Chapter 78: Chapter 78 : The first years vs the second year prodigies(2)

The atmosphere inside Zenith Academy’s grand training grounds throbbed with energy—excitement, anxiety, admiration, and latent tension weaving through every breath of the crowd.

Ethan’s duel had been a spectacle, a testament to power, training, and skill from both sides.

Now, it was time for the second fight:

Alden vs. Caspian

Alden stepped forward onto the platform, chest heaving with adrenaline, sword ready to strike.

The duel began in silence.

Then fire roared to life as Alden activated his fire resonance. He knew he couldn’t take this fight lightly—he was up against an Expert-rank, while he was only Advanced (Low).

Alden surged forward, sword raised high, aura blazing like the heart of the sun.

『 Sovereign Blade – First Form! ✦ Radiant Dusk ✦ 』

Golden flames erupted in an arcing wave, searing the air as they rushed across the platform like a living inferno. The fire bathed the arena in orange light, surging toward Caspian like divine judgment.

The crowd leaned forward, breath caught.

But Caspian remained unmoved—calm and still, like the ocean awaiting a storm.

He lifted his blade with one hand, voice barely above a whisper.

“Aegis Tide Dominion.”

From beneath him, a translucent tidal barrier surged upward. A massive curtain of water intercepted the golden blaze. Steam hissed as flame met water, billowing into the air in shimmering mist. The two forces clashed, but the water held.

Alden didn’t stop.

『 Second Form! ✦ Moonlight Pierce ✦ 』

His stance shifted, eyes gleaming with focused fury. He lunged—a brilliant thrust surrounded by fiery aura, drilling forward with explosive power.

Caspian answered with a ripple of his blade—water surged like a serpent, weaving around the strike, redirecting the momentum. The flame hissed, scattering.

『 Third Form! ✦ Stellar Waltz ✦ 』

Alden’s sword danced. He spun with elegance and rage, blades of fire twirling outward in burning arcs.

The temperature in the arena spiked. Sparks flew with every movement as his blade carved circular trails of heat, pressing against Caspian’s space with rhythmic fury.

But Caspian flowed like a current, dodging and parrying. Each wave of his mana rose in fluid response, softening Alden’s strikes without meeting them head-on.

The crowd watched, entranced—a blazing tempest vs. a calm sea.

Sweat dripped from Alden’s brow. His mana was burning fast.

He roared.

『 Sovereign Blade – Fourth Form! ✦ Emberfall Requiem ✦ 』

Flames exploded beneath him, launching him into the air in a cyclone of fire. His sword ignited like a falling star. With a furious spin, he came crashing down toward Caspian.

BOOM!!

A massive explosion burst outward as Alden’s blade struck the arena. Flames surged in a dome, the ground cracked, and the shockwave sent dust and debris flying.

The crowd gasped.

Smoke billowed.

Silence.

Then… through the haze… Caspian stood.

A dome of glistening water surrounded him—drenched, but unharmed.

His sword pointed toward the ground, eyes calm. The Expert (Mid)-rank senior had endured it all.

Alden staggered. His breaths were ragged. The fire around him flickered—unstable. He summoned another burst of flame, tried to lift his sword again—but it trembled in his grip.

His knees hit the stone.

The fire went out.

The difference in rank had caught up.

Caspian sheathed his sword slowly, respectfully.

Alden let out a hoarse breath, jaw tight, pride still smoldering.

“So that’s… the weight of an Expert rank.”

He stared at his trembling hands.

“I’ll remember this… Caspian. It won’t be like this next time.”

Caspian gave a slight nod.

“Then I’ll be waiting at the peak.”

The crowd erupted in applause—not for victory, but for a battle of conviction and flame.

Alden had lost—but no one doubted the fire would rise again.

—

Alistar watched the arena below, steam still rising from Alden’s final clash.

“Your brother was impressive,” he said, voice thoughtful.

Alicia smirked, arms crossed.

“I know.”

She looked down proudly.

“He’s always been like that. No matter how badly he gets beaten, he stands back up.”

Alistar glanced at her.

“Stubborn?”

“No,” Alicia replied, eyes gleaming.

“Crestvale.”

—

Next was another interesting duel.

Seraphina Starlight vs. Ophelia Sinclair

The duel began.

The arena pulsed with silence.

Seraphina stepped in, frost curling at her heels, cloak trailing like drifting snow. She raised her hand, water and ice answering her call—elegant, fluid, and precise.

“Glacial Waltz.”

A swirl of snow and spears of ice danced into the air. Frost coated the platform—beautiful and deadly.

Then came the storm.

Ophelia Sinclair, clad in flowing black trimmed with violet, landed softly across from her. Wind whipped around her, crackling with lightning. Her aura was heavy—an Expert rank’s pressure undeniable.

“Charming entrance,” Ophelia said with a smirk.

“Trying to impress my Ethan, I assume?”

Seraphina’s gaze didn’t waver.

“This isn’t about him.”

Ophelia tilted her head mockingly.

“Of course it is. Everything is. You just don’t know how far below me you are—on every level.”

She raised her hand.

“Thunder Vault.”

A violet bolt split the sky and smashed into Seraphina’s frost barrier, cracking it instantly. Seraphina skidded back, breath catching. Even with her finesse, the raw pressure of Expert-rank spells tore through her defenses.

She pushed forward, casting “Aqua Lance”—blades of compressed water shot through the air.

Ophelia scoffed.

“You think that’ll touch me?”

“Gale Scatter!”

Wind roared to life, shredding the lances into mist. Sparks danced in the air as Ophelia’s mana flared.

Seraphina gritted her teeth. She could feel it—her mana draining faster than expected. Maintaining control, resisting pressure, holding her own—it all bled energy.

“Ice Fang Rise!”

Jagged spikes erupted beneath Ophelia’s feet.

Ophelia stepped aside, barely a flicker of effort.

“Nice trick. But this is a real spell.”

She raised her palm.

“Stormlash Spiral!”

A column of lightning and air mana burst forward in a spiral, tearing across the arena. Seraphina dove sideways, one sleeve singed, lips parting with a sharp exhale.

She was an Advanced-rank mage. Skilled. Intelligent. Controlled.

But against an Expert, every move felt like a mountain.

Still, she stood. Snow gathered around her once more. With nothing else working, she decided to use her strongest spell.

“Eternal Frost.”

Cold exploded outward. The temperature dropped. Ice crawled across the floor, and flurries thickened into a swirling blizzard. Frost petals bloomed midair, catching the light.

The crowd gasped.

For a moment, even Ophelia looked impressed.

Then her smile returned.

“Pretty. But you’re drowning yourself in mana trying to keep up.”

She snapped her fingers.

“Whirlwind Breaker!”

A massive gust surged outward, lined with electric currents. The frost domain shattered. The air cracked. The petals disintegrated midflight.

Seraphina choked back a cry as her shield flickered and failed. She dropped to one knee, eyes wide—mana almost gone.

Ophelia strolled toward her, slow and smug.

“This is the difference, Seraphina. This is what real strength is.”

She leaned in.

“And this is why Ethan won’t look at you. He needs strength. Not fragile little girls pretending to be warriors.”

Seraphina raised her eyes—calm despite the defeat.

“If he chooses you for power alone… then you’ve already lost.”

Ophelia’s smile faltered for a second.

Then she flicked her fingers again.

“Lightning Fang.”

The blast struck Seraphina, blowing back frost and sending cracks across the arena floor.

Seraphina collapsed forward—hands braced, chest heaving, vision dim.

But not unconscious.

Not broken.

Still breathing. Still glaring upward.

Ophelia turned her back.

“Stay away from Ethan. I won’t warn you again.”

She walked off, thunder trailing behind her, crowd whispering in awe and fear.

Seraphina remained kneeling—exhausted and beaten—but her pride, like the last patch of unmelted frost, refused to vanish.

Charlotte helped Seraphina off the stage.

Ava also came running, having already finished and won her duel.

Even Professor Alistar was impressed with Seraphina’s performance.

He also warned Ophelia for her final attack—one that went too far.

Meanwhile, Alex observed it all.

He tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable… then let out a quiet hum.

A faint smirk formed.

“Yeah… that was important for her development. Just like Alden.”

He muttered, almost like he was checking something off a list.

He stood, stretching casually.

“Now let’s see if she grows from it.”

—

Then the time for the next duel finally came.

Charlotte Evans Avaloria vs. Lucas Evans Avaloria

The Avaloria siblings stood poised—swords drawn, eyes locked. Charlotte inhaled, visualizing the battle.

Gravity flickered around her blade—zones of crushing pressure and slow-motion distortions in space, each step warping the air with gravitational might.

Lucas smirked. He didn’t unleash magic. He drew his sword—and moved like he didn’t even need it to deal with Charlotte.

Charlotte stood firm, blade angled low, eyes sharp. The arena buzzed with tension.

“Still trying to live up to the name?” Lucas said, mocking.

“Even with all that, you’ll always fall short—just like your mother.”

Charlotte didn’t flinch, but the words hit like a blow.

Space twisted subtly around her, her mana surging. Pockets of distortion formed—a dome of controlled pressure.

Her cloak rippled as she raised her sword.

“Gravity Descent!”

The field compressed, air thickening as gravitational zones locked onto Lucas, aiming to crush his movement and distort his rhythm.

But Lucas was already moving.

No magic. No spells. Just his sword—and monstrous precision.

He dashed through a gravity field like it was mist. His first strike came fast—too fast. Charlotte barely raised her blade in time to block. The clash echoed, her arm vibrating violently.

Lucas’s voice followed, sharp and venomous.

“You’re not a queen, Charlotte. Just someone trying to chase something she can never have.”

Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. She sent a wave of distortion his way—dense pressure meant to drop him to his knees.

Lucas twirled past it, blade flickering.

Slash. Riposte. Pressure. Retreat.

Charlotte fought back—commanding arcs of space around her, gravity lashing out like invisible spears. But Lucas was always a step ahead, cutting through momentum itself.

His sword danced through the densest points, undeterred by her pressure fields.

A sharp cut grazed her side.

“How can you expect to rule when you can’t even hold your stance?” he sneered.

Charlotte gritted her teeth and launched her last technique.

“Graviton Cage!”

The space around Lucas compressed violently—pulling inward, like a star collapsing.

But Lucas growled, mana flaring along his sword. With one devastating arc, he sliced through the distortion, the backlash bursting outward in a shockwave.

Charlotte stumbled—her mana drained, gravity fields flickering.

Lucas stepped forward, unhurried.

He slammed his blade into her defense, knocking her sword from her grasp. It clattered across the stone. She staggered, breath ragged.

Lucas pointed the tip of his blade toward her throat but didn’t strike.

“Know your place, Charlotte.”

“You may carry Avaloria’s name, but you’ll never carry its crown.”

He sheathed his sword, turning without a glance back.

Lucas was the apex of the second years for a reason. He hadn’t even needed to use magic to win.

And for someone like Charlotte, that was a huge blow to her pride.

Charlotte remained there, fists clenched, chest heaving, eyes blazing—but voiceless.

Crushed by more than just his blade.

Alex leaned casually against the wall, arms folded, watching the aftermath of the match.

Charlotte lay bruised—her pride dented more than her body—while Lucas walked away without even a glance back.

A slow smirk tugged at Alex’s lips.

“Well…” he murmured under his breath,

“that was satisfying. Seeing her getting beaten up.”

——-

A/N:-

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