The match itself was hardly worth mentioning. The Royal Division consisted of ambitious students, but their arrogance and pride spoiled their performance — they defeated their opponents carelessly, as if none were worth their attention. The Noble Division wasn't much better; they were weaker nobles who sought attention and acted the same way as the royals.
Then came the turn of the Special Division, who handled their battles with discipline and composure, maintaining mutual respect with their opponents.
After that, it was time for the General Division, and Sol Hart entered the arena, surrounded by her ominous aura. Strangely, none of the new students recognized her at first, so they hurried to choose her as an opponent before anyone else could. But the moment they stood on the same stage as her, an unsettling feeling crept over them. Each tried to attack quickly, yet Sol — a three-circle Spirit Mage — used a type of magic Shion had never seen before, not even in his memories of Shi Yun Lan's world.
"(Summoned Spirit: Warrior Soldier)!"
A spirit in the shape of an armored soldier appeared beside Sol and charged toward her opponent — a student who seemed to be from one of the Six Great Families. But titles meant nothing before the power.
Then Sol began another summoning: "(Elemental Spirit: Fire)!"
A flame appeared beside her as she stood motionless. "Merge with the soldier!"
The spirit entered the soldier's body, and flames engulfed him, vastly amplifying his power. A rapid barrage of attacks followed, easily defeating the student. Sol showed no sign of fatigue afterward.
Harry muttered beside Shion, "She really is the number-one genius in Spirit Magic."
'Number one genius?' Shion hadn't heard that title before — then realization hit him. 'Of course. I was trash. I never cared about anything except survival and trying to please that person.'.
Rage flared briefly in him as he remembered his father, the head of the family, but he calmed himself. 'Strange… eight rounds have passed, and I still haven't seen those two. Did they pick opponents from the second year? I'd be annoyed if they chose easy targets, but judging by their teacher, they'll have picked strong ones. Probably Glass Sano or Kin Light.'.
He turned his gaze to the screen showing the arena. A boy with white hair and cold blue eyes appeared, holding a sword with a frosty-blue blade. Unlike the arrogant members of the royal teams, this boy was calm and composed. He was the one ranked second in the academy's entrance exams — Byon Sik, a mage who wielded both the Earth and Wind elements.
He spoke confidently, "Glass Sano, heir of the Sano family. I've come to test my skills."
"Proceed," Glass replied indifferently, raising his glowing blue blade.
Byon stepped back and activated his magic circle, which bore both Earth and Wind traits. "(Sand Magic)!"
Particles of magical energy turned into sand and rushed toward Glass. Glass swung his blade. "(Sano Technique: Freeze)!"
The magic particles froze midair, the sand attack shattered, and Glass advanced steadily.
Byon retreated again and switched to Wind magic. "(Wind Blade)!"
Glass swung his sword once more, freezing the spell and nullifying the attack for a second time.
Byon gritted his teeth and used Earth again. "(Earth Shield)!"
A wall rose around him while he secretly prepared another spell.
"(Sano Technique: Melt)!"
The shield collapsed instantly — like ice melting before fire. Before Byon could react, a blade rested against his neck.
"You've lost," Glass said smoothly and calmly.
Shion noticed something in that technique. The Sano family's art is extraordinary. It relies on understanding the nature of ice — without actually using the Ice element — and applying that principle directly to magical particles. 'Truly amazing!' Shion thought.
Next, a challenger stepped forward — Vione Lucius.
"Sir Glass, I've heard you use Ice Magic. Please, let me duel you in kind."
"Very well."
As the battle began, Vione gathered her energy into an ice-attribute circle. Glass waited patiently for her spell to form, then gathered his own magic just as fast.
Both shouted, "(Ice Blades)!"
Their spells clashed midair, evenly matched at first, but soon Glass's blades grew larger and faster, overwhelming Vione's attack. She fell back, focusing on defense, but was too slow — the blades nearly struck her before Glass stopped and said,
"You have skill and good technique, but your speed will be your downfall. You're the type who prepares before moving, leaving yourself open to sudden situations. You must train that weakness."
"Thank you for the advice," she said, her face flushed as she withdrew.
Glass fought two more matches after that, winning both impressively.
Then came the substitute fighter — Tir Jura from the Jura family, an Earth-element mage. His battles centered around trapping his opponents underground using earth magic. The fights weren't exciting, but he was undeniably strong.
After the Royal Division ended, it was the Noble Division's turn. Among them was Kin Light, who entered the arena to roaring cheers. Shion thought, He's really popular, huh.
Kin Light, the Moon Duelist, stood ready as his opponent approached — Baro Ferrer.
Shion was shocked yet excited. 'I don't know if my training paid off, but now we'll see!'.
Baro shouted, "Kin Light! I also wield the Light element — let's fight as true duelists!"
"Very well."
Kin unsheathed his sword, Baro raised his spear, and both charged.
Their weapons collided — clang!
"(Spear of Light)!"
"(Thousand Radiant Swords)!"
Baro's speed surged, but his eyes widened as huge numbers of glowing swords appeared around Kin — one hundred in total — then all flew toward him.
'That technique is incredibly strong… Thank you, Lily. If I master this, I'll reach the third star fast — maybe even the fourth.' as Kin thought he gave a shot.
The swords shot forward. Baro steadied his stance, watching their movement closely, parrying them one by one while slowly gathering power. Though he sustained minor injuries, his determination grew.
"(Spear of Light: Line of Light)!" he roared, hurling his spear toward Kin Light.
Kin's eyes widened. 'He's nearly at the second level!'
"(Thousand Radiant Swords: Wall of Blades)!"
A shining barrier of swords formed before him — but he suddenly heard the Moon Sorceress Lily shouting,
"Dodge it!"
Instinctively, Kin leapt aside just as the spear shattered the barrier, its energy fading after impact. Yet the battle wasn't over. Baro dashed forward, grabbing his spear and activating more techniques, attacking relentlessly.
In the stands, Glass Sano watched intently after finishing his match. A relative beside him sneered, "He's struggling against a mere novice. I can't believe people compare the young master to that guy!"
Glass gave him a sharp look. "You don't understand. The arena imposes restrictions at the start. And that boy, Baro Ferrer — he's not weak. For someone of his rank, he's exceptionally strong."
Kin was thinking of how to handle Baro without going overboard when he heard Director Tim's voice:
"You may use more power."
So Kin elevated his swordsmanship to the second level.
"(Thousand Radiant Swords: Cutting Barrage)!"
This time, two hundred more swords materialized beside the first hundred — three hundred total — and rained down in slashing arcs.
Baro countered with another "Beam Line!" but it pierced through only half the attack before fading. The remaining blades closed in — and then suddenly stopped midair.
Director Tim's voice echoed, "Young Baro, you have great talent and terrifying potential. I allowed Kin to raise his strength only to prevent serious injury."
Baro smiled faintly and walked off the stage. On his way, he met the next challenger, who waved cheerfully.
Baro said, "Be careful — he's strong too, so don't hold back."
"Haha, don't worry! I'll give it everything I've got!"
That challenger was Fiore Tai, who had been eagerly waiting in the preparation room, watching all the battles. Both he and Baro had chosen Kin Light because of the tension between him and Shion.
Standing before the Moon Duelist, Fiore said, "I'm Fiore Tai, a wind-element duelist. Let's begin!"
Without another word, the match started. Fiori charged forward fiercely, surprising even the director.
'Second level already?!' Tim thought. 'It's been less than two weeks since the entrance exam — how did these two grow so fast?'.
Their swords clashed violently, the battle chaotic and powerful. 'Damn it!), Kin thought, 'this kid's swordsmanship isn't normal — it's like a wild storm mixed with strange instinctive movements.'.
Kin raised his defenses to the second level, summoning 300 swords to form a barrier. Fiori grinned ferociously.
"(Whirlwind of Destruction: Shatter Defense)!"
His sword whirled with ferocity, targeting the barrier's weak points. The Whirlwind of Destruction requires wild aggression combined with precise analysis of weaknesses — this is only its first form. Now, let's move to the second!
As he shattered key parts of the barrier, he noticed Kin preparing an offensive skill. Fiore laughed loudly,
"So we're thinking the same thing!"
"What?!"
"(Whirlwind of Destruction: Rending Strike)!"
"(Thousand Radiant Swords: Cutting Barrage)!"
The Whirlwind collided with the swirling swords, creating an explosive clash that destroyed the entire stage.