Time passed quickly, and soon the second day arrived.
Miss Victoria stood confidently on the podium holding a sealed box containing slips of paper with the names of all twelve key class students. After shaking it thoroughly, she reached in and drew out two pieces of paper.
"Now, I'll announce the participants for our first test match," she said with a smile, slowly unfolding the slips in her hand. "Azrael versus Yurek."
Azrael's eyebrows rose slightly when he heard his name. He hadn't expected to be thrown into the spotlight right away, but there was no turning back now.
The entire Key Class, along with their teachers, made their way to the specialized battle arena at Silverbrook High School. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as students positioned themselves around the field's perimeter.
Yurek took his position on the far side of the arena and called out respectfully, "Azrael, please go easy on me!"
As he spoke, a figure materialized in front of Azrael: a hulking creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man, gripping a steel blade in its massive hands.
"A Minotaur?" Azrael examined Yurek's summoned card with genuine curiosity but quickly dismissed his initial assumption. "If this were the Soul Catcher: Minotaur, it definitely wouldn't be stuck at black iron grade with blue quality."
That left two possibilities. Either this was a basic monster with bovine features, or it was a flawed version of the legendary Minotaur, likely due to an incomplete backstory or insufficient crafting materials. Azrael leaned heavily toward the first option.
Generally speaking, self-crafted biological cards of this quality rarely possessed any notable special abilities.
In response, Ji Guo Yoriichi appeared instantly before Azrael, his presence commanding immediate attention.
"I'm counting on you, Yoriichi," Azrael said quietly.
Ji Guo Yoriichi gave a subtle nod of acknowledgment. Azrael had always wondered whether his card simply preferred silence or was actually incapable of speech; it remained one of those mysteries he'd never quite solved.
From the sidelines, Gabi and Cory watched with intense focus. This was their first real look at Azrael's card, and they were both eager to assess what they would be up against.
On the battlefield, Ji Guo Yoriichi took a deep, measured breath before exploding into motion. He rushed toward the bull-headed monster with incredible speed, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
Whether due to the card's limitations or the creature's low intelligence, the Minotaur barely managed to react before Ji Guo Yoriichi was upon it.
Clang!
The clash of steel echoed across the arena as their blades met, sending crimson sparks flying before the eyes of every spectator. But the engagement lasted only a heartbeat.
Yurek gasped in shock as he watched the battle unfold. Ji Guo Yoriichi immediately disengaged from the blade lock, stepping back and to the side with fluid grace. As the bull-headed monster staggered forward from the sudden loss of an opposing force, Ji Guo Yoriichi dropped low and circled to its flank.
His flame-wreathed blade swept across the creature's neck in one devastating arc.
With his back now turned to his opponent, Ji Guo Yoriichi slowly sheathed his sword. Behind him, the Minotaur's body separated cleanly and gradually dissolved into wisps of fading light.
"Azrael wins!" Miss Victoria announced from the sidelines, unable to hide the joy in her voice.
Azrael's performance had exceeded even her highest expectations. If his card weren't limited by material constraints, she was certain he could have crafted it with gold-tier quality.
Principal Kang's assessment had been spot-on: Azrael was absolutely worth cultivating as one of Silverbrook High School's premier talents. With students like him, this year's four-school joint examination might actually be winnable.
Gabi observed the match with a slight frown. From this encounter alone, she couldn't discern much about Ji Guo Yoriichi's full capabilities. What she could determine was that, even among black iron purple-grade cards, this one was exceptional.
She turned to Cory with a questioning look. "What do you think? Are you confident you can handle him?"
Cory's eyebrows rose as a cocky smile spread across his face. "If it's Azrael we're talking about, things might get interesting.
"But you won't lose?"
"We'll definitely win."
"Good thing it's not that red-haired monster," Gabi muttered under her breath. "Otherwise, this battle might drag on until one of them is completely destroyed."
Azrael watched from the sidelines as Cory summoned his signature card, a zombie covered in coarse green hair, and couldn't help but grimace.
Still, he had to admit that Cory's green-haired zombie was genuinely formidable. From what Azrael could observe, it possessed at least one clear ability: dramatically enhanced physical strength. There were likely other capabilities hidden beneath the surface, but his opponent was too weak to bring them out.
The moment Cory's adversary summoned their card, the green zombie immediately overpowered it. Within seconds, the opposing creature had dissipated into nothingness.
"Hahaha! Pathetic! You're way too weak. I can't even work up any interest!" Cory laughed mockingly in the center of the arena. "How did someone like you make it into the key class?"
His defeated classmate's face turned pale with embarrassment and humiliation.
Miss Victoria frowned disapprovingly from her position on the sidelines. In her opinion, Cory was being unnecessarily cruel. They were classmates, not mortal enemies; there was no reason for such harsh words.
"Cory's attitude is going to bite him eventually," said Gabi, shaking her head.
Azrael nodded in agreement before responding with cool indifference: "Why should we worry about it? We're not his parents."
Cory might face consequences for his behavior someday, but that had nothing to do with Azrael. They weren't family and were barely friends.
"Next match: Gabi versus Carl!" Miss Victoria's voice cut through the chatter.
"Your turn. Good luck out there," Azrael said, turning to Gabi.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled warmly. "Thank you."
With that, she headed toward the battlefield.
"What were you and Gabi whispering about?" Cory asked, plopping down carelessly beside Azrael.
During the previous match, he'd noticed his two main rivals huddled together in quiet conversation throughout the fight.
Azrael shifted away discreetly and met Cory's gaze with perfect sincerity. "Nothing much. We were just saying how strong you are and that we probably can't beat you."
Cory caught the sarcasm immediately. "Tsk. Smart mouth. I hope you can maintain that attitude when we face off in the arena."
Azrael sighed internally. Why was this kid so perpetually aggressive?
Rather than dignifying the comment with a response, he turned his attention back to the ongoing match. What he saw left him genuinely puzzled.
Gabi's opponent stood motionless in the center of the field, staring blankly into the empty space as if he could see something that wasn't there. Meanwhile, Gabi's three-tailed fox approached at a leisurely pace.
With a single swipe of its claws, the opposing card crumpled and faded away.
"Illusion techniques?" Azrael murmured, his analytical mind already working.
An intriguing thought crossed his mind: Who would prove stronger in a battle of illusions, Uchiha Itachi or this demon fox?
The subsequent rounds continued much the same way. Azrael, Cory, and Gabi never faced each other, and their respective opponents fell with almost embarrassing ease.
All three maintained commanding leads over the rest of the Key Class. Unless someone experienced a miraculous breakthrough, they would likely be the three representatives for next month's four-school joint examination in Nirvale District.
This made Azrael wonder if Miss Victoria was deliberately manipulating the situation, though he quickly dismissed the idea as paranoid nonsense.
After all, this was only the first ranking assessment. Any student dissatisfied with their placement could formally request a challenge match with their target. Of course, such requests were limited to once per week; otherwise, the constant dueling would make regular classes impossible.
Clap, clap. Miss Victoria drew everyone's attention with sharp handclaps. "Since we're down to our final three students—Azrael, Cory, and Gabi—the next round will feature a bye. One student will advance directly to the finals."
Ideally, the student receiving the bye would face the winner of the other match. However, card summoning had a mandatory one-day cooldown period after defeat. Practical limitations trumped a perfect tournament structure.
Miss Victoria glanced at the slip of paper in her hand and announced, "The next round will be—"