The moment the referee announced the start of the match, Fiore Tai charged forward with overwhelming ferocity toward the strongest opponent—a fourth-year female student who wielded dual daggers.
Descending upon her with the fusion of his two techniques, he roared,
"(Whirlwind of Destruction: Total Destruction)!"
The girl crossed her daggers and blocked the attack. However, the moment their weapons clashed, she frowned.
"Is that really the best you've got?!"
With a single motion, she pushed him away effortlessly.
At that moment, a third-year Water Mage joined the battle.
"(Water Dance)!"
Slender pillars of water emerged and flowed gracefully toward the fourth-year student.
She responded instantly.
"(Flowing Daggers)!"
Flames enveloped her daggers as they moved with astonishing elegance, intercepting every stream of water. Her movements blended perfectly with the dancing currents, making it appear as though she herself was performing a beautiful dance.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the arena, Rose Gard activated one of her inherited techniques.
"(Art of the Flower Garden: Rose Thorns)!"
Aura blossomed around her body.
A second-year student from the Sano Family, a Water Swordsman, rushed toward her.
"(Mist Swordsmanship)!"
Dense mist spread across the battlefield, concealing his movements entirely.
Unable to see her opponent, Rose waited quietly.
The swordsman lunged with a series of thrusts—
Only for Rose to block the attack perfectly before immediately counterattacking.
Her blade pierced his body, forcing him backward.
From within the mist, she calmly said,
"Never forget that roses have thorns. You may wound yourself trying to grasp them."
The student prepared to attack again.
Fiore glanced around the battlefield.
Two fierce battles were unfolding simultaneously.
Without hesitation, he charged into the mist toward the second-year student.
"(Whirlwind of Destruction: Rending Strike)!"
However, the moment Fury entered the mist, the swordsman sensed his presence.
He spun his body aside, dodged the attack, and kicked Fiore squarely in the chest.
Looking down at him with contempt, he sneered,
"If you're this weak, why did you even enter the tournament?"
The kick hurled Fiore backward onto the ground.
Yet instead of frustration...
A wide grin spread across Fiore's face.
He immediately turned and rushed back toward the fourth-year student.
Watching from the audience, Marin Sano looked puzzled.
"Isn't Fiore one of Shion Lan's followers? Why is he so weak?"
Brad Sano smiled.
"That's because you haven't seen everything yet."
Marin looked at him questioningly.
Beliza Sano answered instead.
"He's intentionally weakening his attacks. When he attacks again, his opponent won't bother defending seriously. At that moment, he'll increase his power and catch them completely off guard."
Just as she finished explaining, Fiore launched another attack against the fourth-year student.
Once again, she casually blocked him with a single dagger.
But this time...
Fury smiled.
The force behind his strike suddenly multiplied.
"What?!"
The girl's eyes widened.
She instinctively reinforced her defense.
Even so, Fiore overwhelmed her completely, smashing through her guard and slamming her onto the ground.
The third-year Water Mage glared at him angrily.
"Attacking from behind?! Was pretending to be weak your entire strategy?!"
Fiore turned toward him with a grin.
"Why don't you experience my weakness yourself?"
He charged forward again like a raging storm.
The mage immediately cast,
"(Water Wall)!"
Fiore's smile widened.
With a powerful swing, he shattered the defensive spell before instantly following with,
"(Whirlwind of Destruction: Rending Strike)!"
A violent torrent of wind aura exploded from him, blasting the mage backward and knocking him unconscious.
Fiore exhaled deeply, pretending to be exhausted.
He then glanced toward the remaining battle.
Inside the mist, Rose was nearing her limit.
Her opponent had cornered her completely.
Fiore rushed toward him with another deliberately weak strike.
The student dodged effortlessly and swung his sword at Fiore.
At the last moment, Fiore deflected the attack, positioning himself beside Rose.
The student laughed.
"Both of you—come at me together!"
Fiore smiled coldly.
"Your wish."
Rose immediately stopped him.
"He's a member of one of the Six Great Families. It's unwise to provoke them."
Fiore calmly pointed his sword at their opponent.
"This is a tournament—not a quarrel between noble families. If you don't want to prove yourself, then withdraw."
He advanced recklessly as always.
The Sano boy sneered.
"At least this girl knows how to think."
Fiore answered calmly,
"And apparently... you don't."
This time, he unleashed the full strength of his technique.
The swordsman casually moved to intercept it—
Then his expression changed completely.
The immense power flowing through Fiore's sword shocked him.
"Were you deceiving me this whole time?!"
Fiore gave no reply.
He simply overpowered him, slammed him into the arena wall, and knocked him unconscious.
When Fiore turned around again, he saw Rose surrounded by a beautiful aura of blooming flowers.
She smiled gently.
"Looks like only the two of us are left, Fiore."
Fiore nodded.
"So you've finally decided to show your true abilities."
Without answering, Rose activated her technique.
"(Art of the Flower Garden: Petals)!"
Crimson petals surrounded her sword.
They danced gracefully around the blade with mesmerizing elegance.
The Head of the Jura Family watched attentively.
"Those movements... They're designed to confuse the opponent. The sheer beauty of the technique causes the enemy to freeze, leaving their mind captivated by the flowers."
Shion observed calmly.
"Her aura has evolved since the last time I saw it. It even carries the fragrance of blooming flowers. Combined with those elegant movements, an ordinary opponent wouldn't even understand what was happening before being defeated... however..."
The Head of the Jura Family noticed the confident smile on Shion's face.
He turned back toward the battlefield.
Rose's sword was only inches away from Fiore.
Suddenly—
Fiore caught it.
With a powerful shout, he unleashed his technique.
Their swords collided violently.
Rose was thrown backward.
Fiore stared at her coldly.
"Those tricks won't work on me."
With a furious roar, he charged.
"(Whirlwind of Destruction: Total Destruction)!"
Rose immediately activated her defensive technique.
"(Rose Thorns)!"
Shion smiled.
"Fiore's fused technique specializes in destroying the opponent's defense, creating an opening, and finishing the battle with a single decisive strike."
Exactly as he predicted...
A gap appeared in Rose's defense.
Fiore's sword descended toward her.
Rose closed her eyes, expecting to lose consciousness.
One second passed.
Then another.
Nothing happened.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Fiore's sword was pointed directly at her.
But it had stopped just before making contact.
He quietly said,
"I learned never to hurt women."
Rose released a sigh of relief.
"I surrender."
The announcer immediately announced,
"Rose Gard has surrendered! The last contestant standing in this match is Fiore Tai of the First Year, who has qualified to compete tomorrow!"
Fiore looked toward Shion, bowed respectfully in his direction, and quietly left the arena.
Thus, the twelfth match came to an end.
Another entertainment performance followed, but Shion had already grown bored.
Solan Neumann asked,
"Don't you want to go back?"
Shion shook his head.
"I can't. The King is here."
Solan frowned.
"But his daughter hasn't stopped staring at us."
Shion glanced over and noticed Crown Princess Jina Joul looking directly at him.
She quickly looked away in embarrassment, pretending nothing had happened.
Shion acted as though he hadn't noticed either.
"Let's wait. There are only four matches left. We'll leave after that."
The next two matches weren't particularly important to Shion, though representatives of the Jura and Flair Families successfully secured their places in tomorrow's rounds.
Then another contestant entered.
The announcer announced,
"...and Sterai Shine from the First Year!"
Shion narrowed his eyes.
"Isn't that the boy from our visit to Kito Province?"
Beside him, Solan suddenly stiffened.
"Shion... something is wrong with him."
Shion looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
She frowned.
"It feels like... something inside him wants to break free. As if it's about to explode."
Shion's expression became serious.
"Is it dangerous?"
Before Solan could answer, the battle had already begun.
Sterai immediately clashed with another contestant.
The difference in strength was overwhelming.
As a mage, close combat placed him at a severe disadvantage.
Cuts...
Stab wounds...
Bruises...
Wind blades...
Fire burns...
His body gradually became covered in injuries.
The audience watched in alarm.
"What is that idiot doing?!"
"Does he want to die?!"
"Why doesn't he surrender?!"
"He still has years ahead of him to compete!"
Even the nobles began expressing concern.
Only the members of the Six Great Families remained unusually calm.
At that moment, Shion finally understood what they had realized.
He turned toward his mother.
"Are you worried about him?"
She nodded.
"Yes. He's facing all those opponents without retreating... He reminds me of you somehow."
Shion looked back toward the battlefield.
"Solan."
"Yes?"
"Tell me... what kinds of inheritances exist?"
Solan looked confused.
Then suddenly, realization struck her.
"I'm a Pure Spirit. I can see spiritual phenomena. If what I'm seeing is real... then..."
Shion interrupted calmly.
"Yes. An inheritance is awakening inside him."
He looked directly at her.
"So... what kinds of inheritances are there?"
After a brief hesitation, Solan answered,
"Some inheritances are passed down through bloodlines, like young lord Glass Sano's inheritance.
Others are obtained by taking the life of a particular creature or individual—for example, acquiring the Hardening Spell from armored monsters. Such inheritances are extremely rare because no one willingly strengthens the enemy they're trying to kill.
And others require special conditions to awaken... such as the Master of Moon's inheritance, which required both a man and a woman to inherit it..."
Before she could continue, Solan suddenly realized something.
She looked toward the battlefield.
Inside the battered and overlooked Sterai...
She saw an overwhelming force waiting to erupt.
Shion slowly opened his eyes.
"Isn't it strange that a Pure Spirit can perceive something other than souls? Imagine what a Guardian Spirit would be capable of seeing."
Solan asked in astonishment,
"But what kind of inheritance requires its owner to be injured before it awakens?!"
At that very moment—
Every contestant stopped fighting.
They all stared at Sterai.
His body slowly rose into the air.
His eyes turned completely white.
Then...
A feminine voice echoed from within him.
"Initiating the Inheritance Awakening Ceremony."
An immense and tangible pressure burst outward.
The remaining contestants instinctively stepped backward.
Watching from the audience, the Head of the Shine Family smiled faintly.
"It's your turn to reveal your true talent, my son."
A blinding light erupted from Sterai's body, illuminating the entire arena.
The mysterious voice spoke once again.
"(Art of Purity: Magic Removal.)"
"(Aura Removal.)"
"(Status Removal.)"
Sterai's wounded body transformed.
Threads of magic, aura, and every lingering effect flowed out of him.
His injuries healed at an astonishing speed.
Within moments...
His body returned to its flawless condition.
The light gradually faded.
Then the voice spoke one final time.
"Now... you possess neither magic nor aura.
Do you still wish to fight me?"
The remaining contestants stared at Sterai in terror.
One after another, they shook their heads.
"We surrender!"
The commentator immediately declared,
"All contestants have surrendered! The last contestant standing in this match is Sterai Shine of the First Year, who has qualified to compete tomorrow!"