Tshu!

Lucas was pushed back, his shoes sinking into the ground as he struggled to withstand the impact of their exchange.

Immediately, Christina didn’t give Lucas a chance, her golden staff glowed brightly as she raised it high, her mana surging in waves.

『 Holy Academy Series: Holy Beam! (✦ 4th-level Spell ✦) 』

A golden beam shot towards Lucas, prompting him to leap to the side. However, Christina kept her aim steady, directing the beam to follow him as he dashed around the arena.

Then, his stance shifted slightly as a black flame enveloped his sword.

“Demon Slaying Sword Art…”

『 Corrupted Sword! (✦ Advanced-level Swordsmanship (B+) ✦) 』

Clang!

Their weapon met, each one trying to push the other pack, but slowly, the black flames on Lucas’s sword began to consume the golden light radiating from Christina’s staff.

Seeing this, she immediately jumped back, grabbed daggers from her waist, and threw them at Lucas.

Clang, clang!

Lucas easily deflected them with his sword, but just in that instant, the daggers suddenly exploded.

BOOOM!

THRRRR!

“Kugh!”

Blood spurted from his lips as he was hurled backward like a ragdoll.

He tumbled across the arena floor before slamming his sword into the ground to stop his momentum, coming to a halt just a meter away from the arena’s edge.

“Huh… she’s really tricky,” he said, panting.

Wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, he got up.

However, Christian didn’t waste any second, she thrust her staff forward. The air around her shimmered, glowing runes forming an intricate circle in front of her.

『 Holy Academy Series: Holy Chains! (✦ 4th-level Spell ✦) 』

Golden chains shot out from the circle, twisting and writhing like serpents as they raced toward Lucas.

He barely had time to react, swinging his sword to intercept them.

The first few chains disintegrated on contact with the black flames, but more kept coming, relentless and unyielding.

“Tch!”

Lucas clicked his tongue and spun as his sword sliced through chain after chain.

But they weren’t just aiming for his sword—they snaked around his legs and arms, pulling tight like a trap.

Before he could fully counter, Christina was already moving.

She raised her staff high, the air around her shimmering with heat.

『 Holy Academy Series: Divine Smite! (✦ 5th-level Spell ✦) 』

BOOOM!

The heavens themselves seemed to crack open as a column of blinding light descending with devastating force.

Fwooosh!

Lucas planted his sword into the ground, a protective barrier of dark flames roaring to life around him.

The light clashed against his flames, the ground beneath him splitting.

Lucas gritted his teeth, his muscles trembling under the pressure.

“Come on… come on!” he growled, his voice straining.

He pushed upward, and the flames surged in response, shattering the light.

“Hah…”

Christina stumbled back, her breath hitching, but her sharp gaze never wavered as she raised her staff once again, floating orbs of light materializing around her.

Each orb crackled ominously before Christina uttered:

“Go!”

Swoop!

The orbs were sent towards Lucas, and he quickly ducked dodging one of the orbs, but immediately, his shoulder was met with one of the orbs.

BOOM!

It exploded, making him spin in mid-air, but he recovered, twisting into a counterstrike. His sword flashed, dark flames surging forward toward Christina.

Their weapons met again, the impact resounding with a loud sound as sparks flew, and Christina’s grip faltered for the briefest moment.

In that instant, Lucas’s eyes narrowed.

“Demon Slaying Sword Art…”

『 Devastation Sword! (✦ Advanced-level Swordsmanship (A) ✦) 』

The dark flames erupted into a massive vortex with a deafening sound, the energy crackling like thunder.

Lucas swung his sword with all his might, the black fire cutting through Christina’s defenses.

CLANG!

Her staff flew from her hands, and she dropped to one knee, her breathing ragged.

“Haah… huff… ah…”

The arena went silent except for Lucas’s heavy breaths. His sword lowered, the flames dissipating with a quiet hiss.

It was silent for a few seconds…

“OOOWWWOOOOO!”

“SO COOL!”

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Christina, still catching her breath, slowly pushed herself off the ground and walked back to her station.

But just as the noise from the crowd began to settle, something shifted.

One of the students from Silverleaf Academy stepped forward.

It was Mia.

As soon as she set foot on the arena floor, a soft glow of mana flickered around her, but then it thickened—swirling and tightening as a cyclone of flames ignited in her hands.

Lucas’s eyes widened, and he immediately tensed, preparing himself for the attack.

Fwoosh!

His instincts kicked in, and he quickly enveloped his sword in its usual dark flame and swung it vertically, aiming to split the cyclone in half.

Whooooosh!

The black flames cut through the fiery barrier, splitting the cyclone as he’d hoped. But before he could even take a breath, a flash of movement appeared right in front of him.

Mia was there, in an instant—her hands pressed against his chest.

“Ah—!”

He barely had time to react.

—BAAAM!

A violent shockwave sent Lucas flying backward, the flames of the cyclone spinning around him, engulfing him in a fiery spiral.

He couldn’t control his momentum, his body helpless as the flames continued to push him through the air.

Thud!

Lucas hit the cold, hard ground of the arena with a grunt, pain shooting through his body.

The crowd, once alive with energy, fell into stunned silence as the crowd processed what had just happened.

Lucas stood there for a moment, dazed, as the overwhelming sensation of defeat hit him.

He had barely managed to win the first match, but now, he had already lost the second one in the blink of an eye.

“Hah… it really worked as Aestrea said…”

Mia muttered to herself as she smiled with quiet satisfaction.

She turned and walked toward her next opponent as if she hadn’t just knocked out one of the strongest students.

The small note Aestrea had left had multiple situations of how to deal with certain students.

Vivian was firstly shocked and worried upon reading the note, but she quickly cleared her head and then explained to the others about Aestrea’s plan.

None of them refused his plans.

They all believed him.

Never did he let them off.

And soon, the rounds of the competition went on.

Mia was a huge help for Silverleaf, winning a total of 3 matches in a row before losing because she didn’t have enough mana.

The brothers Derek and James both won two matches, while Maria actually was a bit more undefeated as she won three matches like Mia.

As for the other students, all of them had actually had a great performance thanks to Aestrea’s note that helped them, even though most of them didn’t win a single match.

From them, it was crazy to think that Aestrea had formulated so many plans just from watching the students for a few hours or so.

But, of course, they were thankful that he did so.

In the end, Silverleaf Academy had managed to secure exactly 12 wins.

The Royal Academy had dominated with 26 wins, and the Holy Academy…

BAAM!

The last student from the Holy Academy was sent flying out of the arena, crashing to the ground with a resounding thud.

With that, the Royal Academy now had 27 wins, and the Holy Academy was left with only 11.

The result was clear.

“Alright everyone, with only one student left standing, I’m proud to announce the two academies that will be moving on to the final round…”

The announcer’s voice rang out.

There was a pause, the tension building as the crowd leaned in.

“First, the academy everyone expected… the prestigious Eternum Royal Academy!”

The crowd went wild, cheers and shouts echoing all over the arena.

Everyone had known the Royal Academy would make it to the finals.

Their victory felt almost guaranteed, and the excitement felt a little more like relief than surprise.

“And finally…” The announcer’s voice shifted, building the suspense, “the one that nobody expected, the true Dark Horse of this competition…”

A hush fell over the crowd, followed by eager whispers.

“…The Silverleaf Academy!”

The reaction was immediate and loud—cheers, whistles, claps—but even though the noise was huge, the students of Silverleaf couldn’t help but feel a little off.

It wasn’t the celebration they had imagined.

They stood there, looking around, but no one moved to run into the arena or wave a flag.

It felt wrong.

After all…

Aestrea, their leader and the one who practically granted them this victory.

Wasn’t present.

…..

“Master! The barrier is almost broken!”

Lumi’s panicked voice reached my ears as I shot my eyes open.

“Just in time…”

A small smile tugged at my lips as I reached out to gently pat Lumi’s head.

“Master…?” she asked, tilting her head to the side in that adorable way of hers. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the sight.

“Lumi, it’s time for you to test your special abilities…”

I softly caressed her cheek as I spoke, and though she looked a little confused, she nodded eagerly.

“Mhm?”

Without another word, she transformed back into a sword. I ran my fingers lightly over the blade before gripping the hilt firmly.

Crack…!

The ice barrier I had set up hours ago splintered apart with a sharp sound.

I had spent the past few hours creating a mana vessel for my right arm, and it was holding up—at least for now.

It should last a solid three days.

Even if I had to use the third move of my sword art.

It wasn’t the cheapest thing to make, but I didn’t care.

My life was more than worth it.

“Lumi… activate the snake ability.”

I muttered slightly, and slowly, I felt a rush running up my spine—

“Agh…”

A sharp pain hit my eyes, so intense that I immediately shut them.

It wasn’t just the pain; something felt… off like something was changing inside me.

From one of my wounds, a drop of blood slipped from my body and fell to the ground.

Hisss…..

I heard a faint, unsettling hiss.

Opening my eyes carefully, I looked down at the spot where the blood had fallen.

To my surprise, the blood wasn’t just lying there—it started melting through the ground like acid, the stone beneath it dissolving strangely.

And that it wasn’t the only thing.

My vision…

No, my entire perception was changing.

The heat in the room stood out like a blazing fire, and I could see it. I could feel the cold temperature where the wolves were breaking down my ice barrier.

Then, my reflection caught my eye in the blade of my sword.

My pupils…

They weren’t normal anymore.

My eyes were like Lumi’s from before, with vertical pupils in a red shade that looked ominous.

And my strength… my agility, both of them seemed to have increased by a lot.

It had worked.

Because I was in a blood contract with Lumi, I could use her unique abilities.

And that meant…

I had the power of a gluttonous smile.

CRACK!

The wolves finally broke through the ice barrier with a violent roar.

But when they saw me standing there, staring at them, their momentum faltered.

A few of them hesitated, eyes widening as they locked on to mine.

I didn’t move, just stood there, looking at them.

And then…

A slow smile spread across my lips.

“Gosh…”

“I don’t know if it’s because I’ve partly turned into a snake, but… I’m hungry.”

I licked my dry lips.

The moment the words left my mouth, I shot forward, faster than I ever had before.

Growwwl…

The soft growls of the frightened wolves echoed through the cave.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep