Chapter 305: Battle Arena (3)

Gulp!

Everyone swallowed hard in fear. Robert’s defeat had been so swift and decisive that it was almost unbelievable.

Ronald shook off his shock and announced, “The winner is Catrine Clay!”

There were no cheers—only tense silence. Catrine ignored it and immediately stepped down from the stage.

She looked at her brother with affection and asked, “How was it? Did you like it?”

Merlin stared at his sister. She used to be a spoiled, timid little girl who couldn’t leave his side.

But now, she had become strong, respected, and fearless.

The contrast made him wonder—was the girl in front of him still the same Catrine he remembered?

Then he steadied himself. Despite the significant changes, she was still his beloved younger sister.

Merlin smiled, ruffled her hair, and replied, “That was wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Hehehe…” Catrine squirmed happily at his touch.

Only her brother could make her smile like that. His praise was the most precious thing to her—more than anything else in the world.

Luna and Margaret exchanged glances, then smiled. They didn’t feel jealous like they usually did.

On the contrary, the sight made their hearts feel warm.

“That girl is very strong. Her strength is probably one level below mine—no, maybe it’s equal?”

Luvis furrowed his brow warily. But the next second, a faint smile appeared on his face.

“But this is a good thing. She’s a good candidate to recruit.”

In a few months, the academy would return to normal, and the senior students would come back from their vacations.

For that reason, before it happened, he had to form his own group and build his own power.

His goal was to defeat one of the ring holders and become a respected figure.

That way, his status within the royal family would be fully recognized.

And it wasn’t just Luvis—Crystal and the other genius students had also set their sights on Catrine.

Their goal was to become one of the ring holders. One of the requirements was to have their own group and followers.

Catrine’s talent and strength were terrifying. With her on their side, they would definitely gain an advantage over the others.

Before they knew it, the atmosphere outside the battle arena grew tense. The scent of competition was clearly in the air.

“Is it just me, or does something feel wrong?” a boy asked nervously as he glanced around.

The others felt the same. Their backs turned cold, as if something big was about to happen.

The matches continued without pause. With only twenty participants and eight matches already completed, eleven remained.

Catrine, Nysera, and Liora defeated their opponents decisively, while three other students—two girls and one boy—proved just as formidable.

They were Elmyra from the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria, Caelith from the Knight Kingdom of Batrum, and Caldor from the Magic Kingdom of Arcadia.

Their incredible abilities left Luvis, Lucius, and Crystal in awe.

“I didn’t know Caldor was that good,” Crystal whispered, deep in thought.

She and Caldor weren’t close at all. After all, they came from different worlds.

As the daughter of the Grand Sorcerer of the Royal Palace, Crystal held a high status—equal even to Lucius.

Not to mention, she had many admirers from all over the country.

So it was only natural that she was unaware of Caldor, the son of a low-ranking noble.

“Caelith? I didn’t realize the kingdom had such talent,” Luvis whispered excitedly.

If he could bring her into the group he planned to build, it would definitely benefit him greatly.

’Catrine Clay and Caelith… hehehe… I didn’t expect to find two potential candidates just from watching this match,’ he muttered, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

He could already imagine how people would look at him—surely with praise and admiration.

“Ugh…” Catrine suddenly shivered and looked left and right warily.

Noticing her reaction, Merlin asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Catrine looked away and shook her head.

“Nothing… It’s fine.”

If it weren’t for her situation forcing her to stay there, she would have gone to confront those who were speaking badly about her.

“The next match is Catrine Clay and Caldor!”

Upon hearing that, Catrine turned to Merlin with a smile.

Merlin returned it with a small nod.

After that, Catrine jumped into the arena and stared at her opponent. He was a tall boy with short brown hair.

The sides of his head were shaved, leaving only the middle part.

He wore a black robe, though its style resembled a winter coat.

“I’m glad to fight you, Catrine Clay,” he said with a slight smile. “Please show me all your strength.”

Catrine nodded calmly. “All right. I hope you’re ready.”

“The match begins!”

Ronald’s voice rang out. In less than a second, Catrine disappeared and reappeared behind him.

Just as her foot was about to strike the back of Caldor’s head, he raised his left hand and blocked it.

Bang!

Her foot slammed into a long iron rod covered in sharp spikes.

“Your movements are very fast, but unfortunately, in my eyes, they’re nothing!”

Caldor turned, grabbed another rod with his right hand, and swung it at Catrine.

Unable to dodge, she crossed her arms and took the blow.

Bang!

Her body was sent flying ten meters into the air. Without giving her a chance to recover, Caldor bent his knees and leaped after her, raising both iron rods.

“Hahaha! You will lose here, Catrine Clay!”

Bang!

Bang!

Each of his attacks carried tremendous power. A weaker student would have been crushed by his deadly blows.

Unfortunately, his opponent was Catrine Clay—a figure who had reached the Fourth Spirit Core.

Facing someone one level below her, she wasn’t afraid at all.

She continued blocking his attacks, as if she were being cornered.

Then, she spotted an opening in Caldor’s guard and immediately threw a punch.

Bang!

Caldor’s body was sent flying three meters before rolling across the floor.

However, he quickly regained his footing and hurriedly stepped back.

“Tsk…” He clicked his tongue. “You’re much stronger than I thought. I underestimated you.”

Catrine hovered one meter above the arena floor, her expression calm and indifferent.

She raised her sword and pointed its tip at Caldor.

“You’re pretty good too,” she replied briefly.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before dashing forward and clashing again.

Their movements were so fast they looked like shadows. Each collision shook the arena violently.

“Wow! This fight is insane!” a girl exclaimed in awe.

Aside from the earlier duel between Nysera and Miya, this was the most thrilling match so far. Both were equally strong, neither showing any weakness.

This was also the first time Catrine had displayed more techniques and power than before, when she could usually defeat her opponents with a single strike.

The others nodded in agreement. Their admiration for Catrine and Caldor grew rapidly.

“Who do you think will win?” Jason asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Victor adjusted the center of his glasses and replied, “Isn’t it obvious? Catrine Clay will win.”

Jason turned to Leina beside him and asked, “What do you think?”

Leina smiled faintly as she calmly watched the arena.

“My answer is the same—Catrine Clay.”

“Ugh…” Jason muttered before letting out a deep sigh. “I guess so.”

He rubbed his temples with a helpless expression.

In truth, he knew Caldor’s father. They had once been comrades-in-arms.

Because of that, the man had entrusted Caldor to him and hoped the boy could enter the academy.

He also hoped Caldor would win the second test.

But what could he do?

The academy’s rules were strict, and he couldn’t interfere.

Of course, he was certain Caldor could pass without any problems.

However, winning the battle in the second round was nearly impossible.

After all, there were Catrine, Nysera, Liora, and many other strong competitors.

At first, he had hoped that asking his two friends for their opinions would give him more confidence that Caldor had a chance. But it seemed that wasn’t the case.

’Hah… I don’t care anymore. As long as that kid can join the academy, that’s enough,’ he whispered.

Caldor’s upcoming defeat wouldn’t be his fault; it would be due to his own lack of talent and ability.

Meanwhile, near the arena, Merlin closed his eyes and whispered, “Defeat.”

Margaret looked at him curiously. “Do you mean Caldor?”

Merlin nodded briefly. “From the start, he didn’t stand a chance.”

Sure enough, right after Merlin spoke, Catrine twisted the hilt of her sword and struck the tip against Caldor’s head.

His body flew forward, rolled across the floor, and went still.

The strike had hit his vital point, and he lost consciousness instantly.

“The winner is Catrine Clay!” Ronald announced loudly.

“Woaa!” The students cheered. The fight had been exciting and visually impressive, far from boring.

It was truly worthy of being one of the best battles of the second test.

“Alright. The next match is between Nysera and Liora. Both of you, please come up on stage!”

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