Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 333: The Tri-Academy Exchange Arc (Part-25)

Everyone stared at Zora in disbelief, unable to understand why she would suddenly make such a choice.

By all logic, drawing the blank lot was already the best possible outcome for the academy. She could advance directly into the finals, conserve her strength, and secure the academy’s ranking. Why would she voluntarily give up such an advantage? And even if she did, who could she possibly hand this precious qualification to?

Sebastian was equally stunned. His brows furrowed tightly as he tried to discern whether there was some deeper strategy behind her decision.

Before Gerrad could even speak, Cindral had already taken the lead, a polite but calculating smile on his face.

"Yes, that is allowed. But tell me, Zora, who do you intend to give this qualification to?"

"Alaric Von Seraph," Zora answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Very well." Cindral’s smile instantly deepened. "Then this match will be adjusted. Ragnor Blackstar will face Zora, while Alaric Von Seraph advances by default."

The satisfaction in Cindral’s expression was impossible to hide. In his eyes, Zora was the Imperial Academy’s true pillar. As long as Ragnor Blackstar could eliminate her here, Alaric Von Seraph alone would pose no real threat. The academy’s momentum would collapse completely.

Gerrad’s heart sank the moment he saw that smile. Just from Cindral’s expression, he could already guess his intentions. Yet now that the decision had been announced publicly, there was no room left to argue. Even if he objected, it would be useless.

Helplessness crept into his heart. He truly did not understand why Zora would make such a choice.

Alaric Von Seraph and Reesa returned to the academy’s side. Sebastian immediately asked in a low voice,

"Why did Zora do this?"

"She wants to avenge Raphael," Reesa replied bluntly, without any attempt to hide the truth.

Sebastian let out a long sigh.

"This is too impulsive..."

He could already foresee the risks. Whether it was Ragnor Blackstar, Zion Blackstar, or Ignar Dragovic, none of them were easy opponents. If Zora fell here, what hope would remain for the academy?

The consequences would be devastating.

Yet despite his worry, Sebastian did not feel anger toward her decision. No matter the final outcome of this exchange, he knew one thing clearly: Zora had chosen this path for the academy.

Even if the Imperial academy were to fall from the ranks of the three great academies afterward, so what?

Thunderclap Academy and Lunar Academy, with their arrogance and shameless conduct, had long since lost the ideals that once justified their titles. To cling to such a ranking meant little.

"Teacher," Marcus said quietly but firmly, "no matter how this exchange ends, we feel it was worth it."

Since stepping onto Thunderclap Academy’s soil, they had endured mockery and humiliation at every turn. Why should they bow their heads to people so despicable?

Perhaps this decision was impulsive. Perhaps it was reckless. But none of them regretted it.

In an age like this, lacking passion and backbone was the real disgrace.

Sebastian nodded slowly. "Yes... Ragnor Blackstar truly has gone too far, earlier."

There was, however, one thought he kept to himself.

Even though Zora had reached the second level of the Red Realm, Ragnor Blackstar was still a step higher. Winning this battle would be incredibly difficult.

But if she truly could not defeat him, then the academy’s fate was already sealed. In that case, whether the fall came early or late made little difference at all.

Soon, on the martial arts platform, Zora and Ragnor Blackstar stood facing each other.

The breeze swept across the stage, fluttering their robes. Neither spoke, yet the collision of their gazes alone was sharp enough to sting. The invisible pressure between them spread outward, arrogant and hostile, making the air itself feel tight.

"So," Ragnor Blackstar sneered, his lips curling with mockery, "I really didn’t expect you to enjoy courting death this much."

His eyes glittered with ridicule. In front of so many people, Zora’s decision to step onto this stage was, in his view, nothing more than a foolish gift to him.

Her strength was not enough. That was his conclusion.

As for Harold... Ragnor Blackstar had already pushed him aside in his mind. No matter how mysterious Harold was, he was still a royal prince. Ragnor Blackstar refused to believe that Harold would truly dare to move against him.

"If you insist on dying," he continued lazily, tilting his head, "then I’ll grant your wish."

The condescension in his tone was unmistakable, as though the outcome had already been decided.

Zora raised her phoenix eyes slightly. Her expression was calm, even faintly amused, laced with unmistakable disdain.

"Just the same as your sister. Does everyone in the Lion Dynasty’s royal family like to talk this much nonsense?" she asked coolly. "Or do you think saying a few more words makes you look stronger?"

The smile on Ragnor Blackstar’s face instantly stiffened. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Her words struck cleanly and decisively, slicing through his earlier posturing. It felt as though all his grand threats had been reduced to empty noise with a single sentence.

"Let the match begin!" The referee’s voice rang out.

In that instant, the atmosphere on the stage tightened to the extreme.

The frivolity vanished from Ragnor Blackstar’s eyes. Unlike Cecily Blackstar, he did not underestimate his opponent. Zora had already proven herself. He would not allow himself to overturn the boat in shallow waters.

His palm clenched, and his dense mana surged out without restraint. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he pushed off, his body tearing through the air and appearing before Zora in a flash.

His speed was astonishing.

Zora’s gaze sharpened. She had already sensed that Ragnor Blackstar excelled in speed, but she had never feared a contest of agility.

The long sword in Ragnor Blackstar’s hand pierced the air, carrying terrifying pressure as it slashed straight toward her.

Zora retreated in a blur, the Glazed Sword flashing into her hand. Sword light poured forth like a silver tide, meeting Ragnor Blackstar’s attack head-on.

Clang!

Their figures collided, then separated, then collided again. Blades flashed like lightning as the two exchanged blows at breathtaking speed. They moved like twin whirlwinds, interweaving and clashing, the sharp ring of metal echoing endlessly across the platform.

Sword holes appeared one after another in the hard stone floor. Dust and debris flew, obscuring the view and blurring the battlefield.

To most spectators, it was impossible to follow their movements at all. They could only see two streaks of color spinning and colliding within the smoke.

The clash between the two was so fierce that the atmosphere on the martial arts platform was completely ignited.

Every gaze was locked onto the stage. No one dared to blink, afraid of missing even the smallest detail. Compared to this battle, all the previous matches felt pale and lifeless, as if they existed only to pave the way for this moment.

Ragnor Blackstar prided himself on speed. From the very beginning, his plan had been simple: overwhelm Zora with sheer swiftness and crush her before she could respond.

Yet reality struck him hard.

Her speed was not only fast—it was terrifyingly fast.

No matter how he pushed himself, no matter how he circulated his mana to the limit, he could not gain even the slightest advantage. Worse still, the swordsmanship of Zora was refined and precise, even more exquisite than his own.

If not for the fact that his cultivation was still higher than hers, Ragnor Blackstar vaguely sensed that he might already have fallen into a losing position.

That realization made his heart jolt.

How could Zora possess such rich combat experience?

Boom!

The two figures suddenly collided head-on and were blown apart, each retreating to opposite ends of the platform.

Their robes were torn in several places, streaked with blood. The sharp clangor of battle finally faded, leaving behind a tense stillness.

On Zora’s white sleeve, a thin cut seeped with blood, staining the fabric red. Yet her expression remained calm and unruffled, showing no sign of distress. The injury was clearly superficial.

Ragnor Blackstar, on the other hand, appeared equally steady at first glance—but a closer look revealed blood slowly oozing from his chest.

In this exchange, he had clearly suffered more.

The crowd fell into stunned silence. Many let out a collective gasp in surprise.

"I didn’t expect Zora to be this strong. Ragnor Blackstar is already at the third level of the Red World—doesn’t this mean she can fight above her level?"

"This kind of combat power is terrifying. No wonder she’s the ace of the Imperial academy."

"He was so arrogant earlier... but now Ragnor Blackstar doesn’t look so good anymore."

Whispers rippled through the audience like waves.