Chapter 163: The Graduation Ceremony of the Trial of Steel: Rank Stealing

There was a brief silence among the candidates listed within the rankings.

Not everyone immediately reacted.

Some leaned back into their seats quietly while staring at the holographic screen, still processing the placements.

Others exchanged whispers with members of their groups, discussing possible challenges and who might actually dare to step forward first.

Honestly...

Many candidates did not even see the need to challenge anyone, especially those who failed to enter the rankings.

To them, surviving the Trial of Steel itself already felt unbelievable enough, even among the ranked candidates...

Several still looked hesitant, because once a challenge was issued...

There would be no excuses left afterward.

But then...

"I would like to make a challenge."

Page slowly raised her hand while sitting elegantly in her seat, her expression plain and calm.

Immediately...

The surrounding noise lowered slightly.

Many candidates turned toward her in surprise, even several Elders above narrowed their eyes with interest.

"Are you really going to challenge her?"

Gareth asked from beside Felix’s group, already having a good idea who Page intended to target.

Page slowly turned toward him.

A faint smirk appeared on her face.

The answer was obvious.

"Who will you be challenging, Page Laverdale?"

Freya asked with a pleased smile, clearly interested already.

Page stood up elegantly from her seat.

Her black hair mixed with strands of pink flowed lightly behind her shoulders as she brushed it back calmly.

Then...

Her pink eyes landed directly on Lyra.

At that moment, Lyra had been busy speaking playfully with Nina and the girls seated near Vera.

"Lyra Ashburn."

Page called her name coldly.

The atmosphere tightened slightly.

"Huh?"

Lyra blinked once in confusion before turning toward Page, then the whispers began rising immediately.

"Get your ass onto the stage..."

Page folded her arms.

"...you traitor."

Her eyes sharpened while staring at Lyra with open hostility.

"This bitch..."

Lyra suddenly laughed excitedly beneath her breath.

"Hehe... Hehe..."

Her expression instantly became lively.

"You want to fight me?"

She slowly stood up from her seat while tightening her fists.

Clearly...

She had been waiting for something like this.

"No, idiot..." Page replied flatly. "I’m going to beat your ass."

"I’d like to see you try."

Lyra slammed one fist into her palm with excitement.

The whispers around the hall immediately grew louder with some candidates even leaned forward in anticipation.

Unlike many others...

These two already had visible tension between them long before now.

Like that...

The two girls walked toward the stage.

Kyle and Freya stepped aside while carrying away the metallic circular device projecting the holographic screen.

Now...

The platform became a pure combat stage once again.

Raymond calmly stepped between both girls while explaining the rules briefly before the match.

"This is surprising..."

Astraea glanced toward the female guard standing behind the left side of her chair.

"Your daughter got challenged, Rowan."

A teasing smile appeared on her face.

Rowan remained expressionless.

Still...

Her eyes had not left Lyra for even a second.

"Well..."

She answered calmly.

"She’s a strong girl and has many rivals. This is simply one of them."

"Hmm..."

Astraea turned her gaze back toward the stage again, then she lazily pointed toward Page.

"Refresh my memory."

She tilted her head slightly.

"Who was she again? I only remember she belongs to Laverdale."

The male guard standing behind Astraea’s right side immediately leaned slightly closer respectfully.

"That is Page, My Lady."

"Oh..."

Astraea nodded faintly.

"She’s one of the promising children from Laverdale."

A relaxed smile appeared on her lips.

"A smart girl too."

Her eyes slowly narrowed with interest.

"Now I’m curious who’ll win."

"Of course, it will be Lyra, My Lady."

Both guards answered at the exact same time without hesitation.

Their eyes remained glued toward Lyra proudly.

Astraea laughed softly.

"Look at you two supporting your daughter."

She smirked teasingly.

"Really cute."

The two guards stiffened slightly but remained silent.

Then...

Astraea’s smile faded slightly.

"Although after this..."

Her voice turned calmer.

"You know you’ll still have to punish her a little for betraying my son."

"Yes, My Lady."

The two immediately bowed their heads.

"We will properly discipline her for such a grave mistake."

"It’s fine."

Astraea waved one hand lazily.

"There’s no need."

Her eyes shifted briefly toward Vera.

"Since she joined Vera’s group, I can tolerate it."

Meanwhile...

The atmosphere among the candidates grew louder.

Vera’s group began shouting Lyra’s name excitedly, at the same time Felix’s group loudly cheered for Page, especially because many of them still considered Lyra’s defection a betrayal.

Naturally...

They wanted Page to crush her badly.

The two girls stared at each other from opposite sides of the stage.

Neither looked willing to back down.

"Why challenge me now after avoiding every single challenge I sent you during the arena matches?"

Lyra asked while stretching her arms and legs casually.

"Haven’t I already told you before?"

Page replied coldly while glaring at her.

"I don’t fight unless there’s something to gain."

"But you sparred multiple times with Tracy even though she was our enemy."

Lyra narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Hmm..."

For the briefest moment...

Page looked slightly awkward, but she immediately recovered.

"Does that even matter now, idiot?"

She scoffed.

"What matters is the fact you somehow ranked above me."

Her eyes sharpened.

"How can I allow an idiot like you to stay ahead of me?"

"Coming from the girl dumb enough to compete with a queen."

Lyra smirked proudly.

"You inferior bitch."

"Huh?"

Page pointed at herself dramatically.

"Who feels inferior? Me?"

Though...

The twitch around her eyes clearly showed Lyra’s words affected her.

"Come on Page..."

Lyra laughed mockingly.

"We all know you hate Lady Vera because of your inferiority complex."

She grinned wider.

"And now that I left your group for hers, you’re jealous."

"What nonsense are you even saying..."

Page exhaled slowly while calming herself.

"I’m not letting this idiot affect my mood."

Her eyes sharpened completely, then... She lowered herself into her fighting stance.

Lyra’s smile widened excitedly.

"Let’s fight properly."

Raymond glanced at both girls briefly. Seeing they were ready...

He stepped backward swiftly.

"Fight!"

The instant his voice echoed...

Both girls exploded forward at high speed.

Their shoes slammed against the stage almost simultaneously. As the distance between them vanished...

Lyra instantly pulled out her massive scythe from her space bag.

Swing!

The blade cut through the air horizontally toward Page’s neck.

But...

Page slid beneath the slash smoothly.

The sharp edge passed directly above her head.

"Geesh..."

Page muttered while sliding across the floor.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

She pushed herself upward fluidly.

"I already knew you’d dodge it."

Lyra spun sharply toward her.

That excited smile never disappeared from her face.

"Well..."

Clap!

Page slammed her palms together, Cognis surged instantly between her hands, an alchemy circle formed brightly.

Lyra’s eyes sharpened immediately.

She rushed forward aggressively while tightening her grip around the scythe.

"I also knew you were going to do that."

Page suddenly slammed both palms onto the floor.

Green light spread across the stage rapidly.

The seeds scattered earlier during her slide instantly reacted.

Lyra immediately looked downward.

So, she planted them earlier...

The realization crossed her mind instantly.

The ground around her suddenly trembled, the moment she stepped forward...

Dozens of thick green vines burst violently from the stage floor toward her.

Lyra laughed loudly instead of panicking.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Her scythe tore through the incoming vines rapidly one after another without slowing her advance.

"Tsk."

Page clicked her tongue lightly, but she still looked calm.

One vine suddenly curved behind her.

Page stepped onto it and used it as support to launch herself higher into the air.

Another vine rose beside her instantly.

She landed on it briefly like a floating platform.

Then...

She pulled out a bow and arrow from her space bag.

Her eyes locked onto Lyra below.

At that moment...

Lyra remained occupied cutting through the remaining vines.

Page released the arrow immediately.

Fwoosh!

The arrow shot through the air with terrifying speed.

But...

Lyra’s instincts reacted instantly.

Clang!

She slashed the arrow apart midair without even stopping her movement.

Then...

Using the same motion...

She cut through the final vines and hurled her scythe directly at Page.

Boom!

Cognis exploded through the throw.

The massive weapon flew like a missile.

Page immediately raised her middle and index fingers upward.

The scattered vines around Lyra reacted instantly.

Like snakes sensing danger...

They surged upward rapidly and wrapped together in front of the incoming scythe.

Bang!

The heavy blade crashed against the mass of vines, cutting through several layers before finally stopping.

But...

At that exact moment...

Page’s eyes narrowed sharply.

She heard it.

The faint sound of Cognis shifting.

Tiny and fast.

An alchemy activation.

An alchemy has already been performed.

The thought flashed through her mind immediately.

The vines slowly dropped apart after blocking the scythe...

And there...

Lyra stood with an AK-47 already aimed directly at her.

A grin stretched across Lyra’s face, almost like she had been waiting for this exact opening.

At the same time...

Her left hand sharply pulled the thin steel rope attached to the scythe.

The weapon instantly flew back toward her while she pulled the trigger simultaneously.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Flashes of fire exploded from the muzzle.

Page’s pupils shrank.

She immediately dropped from the vine platform she stood on.

Her body twisted sharply through the air as bullets tore past her position.

One bullet sliced through strands of her hair, another scraped lightly across the side of her sleeve.

The speed of the gunfire forced her movements into pure instinct.

She barely avoided them.

The candidates watching gasped loudly.

"She almost got hit!"

"Lyra’s shooting accuracy is crazy!"

Meanwhile...While still falling...

Page quickly threw her bow aside and pulled out a small pouch from her space bag.

Rip!

The pouch opened midair.

Seeds scattered downward across the stage beneath her.

Lyra’s sharp eyes instantly noticed it.

Without hesitation...

She caught her returning scythe cleanly with one hand and exploded forward again while continuing to fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Her movements looked savage yet controlled.

Fast, fluid and violent.

At the same time...

Green alchemy light began glowing brightly around Page’s palms.

The instant Page landed...

Boom!

She slammed one hand against the ground.

The stage shook slightly.

Then...

Dozens of thick green vines erupted violently from below like a flood breaking through a dam.

They rushed toward Lyra from multiple angles.

Fast enough to swallow her completely, but Lyra didn’t stop.

Instead...

Her smile widened further.

Swing!

Her scythe tore through the first wave of vines brutally.

Bang! Bang!

Gunfire exploded alongside the slash.

Bullets ripped apart several more vines before they could wrap around her.

The crowd’s eyes widened watching her movements.

Lyra moved like a wild athletic beast charging through a forest.

Her feet shifted rapidly across the stage; her body twisted naturally between attacks.

Every slash, every gunshot, every movement connected smoothly.

Meanwhile...

Page also rushed forward instead of remaining behind to control the vines.

She knew staying still against Lyra’s pressure would only place her at a disadvantage.

The distance between both girls vanished quickly.

Clang!

Page condensed several vines together tightly into a spear-like thrust and drove it directly toward Lyra’s chest.

The compressed attack carried a terrifying force.

But...

Lyra reacted instantly.

She blocked the strike using the shaft of her scythe while sliding around the attack fluidly.

The compressed vine pierced past her shoulder by mere inches.

At the same time...

Lyra rotated her body sharply.

One hand still controlled the scythe, the other lifted the AK-47 directly toward Page at point-blank range.

The muzzle almost touched her body.