A chilling whistle tore across the arena as razor-sharp water blades erupted into existence, surging toward Ashan like a violent storm of glimmering blue needles.
The projectiles came so fast that most fighters would have been shredded before they even realized what was happening; dodging something like that at such range was nearly impossible for an ordinary combatant.
But Ashan was not ordinary.
The moment the blades launched, he moved.
His body burst into motion as he sprinted across the arena floor, weaving through the deadly storm with astonishing precision. Each step was placed perfectly, his body twisting and shifting through narrow gaps between the incoming blades as if he had predicted their paths long before they were fired.
The speed alone was shocking, but what truly stunned the audience was the fluidity of his movement. There was no hesitation, no wasted motion. Every turn of his shoulder, every pivot of his foot flowed seamlessly into the next, like a dancer gliding through a battlefield.
To the spectators, he was almost impossible to follow.
"H-His footwork…!" someone gasped from the stands, leaning forward in disbelief. "It's so fast I can barely see him!"
Rianne, standing across the arena, clenched her teeth so hard the muscles in her jaw twitched.
Fury burned fiercely in her eyes as she watched Ashan slip through attack after attack as if her spells were nothing more than falling leaves.
"STOP RUNNING, YOU RAT!"
Her shout echoed across the arena as she raised both arms high into the air. Mana surged violently around her body, spiraling upward like a gathering storm.
The water blades that had missed their target suddenly reacted.
In mid-flight, they grew.
Their sleek shapes twisted and expanded, the liquid solidifying into enormous crescent weapons that froze instantly into massive ice scythes. The blades screamed through the air with a bone-chilling howl as their size and destructive force multiplied several times over.
Ashan halted instantly.
"…Now it's time."
His voice was calm, almost indifferent.
He exhaled slowly.
Then his pupils changed.
The green color vanished as his eyes turned completely white, glowing faintly with an eerie, unnatural radiance.
The transformation happened in a single instant.
And the entire S-rank spectator section reacted.
Morevan's eyes widened so sharply they almost bulged from his skull.
"His eyes…!" he muttered in disbelief. "They turned white!? What is that supposed to be? By… Byaku-what!?"
Rowan leaned forward in his seat, squinting down toward the arena floor.
"Did the guy just turn blind or something?"
Even Maren, who rarely showed emotion during matches, narrowed her eyes as her gaze sharpened with sudden interest.
Down in the arena, Ashan's hands blurred into motion.
His fingers moved so quickly that the audience could barely distinguish the sequence of hand seals he formed.
Lightning exploded into existence around his palm.
[Chidori Senbon]
With a flick of his arm, the energy discharged.
A storm of crackling electric bullets erupted from his hand, streaking forward like a swarm of furious hornets made of pure lightning.
They collided with the incoming ice scythes in mid-air.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Explosions erupted one after another as lightning and ice clashed violently across the battlefield. Shards of frozen mana shattered apart under the impact, scattering across the sky like shattered glass.
Rianne's expression cracked with shock.
"He destroyed my spells… with THAT!?"
Her fists tightened instinctively as she forced herself to regain control of the situation.
Water spiraled violently around her arm, condensing and twisting into a deadly shape that radiated cold energy.
"Let's see if you can handle THIS!"
Above her head, the mana gathered into a colossal spear of ice. The weapon rapidly expanded until it towered over her body, its enormous tip glowing with an ominous blue light that chilled the surrounding air.
With a sharp motion, she hurled it.
The moment the spear left her hand, the air split with a thunderous scream.
Ashan did not dodge.
Instead, he lowered his center of gravity, bending his knees as lightning crackled faintly around his body.
Then he jumped.
The ground beneath his feet fractured violently as he launched himself upward, shooting directly toward the descending ice spear.
[Rikiri]
Lightning chakra erupted around his fist like a violent storm.
Ashan punched forward.
His fist collided head-on with the massive spear.
KRRRRRRSHHHHH!!!
The impact shattered the weapon instantly.
The gigantic structure of ice exploded apart as Ashan's punch tore through its core, sending thousands of frozen shards scattering across the arena like glittering snowfall.
Gasps erupted from every corner of the stadium.
"D-Did he just punch through that ice spear!?"
"He broke it like it was nothing!"
"Is this guy REALLY just a B-ranker!?"
Ashan continued moving even as the fragments rained down around him.
Landing lightly on one of the falling ice chunks, he used it as a temporary foothold before leaping again, bouncing from shard to shard as he rapidly closed the distance toward Rianne.
Seeing him approach so quickly sent a spike of panic through her chest.
'He's coming! I have to defend!'
Before she could react further, Ashan appeared above her like a descending shadow.
He inhaled deeply.
[Fire Style: Fireball Technique]
A swirling sphere of blazing fire erupted from his mouth, roaring downward toward her position.
Rianne immediately crossed her arms in front of her body, bracing herself.
FWOOOOSH!
The flames washed over her completely.
And then they vanished.
When the fire cleared, she stood there unharmed.
A smug smile slowly appeared on her face.
"Fire doesn't work on me," she said confidently. "I nullify…"
But Ashan was already forming another set of seals while still falling through the air.
Zevi, watching from the sidelines, leaned forward with excitement.
"Ohhhh… here we go…"
Ashan inhaled again, his chest expanding.
[Fire Style: Dragon Flame Release Song Technique]
Multiple streams of blazing fire erupted from his mouth, twisting and shaping themselves into enormous dragon heads formed entirely from roaring flames.
They surged forward in all directions.
Each dragon roared as it shot across the battlefield, their blazing bodies weaving through the air as they closed in on Rianne from every angle.
Her heart dropped instantly.
"M-Monsters!?"
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she raised her arms to block.
"What kind of spell is THIS!?"
She attempted to counter the incoming flames with her nullification skill, desperately trying to stop them before they reached her.
But one of the flaming dragons suddenly veered upward.
It slammed directly into the mana stage she was standing on.
CRRRRRRRKKKKK!!!
The floating platform shattered violently under the impact.
"Ah…!?"
The structure collapsed beneath her feet, breaking apart into fragments as she lost her footing.
'Shit…!'
Her mind raced as she began to fall.
'He broke the stage while forcing me to defend…! I was careless!'
She thrust her hands downward, releasing a burst of mana just before hitting the ground. Ice rapidly formed beneath her feet, creating a slippery ramp that caught her descent.
Her body slid violently across the ice as she landed on the arena floor below.
The audience erupted into shocked screams.
As she skidded to a halt, Rianne slammed both palms against the ground.
Mana surged outward in a violent wave.
From the arena floor, countless ice spears erupted upward, piercing through the surface like an army of frozen lances.
Within seconds, thousands of gleaming spikes hovered above her head, forming a massive storm of suspended death.
The sky above the arena turned white with frozen steel.
"DIE!!!"
With a furious scream, she sent the entire barrage crashing down toward Ashan.
Ashan narrowed his glowing white eyes.
His hands began moving again.
The speed of his seals increased dramatically, blurring into dozens of afterimages.
He inhaled deeply.
[Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation]
The moment he exhaled, the world exploded into flame.
A massive ocean of fire erupted from his mouth, surging outward in an unstoppable wave that spread across the battlefield like a tidal surge of pure destruction.
WHOOSH!!!
The flames expanded at terrifying speed.
Half the arena was swallowed instantly.
The descending ice spears evaporated the moment they touched the inferno, melting into vapor before they could even reach their target.
Rianne's eyes widened in absolute horror.
"This…!"
Her voice trembled.
"I can't block this!!"
In desperation, she raised both arms.
[Reflection Barrier]
A transparent green sphere formed around her body just as the firestorm crashed down upon her.
KWOOM!!!
The impact shook the entire arena.
Outside the barrier, an endless sea of flames raged violently, devouring everything in sight.
Inside it, Rianne trembled as sweat poured down her face.
The heat alone made her body shake uncontrollably.
The flames surged outward, rushing toward the audience stands, but the arena's massive protective barrier intercepted the attack and held firm. Without it, the spectators would have been incinerated instantly.
For a moment,
The entire stadium fell silent.
Then chaos erupted.
"What the hell WAS THAT!?"
"Is that even magic!?"
"He covered HALF THE ARENA with one attack!"
Lunara clutched her chest, her face pale.
"That spell… that's far beyond B-rank… far beyond…"
Watching from a distant section, Eirena stood frozen.
"There's no way I could outrun that…" she whispered. "Not even with all my movement skills…"
Narasha's eyes widened in stunned realization.
'A sea of fire… Ashan can do that too…?'
Elara and the others stared at the battlefield in disbelief.
Nevil's jaw had completely dropped.
Beside him, Zevi muttered in amazement.
"He nuked the arena… he actually nuked the arena…"
Up in the S-rank seating area, Morevan's pupils contracted sharply as his perception ability revealed the technique names hidden within the attack.
Great Fire Annihilation.
Dragon Flame Release Song Technique.
He slammed his hand against the armrest of his chair.
"Those aren't spells!" he shouted. "That's.. THAT'S NOT EVEN MAGIC!"
Rowan leaned forward with a wide grin.
"Now THIS is a monster," he said eagerly. "I finally found someone worth watching."
Luphar swallowed nervously.
'My hunch was right… that guy possesses some kind of unknown power…'
Even Draven remained speechless as he stared down at the arena.
'There's no way someone with B-rank mana can cast something like that.'
Every S-ranker present could feel it.
The sheer weight of Ashan's power was something none of them had ever seen before.
Standing there on the battlefield, the B-rank student was breathing an ocean of fire like a mythical dragon.
Maren suddenly rose from her seat, staring down at the scene with disbelief.
"Unbelievable… Are all of you seeing the same thing I am?"
Sisiliya covered her mouth in shock.
Nearby, Aren felt an old memory stir in the depths of his mind, a memory he would never forget.
"How…" he murmured quietly.
"How can a child like that perform something like this?"