By the time the next day arrived, the entire Academy had heard about the battle, and they were all eager to watch it go down.

The battle would take place in the aptly named ‘Duelist Arena.’ This is where all the battles between students would be held, and it also had a massive spectator system ready to allow people to watch.

It was currently 10:01am, only a few minutes before the first battle which was Lucian & Miranda vs Darius and his friend.

Still, despite the battle not having started yet, the entire arena was filled to the brim.

Students lined the curved stone stands in concentric rings that spiraled upward toward the glass dome ceiling. Each level was packed, from First Years all the way up to Third Years who sat on the highest floors.

In a rare case for student battles including freshman, you could even see the occasional Professor taking their spots in the upper balconies.

Across the arena, floating crystalline screens hovered in the air, broadcasting close-up views of the upcoming duel from every angle. Even magical commentators, who were just students with magically enhanced voices, were beginning their introduction segments to hype up the match.

Today was going to be a spectacle no matter the outcome. Either the freshman would get destroyed, and become laughing stocks for challenging the Upperclassmen, or they’d win, and provide on of the most legendary moments in Academy history.

Meanwhile, as all of this hype was happening, behind the thick mana-inscribed gates that led to the arena Albedo was standing alongside Elara.

Lucian and Miranda lingered nearby. The former was checking over his blade, while Miranda adjusted the threads of her spatial storage belt, her crystalline eyes flicking toward Albedo every few seconds.

~CLICK~CLICK~CLICK!~

The clicking of heels echoed and then Professor Kayle stepped into the waiting chamber with a frown on her lips, and as soon as she saw the four of them, she immediately got to the point.

“I cannot believe the four of you allowed yourselves to be pulled into Skye’s trap,” she began, her tone annoyed as she stared at them.

Lucian winced, immediately trying to give a rebuttal, “To be fair, “

“No, Arclight,” she snapped, “You should know better. All of you should.”

Miranda straightened, “With respect, Professor, she orchestrated it in front of the whole class. We couldn’t just, “

“, and that is exactly what she wanted. A spectacle,” Kayle said coldly, arms crossed over her armored chest. “And now here we are, with First Years, First Years!, you’ve barely been here a month and now you’re dueling Second Years in front of the entire Academy.”

Lucian and Miranda looked away, knowing they were in the wrong, but Albedo met Kayle’s gaze without flinching, “That’s fine, we all plan to win.”

Kayle’s golden eyes narrowed, studying him. “Do not mistake pride for strength, Neverwinter, especially when your partner isn’t even Silver.”

She said, looking at Elara for a moment before bringing her gaze back to Albedo.

“I don’t,” he replied flatly, “But I also don’t mistake fear for wisdom.”

Kayle tilted her head, her gaze lingering on him for a long, silent moment. Then she exhaled through her nose and stepped closer, her voice quieter now.

“You two,” she said, lookin at Albedo and then Lucian, “You’re not like the others, you’re threats to her ideals of Noble Superiority. That’s why she’s targeting you now, while your position is still new. She wants you humiliated, publicly.”

“She’s going to be disappointed then,” Albedo murmured.

Kayle just sighed and turned around, leaving one final phrase as she left, “Good luck, and don’t embarrass yourselves.”

With that, she vanished into the light of the gate, leaving the four of them silent and thinking about the future battle.

They didn’t even have time to talk to each-other much before a series of loud chimes ran out across the entire arena.

~DING~DING~DING!~

A magically amplified voice echoed throughout the coliseum.

“Welcome, students and faculty of Zephyr Academy! Today, we witness a formal duel between First-Year prodigies and handpicked Second-Year duelists! Rules are simple, first team to concede, collapse, or be incapacitated loses.”

The crowd roared at the announcers words, cutting his speech short for a couple seconds before they could finally continue, ” All participants are under the supervision of five Star-Rank professors. Combat Relics permitted. Summons permitted. Injuries permitted. Lethal force… is not.”

Another pulse of mana. The gates began to slide open.

Lucian and Miranda looked at each-other, taking a deep breath as they stepped forward.

“Hey,” Albedo called out to them, causing them to turn for a moment, “Good luck,” he said, and they nodded, continuing forward.

The crowd erupted once they spotted them, especially Princess Miranda, she was basically a celebrity before she even entered the Academy, and her status had only improved.

“And there they are, folks! Lucian Arclight, the Commoner who shocked everyone becoming rank #2 in the Myth-Class, dubbed a prodigy with the sword, and beside him, Princess Miranda Starwind.”

“Two of the youngest and brightest stars from this year’s Myth Class! Will they be enough to take down the seasoned Second-Years?”

“Ooooh, you can feel the tension in the air already, Mana Levels are off the charts!”

The commentators did their work to hype up the match, but Lucian ignored the noise, remaining focused as his eyes remained fix forward, where across the Duelist Arena, his opponents stood.

It was Darius, still with that cocky look on his face. This time he was in combat gear that showed off his buff body. He had a vicious looking glaive slung over his shoulder, and he was proudly showing off his Low Gold Rank mana aura.

His teammate was another one of the Second Years from that class, named Reid Malkor, the Son of an Earl, he had two hooked blades resting against his hips, and he was Peak Silver Rank, nearing a breakthrough.

Darius was already grinning as he saw Lucian and Miranda.

“Well, well,” he boomed, voice carrying without magical enhancement, “The little lion cubs really did show up.”

Reid gave a mock bow, “Your Highness. Arclight. I must say, I expected you to fake an illness or two.”

Lucian’s face remained expressionless, but his eyes narrowed slightly. Miranda stepped forward with that effortless, unteachable poise that came from years of etiquette drills.

“You’ll regret underestimating us,” she said, her voice ice and silk.

Darius barked a laugh, “We’ll see, Princess. I’d be sure to be gentle, I wouldn’t want your Elder brother coming at me.”

The magically-enhanced referee’s voice rang out overhead once more.

“Duelants ready!”

Four figures took their places.

Two sides. Two teams. The field between them wide and marked with glowing runes. Arcane circles hovered on the floor, waiting to light up with the first surge of blood and mana.

“BEGIN!”

And the world exploded into motion.

~BOOM!~

Darius flashed forward like a raging bull, his glaive spinning through the air in a ferocious arc. The ground beneath him cracked as he infused his feet with Wind Magic, a sonic boom trailing behind his charge.

Lucian didn’t retreat, quickly unsheathing his sword and deflecting the first blow mid spring. Sparks flew, the force of impact sending Lucian skidding back three meters as the air distorted around them.

Reid vanished, literally blinking out of their view due to his speed.

“Miranda!” Lucian shouted, just in time.

~CLANG!~

Miranda had already turned, parrying Reid’s sudden ambush. His twin blades met her conjured silver chakram mid-air, clashing in a burst of refracted mana.

She kicked off the ground, creating distance, “He’s using Phase Steps, spatial disruption techniques. Slippery bastard.”

Reid smirked as he circled her, “Flattered. Didn’t know you had eyes for me, Princess. Maybe I should’ve dressed more for the occasion.”

She didn’t answer, instead she extended her hand, and runic threads formed a golden hourglass between her fingers.

Suddenly, Reid’s form flickered, he tried to blink through space again but failed. He jerked to the left instead, narrowly dodging a slicing wave of Lucian’s sword energy as it flew past.

“Tch, You two coordinate better than I expected,” he muttered, with a hint of annoyance on his face.

Meanwhile, Darius and Lucian were locked in a brutal exchange in the center.

Steel met steel again and again. Darius’s glaive continuously slashed with brutal momentum extending and retracting as if alive, arcs of wind-blades trailing behind each sweep.

Lucian danced on the edge of danger, his eyes glowing faintly green, Transcendence was active, reading and learning from each clash.

“You’re fast, Arclight,” Darius admitted, “Faster than I expected.”

Lucian didn’t respond. Instead, he twisted suddenly, ducked a strike, planted his palm on the ground, and launched upward with a reverse slash.

CLANG!

The glaive caught it just in time, but the force forced Darius back several feet.

Lucian landed lightly and whispered, “But you’re slow.”

Darius snarled, his golden aura erupting outward in a pressure wave that caused the stone beneath his feet to crack. “Try saying that after this!”

He stomped.

A cyclone erupted from his position, a whirlwind of blades condensed into a spiraling shield of cutting air.

Lucian raised his blade, mana coiling down the length like a serpent,

And then he vanished, appearing behind Darius in a blur and attacking, a clean strike aimed for the neck.

But at the last second,

~BOOM!~

A shockwave erupted from Darius’s body, knocking Lucian away like a ragdoll. The glaive spun backward in a wide arc and caught Lucian mid-air, slamming him into the stone wall of the arena.

“LUCIAN!” Miranda cried.

He grunted, rolling out of the crater with blood at the corner of his mouth. His ribs screamed. He forced himself upright, but his movements were slower now.

At the same time, Reid had adapted, changing the method of his spatial techniques, being more subtle in order to dodge Miranda’s spatial lockdown.

He circled her like a vulture, nipping and darting with precise cuts using his twin blades. One nicked her shoulder. Another grazed her thigh.

She responded with a flurry of distorted mirror images, time-echoes of herself lunging with curved mana-chakrams, but he cut through them, aiming only for the real one.

Behind them, Lucian rejoined the fight, slower than before but eyes still sharp.

Darius cracked his neck.

“You two’re good. Real good,” he said, rolling his shoulders. “But this is what separates fighters from winners.”

A golden rune ignited beneath his feet.

“Let’s end this.”

His glaive spun, no longer just physical but infused now with his Mana. A roaring spear of wind extended from the blade tip, forming a lance of condensed pressure aimed at both Lucian and Miranda.

Reid pulled back, a shimmer surrounding his body as he prepared his final strike.

Lucian raised his sword and Miranda summoned her spatial time locks again, defending themselves as the blast came.

~BOOOOOOOOOM!~

The arena floor erupted in a column of slicing wind and spatial distortion. Students in the stands leaned forward, eyes wide, breath held.

The dust cleared, and Lucian and Miranda were still standing, both panting but remaining in the fight on the backfoot.

“An incredible clash so far, folks! But it looks like the Second-Years are dominating now! Can the First-Year prodigies turn this around?!”

Up above, Albedo watched from the waiting tunnel. His eyes narrowed, arms folded. He wasn’t worried, not really.

It was all going exactly the same as in the Novel, and now was when it was about to get fun.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep