The Round 2 of the tournament begins..
The bracket shimmered above the arena.
Round Two — Match One
Iren vs Ardyn Frost
A wave of murmurs spread instantly.
"That's Frost!"
"The ice specialist from Second Year!"
"And the other one… isn't that the guy who didn't use magic in Round One?"
"Does he even have any?"
Iren stepped into the arena calmly, his steel longsword resting lightly at his side.
Across from him stood Ardyn Frost.
Second Year.
Weapon: Ice-forged longsword.
The temperature around him dropped with every breath.
Thin mist rolled across the stone floor.
Professor Helric ( refree) raised his hand.
"Victory conditions remain the same. Ring out. Knockout. Or surrender."
He lowered it.
"Begin!"
GONNNNNG—!
---
Opening Clash
Ardyn moved first.
"Glacial Acceleration."
Ice formed beneath his boots—
CRRRRKK!
He shot forward like a streak of white lightning.
Iren lifted his blade—
CLANG!!
Ice met steel.
Frost instantly crawled up Iren's sword.
The cold bit into his fingers.
Ardyn leaned in slightly.
"You're still hiding it."
Iren pushed back.
"I don't need to."
Ardyn's eyes hardened.
"Then I'll force it out."
---
Frost Domain
Ardyn stepped back and drove his blade into the ground.
"Frost Domain."
KRRRRAAAAAK—!
Ice exploded outward in every direction.
The arena floor froze solid.
Jagged shards rose like fangs.
The temperature plummeted.
Students shivered in the stands.
"Whoa… he's controlling the whole field!"
Iren shifted his stance.
He's turning the battlefield into his weapon.
Ardyn dashed again.
Strike after strike.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Each impact sent cold shockwaves through Iren's arms.
Frost crept up his boots.
Ice shards erupted from below—
SHHK! SHHK!
One grazed his shoulder.
Blood stained white frost.
Iren was completely blocked.
Ardyn exhaled calmly.
"Still won't use it?"
The audience began whispering.
"He's finished…"
"He can't win like that…"
Ardyn raised his sword high.
"Freezing End."
A massive crescent of ice gathered above him.
The air cracked from pressure.
"This ends now!"
He brought it down.
---
Ignition
Iren closed his eyes for a fraction of a second.
If I suppress it any longer… I lose.
A faint crimson glow pulsed beneath his sleeve.
His ring shimmered softly.
Level 1 — Ignition.
Not an explosion.
Not chaos.
Heat flowed smoothly through his veins.
His heartbeat steadied.
His muscles tightened.
He opened his eyes.
The frost consuming his sword began to melt.
SSSSSSSSSS—
Steam rose violently.
Ardyn's strike descended—
Iren's sword split.
SHKK!
Steel separated into two blazing daggers.
He crossed them upward—
CLAAAAANG!!!
The massive ice blade stopped mid-descent.
For one suspended heartbeat—
Fire and frost screamed against each other.
Then—
Steam erupted.
BOOOOOOM—!
The entire arena vanished in white.
Gasps filled the stands.
But the surrounding mana barrier shimmered, projecting the battle clearly to every spectator.
They could see everything.
Inside the mist—
Ardyn steadied himself.
"…Heat magic?"
His frost armor thickened across his chest and shoulders.
"Then freeze!"
He lunged blindly.
---
The Blazing Dash
A pulse of red light flared from Iren's ring.
His speed sharpened.
The blazing daggers burned brighter—
Not wild flames.
Condensed heat.
Controlled.
Then—
FWSSSH!
He vanished.
A streak of red cut through the mist.
SHK!
First strike.
A blazing dagger carved across Ardyn's shoulder armor.
Ice cracked.
"What—?!"
Before Ardyn could react—
FWSSSH!
Second dash.
Opposite angle.
SHHK!
Another slash.
Frost splintered.
Students leaned forward.
"He's too fast!"
"That's not reinforcement magic!"
Again—
FWSSSH!
Third dash.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Each movement precise.
Each hit deliberate.
Blazing steel striking frozen defense.
CRRRRRAAAAAK!!
Ardyn's frost armor shattered completely.
Fragments scattered across the arena floor.
Steam began thinning slowly.
Revealing the final exchange.
Ardyn staggered, breathing hard.
Ice melting from his shoulders.
Iren appeared directly in front of him.
Daggers blazing softly.
Eyes calm.
Not angry.
Not wild.
Controlled.
Ardyn tried one last desperate swing—
But his balance faltered on melting frost.
Iren stepped in—
And drove a clean kick into his abdomen.
THUD—!
Ardyn flew backward—
Sliding across ice—
Crossing the boundary line.
The referee's voice thundered:
"Ring Out!"
Silence.
Then—
"Winner… Iren!"
---
Aftermath
The arena erupted.
"WHAT MAGIC WAS THAT?!"
"I've never seen flames like that!"
"He melted frost armor instantly!"
To the students—
It was simply something new.
Something overwhelming.
Something beyond standard casting.
Among the teachers—
The reaction was different.
Professor Helric stared intently.
"…That aura density…"
Another instructor muttered quietly,
"It matches the ancient descriptions…"
But they did not speak further.
High above—
In the private balcony—
Headmaster Aldaric Dain watched without moving.
His sharp eyes followed Iren as he extinguished the flames instantly.
The daggers reformed into a single steel blade.
No trace of heat remained.
Just a quiet boy walking away.
Aldaric Dain folded his hands.
His expression did not show shock.
Nor alarm.
Only contemplation.
Then—
A slow, thoughtful smile appeared on his lips.
His eyes lingered on Iren's back as he exited the arena.
And he said nothing.
---