I glanced at the crimson-haired man standing before me.
Samuel Crimson.
Everything about him radiated the words main character.
The overwhelming talent.
The confidence.
The absurd presence that naturally drew everyone's attention toward him.
Even the atmosphere around him felt different.
Samuel glanced back at me before a smirk slowly formed on his face.
Excitement burned within those crimson eyes.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Only anticipation.
The entire stadium slowly fell silent afterward.
Even the wind itself seemed to freeze.
Then—
the announcer's voice thundered throughout the arena.
"BEGIN!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The arena exploded instantly.
Lightning erupted violently around my body as mana surged directly into my sword. The ground beneath my feet shattered apart while my figure vanished from sight entirely.
At the exact same moment—
Samuel moved too.
Flames exploded around his body as scorching fire mana consumed the battlefield. Wind spiraled around him simultaneously boosting his speed even further.
And then—
the two of us collided.
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!
A monstrous shockwave erupted throughout the arena.
Several first years nearly lost their balance instantly.
The crowd's eyes widened.
Because they could barely follow the battle.
One moment lightning flashed across the battlefield.
The next—
crimson flames exploded everywhere.
SHIIIIING—!BOOOOM—!CRACK—!
Our weapons continuously collided at absurd speeds while mana scattered violently throughout the arena.
Then—
darkness suddenly spread.
The light around the battlefield dimmed unnaturally as black mana erupted from my body like smoke. Shadows twisted across the arena floor while fragments of darkness gathered around my blade.
Several students instantly froze.
"…Darkness affinity?!"
But Samuel's eyes only sharpened further.
Then—
light exploded from his body.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
Golden-white mana burst outward violently illuminating the entire battlefield. The oppressive darkness immediately collided against Samuel's radiant light causing the arena itself to tremble faintly.
Darkness.
Light.
The two opposing affinities crashed against each other endlessly while distorting the atmosphere around us.
Steam-like mana exploded everywhere.
Visibility dropped instantly.
From the audience—
the battlefield had become nearly impossible to follow.
Only flashes remained visible now.
Black lightning.
Golden light.
Crimson flames.
Wind pressure continuously tearing apart the arena.
Even the higher years began narrowing their eyes seriously now.
Because the battle had already reached a level most first years could never hope to comprehend.
From afar—
it no longer looked like two students fighting.
It looked like two catastrophes violently colliding against one another.
Darkness and light collided violently at the center of the arena.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The impact alone shattered massive sections of the battlefield beneath us as cracks spread endlessly across the reinforced arena floor.
Yet neither of us stepped back.
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIING—!
My blade instantly clashed against Samuel's spear once more.
Lightning exploded around my sword while darkness continuously spread outward attempting to consume the battlefield itself.
Meanwhile—
Samuel's light affinity erupted brighter and brighter.
Radiant golden mana exploded around his body while flames spiraled together with the light creating a terrifying pressure across the arena.
The entire battlefield became chaos.
No—
it became war.
Our figures continuously vanished and reappeared throughout the arena at speeds barely visible to the naked eye.
One second we clashed at the center.
The next—
an explosion erupted hundreds of meters away.
BOOM!CRASH!!SHIIIIING!!
Every collision sent violent shockwaves across the stadium causing the mana barriers themselves to tremble visibly.
Several first years stared with pale expressions.
Because they couldn't even properly see the battle anymore.
Only the explosions.
Only fragments of affinities erupting everywhere.
At one corner of the arena—
darkness exploded outward like a devouring abyss.
Then instantly—
a pillar of golden light tore through it.
Before the spectators could even react—
lightning crashed downward from above.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire battlefield shook again.
Even the announcer had completely stopped speaking.
Because there was genuinely nothing left to narrate.
The battle had already surpassed ordinary commentary.
High above the arena—
Sylas slowly leaned forward now.
For the first time—
his playful smile had disappeared.
"…Absurd."
Beside him—
even Ismeria's golden eyes narrowed seriously.
Because both monsters below were adapting at terrifying speeds mid-battle.
Meanwhile—
inside the battlefield itself—
Samuel suddenly grinned wildly.
CLANG!!!
Our weapons collided again sending sparks of black lightning and radiant light erupting around us.
Then—
FWOOOOOOOSH!!!
Light exploded directly from Samuel's body.
A massive radiant shockwave instantly forced the darkness around him backward.
At the same moment—
his spear thrust toward my chest at monstrous speed.
I twisted sideways barely avoiding it—
only for flames to erupt from the spear immediately afterward.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion swallowed half the battlefield instantly.
But from within the flames—
darkness tore outward violently.
SHING!!!
My blade emerged directly toward Samuel's neck.
The crowd gasped.
Samuel immediately blocked—
CLAAAAANG!!!
The collision distorted the air itself.
Then both of us vanished again.
Faster.
More violent.
More chaotic.
At this point—
the arena no longer looked capable of containing the battle.
It genuinely felt like two future calamities were trying to destroy each other before ever reaching their peaks.
Inside Samuel's mind—
system notifications flashed endlessly.
[Analyzing Opponent Movement]
[Countermeasure Generated]
[Optimal Response Calculated]
Every single one of my attacks—
every slash—
every movement—
the system continuously adapted to them in real time.
That alone was terrifying.
Yet despite that—
Samuel's expression only became more intense.
Because even with the system assisting him—
my speed still barely made sense.
Especially when I combined lightning and wind together.
Phew—
Samuel exhaled sharply while his crimson eyes suddenly glowed brighter.
Then—
he raised his spear.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A violent eruption of fire and light mana exploded beneath his feet as he instantly rushed toward me like a meteor tearing across the battlefield.
The arena cracked apart from the pressure alone.
But the moment he closed the distance—
I switched affinities instantly.
Wind.
FWOOOOOOOSH!!!
The air itself exploded around my body as my figure instantly vanished upward.
I appeared directly above Samuel in the sky.
Several students widened their eyes immediately.
"…He changed affinities mid-combat?!"
But there was no time to process it.
Because Samuel reacted instantly too.
CLANG!!!
Our weapons collided again high above the battlefield causing a gigantic shockwave to erupt across the sky itself.
The clouds above the academy trembled violently.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Wind mana exploded around me while darkness spread across the heavens like a storm swallowing the sunlight itself.
At the same moment—
Samuel's light affinity erupted brighter than ever before.
Golden radiance illuminated the entire arena violently pushing back against the darkness consuming the sky.
The battlefield itself began splitting apart.
One half drowned in darkness.
The other consumed by radiant light and crimson flames.
The audience stared upward speechlessly.
Because the fight had completely left the ground now.
The two of us continuously clashed throughout the sky at absurd speeds.
SHIIIIING!!!
BOOOOOOM!!!
CRACK—!!
Every collision created explosions powerful enough to shake the entire academy.
Wind pressure continuously ripped apart the clouds above us while lightning flashed endlessly throughout the battlefield.
Then—
Samuel's spear suddenly ignited completely.
Light.
Fire.
Wind.
The three affinities merged together around his weapon creating a terrifying golden inferno.
Even the higher years stood up slightly now.
Because the pressure radiating from Samuel had become monstrous.
Then—
he thrust his spear downward.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic beam of fire and light erupted toward me from the sky itself like divine judgment descending upon the arena.
The entire stadium shook violently.
But instead of retreating—
I raised my sword.
Darkness twisted violently around the blade.
Lightning exploded outward.
Wind gathered beneath my feet.
And then—
space itself distorted faintly behind me.
The moment that happened—
Aurelia's eyes immediately sharpened from above.
"…Rio."
Meanwhile—
Astarix instantly stood up from the audience seats.
"…You idiot."
Because everyone watching instinctively realized something.
The battle—
was escalating far beyond what anyone expected.
The moment space distorted behind me—
the entire battlefield froze unnaturally.
Then—
my eyes slowly changed color.
From crimson—
to a deep glowing purple.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
An overwhelming pressure descended upon the arena instantly.
No—
not just the arena.
The very fabric of space surrounding the battlefield began trembling violently as invisible distortions spread endlessly throughout the air.
CRACK.CRACK.CRACK.
The reinforced arena floor beneath us shattered apart despite the SS-Rank enchantments protecting it.
Even the mana barriers surrounding the stadium flickered violently.
Students throughout the audience suddenly felt a crushing pressure slam into their bodies.
Some first years instantly collapsed to their knees.
Others widened their eyes in terror.
Because the feeling radiating from the battlefield no longer resembled ordinary mana.
It felt wrong.
Like reality itself was being forcibly bent.
High above—
Aurelia instantly stood up from her seat.
Her void-like black eyes narrowed sharply.
"…He's using too much."
Meanwhile—
Astarix's golden eyes trembled slightly.
"…You absolute idiot…"
At the center of the battlefield—
space twisted violently around my sword while darkness and lightning spiraled endlessly across the blade.
Then—
I slowly spoke.
"Spatial Severance."
SHRRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKK—
The world split apart.
An invisible spatial slash instantly tore across the battlefield destroying everything in its path.
The arena floor disintegrated.
The atmosphere itself shattered apart.
Even mana distorted unnaturally around the attack.
Samuel's pupils instantly contracted.
At that exact moment—
his system exploded with warnings.
[WARNING!!!]
[Spatial Distortion Detected]
[Skill Identified: Spatial Severance]
[Threat Level: Catastrophic]
[Direct Contact = High Probability of Death]
Samuel immediately widened his eyes.
Even his instincts screamed violently now.
Danger.
Absolute danger.
Yet instead of panicking—
Samuel grinned.
Then—
new messages rapidly appeared before him.
[Searching For Countermeasure…]
[Analyzing Spatial Compression Patterns…]
[Light Affinity Compatibility Detected]
[Wind Vector Prediction Active]
[Solution Generated]
In that instant—
Samuel moved.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Light exploded around his body while flames erupted violently around the spear in his hands. Wind mana spiraled beneath his feet simultaneously boosting his speed to an absurd level as scorching heat consumed the battlefield.
The entire stadium trembled.
Because the mana gathering around Samuel had become monstrous.
Then—
he raised his spear toward the heavens.
The sky itself seemed to burn.
Golden flames spiraled together with radiant light creating something resembling a miniature sun above the battlefield.
Even the higher years widened their eyes now.
Because Samuel was using one of his strongest techniques already.
Then—
his voice echoed throughout the arena.
"Infernal Cataclysm:"
The spear ignited completely.
"Spear of Sunfall."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Samuel thrust the spear forward.
And instantly—
a gigantic beam of golden fire and radiant light erupted across the battlefield directly colliding against Spatial Severance.
The world shook violently.
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!
Space distorted endlessly around the collision point.
The arena beneath them disintegrated completely.
Several mana barriers shattered instantly from the pressure alone.
The invisible slash of space continuously attempted to sever through the attack—
while Samuel's burning spear technique forcefully pushed against reality itself.
Blood spilled from Samuel's arm immediately.
Cracks spread across his spear.
Yet his crimson eyes remained locked forward.
Focused.
Determined.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The attacks exploded simultaneously.
A gigantic shockwave erupted across the academy causing the clouds themselves to split apart above the sky.
Silence followed afterward.
Complete silence.
Because everyone watching realized something unbelievable.
Samuel Crimson—
had not only survived Spatial Severance.
He had countered it head-on.