The whistle went off, its piercing cry cutting through the arena.Soren calmly stepped back, his movements measured and unhurried, before drawing the twin swords strapped across his back. The polished blades slid free with crisp metallic rings, gleaming beneath the arena lights. Every movement was clean, elegant, and refined to perfection, carrying the effortless confidence of someone who had repeated the motions tens of thousands of times.One of his teammates immediately stepped forward.Without the slightest hesitation, he drove a massive shield into the stone platform.Boom!The impact reverberated through the stage.Instantly, crimson spiritual light erupted from the shield, spreading outward like rippling waves before arching overhead. Within a heartbeat, it formed a translucent red dome that enveloped every member of Group Twenty-Two, sealing them within an impregnable defensive barrier.Across the battlefield, Bai Luyan smiled broadly.The smile was breathtaking. And dangerous

Ragnar's eyes flew wide open.He shot to his feet so abruptly that his boots scraped loudly against the stone floor.Those mad youths; they had actually taken Professor Mariette's instruction to end it quickly at face value.Instead of conserving strength or calculating the safest route to victory...They had chosen to burn everything.All for the sake of ending the battle in the shortest time possible.Beside him, Darlene stared at the devastated battlefield with her mouth hanging open.She absentmindedly blew a loose strand of hair away from her face, her expression somewhere between disbelief and horror."Bai Luyan's mental illness is still very much active." Her voice came out almost as a whisper. "How could she go to that extent just to drag Soren down?"No one answered her. Because no one understood it either.The terrifying explosion had frightened everyone far more than they wished to admit.Around the arena, panic erupted.Students closest to the stage immediately scrambled b

Ragnar inhaled sharply and adjusted the gloves concealing his hidden weapon. The leather creaked faintly against his knuckles, a quiet reminder of the needle-thin blades sewn into the seams.Nika turned to him. “Which position are you comfortable guarding?”Ragnar noticed Kelvin watching with an eager smirk some distance away. Even Aria and her friends, one of the first groups to be disqualified in Batch B, were watching with rapt attention. A few had even sneaked out spy recorders, the tiny lenses glinting beneath the arena lights despite the academy's strict prohibition against recording battles without permission.Only the official academy cameras were allowed to record the matches. The footage would later be used by professors for research, lectures, and to better understand the strengths and shortcomings of their students.Everyone else was forbidden from recording because the academy guarded its students' techniques fiercely. Once these disciples stepped onto real battlefields

Dark mournful wails echoed all through the stage. The sound rolled across the arena like funeral drums, sinking into brain and soul. Something resembling a vertical purple eye glowed on Ji Cangmin's forehead. It pulsed, alive, and stared out at the world.Chills and goosebumps swept over them, seeping from skin to bones. The temperature dropped. Spectators pulled their jackets tighter without thinking.Ragnar’s gaze sharpened to two chips of blue ice. The first creature stepped out. It was a woman with two red horns curling back from her temples, and strange serpent scales in some parts of her body that shimmered like wet oil. She was dressed in an inky black ripped leather gown, barefoot, hair inky black and ruffled like a bird fought in it. Her eyes were pitch black, bottomless pits, and there were two fangs growing out of her mouth, curved and wet.Her face was beautiful, but with her other features, beauty was often the farthest thing from people’s minds. The wrongness swallowed i

On the platform, Professor Mariette walked closer to the stage, hoping to get a closer look. Her eyes were sharp with interest. She wasn't the only one.Professor Lan had pulled out his special lens once again. The glass glinted in the arena light as he adjusted it.On the stage, Ragnar inhaled sharply. A cold breath. Above them, a loud howl came from the gate. It tore through the air like a wounded beast.Another female demon appeared from the door. This time, there were no horns or scales. She was unbelievably beautiful. Alluring. Her skin glowed like moonlight, and her hair fell in waves down her back.Ji Cangmin's control on the bell became harsher and harsher, the notes rising in pitch and intensity. Each chime cut deeper.The demon appeared before Ryujin and flashed him a seductive smile, one dainty finger stretching towards his chest. Her lips parted, red and wet.Ryujin’s sword immediately came up, knocking her hand away. The blade trembled. She only chuckled and blew him a ki