The atmosphere surrounding the tournament grounds had become heavier after every passing round.
The excitement from the early matches was still there, but now it mixed together with tension and pressure strong enough to suffocate weaker competitors. The crowds filling the stadium no longer came just to watch flashy magic.
Now they came to witness monsters clash.
Only eight schools remained.
And by the end of today—
Only one would remain.
The referee floated high above the arena, his amplified voice echoing throughout the massive stadium.
"The match begins now!"
The barriers around the arena shimmered brightly as two academies stepped onto the battlefield.
On one side stood Greda Academy, proudly carrying the title of the greatest academy in the west. Their uniforms were decorated with silver lines across dark blue coats, every student carrying themselves with confidence born from countless victories.
On the opposite side stood Dame's Academy.
The academy known throughout the kingdom as the Land of Women.
The three girls representing Dame's Academy calmly walked toward their positions beneath the thunderous cheers of the audience.
Lina Chun.
Bertha Liver.
Cindy Plat.
Unlike Greda Academy's confident entrance, the three girls barely reacted to the crowd at all. Their expressions remained calm and focused as if this was simply another ordinary battle.
"They look relaxed," Leon commented while watching from the waiting area.
Lily narrowed her eyes slightly.
"No…"
She quietly observed the way the three girls spread apart the instant they entered the arena.
"They're prepared."
The match started immediately.
Greda Academy attacked first.
The western academy clearly intended to overwhelm Dame's Academy before they could establish control over the battlefield. Spells exploded forward one after another as wind blades and stone projectiles tore across the arena.
Bertha moved first.
The tall girl stepped forward alone and intercepted the attacks head on.
Boom!
The arena floor cracked beneath her feet as she smashed apart a stone projectile with a punch wrapped in mana. Wind blades struck her body moments later only to scatter harmlessly away.
"She's acting as the shield," Issac muttered while observing carefully.
Meanwhile Lina and Cindy remained behind her.
At first nothing about their teamwork seemed especially dangerous.
Cindy continuously cast support spells from the rear while Lina simply moved around the battlefield avoiding direct confrontation.
The crowd gradually began favoring Greda Academy.
Their aggressive attacks forced Dame's Academy entirely onto the defensive.
But Lily noticed something strange.
"…They're too calm."
Leon looked over.
"Huh?"
"Dame's Academy."
Lily kept watching Lina specifically.
"She's not trying to win exchanges."
Lina continued retreating while weaving through attacks with careful movements. Every now and then her fingers lightly brushed against one of Greda Academy's students during close encounters.
Tiny contact.
Almost unnoticeable.
The audience ignored it completely.
But Lily's eyes sharpened.
"She's marking them…"
Leon blinked.
"What?"
Before Lily could answer—
Everything changed.
One of Greda Academy's students suddenly froze mid movement.
Not physically.
His mana froze.
For only a split second his spell collapsed unexpectedly.
That tiny opening became fatal.
Bertha instantly crossed the distance like an explosion.
BANG!
Her fist slammed directly into his defense, shattering it apart and launching him across the arena barrier.
"Eliminated!"
The audience erupted.
But before Greda Academy could even recover from the shock—
A second student staggered violently.
His body twisted unnaturally as if some invisible force had suddenly seized control of his balance.
Cindy immediately cast a spell from the rear.
A concentrated blast of mana struck him directly in the chest.
Second elimination.
The entire arena fell silent for a brief moment.
Two participants gone in mere seconds.
"What happened?" Leon asked in confusion.
Lily frowned thoughtfully.
"She fulfilled some kind of condition beforehand."
The image of Lina lightly touching opponents earlier replayed in Lily's mind.
"That magic probably activates after she marks someone."
The remaining Greda Academy participant immediately realized the danger and desperately tried to create distance from Lina.
Too late.
Bertha continuously pressured from the front while Cindy disrupted spellcasting from afar. Lina moved through the battlefield calmly like a hunter cornering trapped prey.
Greda Academy still fought fiercely despite losing two members.
But the moment they became cautious of Lina's touch, their movements slowed.
And against opponents at this level—
Hesitation was deadly.
The match ended shortly after.
"Winner! Dame's Academy!"
Thunderous applause exploded throughout the arena as the three girls calmly exited without celebrating.
"They're dangerous…" Leon muttered.
Lily silently agreed.
The frightening part wasn't their individual strength.
It was their chemistry.
None of them wasted movements.
None of them panicked.
Every action connected naturally together as though the three shared the same mind.
And that made them terrifying.
The arena crews quickly repaired the battlefield before the next match began.
The atmosphere shifted once more as two new academies entered.
Immutable Academy of potential.
Versus.
Telos Academy of the common.
Unlike the previous match, the crowd seemed especially excited for Immutable Academy.
Their academy had become famous recently for producing students with strange abilities completely unlike ordinary elemental magic.
Phil Thompson walked at the center of the group with a lazy expression as if he had no interest in the tournament at all.
Beside him stood Theo Mitch whose eyes constantly scanned the battlefield calmly.
The final member, Tava Grel, quietly carried several metallic objects attached around his waist.
"They don't look special," Leon commented.
Issac adjusted his goggles slightly.
"The dangerous ones usually don't."
The match began.
Telos Academy immediately demonstrated their ability.
Their coordination with elemental magic was incredible.
Flames spiraled together with wind to increase speed and heat while walls of earth protected their rear fighter perfectly. Water magic flowed around their formation to interfere with enemy footing.
Every spell was polished.
Efficient.
Powerful.
For the first few minutes, Immutable Academy was pushed entirely onto the defensive.
Explosions continuously shook the arena as Telos Academy pressured them from every direction.
But something felt wrong.
The attacks kept missing.
Not all of them.
Just enough to become frustrating.
Spells that should have landed barely brushed past their targets. Attacks aimed perfectly somehow shifted at the last moment.
Then suddenly—
One of Telos Academy's students was struck violently from the side by absolutely nothing.
The audience gasped.
The student stumbled across the arena in shock while desperately looking around.
"There!" someone in the crowd shouted.
A faint outline briefly flickered beside him before disappearing again.
Leon's eyes widened.
"Invisibility?"
Lily frowned.
Not complete invisibility.
The distortion was subtle but still visible if someone focused hard enough.
Whoever possessed that magic was skilled enough to move around the battlefield almost entirely unseen.
The invisible attacks immediately disrupted Telos Academy's formation.
And at the same time—
Another strange phenomenon began occurring.
Attacks started behaving unnaturally.
A fireball shot forward at normal speed before suddenly accelerating violently midway through its path.
An earth spear moving slowly suddenly exploded forward like a launched arrow.
Even falling debris behaved strangely.
"What is that?" Leon asked.
Issac narrowed his eyes carefully.
"…Something's interfering with motion itself."
The battlefield became increasingly chaotic afterward.
Telos Academy tried adapting quickly, but the unpredictability completely ruined their rhythm.
One moment their attacks moved normally.
The next moment their own momentum betrayed them.
A student attempting to dodge suddenly slid far farther than intended across the arena.
Another tried blocking an attack only for the force behind his movement to shift unexpectedly.
Their coordination slowly collapsed.
Meanwhile invisible pressure continuously assaulted them from every angle.
The audience grew louder with every passing minute as confusion spread throughout the arena.
Nobody fully understood what Immutable Academy's magic actually was.
And that uncertainty alone created pressure.
Eventually one of Telos Academy's students unknowingly stepped onto a prepared section of the battlefield.
Click.
A hidden trap activated beneath his feet.
Mana chains erupted upward and restrained him long enough for Phil to eliminate him instantly.
After losing a member, Telos Academy's situation rapidly worsened.
They were strong.
Stronger than many academies remaining in the tournament.
But fighting against abilities they could not properly understand exhausted them mentally.
Their elemental magic was refined.
Immutable Academy's magic was unpredictable.
And unpredictability often won in battle.
The referee eventually raised his hand.
"Winner! Immutable Academy!"
Cheers thundered throughout the stadium.
Only four schools remained now.
Formosa Academy.
Bayarm Academy.
Dame's Academy.
Immutable Academy.
The strongest academies left standing.
Lily tightly held her staff with both hands while staring toward the opposite waiting area where Bayarm Academy quietly prepared themselves.
"Bayarm Academy huh…"
Her voice remained calm, but her eyes were focused.
Beside her, Leon continuously cut sheets of paper into smaller prepared pieces while speaking nervously.
"Don't they have that one guy with mind manipulation powers?"
Lily glanced toward him.
"His magic doesn't seem to actually be mind manipulation."
She replayed the previous matches carefully in her mind.
"From what I observed, it's more like influence. Suggestions maybe. Emotional interference too perhaps."
Leon still looked uncomfortable.
"That's still creepy."
Lily shrugged slightly.
"Who knows. Maybe he's actually at the level of the Sovereign of Darkness and all our minds are already under his control."
Leon immediately stiffened before slowly looking around suspiciously.
"…Don't say things like that."
Lily smiled faintly.
Nearby, Issac quietly cleaned his metallic tools one by one without joining the conversation. His expression remained focused as he checked every mechanism carefully.
Unlike Leon, Issac prepared silently.
After watching the other two matches, the three of them had mostly recovered their mana and stamina.
More importantly—
They had developed a rough plan.
Bayarm Academy specialized in disrupting opponents mentally and controlling the pace of battle. If Formosa Academy allowed themselves to be dragged into confusion, they would lose.
So their strategy was simple.
Attack first.
Pressure continuously.
Never allow Bayarm Academy enough time to control the battlefield.
The referee floated toward the center of the arena once more.
"NEXT MATCH!"
The crowd exploded instantly.
"FORMOSA ACADEMY!"
The cheers shook the stadium itself.
"VERSUS!"
A brief pause heightened the tension.
"BAYARM ACADEMY!"
Another wave of applause erupted from the audience.
Lily slowly exhaled.
Leon gathered stacks of prepared paper into his coat.
Issac adjusted his goggles before attaching several tools onto his belt.
The three exchanged one final glance.
Then together—
They stepped toward the arena entrance.
And as the massive gates slowly opened before them—
The students of Bayarm Academy were already waiting on the opposite side.