Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Found her?
Seojun's eyes darted from face to face as he made his way through the crowd. The stadium was packed, and the sounds of the ongoing fights in the arena below filled the air with the excited cheers and gasps of the audience. The ground beneath his feet vibrated with the force of the battles taking place.
He looked up at the large screens showing the action in the arena, but his focus was on the faces in the stands. He scanned rows upon rows of spectators, his gaze moving quickly, searching for a familiar face.
He spotted a woman with a similar build and hair color to his mom and his heart leapt, but as he drew closer, he realized it wasn't her. Disappointment tightened his chest, but he pushed it away, determined to keep looking. He moved further down the aisles, weaving between the rows of people, catching snippets of conversation and the occasional cheer or groan as the fights below intensified.
Seojun glanced over his shoulder to see Alexa moving through the crowd on the opposite side of the arena, her cap pulled low over her eyes, her mask hiding her face. Alex was already climbing up to the higher levels, scanning the stands with careful precision.Seojun's heart pounded faster, a mix of hope and tension gripping him.
He could feel it, a strange, almost magnetic pull. His mom was here and continued his search, moving quickly but carefully, his eyes never stopping. His senses were on high alert, every fiber of his being focused on finding her. He scanned faces rapidly, his heart racing with every step.
Minutes passed, feeling like hours, and he still hadn't found her but he refused to give up He took a deep breath and kept moving through the rows, determined to find her.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp twinge in his chest, a strange feeling that made him stop in his tracks. His gaze shot up to a nearby in the frontrow. He couldn't see clearly from this distance, but he felt something, a presence that was somehow familiar.
"Mom," he whispered under his breath, and started moving in that direction, his heart pounding with renewed hope.
Seojun made his way to the front row, where he was now just a few feet away from the arena. The noise of the crowd around him was almost deafening, and the energy in the air was electric. He approached a woman with short brown hair, his heart pounding, but as he got closer, he realized it wasn't her.
"Where are you, Mom?" he muttered under his breath, his frustration growing. A sharp, piercing sound began to ring in his ears, syncing with his heartbeat, a sound that seemed to grow louder with every passing second.
[Host! Host!] The system's voice cut through the noise, snapping Seojun back to reality. [Relax, host. You have to calm down.]
Seojun took a deep breath, realizing he was starting to lose control. His hands were trembling slightly, and he hadn't even noticed the people around him pushing him, shouting at him to move out of the way. He closed his eyes for a moment, forcing himself to steady his breathing.
When he opened them again, he glanced toward the fighting in the arena below. A loud, excited voice echoed through the stadium.
"And now, the question on everyone's mind: Can he take the top 3 position? Can he defeat the Windstorm Queen?!"
Seojun's gaze shifted to the center of the arena. A woman with shoulder length brown hair, streaked with silver underneath, stood calmly, facing off against her opponent. Her movements were measured, almost effortless. Every strike she made seemed precise, every dodge executed with minimal movement. She fought with a grace that made it look like she wasn't even trying.
Her opponent, a large man with broad shoulders and a fierce expression, was visibly frustrated. Sweat dripped down his face, and his breath came in ragged gasps. He swung his sword with heavy, desperate movements, trying to break through the woman's defenses, but she evaded each strike with ease.
The crowd roared with excitement, their cheers growing louder with every passing second. The woman's calm demeanor seemed to only further irritate her opponent, who was growing more reckless with each swing.
Suddenly, the woman's eyes flicked upward, glancing into the crowd. Her gaze seemed to pierce through the sea of faces, and for a brief moment, her eyes met Seojun's.
Seojun felt a jolt run through him, a strange sensation he couldn't quite place. His heart skipped a beat. There was something familiar in her gaze, something that tugged at his memory.
"Seojun! We found her!" Alex's voice shouted from somewhere above.
Seojun tore his eyes away from the woman in the arena and looked up, spotting Alex waving at him from the stands. Without a second thought, he turned and sprinted toward Alex, pushing his way through the crowd.
Just as he reached Alex, a sudden explosion rocked the stadium. Seojun and Alex turned back to see a massive cloud of dust rising from the center of the arena. The audience gasped in shock, and the announcer's voice boomed over the speakers.
"Did you see that?! It looks like our top 3 lost focus and didn't see that attack coming! But look at this—she's still standing! She won!"
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As the dust dissapear, the figure of the woman became visible. She was injured, a gash running down her arm, but she was still standing. Her opponent lay on the ground, defeated. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, the energy in the arena reaching a fever pitch.
"The Windstorm Queen wins again!" the announcer declared. "What an incredible fight! Even with that last-minute attack, she's come out on top! Truly a remarkable performance!"
The stadium was filled with a mixture of awe and excitement as the woman raised her hand, acknowledging the crowd. Seojun couldn't take his eyes off her. There was something about her, something that felt… familiar.