Back on the battlefield, the dust hadn’t even settled from the last scuffle before another wave of opponents surged toward Arthur’s trio.

This time, there were a total of five students, a well-formed team consisting of two 2nd circle mages and three 1st Circle mages. They were coordinating spells and pressing forward with actual tactics as they had seen Arthur using Mana Bombs, so they were using projectiles in front of them to detonate the mana bombs before they moved forward.

They weren’t acting overconfident, they were methodical, focused, and judging by their synergy, they’d trained together before participating in the competition.

Leon immediately stepped forward, eyes narrowed. His usual calm expression sharpened.

“I’ll be on the front this time,” he said.

Arthur and Finn nodded without hesitation, falling into position behind him.

Leon raised a hand, his fingers glowing faintly with light. “On my signal, close your eyes.”

Finn raised a brow. “Wait…why?”

“Trust me,” Leon said. “Three… two…”

Arthur didn’t need more convincing. He clenched his eyes shut on the count.

“…One!”

A split-second later, Leon’s outstretched right hand erupted in a brilliant flash of pure light. It was blinding, so intense it felt like the sun had exploded at ground level.

“WHOOSH!!”

“AAAGH…MY EYES!!” one of the enemy team members screamed, staggering back with his arms flailing. Another cursed as he tripped over a stone outcrop, clutching his face.

“What the hell just happened!?”

The five-man team was thrown into total disarray. Stumbling, and crashing into each other, they were completely blinded, and vulnerable.

Arthur and Finn moved to take advantage through the confusion.

Arthur dashed forward, throwing a Mana Bullet point-blank into the gut of the loudest screamer. The impact lifted the boy off his feet and sent him sprawling unconscious into the dirt.

Finn followed with a wind-propelled slide, weaving under a flailing punch and sweeping the legs out from under another opponent.

Leon also moved through the chaos with efficiency. He conjured a hammer of light and smashed the third opponent on his head, with enough force to make him fall unconscious.

The last two tried to regroup, panic bleeding into desperation. One launched a Mana Bullet, the other began chanting a shield spell to cover them.

But Finn wasn’t going to give them the chance.

He used ‘Gale Step’, vanishing from sight in a flicker.

The shield caster tried to put up a hasty defence, but it was too late.

Finn appeared just behind him and knocked him out with a sharp elbow to the side of the head. And launched a razor of wind at the final attacker, grazing his ribs and breaking his stance. Leon followed with a quick flash of light that sent the last one crumpling to his knees, dazed.

It was over in less than thirty seconds.

Finn whistled, wiping a speck of dust off his shoulder. “Okay, okay, that flashbang spell? That was awesome. What do you even call it?”

Leon, looking a bit smug, replied, “It’s called ‘Solar Flare’. Learned it last week after my breakthrough.”

Arthur nodded in approval. “That’s actually a good tactical use of light affinity.”

Finn laughed. “Yeah, it was like you summoned the sun!”

Then the three of them looked around.

Only three teams remained in the battlefield now.

Their own team, Eva’s team. And another group of four students clustered on the opposite side of the arena, visibly winded, bruised, and clearly wary looking around for any remaining opponent.

Above them, the crowd roared as the final moments settled.

Then, the familiar voice of the announcer boomed from a floating platform descending into the center of the arena.

“THERE YOU HAVE IT, FOLKS!”

The projection above flashed names and faces, surrounded by golden sparkles and fanfare.

“YOUR CHAMPIONS OF THE FIRST ROUND!!”

Cheers erupted across the stands. Brightwater citizens stood from their seats, clapping and shouting with infectious energy. Students and instructors from the upper years murmured among themselves, taking notes.

The announcer turned his attention to the field.

“Congratulations to the final ten. You’ve earned your spot. Now, please follow the staff to register your identification. Your real journey begins now.”

A woman in a dark navy robe approached from the arena gate, a clipboard in her hand. With a crisp tone, she motioned the ten remaining students to follow.

Arthur, Finn, and Leon walked across the battlefield toward Eva’s group. She gave them a small nod as they met halfway.

“Well done,” Eva said, wiping a smudge of dirt off her cheek.

“You too,” Arthur replied.

Sophia gave a tired grin. “I feel like I need three naps after that.”

Natalya murmured quietly. “But you barely used half your mana.”

They all laughed hearing Natalya, making her drop her head in shyness.

Finn grinned. “That was a good match, huh. I guess we make a good team?”

“Don’t get too excited, we just cleared the first stage of the tournament,” Eva said dryly. “The competition will only get tougher from here.”

They all nodded hearing that. Then they all followed the staff member out through a side corridor that led beneath the stands. Cool air greeted them inside the registration office, where enchanted crystals began scanning their manas and recording their battle participation data. Then they were given a token, which they were asked to keep safe.

Once the formalities were over, Finn clapped his hands together. “Alright! So… lunch?”

Leon raised a brow. “Didn’t you just say you wanted to see the seniors fight?”

“Oh right!” Finn scratched the back of his neck. “Okay, food later. Towards the arena now.”

Leon glanced at Arthur. “What do you think?”

Arthur gave a small nod. “I’ve got time.”

Eva’s group looked at one another, and after a brief exchange of shrugs and nods, they joined them too. The other four also decided to join them.

Together, the ten of them exited into the sunlit courtyard outside the arena.

The next round of matches had already started, this time, it was the second years stepping into the coliseum.

…

Arthur and the others found seats near the front row of the reserved student section, close enough to feel the shockwaves of battle, but far enough to stay out of the danger zone.

“Looks like we’re just in time,” Finn said, plopping down beside Arthur. “Second years are already going at it.”

Leon sat on Arthur’s other side, his eyes already tracking the movements below.

Eva’s group filled in the row just behind them. Below them, the arena was already a storm of action.

Explosions of color burst across the cracked stone tiles, water spiraled like liquid whips, walls of jagged rock erupted as shields, bolts of compressed wind shrieked across the field, and arcs of lightning danced midair as mages clashed with rapid-fire spellwork.

Arthur leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. He could see it clearly.

The second years were nearly all in the Third Circle, and it showed in their fights. Their mana signatures were denser, and more stable. Their spells were powerful, and they used them with much more fluidity that came from hundreds of hours of repetition.

A girl with twin ponytails danced through a barrage of spells, her body moving among her opponents as blades of pressurized steam slashed outward in arcs. She used steam magic, something Arthur had never seen in combat before.

To her left, a metal mage hurled jagged iron discs with frightening accuracy, redirecting them midair like boomerangs with magnetized pulses. His defenses were laced with metallic shields that could rotate to block or deflect incoming spells.

Another duo worked together, one using dense stone armor to block spells while the other launched volleys of wind-enhanced projectiles over his shoulder. The coordination was almost seamless.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “Their team formations are strategic. And their coordinations are much better than the first years.”

“Yeah,” Finn muttered, slightly wide-eyed. “That’s… a big step up from our match.”

Leon nodded in agreement. “Of course. They had more time to practice, this much is expected from them.”

Their attention was drawn towards a loud roar that echoed from the far side of the arena.

From the shadows of a crumbling pillar, a figure stepped forward.

He wore a crimson mantle trimmed with silver and bore an insignia of Velcrest embroidered near his collar. His hair was cut short and silver in color, his face expressionless, and his eyes radiated the steady pressure of someone forged through battles.

“Who’s that?” Arthur asked aloud, his eyes narrowing.

Eva leaned forward behind him. “Lucas Velorin. Fourth Circle, and at the top of the second year.”

At the mention of Lucas, Natalya became a bit tense. Lucas was the heir of the Velorin family and half-brother of Natalya. Eva looked at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Natalya looked towards Eva and nodded, “I am okay.”

Arthur felt that they might have some connection, by seeing Natalya’s reaction to the mention of Lucas, but he didn’t pry into it for now.

At that moment, the earth itself trembled beneath the boy’s feet.

Without any preamble, Lukas raised a single hand, and with a simple wave, dozens of razor-thin blades of wind shot outward, forming a spiral vortex that carved through the battlefield like a cyclone.

Several students tried to counter. Water barriers were thrown up, stone walls formed. But none of it mattered.

The wind scythed through the terrain with ruthless precision. Defensive spells cracked and shattered, students were flung back like ragdolls. In seconds, five contenders were eliminated, one of them literally thrown into a containment barrier around the arena.

“Whoa…” Finn muttered, blinking. “That’s… kind of terrifying.”

Arthur didn’t reply. His eyes were locked on Lucas, tracking his every move.

‘His spellcasting speed is higher than anyone else I’ve seen so far among the students,’ Arthur thought. ‘There were no chants involved. He’s relying entirely on control and raw output.’

The pressure in the arena shifted. Even the other second years, who had been fighting ferociously moments ago, slowed. Some retreated, others huddled together in defense.

Lucas didn’t chase after anyone. He simply walked towards the largest cluster of students.

Each step echoed with confidence, not arrogance. He seems to not have any teammates, and was actually going solo.

Eva watched in silence, her eyes narrowed as well.

Sophia whispered, “So… do we have to fight him next round?”

“We don’t know that yet,” Leon said grimly. “But we have to be ready.”

The match below wore on, but Lucas continued to stand as the clear centerpiece. Even when spells were launched at him, he deflected them with casual, efficient counters, wind blades, pressurised wind blasts, and even a compressed vacuum sphere that yanked one student straight off the ground and sent him flying.

“He’s dangerous,” Leon said quietly.

Arthur nodded. “Yeah. And he knows how to utilize the fear towards him.”

The fight drew toward its final stretch, and one thing was clear, Lucas Velorin was walking straight to the top in this fight.

Arthur leaned back in his seat slightly, arms crossed again.

The gap between circles wasn’t just raw power, it was also about control.

But Arthur didn’t feel discouraged. If anything, his eyes burned brighter. Finally it appeared that he did not participate in the tournament in vain. And this was just from the second year, then there must be someone among the fifth year who could pose a threat to him.

“Guess we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Finn muttered.

Arthur smiled faintly. “Good.”

***

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