The marble arena of Saint High shimmered under the late afternoon sun, a vast coliseum of white stone and gold runes. The crowd was thunderous—students, instructors, and guests gathered to witness what most believed would be a massacre.
At one end stood the Five Crowns, Saint High's untouchable Student Council, whose power had gone unchallenged for four years.
At the other end—the newcomers who dared to step up—stood The Five Saints.
Ragnar Wryd adjusted the gloves around his wrists, his eyes calm and unreadable.
Beside him, Alys Voldric stood with her chin raised, frost dancing at her fingertips. Magna Voldric cracked his knuckles, flames swirling faintly beneath his skin.
Light Excalibur offered a quiet prayer under his breath, golden motes forming around his shoulders, and Yuuki Sato floated a few inches above the ground, psychic energy rippling softly from his eyes.
It was supposed to be optional—just a mock battle between the Saints and the Fourth Years.
But Alys' pride had written a challenge the moment she heard the Student Council would spectate.
And Aria Valemont, the ever-composed president, accepted.
---
They stood like gods among mortals.
Aria Valemont, with flowing dark hair and calm emerald eyes, radiated both grace and lethality. Earth and shadow twisted around her feet in perfect harmony.
At her side stood Ren Ichiro, her vice president, silent and still, eyes hidden behind silver glasses.
Behind them, Kael Draven, flames coiling lazily around metal shards orbiting his arm like a crown of embers.
Lira Elvane stood quiet and poised, her reflection shimmering in a ripple of illusionary water.
And lastly, Darius Holt, solid as a mountain, light and gravity bending subtly around his frame.
They didn't need to announce themselves. Their presence spoke enough.
---
The horn blew.
The moment the sound hit, Yuuki's eyes gleamed violet. His psychic field expanded instantly, wrapping around his team. "Incoming—left flank!"
The Saints reacted in perfect sync. Ragnar opened a small [Portal (10th Grade)] beside Alys, redirecting Kael's opening barrage of molten shards. The reflected metal struck the arena wall, melting stone on contact.
Aria didn't move an inch. She raised her hand, and from the ground erupted black tendrils of shadow reinforced with earth—fast, precise, and suffocating.
Alys responded with [Froze Aegis (8th Grade)], summoning a wall of crystalline ice. But the shadows tore through like paper. She gritted her teeth, stepping back, frost spreading across the field as she tried to freeze Aria's movements.
Aria merely smiled.
"You rely too much on instinct."
The ground erupted beneath Alys—an earthen spike barely missing her shoulder.
She leapt back, firing [LightLance (8th Grade)] in retaliation, the beam blazing across the air. Aria's shadows swallowed it whole.
---
On the other side, Ragnar and Ren clashed midair.
Ren moved with lightning precision—literally. [LightningStep (7th Grade)] left afterimages that Ragnar could barely track.
Ragnar countered by chaining portals—opening one above, another behind, using the momentum of Ren's strikes to misdirect him.
Each clash created bursts of heat and sparks, Ragnar relying on [Fire Blade (10th Grade)] and pure positioning to survive.
Ren sighed mid-combat, speaking in his usual calm tone.
"You've improved. But eleven portals only last so long."
Ragnar frowned, sliding back from the force of a lightning burst. He knows my limit?
---
Magna faced Kael, flames roaring around them like an inferno.
[Crimson Fist (8th Grade)] clashed with [Molten Breaker (7th Grade)]—the two exchanging blows that shattered the air with every collision.
"You hit hard, kid," Kael grinned, ducking under a flaming punch. "But fire's not just about burning. It's about control."
He snapped his fingers—metal shards in the air liquefied and reshaped into spears.
Magna blocked most of them but caught one in his shoulder, hissing as smoke rose from his wound.
Still, he smirked.
"Then control this."
He ignited the blood seeping from the cut, using it as fuel for [Flame Drive (8th Grade)], his body engulfed in red aura.
The arena trembled under their combined heat.
---
Light Excalibur faced the illusions of Lira Elvane.
He swung his radiant blade, striking through mirages that vanished like mist.
"Can't you fight me directly!?" he shouted, frustration bleeding through.
Her laughter echoed, gentle and chilling.
"Why would I? Reality is too predictable."
Every reflection in her water shimmered with copies of her face—each one attacking from a different angle.
Light tried to counter with [Sanctum Burst (8th Grade)], releasing a dome of holy light that vaporized several illusions—but new ones appeared, whispering doubts into his mind.
'You're too slow.
You'll never reach her.
You're just pretending to be strong.' Light thought
He clenched his fists. Illusions… and words that cut deeper than swords.
---
Yuuki Sato was barely holding off Darius Holt.
Gravity waves distorted space, crushing the ground into craters. Yuuki's telekinesis strained to keep balance.
"You've got guts, kid," Darius said, stomping once—the entire platform quaked.
Yuuki's psychic field shimmered, deflecting debris mid-air. [Psychic Overdrive (7th Grade)] pulsed, amplifying his reaction time.
"Yeah," Yuuki replied, blood running from his nose, "and you've got a weight problem."
He hurled boulders and shattered platforms telekinetically, momentarily forcing Darius to raise a [Light Barrier (7th Grade)].
Yuuki smirked, his thoughts racing. Every second I buy gives Ragnar another chance.
---
Alys' ice fields expanded, turning the arena into a frozen landscape. Aria's shadows struggled to move smoothly through the frost—Alys smirked.
Finally… I have her cornered.
She raised her hands, summoning [Frost Domain (7th Grade)], turning the very air into cold vapor. But before she could release it, Aria whispered something under her breath—shadows twisted into massive serpents that lunged from beneath the ice.
The ground shattered.
Alys' spell collapsed as the serpents wrapped around her legs, squeezing tight.
"Wha—how!?"
"Ice is brittle," Aria replied softly, stepping closer. "Just like pride."
Alys screamed, releasing [Light Burst (8th Grade)], the explosion of radiance blinding half the arena. Aria shielded herself effortlessly with layered shadow barriers.
When the light faded, Alys was kneeling, breathing hard, frost cracking beneath her.
"Alys!" Magna yelled from across the field, trying to reach her but Kael blocked him with a wall of molten iron.
"Don't you dare pity me!" she snapped back. "I'm fine!"
But her voice shook. Even through her glare, the frustration was visible—the disbelief that someone could not only counter her, but dominate her.
'Why can't I win? I've trained harder. I've pushed more. So why—?'
---
Meanwhile, Yuuki kept pushing himself beyond limit. Every time Darius crushed the field, Yuuki rewired the battlefield telekinetically, pulling debris into floating shields.
He was their anchor. The invisible support.
He wasn't powerful enough to break Darius—but he was clever enough to stall him.
He reached into Ragnar's mind through psychic link.
"Ragnar—focus on Ren. I'll handle the others."
"You'll die if you keep that up."
"Then you better make it worth it."
Ragnar's jaw tightened.
He flicked open five portals at once, each linking to a different part of the arena. [Fire Blast (10th Grade)] launched through each, hitting Kael's molten armor and Lira's illusions simultaneously.
The crowd gasped. For the first time—the Student Council had to defend.
---
Aria glanced across the field, shadows flaring. "Ren."
Ren nodded, eyes glowing faintly as lightning arced through his hands. [Storm Fang (6th Grade)]—the strongest he could muster—shot forward, forcing Ragnar to react instantly.
[Portal Shift (10th Grade)] blinked him out of range, but the backlash made his mana cells hum painfully. Black veins began creeping up Ragnar's arms.
'Not yet… hold it together.'
Alys staggered back to her feet, clutching her chest, frost swirling around her again. She could barely focus, her reflection in the ice fractured and mocking.
"Maybe… I was never that strong," she whispered.
Yuuki's voice echoed faintly in her mind.
"Don't you dare think that. Not while we're still standing."
---
The arena was a ruin of frost, molten rock, and shattered light.
The Saints were bloodied but unbroken.
Ragnar stood at the center, body trembling, mana veins pulsing black.
Yuuki floated weakly beside him, psychic aura flickering.
Magna and Light stood protectively before Alys, who could barely summon a single spell.
The Five Crowns gathered. Aria stepped forward.
"You've all proven your worth. Yield, and this ends here."
Ragnar spat blood, raising his sword.
"Not yet."
He opened his eleventh and final portal. The air twisted violently—connecting positions above, below, and behind every member of the Student Council.
Through those portals, he launched [Fire Blast (10th Grade)] and [Fire Blade (10th Grade)] simultaneously, using Yuuki's psychic link to perfectly time each strike.
The explosion painted the sky red and gold. For a moment—everyone was silent.
When the dust settled, the Five Crowns stood, slightly burned, their uniforms torn—but they were still standing.
Ragnar dropped to one knee, breathing hard, black veins crawling up his neck.
Aria approached him slowly. Her eyes, though calm, carried genuine respect.
"You've done enough."
Ragnar smiled faintly. "Guess… we made you sweat, huh?"
She actually chuckled. "A little."
---
When the match was declared over, silence hung before the crowd erupted.
Even the teachers couldn't believe it—the Saints, though defeated, had forced the untouchables to fight seriously.
Alys sat in the snow she had created, staring at her reflection. Her hands trembled.
"I thought I was special," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I thought… I could win."
Magna knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You're still special. You just met someone stronger. For now."
She didn't reply. The weight of failure pressed against her chest like frostbite.
Across the field, Yuuki leaned against Ragnar, drained and pale.
"I told you I'd make it worth it."
"You did," Ragnar said, his grin tired but proud. "You carried us."
"We carried each other."
Ragnar looked up at the Five Crowns being escorted away, his eyes burning with quiet determination.
"Next time… we're not stopping halfway."
Aria paused at the exit, glancing back one last time. Her gaze lingered on Ragnar.
A smile—faint, approving—crossed her lips.
"That boy…" she murmured. "He'll change everything."