The victories that followed my earlier battle came easily.
Too easily.
One opponent after another fell with surprising speed—some overwhelmed by sheer pressure, others dismantled before they could even settle into their rhythm. The difference was unmistakable. Ever since my alignment had stabilized at A-Rank, my power no longer climbed in careful increments. It surged. Exponentially. As if some internal dam had cracked and was now letting the river flow freely.
Yet instead of exhilaration, what I felt most strongly was restraint.
Don't get careless, I reminded myself.
Power only becomes dangerous when the wielder stops thinking.
That thought stayed with me as the next day arrived.
The arena on Neutral Island gleamed beneath the artificial sky, its layered barriers shimmering faintly like sheets of glass. The stands were already overflowing, waves of cheers and excited chatter rolling endlessly across the coliseum.
Today was different.
Today was the semi-final of the second round.
This match would decide who advanced to the finals—and, indirectly, which academy would take the lead in the overall standings.
All my teammates excluding Alisia lose, Edwin won one match unfortunately he couldn't win against the second opponent, even sarah got defeated on third match.
Both Alisia and I had advanced without defeat. If we each won our semi-final matches, the final bout would inevitably pit us against one another.
That, however, was a problem for later.
Right now—
I walked down the long corridor leading to the arena, my footsteps unhurried, my right hand resting lightly on the hilt of my sword. The metal was cool beneath my fingers, grounding me. My breathing was steady. My face, as always, betrayed nothing.
As I emerged into the open, the roar hit me.
Cheers. Shouts. My name echoing again and again.
"So that's how it is now…" I murmured inwardly, casting a brief glance toward the stands.
People were standing. Some waving banners. Others watching with expressions caught somewhere between admiration and disbelief.
It seems my earlier battles improved my image, I thought calmly, then turned my gaze forward.
My opponent was entering from the opposite side.
Tall. Slender. Robes embroidered with complex sigils that glowed faintly as mana circulated through them. A staff rested in his left hand, its crystal core burning with restrained light.
A mage, I concluded immediately.
And not an ordinary one.
The mana radiating from him was dense, layered, and disciplined—compressed like coiled flame.
At least A-Rank, I judged. Possibly higher.
He stopped several meters away and inclined his head slightly.
I returned the nod.
No hostility. No arrogance. Just mutual acknowledgment.
The noise of the audience began to fade, not because it stopped—but because the tension swallowed it whole. This was a semi-final. No one here was weak. Every spectator understood that.
The referee stepped forward, his voice carrying clearly through the enchantments.
"Combatants, confirm readiness."
"I'm ready," the mage said, voice calm but firm.
I gave a short nod. "Ready."
The referee raised his hand.
"The semi-final match between Alden von Astra and Lias of Embercrest Academy—"
His hand dropped.
"Begin!"
I did not move.
Not immediately.
Instead, I watched.
Lias exhaled slowly and raised his staff, planting its end against the arena floor. His eyes closed, and the air around us shifted.
Mana responded.
The temperature climbed—not suddenly, but steadily. Heat rippled across the stone as the air itself began to shimmer. I could feel the spell forming long before it manifested.
High-tier chant, I noted. Large-scale. He's confident I won't interrupt.
Interesting.
Lias's lips moved in a controlled rhythm, each syllable precise. The sigils on his robe ignited one by one, forming a complex circuit.
"[Grand Fire Art — Solar Cataclysm]."
The sky above the arena darkened.
Then—
Fire bloomed.
A massive sphere of condensed flame formed overhead, dwarfing the battlefield itself. It burned not with wild ferocity, but with terrifying density, its surface folding inward as if gravity itself were feeding it.
Gasps erupted from the stands.
"That size—!"
"He's planning to engulf the whole arena!"
"Isn't that excessive for a semi-final?!"
The fireball descended.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
As if giving me time to despair.
I did not raise a barrier.
I did not dodge.
I simply rested my thumb against the guard of my sword and began to draw it.
Steel whispered as it left the sheath.
Mana flowed—not outward, but along the blade's edge, aligning with the void-touched pathways I had refined through countless battles.
The fireball crashed down.
The moment it crossed the final boundary—
I stepped forward.
"[Void-Walker Swordsmanship — Void Slash]."
The world split.
Not with noise.
Not with light.
But with absence.
My blade cut upward in a clean, deliberate arc. The slash did not collide with the fireball.
It erased a line through it.
Flames vanished along the path of the strike, not dispersing, not exploding—simply ceasing to exist. The massive fire sphere shuddered, its structure destabilizing as the void carved into its core.
A second later, the entire spell collapsed inward, imploding into harmless embers that scattered across the arena like falling leaves.
Silence followed.
Lias's eyes snapped open.
"…So that's how you handle it," he said quietly, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice.
He smiled.
Good.
This wouldn't be boring.
He struck next without hesitation.
The staff spun in his hand, its crystal flaring brilliantly.
"[Fire Art — Crimson Lances]!"
Dozens of compressed fire spears erupted around him, firing in intersecting trajectories. They weren't aimed to kill—they were designed to herd, to force movement.
I moved.
[Void-Step].
Space folded, and I vanished from between the lances. I reappeared to Lias's right, blade already moving.
He reacted instantly.
"[Flame Guard — Radiant Wall]!"
A curved barrier of searing light formed between us. My sword struck it—
—and slid.
Not bounced.
Not cut through.
Interesting.
Layered resistance, I realized. He adjusted after the first exchange.
I twisted my wrist and disengaged, retreating a step as the ground behind me erupted in flame.
"[Eruption Field]!"
The arena floor cracked open, pillars of fire surging upward in chaotic intervals. I weaved between them, my movements precise, economical.
Too many mages relied on overwhelming area control.
Lias, however, was watching.
Learning.
He canceled the field abruptly and pointed his staff skyward.
"[Condensed Flame — Starfall Descent]!"
Fire condensed into sharp, falling fragments that rained down like meteor shards. I raised my blade and spun it once.
"[Astra Flow — Deflection Form]."
Mana traced circular paths along the sword, redirecting the falling flames just enough to pass harmlessly around me. Each impact scorched the stone, but none touched my body.
I advanced.
Step by step.
Lias's smile widened.
"So you're the type who closes distance," he said. "Then let's see how you handle this."
He slammed his staff into the ground.
"[Core Ignition — Ember Sovereignty]!"
His mana exploded outward.
Fire did not simply surround him—it became him. His robes burned away into living flame, forming a humanoid silhouette of blazing heat. The pressure forced even the audience's protective barriers to hum loudly.
High-risk transformation, I noted. Massive output, reduced duration.
I tightened my grip.
"Impressive," I said honestly. "But unstable."
He laughed. "Then finish me before it burns out!"
He charged.
The speed was startling. Each step cracked the arena floor as he swung a flaming fist toward my head.
I parried with the flat of my blade, redirecting the force just enough to slip past him. The heat was intense, but manageable.
As I moved, I adjusted my mana flow subtly—drawing on what I had learned from observing curse techniques.
Corrupt, but do not overwhelm.
The blade darkened slightly.
"[Corruption Imbue — Shallow Layer]."
Lias sensed it immediately.
His next spell faltered.
"What—?"
That moment was enough.
I stepped in close.
"[Void-Walker Swordsmanship — Phase Break]."
My blade struck—not his body, but the mana construct sustaining his transformation.
The flames shattered.
Lias staggered backward, gasping as the backlash hit him.
I stopped a meter away, blade lowered.
"It's over," I said calmly. "Your output was flawless. But you anchored everything to a single core."
He looked up at me, breathing hard.
"…So that's the difference," he murmured, then smiled weakly. "I yield."
The barrier dissolved.
The chime rang.
Winner: Alden von Astra.
The arena erupted.
Cheers thundered across the stands as I sheathed my sword and exhaled slowly.
Another step forward.
And only one left—
Before the inevitable battle that awaited us both.