Meanwhile, on another part of the arena, Gealion and the Lamia were locked in a battle that was every bit as fierce as the duel between Rhys and Mirova.Their fight wasn’t decided by speed or overwhelming magical abilities.It was a clash between flawless martial skill and unstoppable physical power.After forcing Gealion a step to the side, the Lamia spun her glaive in a smooth arc.The weapon gathered momentum before slicing toward his flank with tremendous force.Gealion met it head-on.Activating Absolute Strength, he slammed one massive paw down onto the glaive.The impact stopped the blade cold.He immediately increased the pressure, hoping to pin the weapon and wrench it from her hands.The Lamia had expected exactly that.With practiced precision, she loosened her grip just enough to pull the glaive free without losing her balance.At almost the same moment, her long serpent tail whipped toward Gealion.He opened his jaws wide, ready to bite straight through it.The Lamia reac

Pants*The squirrel girl panted as she struggled to catch her breath.Her body was covered in cuts and bruises, and blood dripped from several wounds, yet the fire in her eyes never faded.She refused to back down.Unfortunately, her body no longer listened as well as it had at the start of the battle.Every movement felt heavier than the last.The swordsman wasted no time.He charged straight toward her.The squirrel girl immediately tried to activate another earth technique.Before she could finish, the mage slammed his staff into the ground.Dark tentacles burst upward.She had no choice but to abandon her spell and dodge.That brief interruption was all the swordsman needed.He closed the distance in an instant.Clang!Her claws met his twin blades.Again.And again.Their weapons collided repeatedly.Although she managed to keep up for several exchanges, the difference in skill gradually became obvious.The swordsman controlled the pace of the fight.His blades couldn’t cut throu

The battle between Gealion and the Lamia dragged on without either of them showing any intention of retreating.Gealion swung another massive paw.Bang!The slap landed with terrifying force.The Lamia’s head snapped to the side, and her vision blurred. For an instant, it felt as though her consciousness had slipped away.Then she forced herself back.Before her knees could buckle, she tightened her grip on her glaive and struck back.The blade carved across Gealion’s body once again.She clenched her teeth in frustration.Why won’t it go any deeper?She had cut down every Elite-Class Abyssal they had encountered.None of them had possessed a body as absurdly durable as Gealion’s.Even after countless successful strikes, she still couldn’t cut through his flesh.Gealion only laughed.That wild grin never left his face.He looked less like someone fighting for victory and more like a warrior enjoying every second of battle.Another paw crashed into her.Blood burst from her mouth.Even

“Rhys wins!”For a brief moment, the entire arena remained strangely quiet.No one moved.No one spoke.The spectators simply stared at Rhys as their minds slowly caught up with what had just happened.He had really done it.He had defeated Mirova.Then, as the reality finally sank in…The stadium exploded.“Uooohhh!”“Rhys won!”Cheers erupted from every direction.Maeve and Laura looked at each other before breaking into wide smiles.Without saying a word, they slapped their hands together in a triumphant high-five.Neither of them looked particularly surprised.Somewhere deep down, they had believed Rhys could pull it off.“This is unbelievable.”“I’ve got goosebumps.”“He actually defeated Mirova.”The excitement only continued to grow.Everyone knew this wasn’t an ordinary victory.Rhys had challenged one of the academy’s strongest second-year students head-on.Yes, Anubis had healed him throughout the fight.But no one thought that was unfair.Mirova was older, possessed far gre

“Congratulations on your victory.”Grace greeted him with a casual wave as Rhys approached.“Thanks.”Rhys returned the nod with a smile.Grace folded her arms.“I bet the Silent Night Tea Party and the Merchant Association are already holding emergency meetings.”“They’re probably trying to figure out what kind of offer they can use to recruit you.”“Hahaha…”Rhys couldn’t help laughing.Grace frowned.“And what’s so funny?”“You do realize that if you reject them outright, there’s a good chance they’ll take it personally.”“You should probably think of a convincing excuse now.”Rhys simply waved a hand.“You don’t have to worry about that.”“I won’t need an excuse.”Grace tilted her head.“What do you mean?”“If they can’t come up with an offer worth considering…”“…then there’s nothing for me to reject.”Grace stared at him for a moment.“…Explain.”Rhys smiled.“The day after tomorrow, my teacher and I are heading to the Grand Magic Tower.”“We’ll be presenting a new theory about