The moment the word left her mouth, glowing golden lines suddenly burst to life around the edges of the arena floor.

A barrier shot upward in an instant.

The translucent wall curved around the entire battlefield like a dome made of liquid gold, humming faintly with magic. Runes flickered along its surface every few seconds, probably meant to stop stray arrows or spells from flying into the audience.

The fight exploded almost immediately.

One of the Warriors blessed by Vaelor charged forward first, swinging his heavy wooden blade toward the opposing frontliner hard enough to crack the stone beneath his feet.

The impact echoed through the arena.

A Ranger from the opposing team rolled backward and immediately fired two arrows in response. Both slammed harmlessly against a shield spell cast by a Mage standing farther behind.

Blue light burst outward from the barrier spell while another student raised a wooden spear and rushed the left flank.

The crowd immediately erupted into shouting. Students cheered every hit like this was some professional tournament instead of a school practice match.

Honestly, they weren’t bad.

One student blessed by Solvane cast a bright flash of light directly into an opponent’s face before tackling him to the ground. Another used wind magic to launch herself sideways and avoid a heavy overhead strike.

Meanwhile, two Rogues circled each other near the edge of the arena so fast I nearly lost track of them.

"Damn," I muttered. "They’re actually serious."

Ken nodded while leaning forward. "This is probably the closest most of them will ever get to fighting in front of royalty."

A Mage from Team B suddenly slammed the bottom of his staff against the ground, sending a ripple of stone spikes across the arena floor. One of the opposing students jumped over it cleanly while another got clipped in the ankle and stumbled hard.

That mistake immediately cost them.

A Warrior from Team A crashed into him shoulder-first and sent him rolling across the stone floor.

Professor Veyra raised one hand.

"First elimination! Team B, one member down!"

The crowd roared.

The fallen student groaned and limped toward the edge of the arena while healers waited nearby.

The pace only got faster after that. Spells flashed constantly now.

Wooden weapons slammed together hard enough to make my arms hurt just watching. Arrows bounced off shields while students shouted instructions over one another in complete chaos.

One Ranger blessed by Myrrakai summoned thick roots from beneath the arena floor to trap an opponent’s legs briefly. It only lasted a second before the roots shattered, but that second was enough for her teammate to land a brutal strike across the opponent’s chest.

Another elimination.

"Team A is crushing them," Mio said calmly.

She was right. Team A coordinated much better.

Their frontliners stayed together while their Mage remained protected near the rear. Every time Team B tried to split them apart, they immediately regrouped and pushed forward again.

Team B, meanwhile, looked increasingly desperate.

One student tried rushing the enemy Mage alone and immediately got intercepted by two Warriors.

Bad decision.

He went down almost instantly.

"Three members remaining for Team B!" Veyra announced loudly.

The cheering around the arena only grew louder.

Even Queen Mia looked interested now, leaning slightly forward in her throne while watching the match closely. Beside her, Yua applauded whenever someone landed a particularly strong hit.

Thornhawk, meanwhile, looked as emotionally expressive as a brick wall.

Eventually the fight reached its final moments.

The remaining members of Team B grouped together near the center of the arena, clearly exhausted. One had a cracked shield spell barely holding together while another struggled to keep his footing after taking repeated hits.

Then Team A moved as one.

The Warrior rushed first.

The Mage followed with a blast of compressed wind magic.

And the Ranger finished it by firing a wooden arrow straight into the opposing student’s chest hard enough to knock him flat onto his back.

Professor Veyra immediately stepped forward and raised her hand.

"Enough!"

The golden barrier around the arena flickered once. Then vanished completely. The crowd exploded into applause. Students stomped their feet against the stone seating while cheers echoed across the courtyard.

"Team A has won the match!" Veyra announced loudly. "Let’s congratulate them for a well-fought victory!"

Queen Mia applauded politely from her elevated throne while Yua clapped enthusiastically beside her.

The winning students raised their weapons proudly while the losing team slowly dragged themselves toward the healers.

Ken let out a low whistle.

"We are so screwed."

Honestly? Yeah. We really were.

Once the previous teams left the arena floor, Professor Veyra stepped forward again and raised a hand toward the stands, signaling for the noise to settle down.

The cheering slowly faded.

Then two figures entered from opposite sides of the arena.

Even before Professor Veyra spoke, the atmosphere changed completely.

Students leaned forward in their seats. Conversations died down almost instantly. Some of the younger first-years even straightened their backs nervously.

Whoever these two were, everyone clearly knew them.

"The next match," Professor Veyra announced, her voice echoing across the arena, "will be a special exhibition duel."

She extended one arm toward the left side of the arena.

"Representing the second year. S-Class student. Blessed by Kaelmyra, Goddess of Fortune. Eselin Vaelcrest."

A wave of cheers erupted immediately.

Eselin walked into the arena with steady steps, long blonde hair swaying behind her beneath the afternoon light. Unlike most students, she wore a modified academy uniform fitted for combat. The dark jacket hugged tightly around her waist, while the reinforced skirt and thigh guards gave her freedom to move without sacrificing protection.

A practice sword rested loosely in her right hand. She rolled the sword once in her grip before lowering it casually to her side. Completely relaxed.

Professor Veyra then gestured toward the opposite side.

"And representing the student council. Second-year student council president. B-Class. Blessed by Orenthis, God of Death. Null Ravenscar."

The cheers this time were quieter. More restrained. Not because people disliked him. People were nervous around him.

Null stepped into the arena without hurry, dressed in a darker variation of the academy uniform with silver embroidery lining the sleeves and collar. Black gloves covered his forearms nearly to the elbow, and a slender practice sword rested at his waist.

Compared to Eselin, he looked unnervingly calm.

No grin. No confidence. No arrogance. Just silence. Even the way he walked looked controlled.

Professor Veyra stepped backward and raised her arm between them. "Combatants," she called out firmly. "Take your positions."

Both students moved toward the center of the arena.

Eselin rested her sword across her shoulder. Null lowered his blade into a simple stance near his waist.

Neither looked nervous. Neither looked excited. They simply stared at each other.

Professor Veyra glanced between them once. "Ready?"

Eselin nodded once.

Null gave a small nod as well.

Veyra raised her hand high into the air.

"Begin!"