["AND THE RESULTS ARE...!"] Commentator Ken’s voice boomed over the speakers, his microphone practically crackling with energy as the shuffle came to a stop.

["Well, would you look at that, ladies and gentlemen! We are starting off with an absolute banger! Representing Myria: Shiki Kazuma! Representing Riverton: Bradley! Representing Tricea: Ava! And finally representing Eldoria: Emelie Herst!"]

"""YEEAAAHHH!!!"""

The Eldorian crowd, especially, went completely feral. The thunder of thousands of boots stamping against the stone steps created a pulsating vibration that rattled the glass of the VIP booths above.

"Kick their ass, Emelie!" Sadie cheered loudly from the front row. Hope was jumping so high her tiny maid headband flew right off her head, which Kurt caught easily and placed it back on her head.

The chosen contestants stayed in the arena while the others left for their designated seats near the front row of the stands. Four mages then stood at the corners of the outer arena area and activated an invisible barrier so that no civilian watching would be caught up in the crossfire.

This was it. The four participants stood at the far edge, nervously gauging and feeling out each other’s strengths. One of them, however, was completely calm – almost bored.

["Look at that arrogance! Or should I say confidence!"] Princess Faye shouted into her mic. ["Unlike their others, Emelie isn’t even drawing a weapon. She’s just letting the atmospheric pressure of her opponents wash right over her. As expected of Future Academy’s best!"]

Another crimson countdown materialised in the air above the arena floor, signalling the time for the match to start.

"""FIVE... FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE!!!"

["LET THE SHOW BEGIN!!"]

Before anyone moved, an unspoken, silent agreement passed between the Tricean student Ava, the Myrian magician Kazuma, and Riverton’s heavy-hitter Bradley. They knew the terrifying reputation of Eldoria’s top prodigy.

Simultaneously, all three of them turned their aggression entirely toward Emelie, intending to eliminate the biggest threat on the board first.

["What’s this!? A three-way alliance right out of the gate!"] Commentator Ken yelled. ["They are teaming up on the Eldorian star!"]

["Teaming up to take out the big bad? Smart tactical decision."] Faye added. [" Let’s hope this doesn’t backfire on them."]

Ava’s magi-tech gauntlets hissed with steam, unleashing a barrage of tracking homing missiles that streaked through the air, painting trails of white smoke. At the same time, Kazuma summoned three massive pillars of twisting fire from the stone floor to trap her flinging paths. Bradley charged forward like a runaway freight train, his massive iron-reinforced shield raised high, intending to shatter her defenses.

"Same old, same old..." Emelie muttered dryly.

Just as the missiles, the flames, and the heavy shield were an inch from making contact, her green eyes and hair glowed. An invisible dome of telekinetic force erupted from her body.

BOOM!

The incoming homing exploded, the twisting flames collided and Bradley’s impenetrable charge all hit their target. Except, they didn’t.

["Incredible!"] Faye cheered, slamming her fist on the announcer’s table. ["A perfect, omnidirectional barrier from Emelie and she didn’t even flinch!"]

"My turn," Emelie said softly.

With a casual flick of her wrist, she gripped the air.

The huge, three-hundred-pound Bradley was suddenly hoisted off his feet by an unseen force, his legs flailing wildly in the air. Emelie then swung her arm to the left, and Rivertonian was hurled across the arena like a ragdoll, crashing directly into the Myrian sorcerer Kazuma. The two went down in a tangled, groaning heap of bruised limbs and shattered armor.

Feeling panicked, Ava rapidly adjusted her gauntlets, trying to lock onto Emelie for another round of missiles, but Emelie was already gone.

In a blur of speed accelerated by her own kinetic force, Emelie appeared directly in front of her. Before the Tricean could scream, Emelie placed a gentle palm against the magi-tech’s chest piece.

A concentrated blast of kinetic energy shattered the mechanical core of her armor, destroying it in the process. The Tricean girl flew backward, sliding at least fifty feet across the stone before stopping and passing out cold.

["ONE DOWN!"] Ken screamed frantically. ["Ava is incapacitated!"]

Bradley scrambled to his feet and charged again at her in roaring in frustration, swinging his massive shield in a desperate, wide arc.

Emelie simply caught the edge of the reinforced iron with two fingers, stopping his momentum instantly. Terror shaped the Rivertonian’s face.

"Bye-bye," Emelie murmured.

She twisted her wrist, ripping the shield effortlessly out of his grip, and used the flat of his own weapon to smack him squarely across the chest.

BAM!

The amplified force of her strike sent Bradley flying all out of the stone arena boundary, crashing hard into the protective barrier.

Kazuma, the last man standing, tried to cast a frenzied, high-tier binding spell, his hands glowing with golden runes. But Emelie merely raised her hand, clenching her fist. The air around Kazuma constricted violently, knocking the wind straight out of his lungs and shattering his focus. He fell to his knees, gasping for air, and weakly raised his hand.

"I... I yiel–!"

"Shut up."

THWACK!

Emelie swatted her to the hand to the right, and an invisible force struck the Myrian heavily across his entire body, sending him flying - and crashing – into the unconscious Bradley.

"""".......""""

""""YEEEAAAHHHH!!!!""""

["A-AND THAT IS IT!"] Commentator Ken’s voice was completely drowned out by the deafening explosion of cheers from the Eldorian stands.

["In less than two minutes, Emelie Herst completely decimated her competition! What a terrifying display of absolute dominance!"]

The southern stands were a sea of flying flags and wild cheers. Sadie was practically gloating, shouting insults at the neighboring sections while Kurt offered Emelie a quiet, respectful nod as she walked back to the benches.

"Haha! That’s my sister!" Evertte pumped his fist forward. "The other didn’t stand a chance!"

["No time to catch your breath, folks!"] Princess Faye announced as the holographic screens began to spin once more. ["Let’s see who is stepping into the meat grinder next!"]

The names shuffled rapidly before locking in with a heavy chime: Nichole Firestar (Riverton) vs. Hana (Myria) vs. Victor Moor (Eldoria) vs. Hans (Tricea).

Down at the Eldorian bench, Victor – the student council vice president – stood up, stretching his broad shoulders and adjusted his specs.

Amber patted him on the back, giggling warmly. "Good luck out there, big guy! Don’t let Riverton’s Captain intimidate you."

Junior threw him a thumbs-up and grinned. "Show ’em that Eldoria muscle, vice prez!"

"Ha. Thank you all for the encouragement."

Across the field, the Riverton section was roaring with a fierce, aggressive energy.

The tanned, red-haired captain of Crossroad Academy, Nichole Firestar, let out a predatory grin, cracking her knuckles so loudly it sounded like small firecrackers going off.

"Bring home the glory, Captain! Crush those arrogant bastards!"

"Revenge for Bradley!"

"How lucky of you to let out some steam so early, huh captain?" The black and white haired student said calmly.

"Hahaha! This is gonna be good!" Nichole exclaimed.

The four participants marched onto the field, taking their positions. Nichole’s fiery eyes skipped right past the Myrian and Tricean students, locking instantly onto Victor.

["COUNT WITH US FOLKS! FIVE!"]

"""FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE!!!"""

["MATCH START!"]

Nichole didn’t waste a single millisecond.

An explosion of crimson aura erupted from her boots, shattering the stone floor beneath her as she shot forward with her massive broadblade, heading straight for Victor.

["WHOA!"] Ken shouted. ["The Riverton Captain is going straight for the throat! She wants Eldorian blood!"]

Victor braced himself, covering his entire body in solid tungsten to boost his offense and defenses.

"Hmph! Bring it!" he grunted, throwing a shattering punch directly at the incoming red-head.

Grinning wildly, Nichole met his fist head-on with an aggressive swing of her blade, infused with an explosive coat of mana.

"Captain! She’s using mana-coating!"

"No!" The black and white haired Rivertonian panicked. "She’s trying to infuse her natural element into it! Is she an idiot!? She hasn’t even perfected it yet! If they clash, she’s gonna–!"

CLANG!

KABOOM!

The force of the impact shattered Victor’s armor into dust and the impact sent them both blasting backwards to the outward arena.

Both were sent crashing high onto the protective barrier and falling hard to the ground below.

"Haha... Howzat, four-eyes?" Nichole got back up in the arena with a limp.

Slowly walking back into the arena himself, Victor adjusted his glasses before wiping his bloody nose. "... How very crude of you, Firestar."

Meeting back in the middle, Victor tried attacking with another tungsten fist, but Nichole was faster. She spun on her heel and delivered a devastating crescent kick directly into the side of his ribs.

"Ngahh–!" Victor gasped, the wind thoroughly knocked out of him as he stumbled back.

Meanwhile, the Tricean student, Hans, tried to capitalize on the chaos, sniping Nichole from afar with a high-voltage lightning rifle. But Nichole’s reflexes were extremely monstrous given the height of her adrenaline.

BZZT—BANG!

She ducked beneath the electrical beam, grabbed the groaning Myrian student, Hana, who was trying to sneak up on her, and literally hurled her body directly into Hans.

"I’m not done yet!" Nichole jumped high and infused her blade with her incomplete mana coating again.

"TAKE THIS!"

SHING!

KABOOM!

Both students were sent flying onto the protective barrier, falling unconscious and in critical condition, whereas Nichole stopped her imminent crash by slamming her blade into the stone.

Victor, showing his immense resilience, roared as he lunged forward, trying to tackle the weakened red-head down. But Nichole wasn’t done yet.

She slipped beneath his guard, grabbed his exposed waist, and executed a flawless, bone-shattering German suplex, planting Victor headfirst into the hard stone floor.

The stadium gasped as the ground cracked. Victor lay there, dazed and completely incapacitated, his eyes rolling back.

""""YEEEAAAHHHH!!!""""

"""RIVERTON!!! RIVERTON!!!"""

Nichole stood up and wiped the sweat from her brow. She didn’t wave to her cheering Riverton crowd. Instead, she turned her head and glared directly at the Eldorian and Myrian benches. She pointed a fierce, bloodied finger directly at Emelie and Ayako.

"Listen to me, you arrogant, high-and-mighty snobs!" Nichole’s voice echoed powerfully through the stadium, completely unamplified but carrying an intense rage.

"Riverton is not your damn background scenery! We are here to win, and we are not to be underestimated! I’m coming for both of your crowns!"

""""YEEEAAAHHHH!!!""""

"""RIVERTON!!! RIVERTON!!!"""

The Riverton stands erupted into an absolute frenzy of wild, chaotic cheers, loving the rebellion of their captain. Emelie simply raised an eyebrow as a slightly amused smirk played on her lips, while Ayako’s smile remained entirely placid.

["Talk about a statement match!"] Commentator Ken yelled, sweating from the hype of the matches. ["The rivalry is boiling over! Let’s see the next line-up!"]

The shuffle spun again, the runes flashing before locking down with a freezing, ominous chime: Izumi Ayako (Myria) vs. Toby (Riverton) vs. Tristan (Tricea) vs. Zack (Eldoria).

The moment Ayako’s face appeared on the giant screens, the eastern stands went into a state of near-religious ecstasy. The Myrian’s chanted her family name in a synchronised, haunting rhythm that filled the entire coliseum with a heavy, chilling presence.

Down at the Eldorian bench, Zack – a laid-back student known for his dark magic – let out a long, miserable sigh. He pulled up his thick black scarf, covering half his face as he slouched his shoulders.

"Ugh... What a painful drag. Why did I have to get matched with the literal boss monster in the early stages?"

"Don’t be a defeatist, Zack! You can do it!" Lily Mathers – the mother of the group – offered a gentle smile.

"Dammit! I’m so jealous you get to fight her!" Junior added. "Just do your best, Zack. We’ll be cheering for you."

"Haaaa... Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. I’ll try not to die."

As the four contestants stepped onto the stage, a sudden, freezing chill swept through the entire coliseum.

The ambient temperature dropped so fast that the spectators in the front rows could literally see their own breath in the air. Hope shivered, cuddling closer to Kurt’s side, and Kurt wrapped a fragment of his blazer around her shoulders, narrowing his gaze he watched Ayako step onto the arena floor with a graceful, almost ethereal stride.

["WITH ME FOLKS! FIVE!"]

"""FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE!!!"""

["MATCH THREE, BEGIN!"]

The Riverton student Toby and the Tricean Tritsan immediately recognised the danger.

They both bolted backward, intending to keep their distance and form a ranged barrage. Tristan unleashed a stream of explosives from his gauntlets, while Toby threw a dozen explosive daggers infused with wind magic.

Ayako didn’t draw her katana. She didn’t even take her hands out of her long sleeves. She merely took a single, dainty step forward.

Snap.

A wave of frost erupted from her boot. The incoming explosives were instantly frozen mid-air, turning into a beautiful, harmless sculpture of solid ice before shattering into a million sparkling diamonds.

The explosive wind daggers were caught in a sudden blizzard, their kinetic energy completely neutralized as they dropped to the floor, encased in thick ice cubes.

["Unbelievable!"] Princess Faye shouted. ["And just like that, Izumi Ayako has made her presence known!"]

Ayako offered her opponents a soft condescending smile. She began to wander lazily across the arena, completely toying with them. Every time Tristan tried to run, a sudden spike of earth would erupt right beneath his boot, tripping him over. Every time Toby tried to throw a weapon, his fingers would instantly burn at the metal, making him yell in frustration.

She was treating two of the continent’s finest prodigies like absolute toddlers in a playground.

Within a minute of psychological torture, both the Tricean and Riverton representatives were completely frozen up to their necks in beautiful, shimmering pillars of unbreakable ice, unable to move a single muscle.

[["And just like that, it’s a 1v1!"] Commentator Ken yelled as the crowd leaned forward in their seats. ["It’s down to Izumi Ayako and Eldoria’s Zack!"]

Zack stood at the edge of the arena. He looked at the two frozen statues across the field, then looked at Ayako, who turned her sharp, predatory gaze directly onto him with eyes that gleamed in anticipation.

Zack stared at her for exactly three seconds. Then, with a slow motion, he raised his arms in a clear, unambiguous gesture of surrender.

"Yeah, absolutely not," Zack said, his voice muffled by his black scarf as he turned around and began walking off the stage. "I know when I’m beat. I value my limbs too much for this. I yield."

"""".....""""

The entire coliseum was stunned into a brief silence before bursting into a mixture of laughter and roaring cheers.

["A complete, strategic surrender!"] Commentator Ken laughed. ["Zack chooses survival! And the victory goes to the undisputed Queen of Myria – Izumi Ayako!"]

"""YEEEAAAHHHHH!!!"""

The eastern stands went absolutely wild, their chants echoing through the sky as Ayako let out a soft giggle. Her eyes drifted toward Emelie as she smoothly walked off the field, the stage set for an even grander clash.