The Arena, which had still been somewhat noisy, instantly fell quiet.
Every gaze turned in unison toward the contestant waiting area.
There, two young women stood up almost simultaneously.
One was gray-haired and gray-eyed, her posture straight, her gaze sharp as a blade.
The other had fiery red hair and exquisite features, with a blazing, dazzlingly confident smile on her face.
Victoria Cecil.
Lilith Kahn.
From the very day they stepped through the gates of Glory Cael Magic Academy, these two names had become the hottest and most controversial topics among the freshmen.
As the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Kahn, Lilith Kahn's talent was already known throughout the kingdom.
At just ten years old, she had touched the threshold of Flame Burst—a Supreme-tier fire magic spell—mastering its crude form and sending shockwaves through the entire Royal Magic Advisory Council.
In the years since, her progress in fire magic had been unstoppable. Not only had she mastered most Low-tier fire magic spells, but she had also learned a considerable number of Mid-tier fire spells.
Without a doubt, she was the darling of flames, a walking firestorm, a top-tier genius standing at the pinnacle of her peers.
Victoria Cecil, on the other hand, was her exact opposite.
Coming from a border village commoner background, she possessed no illustrious family or resource privileges, yet through her own effort and astonishing talent, she had made a stunning debut in the entrance exam.
What amazed people most was her exceptionally balanced and powerful affinity for the four basic elements—earth, water, fire, and wind. She could perceive and harness all four!
This meant she was virtually unrestricted by elemental advantages, offering her a vast array of tactical choices and incredible versatility.
What upperclassmen found even more intriguing was the conflict she had with Greg Sass—then still the Duke's son—at the start of the term.
Rumor had it that during the magic conduit evaluation, her overwhelmingly precise control and mana output caused Greg, who had tampered with the test, to embarrass himself publicly and lose face completely.
Though the story hadn't spread widely among the freshmen, it painted her as a formidable figure among upperclassmen and well-informed instructors.
A commoner prodigy rising from obscurity, and the royal Flame Princess.
Two vastly different styles, yet equally captivating.
Now, these two figures who had shaken things up from the moment they enrolled were about to engage in an all-out, head-to-head clash right here on the Arena platform!
Anticipation, excitement, curiosity, scrutiny... various emotions flowed silently through the quiet Arena, almost coalescing into something physical.
The two young women stepped onto the platform.
Victoria's gray eyes looked calmly at Lilith opposite her as she spoke first, “I don't know why you spoke up for me earlier, but I won't hold back because of it.”
Her tone was direct and devoid of pleasantries, displaying no restraint or humility despite her opponent's royal status.
To her, standing on this platform, the opponent was just an opponent—nothing more.
Hearing this, Lilith narrowed her ruby-like eyes slightly and raised her chin, her proud demeanor fully on display:
“Hmph, who said I was speaking up for you? I merely voiced what I felt. Besides, I don't need you to hold back!”
Words clashed with neither giving an inch. From the moment their eyes met, it was as if invisible sparks of lightning were crackling in the air.
It wasn't simple animosity, but an intense desire to completely overpower a worthy rival and prove oneself.
They were like natural rivals, destined to strike the fiercest sparks upon impact.
Standing at the edge of the platform, Professor Grace Quinn adjusted her frameless glasses, her light brown eyes sweeping slowly over the two girls.
As a staunch believer in strength above all, her focus was always solely on magical attainment, combat intellect, and force of will.
This match was undoubtedly the duel she anticipated most in this exam.
Between the commoner-born genius and the royal-born genius, who was stronger?
Would balanced, comprehensive adaptability prevail, or would extreme specialization in destructive power gain the upper hand?
With an expression of mild anticipation, she announced the start.
Once the fight began, Victoria took the initiative.
Knowing her opponent was extraordinarily skilled in fire magic, she naturally chose not to collide with her using the same attribute. Instead, she launched a probing attack using water magic, which offered an elemental advantage.
“Water Arrow Volley!”
Victoria shouted softly as her mana surged.
Moisture in the air rapidly gathered, condensing into five transparent, deep-blue water arrows. Arranged in a fan shape, they flew toward Lilith with sharp, whistling shrieks!
Facing the incoming blue water arrows, Lilith showed not a trace of panic; instead, her smile widened.
“Child's play!”
She huffed softly. The small flame dancing on her fingertips suddenly transformed into a crimson chain made of pure fire!
With a flick of her wrist, the fire chain lashed out like a living thing!
Rather than precisely striking each water arrow, it traced a scorching arc through the air!
Sizzle—!
The fire chain collided violently with the cluster of water arrows!
High temperatures clashed fiercely with cold water elements, erupting into a large cloud of scalding white steam with a piercing hiss.
All five water arrows were struck almost simultaneously by the fire chain. The arrowheads vaporized instantly, and the shafts shattered into harmless clouds of mist.
In the moment the spreading mist slightly obscured her view, Victoria relied on her excellent combat instincts and footwork to shift several paces to the side, narrowly dodging the lingering sweep of the fire chain.
The tip of the chain grazed the hem of her clothes, sending a scorching gust of air past her.
“Not bad reactions,” Lilith praised.
Just as Victoria assumed Lilith's offensive would pause and prepared to adjust her stance to counterattack—
Lilith's free left hand was raised at some point, fingers spread, aiming straight at Victoria, who had not yet fully regained her balance!
“Flame Arrow Shower!”
Crimson mana blazed in her palm!
In an instant, over twenty crimson arrows made entirely of compressed fire materialized out of thin air, every arrowhead locked onto Victoria!
No chanting, no lengthy preparation, and without relying on any magic conduit!
The next moment, the twenty-plus fire arrows swarmed like disturbed bees, blanket-covering Victoria with a wave of scorching air and piercing shrieks!
The attack covered a massive area, virtually locking down every angle of escape!
Facing this strike, a flash of genuine surprise passed through Victoria's gray eyes.
She had assumed these young lords and ladies in the royal capital only knew how to hurl magical attacks recklessly, but now, she could at least confirm that this Princess was far trickier than expected.
Facing this unavoidable rain of fire arrows, Victoria made a split-second decision.
She planted her feet firmly on the ground, refused to retreat, and slammed both hands violently against the floor!
“Earth Wall!”
Rumble!
The solid ground of the platform gave a dull thud as a gray-brown earth wall—as tall as Victoria and wide enough to shield her completely—rose abruptly from the ground like a shield thrust up by the earth itself!
The rain of fire arrows slammed violently into the earth wall!
Explosions rang out continuously as crimson fire mixed with flying fragments of earth and stone, sending scorching shockwaves outward that made the spectators near the platform feel the heat on their faces.
A few seconds later, the arrow shower ceased.
The earth wall was battered and covered in scorch marks and craters, yet it still stood.
Victoria stepped slowly out from behind the wall, a little dust clinging to her gray hair and her breathing slightly hurried, but her gaze remained calm and sharp.
She waved her hand to withdraw her mana, and the battered earth wall dissipated into pure earth element, returning to the ground.
Across the platform, Lilith lowered her palm, her ruby eyes fixed tightly on Victoria. The smile on her face remained bright, but deep in her eyes, an unprecedented solemnity and seriousness had taken hold.
She was starting to believe what Greg had said. If she was too careless, she might actually lose to this person.
So, she decided to be careful this time.
Not only because of her desire for victory, but even more because she didn't want to be mocked by that annoying fellow in the dungeon!
Rate on N.U.
