Garran shook his head, dispelling the lingering dizziness from the collision.
This time, he didn't charge recklessly. Instead, he attacked from a distance.
"
Cracks rapidly spread across the arena floor before jagged pillars of stone burst upward around Alex. Dust and debris exploded outward as the spikes continued rising, interlocking into a rough cage of stone.
The towering pillars surrounded him from every direction, cutting off his escape routes while transforming part of the battlefield into a maze of rocky obstacles.
Alex briefly examined the stone prison.
The spikes were far sturdier than ordinary earth constructs and wouldn't be broken easily through brute force alone.
"
A massive lance of ice condensed before him and shot forward with tremendous force.
The stone barrier shattered upon impact.
Cracks raced across its surface before the entire structure exploded outward in a storm of stone fragments and dust.
The lance didn't stop.
It continued toward Garran at frightening speed. Garran's eyes widened as he hastily cast,
His body sank into the ground an instant before the lance reached him. The frozen projectile tore through the spot where he had been standing and continued across the arena before crashing into the distant barrier with a thunderous impact.
The next moment, Garran emerged from the earth directly behind Alex, a massive stone-clad fist already swinging toward the back of his head.
Alex's body blurred sideways.
The punch tore through the space where he had been standing a moment earlier.
It missed. Garran clicked his tongue and immediately followed up with another strike.
Unlike most mages, he showed no intention of retreating to create distance. Instead, he remained glued to Alex, relentlessly pressuring him with one heavy blow after another.
His massive gauntlets whistled through the air as they swung. Each attack carried enough force to crack stone, and every missed punch left shallow craters across the arena floor.
Alex remained calm throughout. He moved with practiced efficiency, weaving between punches and sidestepping at the last possible moment. His movements were precise and economical, never wasting even the slightest bit of energy.
Despite Garran's overwhelming physical strength and relentless assault, not a single strike managed to connect.
The more Garran attacked, the more frustrated he became.
No matter how close he got, Alex always seemed to move just enough to avoid the blow. It was as if he could see every attack coming before it happened.
The audience watched in fascination.
Despite Garran's relentless assault, Alex continued evading every strike with seemingly effortless precision.
Eventually, Alex decided it was time to change the pace of the battle.
"
A wave of freezing air erupted outward.
The battlefield's temperature plummeted almost instantly.
The change was visible to the naked eye. Tiny ice crystals formed throughout the arena, drifting lazily through the air like falling snow. Frost rapidly spread across the stone floor, coating it in a thin layer of white.
Garran's expression immediately changed.
The rocky armor covering his body began whitening under the extreme cold. Thin cracks spread across its surface like spiderwebs, glowing faintly with blue frost as freezing energy seeped into the stone itself.
His movements noticeably slowed. Each step became heavier than before as frozen stone scraped against frozen stone.
Realizing the situation was turning against him, Garran immediately changed tactics.
"
A Tier-5 spell.
The frozen ground suddenly softened.
The terrain around Alex transformed into a vast field of unstable earth. Despite the layer of frost covering the surface, the ground beneath had become loose and fluid.
Alex's boots immediately sank ankle-deep.
The moment he tried to move, the earth shifted beneath him. His footing became unstable as the ground attempted to drag him downward.
Alex glanced down briefly before responding.
"
The unstable ground froze solid.
A thick layer of black ice rapidly spread through the quicksand, stabilizing the terrain around him and preventing any further sinking.
For a moment, both sides found themselves trapped in increasingly unfavorable conditions.
Alex had neutralized the quicksand, but Garran wasn't faring much better.
The effects of Frost Breath continued worsening with every passing second. Frost now covered nearly half of his armor, and the cracks spreading through the stone were growing larger and larger.
His eyes hardened as he reached a decision.
Mana erupted from his body on an entirely different scale as he began chanting, a Tier-6 spell.
The arena floor shook violently as massive slabs of rock and earth burst upward from every direction, accompanied by clouds of dust and debris. They spiraled around Garran like orbiting mountains, gathering higher and higher above the battlefield.
The sheer scale left many spectators speechless.
More stone continued joining the formation until a colossal mountain-like mass hung overhead, casting a massive shadow across the arena.
The pressure alone made the structure feel overwhelming.
"
Garran thrust his hand downward and the artificial mountain descended.
Dust exploded outward as the colossal mass crashed toward Alex with enough force to flatten a large section of the battlefield.
Many spectators instinctively held their breath.
Facing the descending mountain, Alex remained completely composed.
A familiar magic circle appeared before him.
"
An enormous lance of ice condensed into existence.
The moment it formed, the surrounding temperature dropped even further. Frost spread outward across the arena floor while icy mist rolled through the air.
Then the lance shot forward.
It became a streak of pale blue light as it pierced across the battlefield and collided head-on with the descending mountain.
The impact shook the entire arena.
For a brief moment, the two forces struggled against one another.
The colossal mountain pressed downward while the lance drove upward, neither yielding immediately.
Then cracks began spreading through the enormous mass overhead, until the entire structure shuddered violently before collapsing from within.
A deafening explosion erupted across the arena as countless fragments of rock and earth shattered apart, raining down like debris from a collapsing cliff.
Garran stared upward in disbelief.
His strongest spell—Broken. Destroyed by a single attack.
Meanwhile, the Glacial Lance continued forward even after piercing through Mountain Crusher. Although its momentum had diminished somewhat, the spell remained terrifyingly powerful as it streaked directly toward Garran.
Garran's eyes widened as the surviving lance closed the distance in an instant.
There was no time to cast another major spell.
Instinctively, he reacted. "
Under normal circumstances, it would have been the perfect response. Unfortunately for him, Alex had no intention of letting that happen.
The cold from
"
Multiple ice chains erupted from the ground.
This time, they were noticeably stronger than before. The freezing environment had greatly enhanced their durability, making them far more difficult to break.
Several chains shot upward and wrapped around Garran's legs and waist before he could fully disappear underground.
His expression changed as he struggled against the chains with all his strength, but it wasn't enough.
The Glacial Lance had already arrived.
A fraction of a second later, the frozen projectile slammed into him.
The impact exploded across the arena.
A storm of frost, shattered ice, and stone fragments erupted outward, engulfing a large section of the battlefield. The shockwave swept across the arena floor as a towering cloud of icy mist rose into the air.
The audience could barely see what had happened.
For several moments, the battlefield remained hidden behind swirling frost and dust.
Then the haze gradually began to clear.
When visibility returned, Garran was no longer standing.
His stone armor had been completely shattered, fragments scattered across the arena. The remaining ice encased portions of the battlefield around him as he lay motionless at the center of the impact zone.
"Winner—Alex Blanc of Star Shine Academy!"
Cheers erupted throughout the stadium.
Alex, meanwhile, remained as calm as ever. He was fully capable of continuing. Even so, he turned and stepped down from the stage.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
Back on Star Shine Academy's side, Elena quietly observed the opposing team.
Initially, she had considered sending Cassian next.
However, her gaze narrowed slightly as Evelyne rose from Crimson Bastion Academy's section.
Elena's expression remained calm, but she changed her decision without hesitation.
"Cassian, you'll have to wait."
Cassian frowned slightly, clearly disappointed, but he didn't argue. He understood the reason. Evelyne wasn't an opponent who could be treated casually.
Instead, Elena turned her attention toward another student.
"Draim, you're up."
At those words, a grin slowly spread across Draim's face.
"Finally."
He rose from his seat and stretched his shoulders, lightning flickering briefly across his fingertips before fading away.
He had been waiting for this opportunity.
Among Star Shine Academy's team, Alex and Draim were considered the most likely candidates to challenge Evelyne.
Sending anyone else would offer little chance of success.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side, Evelyne calmly stepped onto the battlefield.
The crowd's excitement continued to rise.
After all, both contestants were among the strongest magic division participants remaining in the tournament.
At last, the battle everyone had been anticipating was about to begin.