Chapter 312: Final Battle (1)

Caelith and Nysera continued to exchange blows. As an expert in close-range combat, Nysera naturally had the upper hand.

However, Caelith was no ordinary person. She could manipulate two magical elements at the same time and use them with great efficiency.

As a result, Nysera, who should have had the advantage, began to feel slightly pressured.

’It seems there is no other choice,’ Nysera whispered.

She leaped into the air and spread her wings. Her right hand transformed into a dragon’s claw, and without hesitation, she lunged at Caelith with all her might.

Caelith quickly brought her hands together and shouted, “Wall of Fire!”

Buzz!

A three-meter-high wall of flames rose up, forming a terrifying barrier.

However, Nysera was not deterred. With a straight face, she continued charging and crashed straight into the wall of fire.

Boom!

The wall of fire exploded, and Nysera emerged from the flames, her fist driving straight toward Caelith.

Caught off guard, Caelith was knocked back dozens of meters before crashing into the invisible barrier surrounding the arena.

Her body hit the ground with a loud thud.

“Ugh…” Caelith groaned in pain, clutching her aching left arm.

Nysera landed in front of her and pointed the sharp tip of her claw at her neck.

“Surrender. You’ve lost.”

Caelith looked up and met Nysera’s cold gaze. Realizing she had no chance, she let out a soft sigh and said, “I… surrender.”

Ronald, standing on the stage, nodded slightly and announced, “The winner is Nysera!”

“Woaa!”

Cheers immediately erupted outside the arena. Although they had already expected it, the result was still surprising, especially since both of them were equally talented and skilled.

“In that case, we will begin the final battle! Catrine Clay, please come onto the stage!”

Ronald’s voice rang out again. Everyone’s gaze immediately shifted to Catrine, who was standing beside Merlin.

“Well then, I’ll be going now, Brother,” Catrine said enthusiastically.

Merlin gave a small nod and smiled.

“Show them everything you’ve got and become the champion. Understand?”

“Understood!”

Catrine leaped into the arena and walked to the center.

Despite feeling everyone’s eyes on her, she showed no trace of fear.

She locked eyes with Nysera, and the dragon girl returned her gaze without backing down.

Sparks seemed to fill the air, signaling the immense tension ready to explode at any moment.

“The battle begins!”

As soon as Ronald’s voice rang out, both of them vanished from their spots and reappeared in the air.

Boom!

Their clash caused a massive explosion, and a shockwave spread in all directions.

“Who do you think will win?” Luna asked with a serious expression.

She could sense that Nysera was completely different from yesterday.

It felt as though she had risen to a higher level.

Margaret turned to Merlin, clearly wanting to hear his opinion. Monica and Liora did the same, standing beside him without anyone noticing when they had arrived.

This time, Merlin did not answer immediately like before. He calmly observed the two of them before saying, “It’s difficult to judge. Both of them are incredibly strong, especially Nysera, who has already broken through to the sixth stage.”

At his words, the four girls were struck with shock.

“Nysera has broken through to the sixth stage? How is that possible?” Margaret covered her mouth in astonishment.

The three kingdoms divided their power levels into Spirit Core, Stars, and Awakening.

“Spirit Core” was the term used by those from the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria, while “Star One to Nine” was used by mages of the Arcadia Magic Kingdom.

As for Awakening, it was the term used in the Knight Kingdom of Batrum.

On the other hand, non-human races used stages from first to ninth to measure their strength.

Of course, some races had their terms, but humans still used the first-to-ninth-stage classification to make comparisons easier.

The first stage was equivalent to the Ninth Spirit Core, while the ninth stage was equivalent to the First Spirit Core.

Since Nysera had reached the sixth stage, that meant she was equivalent to the Fourth Spirit Core—the same level as Merlin and Catrine.

“I’m also quite surprised, but there’s something strange…” Merlin narrowed his eyes. “The sixth stage she reached feels a little unstable. Could it be that she forced herself to break through?”

The four girls were stunned once again. They turned their attention to Catrine and Nysera on the stage and saw that their strength appeared evenly matched.

However, to those sharp enough to notice, Catrine was clearly superior in terms of fighting technique and stance stability.

Boom!

Catrine’s powerful strike sent Nysera flying, but the dragon girl refused to give up and quickly regained her balance in midair.

She rubbed her aching stomach and grimaced.

“Catrine Clay, you truly haven’t disappointed me,” she said excitedly. “Unfortunately, I’m not the same person I was a few days ago.”

After saying that, she clenched her left hand. Instantly, it transformed into another dragon claw.

Two horns emerged from her head, and a dragon’s tail extended from behind her.

Silver scales began to appear on parts of her skin, covering areas such as her cheeks and forehead.

Her aura surged several times over, causing the students’ hair to stand on end.

“Is she still the same Nysera?” one of them asked, swallowing hard.

“If it’s not Nysera, then who else could it be? She must be the same person. But honestly, her aura is so strong and terrifying. My legs are trembling.”

The students whispered in fear, lowering their voices as if afraid Nysera might hear them.

Yesterday, the girl had transformed into a terrifying dragon. Now, she could control her dragon powers almost perfectly.

Her body remained human, but her dragon traits—claws, horns, tail, and scales—were clearly visible, making her appearance even more intimidating.

“I must obtain this girl!” Luvis’s eyes burned with desire.

Nysera’s potential was far more terrifying than he had expected. If he could bring her to his side, he would gain a huge advantage in the future battle for the Ring Holder title.

And Luvis was not the only one thinking that way. Others who wished to build their own factions shared the same thought.

One of them was Crystal, her eyes shining with ambition.

“This girl… I want her,” she murmured, clenching her fists tightly.

Meanwhile, Nerixa, who witnessed Nysera’s transformation, stood silently with narrowed eyes.

“I truly underestimated her. Where did that dragon girl come from? Why do I feel such a strong bloodline pressure from her?”

She had been certain that Nysera had no connection to any dragon clan’s bloodline. But now, she was no longer sure—Nysera was exerting a faint pressure on her.

Although it was still far from enough to threaten her, the fact that Nysera could produce such pressure was undeniable.

“She is a silver dragon… Could she be the illegitimate child of the Silver Dragon King?”

That possibility was not impossible. Later, she would ask her father about it.

“Let’s start the second round!”

Nysera vanished and reappeared right in front of Catrine. She raised her right claw and slashed downward.

Catrine didn’t dare lower her guard. She summoned her sword and immediately blocked the attack.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing against claw was deafening.

Nysera grinned and unleashed attack after attack. Each slash was powerful enough to crack the arena floor.

Luckily, Catrine was highly skilled with a sword. She managed to block all of Nysera’s fierce strikes.

Even so, continuing to defend was not a wise choice. Blocking consumed far more energy than attacking.

“Why are you only defending, Catrine Clay? Is this all you’ve got?” Nysera taunted as she spun and drove a kick into Catrine’s stomach.

Catrine quickly raised her sword to shield herself, but she was still sent flying into the air.

Seizing the opportunity, Nysera flapped her wings and shot after her.

“You disappoint me greatly!”

She spun horizontally and slashed Catrine with her right claw.

Bang!

The blow sent Catrine crashing down, shattering the arena floor. Gray smoke billowed up, obscuring the view.

“I know you still have power left. So bring it out!” Nysera challenged arrogantly.

As the smoke slowly cleared, Catrine was revealed lying on the ground, coughing softly.

Yet there were no wounds on her body, and her face remained as calm as ever.

Everyone was amazed. Since the second test began, this was the first time they had seen Catrine fall into such a position.

Naturally, their admiration for Nysera increased dramatically.

“Catrine Clay was defeated that easily? This girl named Nysera really cannot be underestimated,” Luvis muttered in surprise.

In terms of potential and strength, he had always thought Nysera was below Catrine.

But apparently, that wasn’t the case. Nysera possessed potential and strength equal to hers.

“Merlin… Catrine…” Luna murmured anxiously.

Although she considered the girl a rival, she didn’t hate her enough to wish for Catrine to be hurt.

Regardless, Catrine was Merlin’s younger sister. As his fiancée, Luna had to regard her as her own sister as well.

Merlin remained calm, showing no sign of panic.

“Relax. I’m sure you’ll be surprised after this,” Merlin said reassuringly.

Catrine was the first heroine in the novel The Lost Hero.

Compared to Luna, Margaret, Charlotte, and the other heroines, she was truly special.

Furthermore, she was the character most loved by Michiku-sensei.

There was no way she lacked a method to defeat Nysera. Merlin was certain of it.

Seeing him so composed, Luna said nothing more. She could only hope that Catrine would win this battle.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep