Alex leaned against the railing of the waiting platform, his eyes fixed on the battlefield below. Since his own match was still several rounds away, he used the time to observe the others carefully.
The current match featured Kael Thorn of Star Shine Academy against a water mage from Dawnspire Academy.
Kael came from the noble Thorn family, a lineage known for producing mages with a rare affinity. Kael himself possessed that same rare attribute—Nature affinity.
As soon as the signal sounded, the difference in styles became obvious.
The Dawnspire mage opened with a fast offensive approach. Multiple streams of compressed water shot across the battlefield, striking toward the forward Side Towers from several directions at once. The attacks were precise and well timed, designed to overwhelm Kael's defenses before he could establish control of the field.
Kael did not respond with counterattacks.
Instead, green light spread outward from the base of his Main Tower.
Thick vines burst from the stone platform, twisting upward in spiraling patterns. Branches extended outward and wove together as if guided by invisible hands. Within seconds, both Side Towers were wrapped in layers of living wood, reinforced by tightly bound roots that anchored themselves deep into the ground.
Mana flowed continuously through the structure, sustaining it.
The vines hardened, forming a natural barrier that absorbed the incoming water spells with surprising effectiveness.
Alex watched silently.
Nature affinity… strong defensive adaptability.
"Nature magic may seem simple, but it's one of the hardest affinities to deal with once mastered." Aurora commented beside him.
Unlike elemental barriers, the vines did not merely block attacks—they bent, shifted, and regrew, dispersing the force instead of resisting it directly.
The Dawnspire mage increased her output, sending waves of high-pressure water crashing against the wooden defenses. Each impact tore away portions of the outer layer, but new growth replaced the damage almost immediately.
Still, Kael's affinity had its limitations.
Nature magic excelled at reinforcement and field control, but it lacked the explosive destructive power needed to end fights quickly. His counterattacks came slowly—sharpened branches and compressed seed-like projectiles launched toward the opposing towers.
Each strike was accurate.
None carried enough force to break through the Dawnspire mage's defenses in a single blow.
The match gradually turned into a contest of endurance.
Over time, however, Kael began to gain the advantage.
His defensive structures required far less mana to maintain than the continuous high-pressure attacks his opponent relied on. As the exchange dragged on, the Dawnspire mage's spell output began to slow.
Small openings appeared in her defenses.
Kael seized the moment.
Several thick roots erupted from the ground beneath one of her Side Towers, wrapping around the structure before she could react. The vines tightened.
Cracks spread across the surface.
A moment later, the tower shattered in a burst of light.
A signal chime rang through the arena.
One tower destroyed.
The remaining time was already short. The Dawnspire mage attempted a final push, sending a concentrated wave of water toward Kael's towers.
But without enough mana left to break through the layered defenses, she could not equalize the score before the timer expired.
The match ended with Kael ahead by a single tower.
Students from Star Shine Academy cheered as Kael stepped down from the platform.
Alex remained silent, though his gaze lingered on the battlefield a moment longer.
The arena reset once again.
The next match began shortly after.
Then another match drew noticeably more attention from the audience.
Helena stepped onto the Main Tower.
She had been one of the students selected for the preliminary matches and had already fought once earlier in the round. That battle had ended in an overwhelming victory—one that many spectators were still discussing.
Because of that performance, far more eyes were now focused on her side of the battlefield.
Her opponent this time was a mage from Stone Gate Academy, a school well known for having powerful earth-affinity mages.
The difference in approach became clear almost immediately.
The Stone Gate student began by raising thick stone walls around his Side Towers. Layer after layer of compacted earth formed a defensive structure reinforced with heavy stone pillars. The formation resembled a small fortress, far more solid than the barriers used in most matches.
Helena did not rush.
She raised one hand as vast amounts of mana gathered around her. The temperature across the battlefield began to rise.
Her spells came faster than in her previous match.
Massive flaming swords descended from above, slamming into the defenses with explosive force. Each strike targeted the same points repeatedly, gradually chipping away fragments of stone and weakening the structure.
The Stone Gate mage countered with heavy projectiles of compressed rock, forcing Helena to divert part of her focus to defense.
Unlike her previous match, she could not simply overwhelm her opponent from the start.
This time, the exchange remained balanced.
Eventually, a crack appeared along one of the stone barriers.
Helena struck the same point again.
The fracture widened.
Another flaming sword descended.
The barrier shattered, and the Side Tower behind it collapsed moments later.
Helena took the lead.
The Stone Gate mage tried to reinforce his remaining defenses, but the structural damage had already spread. A second series of strikes soon broke through the weakened layers.
The final Side Tower fell shortly afterward.
Helena stepped down from the platform.
Her expression remained calm—almost indifferent.
It was still a victory.
Just not as overwhelming as before.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
The next few matches passed in quick succession.
Alex continued watching in silence as one duel followed another. Spells flashed across the battlefield, towers collapsed, and victors stepped down from the platform while the arena reset again and again.
Then his name appeared on the projection.
A low ripple spread through the stadium before the announcer's voice echoed across the arena.
"Next match — Alex of Star Shine Academy versus Riven Calder of Ashford Institute."
The reaction this time was immediate.
Conversations stopped mid-sentence. Students leaned forward in their seats, and even the distant VIP gallery showed signs of movement as several figures turned their attention toward the battlefield below.
The moment had finally come.
Since the start of the tournament, Alex had drawn attention again and again during the knight events, defeating strong opponents with a level of composure that made many question how a first-year could fight like that.
But that had been swordsmanship.
This was different.
This was magic.
Whispers spread through the stands as people began speaking in low voices.
"So this is the one everyone's talking about…"
"He's that newly awakened mage from Star Shine Academy, right?"
"I heard he's strong, but this is a magic event. Let's see what he can really do."
Near the upper seating area, a few students from other academies were already arguing quietly, small betting slips changing hands.
"How many towers do you think he loses?"
"I say he wins, but barely."
"No way. Riven is solid. Alex won't last long."
Even some of the officials standing near the edge of the arena seemed more attentive than before.
In the VIP section, several guests who had shown little interest in the earlier matches now watched the field with quiet curiosity.
Alex noticed none of it—or rather, he noticed, but chose not to care.
As he stepped onto the platform, the weight of countless gazes settled on him at once. The air felt heavier than before, filled with expectation, doubt, and excitement all mixed together.
It was… irritating.
He rolled his shoulder once, loosening the tension in his arm as he climbed the steps of the Main Tower.
Across the battlefield, Riven Calder had already taken position.
For a brief moment, the two mages looked at each other across the arena.
A sharp chime rang through the stadium.
Both mages raised their hands.
The match began.
The moment the match began, mana gathered around Alex as he cast
The spell activated instantly.
A massive wall of ice erupted from the ground in front of the forward towers, rising several meters high with a sharp cracking sound. Before the fragments from the first formation had even settled, a second wall rose to the left.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
Within seconds, thick slabs of solid ice surrounded all three of his towers, forming a layered defensive shell. The Side Towers disappeared behind overlapping layers of frozen barriers, while the Main Tower stood protected by several angled walls designed to deflect incoming attacks rather than absorb them directly.
The entire defensive formation had been completed before his opponent had even finished his first cast.
For a brief moment, the entire arena went silent.
Then murmurs spread through the crowd, confusion quickly turning into disbelief.
"What—?"
"He cast that many… already?!"
"That's just Tier-2 magic… but what about that casting speed?"
But casting one wall and casting several in rapid succession were entirely different matters.
Alex had cast several in mere seconds.
In the VIP section, a few observers leaned forward slightly, their expressions sharpening with interest.
Below, Riven hesitated for the first time since the match began.
The spell circle forming in his hand flickered as he stared at the battlefield in front of him.
Alex's side of the arena was no longer open terrain.
It looked like a fortress of ice.
Tall, thick barriers overlapped at calculated angles, leaving almost no direct line of attack toward any of the towers. Even the narrow gaps between the walls had been positioned deliberately, forcing any incoming spell to strike at an awkward angle.
Alex lowered his hand slowly, his expression unchanged as he looked across the field at his opponent.
Cold mist drifted from the towering ice walls, curling around the towers like pale fog.
He still hadn't attacked.
He had only built his defense.