Chapter 172 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

The matches continued.

Next, Lina and the others went up one after another.

Lina displayed formidable mobility, easily defeating her Tier Eight Peak opponent.

Samanra and Sacra also won their respective matches.

Sabiba's opponent was a Tier Nine Newly Advanced from Class Two. The two went back and forth, and although Sabiba lost in the end, it was a defeat with honor.

As for Nan, there was even less to say.

His opponent happened to be a classmate. The moment the guy saw his opponent was Nan, he conceded immediately.

Nan's strength was unquestionable. In Class One, except for Zhang Ye, anyone who faced Nan would only end up getting thrashed.

The next match drew everyone's attention.

This match was Copico's turn, and his opponent was none other than the Night Prince of Class Two, Gajeel!

As soon as they stepped onto the stage, the showy Copico immediately drew upon the water element, putting on a shocking entrance effect. Not to be outdone, Gajeel instantly unleashed his aura, black mana surging around him. Standing with his hands behind his back, he looked down at Copico with a proud, arrogant expression.

Copico was instantly displeased to see someone being even flashier than himself.

As the match began, Copico immediately went on the offensive, unleashing a Tier Eight water tornado toward Gajeel.

In the next instant, however, Gajeel suddenly emitted a wave of energy that covered half the stage, forming a hemispherical black region.

Any magic that entered this black region was instantly weakened. By the time the water tornado reached Gajeel, its power had dropped below Tier Six. With a mere wave of his hand, Gajeel dispersed it.

Copico's brow furrowed. He knew Gajeel was extremely powerful and that he was certainly no match for him.

However, he was unwilling to just give up like that.

Thus, he unleashed his full power, hurling countless water spells directly at Gajeel.

Yet, any spell that entered the black region was rapidly weakened, failing to inflict any damage on Gajeel.

Meanwhile, Gajeel slowly walked toward Copico.

Copico was a pure mage whose mana rank had reached Tier Eight Peak, but his physical strength was only Tier Six. He was no match for Gajeel, who practiced Magic-Martial Dual Cultivation, and immediately tried to open up some distance.

But Gajeel suddenly reached out and clenched his fist!

The black region expanded rapidly, sweeping past Copico's body in an instant. Immediately, a ring of black mana enveloped Copico, and to his horror, he found that he could no longer project his mana outward to cast spells!

What kind of bizarre power was this!

Not only could it weaken the power of magic, but it could even seal the outward release of mana!

Copico had not mastered any Combat Techniques and was instantly alarmed, but he still persevered and ran backward.

This seal had a time limit. Although he couldn't project his mana to form magic, it didn't hinder his physical movement. He wanted to stall for time and wait for the sealing effect to pass before fighting back.

But how could Gajeel let him have his way?

The shadow beneath Gajeel's feet suddenly shot out, reaching Copico's feet before transforming into countless black ropes that bound him.

Copico was horrified to find himself unable to move or counterattack.

The magical power of a Tier Nine mid stage was an absolute suppression against him!

“Shadow Swap,” Gajeel sneered, directly swapping places with a shadow under Copico's feet. Appearing right in front of Copico, he threw a simple, unadorned punch.

“Hold back!” the referee called out hastily.

At such a short distance and with such a rapid burst of speed, even a One-star Saint-tier referee couldn't intervene in time to save him.

Hold back?

Gajeel sneered in disdain.

Besides, having lost their previous wager, he was determined to reclaim his dignity on the stage!

Even if Class Two lost to Class One, he, Gajeel, would not lose to Zhang Ye!

With this thought, the malice in his heart flared even hotter, and he punched Copico squarely in the chest.

“Pfft!” Copico was instantly sent flying, spitting up blood mid-air.

Seeing this, the referee frowned but still announced, “Number 86, victory!”

On the stage, fists, kicks, and magic had no eyes. The academy would not restrict the students' performance, leaving everything to their own discretion.

If an accident occurred, one could only blame their own lack of skill; after all, no one would hold back on a real battlefield.

Thus, Gajeel would not face any punishment for severely injuring Copico with a single punch.

“Chips!” Zhang Ye gasped in shock. He was the first to rush forward, catching Copico. He immediately cast healing magic and examined his injuries.

Three fractured ribs, damaged internal organs, and internal bleeding—it was an absolute, severe injury!

Copico kept spitting up blood, his body trembling from the intense pain as his face turned pale.

Zhang Ye quickly picked him up, continuously casting spells to stabilize his condition.

“It hurts so much...” Copico gasped with difficulty.

“Hang in there, just bear with it. It'll stop hurting soon...” Zhang Ye consoled him hastily, the rage in his eyes completely impossible to hide.

He wouldn't go and question Gajeel on why he had struck so ruthlessly, because he knew their sides were already hostile, and Gajeel had no obligation to hold back.

Therefore, he would only repay him in kind on the arena stage!

Leona also came over, casting magic to heal Copico's injuries. Zhang Ye held him, letting him lean against him to ease some of the pain.

Watching this, Gajeel sneered at Zhang Ye, his provocation as clear as day.

Zhang Ye stared back, his gaze chillingly cold.

You'd better pray you get a bye, or else I'll show you the true meaning of cruelty!

The next match was Zhang Ye's. Leaving Copico in Renomon's care, Zhang Ye leaped onto the stage.

His opponent was a classmate, a Dwarf.

The moment the Dwarf saw Zhang Ye, he shrank his neck back and conceded immediately.

Zhang Ye felt somewhat helpless.

Finally, the one hundred matches concluded. Except for Copico and Sabiba, everyone successfully advanced to the top fifty.

Copico also recovered under everyone's care.

“Are you doing alright?” Zhang Ye asked with concern.

Copico nodded. “Don't worry, Ye-ge, I'm alive and kicking!”

Leona's healing magic was highly effective. Copico's injuries were mostly healed and would fully recover by the end of the day, which wouldn't affect the Monthly Test tomorrow and the day after at all.

Zhang Ye breathed a sigh of relief and said, “If you run into an opponent you can't defeat, don't force it. Concede immediately. There's no shame in losing. Protecting yourselves is what matters most, got it?”

These words were not just for Copico, but for everyone.

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

After a brief rest, the matches resumed.

This round was to determine the top twenty-five. Opponents were drawn randomly. The first match featured Lina against a Tier Nine Newly Advanced from Class Two, and she ultimately secured the victory.

Next was Samanra, who unexpectedly faced Shana.

Shana's rank was the same as Samanra's, both being Tier Nine early stage, close to the mid stage. However, due to elemental attributes and the fact that Shana's Bursting Flame magic was among the most powerful of fire spells, Samanra lost this match.

Renomon's opponent was also a classmate, a member of the Rock Spirit Race. The Rock Spirit Race had bodies covered in rock, possessing high defense and a natural affinity for earth magic, and this opponent was also a practitioner of Magic-Martial Dual Cultivation. However, their rank was only Tier Eight Peak, so Renomon won without suspense.

Sacra lost to a Tier Nine gold-attribute pure mage from Class Two, but it was still a defeat with honor.

Gajeel's opponent was Paige. Paige's magic was pervasive, but in terms of single-target damage, she was no match for Gajeel. After fighting for a short while, Paige knew she was outmatched and conceded.