Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

  The sky teemed with a chaotic dance of insects, their flight paths tracing black streaks across the void, scattering sparks like embers from a dying fire.

  Looking down from high above, Gareth appeared to be besieged by a sea of black fire.

  After attempting to counter the swarm with spells and finding them largely ineffective against such dispersed targets, Gareth decisively abandoned traditional casting. Instead, he summoned the crimson vines lurking beneath the earth.

  Centered on his position, dozens of blood-colored vines erupted, weaving a defensive perimeter that whipped and thrashed, frantically strangling the approaching Shadowfire Flies.

  The piercing whistle of vines tearing through the air rose and fell in a rhythmic cadence of violence.

  Each lash of a blood-vine claimed the lives of a dozen or more flies.

  Yet, simultaneously, the shadowfire coating the insects left scorching, blackened scars upon the vines.

  Flies perished by the score; vines withered under the relentless heat.

  The battle quickly devolved into a war of attrition. Whoever faltered first would face defeat—or death.

  On the broad back of the Hag Eagle, Xavier stood at the rear, watching the spectacle with a playful, almost bored smile.

  "This opponent is finally somewhat interesting. Unlike the previous trash."

  Ignis chuckled lightly beside him. "Indeed. That girl's ability synergizes perfectly with her Arcane Artifact. It seems Gareth is in for a grind."

  Hearing this, Xavier sneered. "Do not joke. While the woman is competent, she is not qualified to make Gareth sweat. As long as he stops playing around, victory is a foregone conclusion."

  Ignis glanced at Xavier in surprise, puzzled by the source of such absolute confidence.

  Although they had passed the selection trials together, Ignis had never truly fought Gareth seriously. He only knew that Xavier—a bloodline inheritor—had once lost to Gareth, and thus held the man in dangerously high regard.

  Noticing the questioning look, Xavier curled his lip but offered no further explanation. "Just watch. You will see."

  Ignis was annoyed by the cryptic behavior but helpless to compel an answer. He turned his attention back to the arena.

  Barely a moment later, the tide turned.

  After repelling another wave of the swarm, a cold sneer twisted Gareth's face.

  "I have absorbed enough life energy. It is time to end this."

  As he spoke, grotesque bulbous growths swelled along the length of the surrounding blood-vines. They expanded rapidly, pulsating as if inflated by a pump, before the skins burst open to reveal wet, blood-red fruits.

  This sudden development instantly drew the gaze of every spectator.

  Pierce stared intently at the dozens of pulsating fruits, his brows furrowing slightly. From those fleshy sacks, he sensed the unmistakable aura of surging, chaotic life.

  Squelch!

  In the next moment, the fruits cracked open in unison.

  Accompanied by a series of wet thuds, creatures slick with amniotic slime fell to the ground.

  They were humanoid aberrations with verdant green skin, beast-like claws for limbs, and visages that were a mask of ugly ferocity.

  Upon contact with the air, the slime on their bodies evaporated instantly. Their skin tightened and hardened, taking on the texture of vine bark. They resembled "Vine Men"—living constructs of plant matter and malice.

  Scrambling to their feet, the Vine Men shrieked and charged into the surrounding insect cloud.

  "What is that?" Ignis asked, startled.

  Xavier laughed darkly. "Flesh and Blood Golems. Constructs Gareth created by fusing his Arcane Artifact with his own biomass. Conveniently, they do not fall under the category of 'external golems' prohibited by the rules."

  Ignis nodded in realization, though he remained skeptical.

  These Vine Men looked ferocious, but physical attacks were notoriously inefficient against a dispersed swarm. Why was Xavier still so confident?

  He didn't have to wonder for long.

  The vanguard of the Vine Men charged into the thickest part of the swarm. The moment they made contact—BOOM!

  They detonated.

  Thick, viscous blood mist blasted outward in all directions, filling the air with a terrifying sizzling sound.

  The insects caught in the blast radius didn't just die; they dissolved. Smoking white plumes rose from their tiny bodies as if they had been dipped in concentrated acid. Before they even hit the ground, they were corroded into nothingness, carapace and wings alike.

  The sudden catastrophe sent panic rippling through the hive mind of the swarm. They scrambled to open the distance.

  But it was too late.

  One after another, the Vine Men detonated like biological mines. Massive clouds of acidic blood mist swept across the arena.

  In mere seconds, an area of two or three hundred meters was submerged in a deadly red fog.

  Buzz...

  The humming died down. Thousands of flies perished instantly. Only a small fraction of the swarm managed to escape the kill zone, frantically re-condensing into Cecily's human form more than five hundred meters away.

  The girl's face was paper-pale, her expression haggard. She was visibly suffering from magical backlash.

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  Whoosh!

  A piercing sound cut through the air.

  Countless vines burst through the blood mist, pursuing her like striking vipers. They coiled around Cecily before she could react, constricting violently, threatening to crush the life out of her.

  At the critical moment, the ring on her right index finger flared.

  Her physical form blurred, transforming into a translucent, intangible spirit. She phased right through the crushing vines and shot back toward the white mist platform.

  The blood-vines thrashed in frustration, extending to their limit of a hundred meters before slowly retracting.

  Returning to the platform, Cecily reverted to solid form. She stumbled, her legs giving way. Pierce was quick, catching her by the arm to steady her.

  "Careful."

  "I am fine..."

  Cecily glanced at him gratefully, trying to calm her erratic breathing. She walked over to Yuman, her head hanging low.

  "Teacher... I failed your expectations."

  "Silly girl. As long as you are alive, nothing else matters." Yuman shook her head gently.

  Despite her comforting words, Yuman's expression was grave.

  Elric and the Masked Wizard remained impassive, but the tension in their eyes betrayed their dissatisfaction.

  The competition had reached a critical juncture. The Aurora City team had suffered one death and one elimination. Two down.

  In contrast, the opposition remained untouched.

  Even if Pierce was the strongest among them, the odds were grim.

  "Gentlemen, it appears we win again," Zorander called out, his smile wide and mocking.

  The two Wizards beside him made no effort to hide their amusement.

  From the current standpoint, the outcome was all but decided. Aurora City had one apprentice left against three of Crimson Lotus's best.

  Unless that young man could pull off a one-versus-three miracle.

  The Masked Wizard's eye twitched, but he remained silent.

  Elric shook his head, his voice deep and heavy. "No need for superfluous words. Continue."

  He turned to Pierce. "Go. Do not disappoint us."

  Cecily looked at Pierce apologetically. If she had been stronger, he wouldn't be facing such overwhelming pressure.

  Pierce nodded calmly. He said nothing.

  He walked to the edge and jumped.

  In mid-air, a Feather Fall spell enveloped him, and he drifted down, landing on the scarred earth as light as a leaf.

  Below, the blood mist had dissipated, revealing Gareth's figure.

  He stood tall amidst a writhing forest of blood-vines. Having defeated two opponents back-to-back, his aura was at its absolute peak, radiating dominance.

  Their gazes locked. A cold, predatory light flashed in Gareth's eyes.

  "Only you remain," Gareth said icily.

  Pierce ignored the taunt. He flipped his palm, and a magical longsword materialized out of thin air.

  On the back of the Hag Eagle, a sarcastic smile curled Xavier's lips.

  "That guy looks awfully confident for a walking corpse."

  Ignis frowned slightly. "Did you not read the dossier? This is Pierce. The strongest of the Aurora trio. He has mastered Silent Spell and three types of Elemental Runes."

  "Do you think he can beat Gareth?" Xavier asked.

  Ignis hesitated, then shook his head.

  "Hard to say. Gareth has fought two battles; his reserves aren't full. And Pierce is tricky. It is difficult to predict."

  "If he wins, Gareth will have effectively fought one-against-three," Xavier scoffed. "If word gets out, Aurora City will lose all face. Let us see how arrogant they can be after this!"

  Hearing this, Ignis smiled, relaxing.

  They felt secure. Even if Pierce somehow defeated Gareth, he would be exhausted. Xavier and Ignis were fresh. They could easily grind him down in a war of attrition.

  Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Pierce moved first.

  He raised his left hand slightly.

  Instantly, a dense array of Magic Missiles materialized, shrieking through the air like a storm of light.

  The move startled Xavier and Ignis, freezing the smiles on their faces.

  "Modified spell!" Ignis exclaimed in a low voice.

  He had seen many modified versions of Magic Missile, but never one this exaggerated.

  There were twenty missiles—a full double the standard payload!

  Ignis turned to meet Xavier's gaze. Both faces were now solemn.

  Originally, they had dismissed the intelligence report about Pierce's "high spell talent," assuming it couldn't possibly surpass Gareth's.

  But now, it seemed Pierce's talent was not just equal to Gareth's—it might be superior.

  Before the Magic Missiles even impacted, barely a split second later, Pierce's second spell was already unleashed.

  A ray of freezing white light shot out like a lance, accurately striking a major blood-vine.

  Crack!

  The vine, which had just braced to withstand the missiles, instantly stagnated as a thick layer of frost encased it.

  And this was just the opening salvo.

  Spell after spell erupted from Pierce's hands in a blurring cadence, bombarding Gareth in a relentless chain.

  It was as if the concept of cooldowns or casting intervals didn't exist for him.

  The speed was blinding, the power overwhelming. For a moment, Gareth felt the illusion that he was being focus-fired by a battery of magical ballistae rather than a single apprentice.

  Using the blood-vines as shields, he tried his best to return fire, but he could barely maintain a defense, let alone counterattack.

  Ignis and Xavier were dumbfounded.

  They stared wide-eyed at the suppressed Gareth, a sense of dreamlike absurdity washing over them.

  Recovering his senses, Ignis gasped, squeezing two words out of his constricted throat:

  "Instant Cast!"

  This high-difficulty Metamagic technique—one that only Formal Wizards were supposed to master—had appeared in the hands of a mere apprentice!

  Unbelievable!

  The smiles on the faces of the three Crimson Lotus Wizards vanished. They leaned forward, staring closely at the battle, their relaxed demeanor replaced by sharp scrutiny.

  The shock wasn't limited to Crimson Lotus City. The Aurora City delegation was equally stunned.

  Cecily stood frozen on the platform, her mouth slightly agape, unable to speak.

  Previously, she had seen Pierce use his Arcane Artifact to kill Monville and assumed his victory relied entirely on that Tier 1 weapon.

  Now, she realized how wrong she had been.

  Even without the artifact, Pierce could probably have blasted Monville into oblivion with spells alone.

  She knew, with absolute certainty, that she could not withstand such a density of bombardment.

  "That is... too exaggerated..." she murmured, her voice trembling.

  At this moment, she felt the chasm between true genius and herself.

  A flicker of surprise also crossed the faces of Elric, Yuman, and the Masked Wizard. They knew of Pierce's talent, but mastering Instant Cast ahead of schedule? That was appalling.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Spellfire illuminated every inch of the arena, blinding to the naked eye.

  In less than a minute, over fifty spells had poured onto Gareth. More than half of his defensive vines had been blown to pieces, and the remaining dozen were tattered and sluggish, looking like spent forces.

  Gareth's face was a terrifying shade of green. His calm composure was shattered.

  The opponent's strength was abnormal. Without even using an Arcane Artifact, Pierce had forced him into a corner purely with spellcasting.

  Before this match, if someone had told Gareth he would be suppressed like this, he would have scoffed.

  But the reality was happening right before his eyes.

  "Damn it!"

  Gareth gritted his teeth. He suddenly formed his hand into a knife-hand strike and slashed violently across his own palm.

  He slammed the bleeding hand onto the ground.

  Squirm.

  A tiny, specialized vine erupted from the soil. Its tip unfolded to reveal a suction-cup-like mouth, which latched tightly onto Gareth's wound, guzzling the flowing blood in large, rhythmic gulps.

  Gareth's face paled visibly.

  The process lasted only a few seconds. In that time, his remaining defensive vines were blasted into mulch by Pierce's relentless assault.

  But the tiny vine had fed enough. It retracted underground instantly.

  Rumble...

  The ground trembled violently.

  Hundreds of blood-colored vines erupted from the earth like a forest of spears. They thrashed wildly, tearing the air with ear-piercing shrieks, resembling a dance of demons.

  "Using the ultimate move?"

  Pierce smiled derisively.

  With a thought, the black bracelet on his wrist dissolved into dark smoke and shot upward. As it rose, it expanded against the wind, growing into a thick, towering column of black gas that pierced the sky.

  Rolling darkness spread out like storm clouds, blotting out the light.

  From within the gloom, countless Mist Crows poured forth.

  Two days before the competition, the Mist Raven had completed its sweep of the Outer City. Almost every crow in the district had been absorbed and converted.

  The number of Mist Crows in its arsenal now exceeded five thousand.

  Five thousand shadow-constructs released at once instantly occupied the entire sky, a shroud obscuring the sun.

  For a moment, everyone's vision was filled with endless, cawing darkness.

  "W-what is this?" Ignis inhaled sharply, his eyes dull with shock as he looked up.

  Xavier didn't answer; he was frozen.

  Are these... Familiars?

  Xavier had seen thousands of Familiars, but none had ever radiated the palpable sense of danger that these Mist Crows did.

  Before Xavier could process the threat, the pitch-black cloud layer in the sky shifted.

  Like a dam breaking, the flood of Mist Crows crashed down!