I soon glanced toward my academy watch as the tournament brackets illuminated across the screen.
[Lysander Viremont — Rank 12]
"…Hm?"
Viremont.
A Count family within the Virelian Empire.
Not among the strongest noble houses—
but still influential enough to possess status and power.
"So he's my first opponent, huh."
Around me—
new battles had already begun throughout the enormous arena.
Students clashed across multiple stages simultaneously while the audience roared excitedly overhead.
Yet—
among all the matches—
one battle drew the most attention instantly.
Darius Whitemere.
The white-haired boy calmly stepped onto the stage while holding a thin silver rapier in his hand.
His expression remained completely composed.
Opposite him—
another student slowly walked forward.
Cassian.
A commoner student with orange hair and sharp eyes.
A katana rested loosely against his shoulder while faint wind mana flickered around his body.
If I remembered correctly—
he ranked around fifteenth within the first years.
Honestly—
that alone was impressive.
For a commoner to stand among the top-ranked students of Nexus Academy—
his talent had to be genuine.
Most likely—
multiple guilds were already observing him closely.
Meanwhile—
Darius himself ranked ninth officially.
But rankings didn't always reflect reality.
I knew for a fact—
his actual strength surpassed several students ranked above him.
Then—
the arena barriers activated fully.
BOOOOM.
The crowd immediately quieted slightly in anticipation.
And soon—
the match began.
BOOOOM.
The instant the signal echoed throughout the arena—
Cassian disappeared.
Not metaphorically.
He genuinely vanished from sight.
A violent burst of lightning erupted beneath his feet as the orange-haired swordsman reappeared at Darius' flank with terrifying momentum.
CLANG!
Steel collided against steel.
A shower of sparks illuminated the battlefield briefly as Darius intercepted the strike with his rapier mere inches from his throat.
The impact alone forced the air to rupture around them.
The crowd immediately erupted.
"FAST—!"
"What the hell was that movement?!"
Cassian smirked faintly.
"You reacted to that?"
Darius said nothing.
His silver eyes merely followed the commoner calmly.
Then—
Cassian moved again.
CRACKLE.
Lightning danced wildly around his body as his figure split into multiple afterimages.
One.
Three.
Seven.
The battlefield itself became difficult to follow.
Unlike brute-force fighters—
Cassian specialized in relentless momentum.
Fluidity.
Unpredictability.
His footwork resembled living lightning itself.
Every step altered direction unnaturally.
Every swing flowed into another seamlessly.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The arena rang continuously beneath the exchange of blades.
Cassian attacked from impossible angles repeatedly while arcs of lightning exploded around each strike.
Yet—
despite the pressure—
Darius remained composed.
That was what made him terrifying.
No wasted movement.
No panic.
No excessive aggression.
The white-haired noble simply stood amidst the storm with terrifying precision.
Still—
even he had begun sliding backward slightly.
The crowd noticed instantly.
"Cassian's overwhelming him!"
"That commoner is insane!"
"He's actually pushing Darius Whitemere back!"
High above the arena—
several guild observers leaned forward with visible interest.
Because talent like this—
could not be ignored.
Cassian twisted his blade sharply before accelerating once more.
BOOOOM.
Lightning erupted across the battlefield as his speed increased explosively.
So he was holding back earlier.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Then—
Cassian appeared directly behind Darius.
His katana descended toward the back of Darius' neck with lethal precision.
"Lightning Art — Flash Rend."
The attack carried enough force to split stone.
Yet—
the instant the blade descended—
wind exploded outward.
FWOOSH.
The atmosphere itself distorted.
Cassian's eyes widened slightly.
Darius had moved.
No—
more accurately—
he had already predicted the attack before it happened.
The white-haired swordsman stepped aside with elegant simplicity while compressed wind spiraled around his rapier.
Then—
he thrust once.
A single thrust.
Yet the pressure behind it caused the arena floor to crack violently.
"Wind Art — Silent Piercer."
SHIIIIING.
A compressed spear of wind erupted forward instantly.
Cassian barely twisted away.
Even then—
a line of blood opened across his shoulder.
The crowd gasped.
That attack had almost ended the match immediately.
Cassian slid backward while breathing slightly heavier now.
Meanwhile—
Darius remained almost perfectly calm.
That was when I understood.
Cassian controlled the flow of battle—
but Darius controlled the distance.
Every retreat.
Every clash.
Every defensive movement.
He had been gradually guiding Cassian exactly where he wanted him.
Silver seemed to notice it too.
"…He's cornering him."
Indeed.
Without realizing it—
Cassian had already entered the center of Darius' wind domain.
The currents surrounding the battlefield had subtly changed.
The air itself had become heavier.
Sharper.
Cassian clicked his tongue.
Then—
lightning erupted around him violently once more.
This time—
far denser than before.
The arena trembled beneath the pressure.
"Lightning Art…"
"Heavenstep."
BOOOOOOM.
For an instant—
Cassian truly became lightning.
His body blurred beyond the vision of ordinary students as multiple strikes descended simultaneously from every direction.
The sheer speed forced even several upperclassmen to tense.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Darius finally began moving faster.
Wind spiraled around him beautifully as his rapier danced through the storm of attacks with astonishing elegance.
And yet—
tiny cuts slowly began appearing across his uniform.
Cassian smiled fiercely.
"I finally touched you."
Darius glanced at the shallow cut silently.
Then—
for the first time since the match began—
his expression changed slightly.
The wind around the arena deepened.
Not violently.
Quietly.
That made it infinitely more dangerous.
The crowd slowly fell silent.
Even Cassian's instincts screamed now.
Darius slowly raised his rapier.
"You're strong."
"But your movements are too dependent on acceleration."
The moment those words fell—
the entire battlefield shifted.
FWOOSHHHH.
The wind currents surrounding the arena suddenly collapsed inward.
Cassian's footing faltered instantly.
His lightning movement—
had been disrupted.
No—
suppressed.
His eyes widened.
"Wha—"
Darius vanished.
The crowd froze.
Then—
a silver flash appeared before Cassian.
"Wind Art — Sky Sever."
SHIIIIING.
A crescent-shaped blade of compressed wind erupted across the battlefield with horrifying sharpness.
Cassian barely managed to raise his katana defensively.
BOOOOOOM.
The impact detonated across the arena.
A massive shockwave burst outward violently as Cassian was launched completely out of bounds.
CRASH.
Silence fell.
Dust slowly drifted through the arena.
Then—
the announcer's voice echoed loudly.
"WINNER — DARIUS WHITEMERE!"
The crowd exploded into cheers instantly.
Yet—
despite his defeat—
Cassian slowly stood from the rubble laughing breathlessly.
"…Haah…"
"…That was insane."
Meanwhile—
Darius calmly lowered his rapier.
The cuts across his uniform fluttered gently beneath the wind.
"…You weren't too bad."
And somehow—
coming from Darius—
that sounded like the highest praise possible.
...
That match honestly wasn't bad at all.
As I sat in the stands, even Reinheart had already finished his first-round match earlier with disturbing ease.
Or more accurately—
he played with his opponent while acting casual the entire time.
Typical Reinheart.
Now though—
several hours into the tournament—
another battle had begun drawing overwhelming attention from the crowd.
Because the next person stepping onto the battlefield was—
Silver Ryker.
The black-haired heir of the Ryker Family.
The son of the strongest human alive.
That title alone carried enough weight to silence entire halls.
Soon—
his name appeared across the crystal screens floating above the arena.
[Silver Ryker — Rank 3]
VS
[Arianne Evercrest — Rank 11]
The outcome was already expected.
Everyone knew that.
Yet—
that only made the anticipation greater.
People wanted to see him fight.
The heir of the Ryker bloodline.
The prodigy born with the rare Darkness Affinity.
A child once whispered to be cursed.
Now—
one of the greatest talents within Nexus Academy.
The atmosphere subtly shifted the moment Silver stepped onto the arena.
His black hair swayed lightly beneath the wind while his cold silver eyes scanned the battlefield calmly.
No arrogance.
No dramatic entrance.
Yet somehow—
his very presence carried pressure.
Opposite him—
a blonde-haired woman slowly walked onto the stage.
Arianne Evercrest.
Her long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail while a thin longsword rested at her waist.
Unlike Silver's calm demeanor—
hesitation clearly lingered in her eyes.
Fear too.
And honestly—
who could blame her?
Standing across from the son of Alaric Ryker would terrify almost anyone.
Still—
to her credit—
she steadied herself before bowing politely.
"I don't expect to win this duel…"
"…but I hope we have a good match."
Silver silently observed her for a moment before giving a small nod.
"…Likewise."
After the events of the ball—
Silver had practically secluded himself entirely.
The same went for Tristan.
Both of them had disappeared into training almost obsessively.
And honestly—
I was curious too.
Just how much stronger had Silver become?
The answer came almost immediately.
And overwhelmingly so.
The moment the signal to begin echoed throughout the arena—
Arianne moved first.
Wind mana surged around her body as she accelerated forward gracefully, her longsword cutting through the air with admirable precision.
Honestly—
for someone ranked eleventh—
her movements were impressive.
Fast.
Refined.
Well-trained.
The crowd watched attentively as the blonde-haired swordswoman closed the distance instantly.
Then—
Silver moved.
No.
More accurately—
he drew his sword.
The atmosphere changed.
A cold darkness spread silently across the battlefield the instant his black blade left its sheath.
Not violent.
Not explosive.
Yet the pressure alone caused Arianne's instincts to scream.
Her eyes widened.
Too late.
SHIIIIING.
A single slash.
That was all.
Darkness erupted across the arena like a devouring wave as Silver's blade carved through the battlefield with terrifying simplicity.
The floor beneath him split apart instantly.
The wind around Arianne collapsed.
Her mana dispersed violently.
And before most students could even process what happened—
Silver's sword had already stopped inches from her throat.
Silence.
Absolute silence filled the arena.
Arianne stood frozen.
Her sword had been shattered completely.
Fragments slowly fell across the battlefield.
The blonde-haired girl trembled slightly as cold sweat ran down her face.
She hadn't even seen the attack properly.
The match—
had ended in a single movement.
The crowd stared speechlessly for several seconds.
Then—
the stadium exploded.
"W-WHAT THE HELL?!"
"IT ENDED ALREADY?!"
"THAT WAS MONSTROUS!"
Even several upperclassmen looked visibly shaken.
Because that wasn't merely victory.
That was domination.
Silver slowly lowered his blade afterward.
His expression remained calm.
Indifferent.
As though none of this surprised him.
Meanwhile—
Arianne laughed weakly while staring at her broken sword.
"…I didn't even stand a chance."
Silver looked at her silently for a moment.
Then—
"…Your stance was good."
Despite the defeat—
her eyes widened slightly at the praise.
Coming from the heir of the Ryker family.—
that alone held value.
Soon afterward—
he calmly turned and walked away from the battlefield while darkness slowly faded around him.
The crowd continued roaring behind him.
Yet Silver himself looked completely unaffected.
And honestly—
watching that battle made one thing painfully obvious.
The gap between the top-ranked students—
and everyone else—
was terrifying.
"WINNER— SILVER RYKER!"
Then—
came my turn.
And unlike the previous matches—
this one drew almost everyone's attention.
The child who defeated an S-ranked demon.
The commoner who claimed the Apex seat of the first years.
The atmosphere itself shifted the moment I stepped onto the arena.
Whispers spread instantly throughout the stadium.
"That's Noctis…"
"He killed an S-ranked demon at seventeen…"
Across from me—
a calm-looking boy with crimson-red hair adjusted his grip around a silver wand.
Lysander Viremont.
"You must be Lysander?"
He nodded lightly.
"Yes."
Soon—
both of us stood opposite each other upon the battlefield.