group, aside from herself, Ophelia Blanc, Maíra Arara Neblina, Marsha Kirana Tidebringer, Phoebe Juno Solstice, and Izumi Tsuki Kuroda had all made it to the final round.

They spent a long evening analysing the fights from the first two rounds after the videos were posted on the Academy forum. Many cadets had left comments on the threads... some insightful, some speculative... but they all helped the group to understand each finalist’s strengths and weaknesses better.

Jaciara Moara joined their discussions as well, despite having lost her match in the primary round to the top ranker of the initiation ceremony, Ignatius Aurelius Emberfall. Coincidentally, Phoebe had once been on Ignatius’s team when they had formed a temporary alliance to defeat the Troll King. At first, Jaciara had been disheartened by her defeat, but after hearing Phoebe describe Ignatius’s formidable combat prowess, she accepted her loss with a shrug and blamed it on bad luck.

Kiara also joined them later on. She was not so disheartened by her loss to a fire user, rather she spent some time on her own to identify her shortcomings of her fighting style.

From sunset until dinner, they gathered in Maíra’s room, the air filled with animated chatter and the faint hum of magical projectors displaying fight replays. Together, they dissected every move, counter, and ability of the remaining finalists.

After dinner, Eleanor returned to her room to prepare for her next match. Her first opponent was a werecat named Aria Nightwind. From the recordings of Aria’s previous battles, Eleanor concluded that she had an earth elemental bloodline and was also a sword user.

Eleanor had observed that most cadets relied heavily on their bloodline abilities... raw, innate powers rather than refined combat techniques. These were effective, but often predictable. Aria, for instance, could form stone armour over her body, raise the ground beneath her feet to gain elevation, unleash localized shockwaves, hurl stone shards, summon a massive earth fist, and erect defensive walls from the ground.

Having catalogued all of Aria’s known abilities, Eleanor crafted a strategy tailored to exploit her weaknesses... and even prepared contingency plans in case Aria revealed any hidden techniques.

She would have four more matches the following day, each demanding its own careful planning. By the time she finalised her battle strategies, the night had grown late and silent.

The next morning, Eleanor met Aria in the arena for their first match. Across the ring, Aria Nightwind stood poised in a battle stance, her sword gleaming under the lights. Her slitted eyes, sharp and golden, reflected a predator’s focus... and a flicker of curiosity towards the calm, unreadable girl facing her.

As soon as Eleanor stepped into the ring, Aria bowed slightly and said, "Miss Raynor, I’ve heard much about your clan... and about you. My elders say you are the wealthiest among the younger generation. I hope we might cooperate when we return."

"Thank you," Eleanor replied with a small bow of her own. "Please contact me when we’re back in the secular world. If fate permits, we may find a way to work together."

Aria smiled faintly. "I watched your fight on the forum. You surprised us all. We always thought the Raynor clan was non-elemental. You proved otherwise... and you fought beautifully."

Eleanor could respond, the

10... 9... 8...

3... 2... 1... Go!

moved first. She didn’t charge head-on but began to circle Eleanor with a refined grace, her movements silent and precise. Her Feline Agility rendered her footsteps ghostlike,

awaiting the storm. Her Mind Acceleration was already active,

shot towards Eleanor’s knee with uncanny accuracy. Eleanor shifted her weight just enough to let it pass, the stone grazing her

With a powerful stomp, Aria sent a shockwave rippling through the ground. The arena floor buckled like disturbed water, trembling violently beneath Eleanor’s feet... a disorienting pulse

the tremor, her stance flowing with the motion, her feet adjusting in near imperceptible micro-movements. To an onlooker, it appeared as

senses told her Eleanor should have stumbled... but she stood utterly composed. Without hesitation, Aria raised her

blade never reached Eleanor. Instead, it struck the floor, shattering a slab of stone. From the fracture, shards erupted in a chaotic

with dancer-like precision, deflecting the larger ones with her forearms. The impacts thudded heavily

precision. She slashed for Eleanor’s torso, a strike that could have shredded any armour. Eleanor ducked and pivoted, the claws slicing through the air just inches from her skin. She knew taking such a hit head-on could cause

the crash of stone, the whip of wind, the metallic rasp of blades meeting bare fists. Aria’s onslaught was relentless, a storm of earth and precision. Eleanor countered with pure agility and disciplined technique, every movement calculated, efficient.

at a disadvantage against an earth user who could reinforce her body with elemental fortification... but she decided to strike regardless. Testing

visible ripple of force coursing through the arena floor in a wide cone, aimed to

launched upward, her muscles coiling and releasing in a single, explosive motion. She soared

she descended, Aria was already ready... knees bent, sword

Step... not for speed, but to add

abandoned her stance and rolled aside with a blur of feline agility. Eleanor’s heel struck the ground where she had been standing, cracking the arena floor with a deep,

the floor, she summoned an Earthen Fist... a massive,

its weakest point in an instant. Her right fist flashed forward with precise, sharp, unstoppable force. The impact shattered the construct before it could close around her, fragments of stone exploding outward in a

between them. She thrust her hand toward

fists and feet blurring too fast for the eye to follow. Each rock that descended met a crushing blow, splintering into shards, dust, and grit before touching her. The air filled with the staccato rhythm of shattering stone and the swirling haze of pulverised debris, a storm of dust and power centred around a single, unwavering figure... Eleanor Raynor, calm within

made her decision. The fight had dragged on

she activated Mental Lock, Mind Acceleration, and