In Kyran's squad, Soren took the lead.
The chain on his chest shimmered, releasing spheres of fiery embers that hovered like molten stars.
When he swung his sword, the flames gathered along the blade's arc, forming a blazing crimson crescent.
Soren wasn't the type to rely on simple strikes.
He spun the chain to redirect the fire's flow, shaping it into a circular barrier that scorched every beast charging their way.
Flames bent at his command, twisting into searing blades that cut through the icy wolves before they could get close.
"Firestorm Fusion!" He roared, and the flames surged into a single fireball that engulfed the weaker monsters.
Lyra immediately used the opening Soren had made.
Raising her staff, she summoned a concentrated whirlwind her signature Tempest Seal.
It wasn't a destructive storm but a focused current that lifted the monsters off balance, tossing them into one another.
With her control over air pressure, she enhanced the conductivity of the surrounding atmosphere, preparing the field for their next move.
Aria stood calmly behind them, her silver ring gleaming with a soft glacial light.
The Frostveil Ring granted her command over moisture, shaping it into flowing whips that coiled around the monsters' legs.
She didn't fight with brute force her water slowed, restrained, and guided their enemies into positions where Soren and Lyra could strike cleanly.
Watching her movements was like witnessing art in motion one graceful flick of her wrist sent armored beasts crashing to the ground.
And then there was Mira only four stars, yet far from useless.
She unfurled her folding fan and whispered an incantation.
Mist swirled, shaping into Phantom Wisps illusory doubles darting across the battlefield.
Her illusions disoriented the beasts, drawing their attacks toward shadows instead of flesh.
Dancing among chaos, Mira's laughter echoed faintly.
Every misdirection she cast opened the perfect window for Kyran.
He clenched his blade, lightning stirring around his body.
Calling upon the centrifugal air Lyra had woven, Kyran channeled it as a conduit for his element.
Electric essence surged, his sword transformed in a flash into the Blade of Thunder.
Without a word, he vanished in a streak of light. A single slash cut through the beast leader's throat, its body dissolved into fragments of radiant dust.
The crowd erupted.
Their seamless teamwork, Soren isolating with flame, Lyra amplifying with wind, Aria restraining with water, Mira confusing with illusions, and Kyran delivering the decisive blow earned thunderous applause.
But just as the arena began to settle, the ground trembled.
A crack split open at the center, and from its depths rose something massive.
Silence fell.
A Black Dragon, newly born yet terrifying, unfurled its wings.
Its scales glistened like obsidian, its eyes burned crimson, and when it roared, the air itself quaked.
Lightning rippled through its breath, its gaze locked onto Kyran, as if it had known him from before.
The entire squad stepped back instinctively, yet none retreated. They were ready.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Lyra shouted: "Its power isn't anything like the others!"
Kyran gritted his teeth: "Doesn't matter. We take it down or at least, make it count."
All around, other teams scrambled forward, desperate to seize glory. But no one could scratch even a scale of the dragon.
The goal of this round wasn't to kill it was to survive.
Lyra, sharp as ever, pieced it together: "They just want us to endure until time runs out. Points come from impact, not victory. Don't waste energy trying to kill it just last!"
The team nodded. There was no need for senseless heroics.
Others could throw themselves at the monster Kyran's squad would play smart.
Yet from somewhere unseen, a whisper rippled through the air dark, amused, and ancient.
"Heh… clever girl. To see through the council's little trap already… delightful kakaka..."
They moved.
Lyra charged first, sweeping her staff.
"Cyclone Surge!" A focused twister erupted, lifting the dragon slightly, reducing its ground pressure.
Soren followed in a burst of flame, leaping into the air.
"Inferno Drive!" Fireballs spiraled from his sword, slamming into the dragon's neck, blackening its scales.
Aria, calm as the moon, formed icy rings beneath its tail.
"Frozen Bind!" Glacial chains coiled, locking its movement, slowing the beast's deadly counter.
Meanwhile, Mira danced through smoke and shadows.
"Phantom Split!" Dozens of her illusions surrounded the dragon, confusing its sight.
Then she struck "Mirror Slash!" Her fan gleamed, leaving a shimmering cut of illusionary pain.
Kyran's eyes glowed with stormlight. He felt the dragon's mana falter, the moment was right.
"Thunder Shadow!"
The sky cracked open. A bolt of pure lightning descended, striking directly at the dragon's exposed chest.
The impact shattered its magic flow, and the Black Dragon howled in fury and agony.
When the dust settled, the scoreboard flickered, Kyran's team had surged to second place, right behind Mike Lilton's squad.
The arena fell silent for a heartbeat, then erupted into roars and applause.
Up in the grandstand, members of the Holy Knights' Dominion whispered in disbelief.
One burly man with crimson hair slammed his fist against the railing: "That brat he's casting lightning magic without a conduit?! What the hell is he?!"
A woman with a teasing smirk hid her lips behind a fan: "Fascinating… I want that boy on my team."
"Over my dead body," said a serene cleric beside her.
Yet while they argued, their commander wasn't looking at Kyran at all.
His eyes had fixed on someone else within that same squad, someone far more intriguing.
The buzzer sounded, the timer hit zero.
The Black Dragon disintegrated into shadows, ending the round.
Kyran's group finished second overall, only ten points shy of the top.
He clutched his sword, chest heaving, drenched in sweat.
Soren laughed, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip.
Lyra smiled with satisfaction.
Aria stood serene as ever.
Mira collapsed to her knees, trembling, tears glimmering in her eyes.
They'd done it and survived the qualifiers.
And somewhere in the stands, a pair of strange eyes watched them quietly cold, calculating, and amused.
A faint smile curved across that unseen observer's lips.
"Kakaka… Interesting… you never fail to surprise me, little ones."