Upon their victory, Elijah's team was teleported back to the team room to await the other teams' completion of their fights.
The instant the blue light faded, the tension in their shoulders released all at once. For the first time in what felt like hours, they could breathe without feeling Ryden's shadow looming over them. The sterile walls of the team room had never looked so comforting.
The option to watch the other ongoing matches blinked on the wall display, but none of them even glanced at it. They were too busy celebrating their unbelievable win.
"Did you see that?!" Rennik exploded, nearly falling over his chair as he flung both arms up. "I took out the number rank ten student! My rank is gonna shoot to the sky with that one." His grin was cocky enough to split his face.
Mira, still sore from her earlier death, shot him a sharp glare.
Rennik coughed into his fist, suddenly sheepish. "Cough cough. With a little…I mean a lot of help, of course. Really it was a team effort, hehe."
Mira rolled her eyes and turned away, lips twitching like she was suppressing a smile despite herself.
Elijah chuckled softly. "You did really well, Rennik. It's clear why you're the highest ranking on our team. Your damage-dealing abilities are insane. We wouldn't have stood a chance without you."
Rennik froze for a second, caught off guard by the straightforward praise. His grin softened into something more genuine. "Aw man, Elijah, if you say that I'm gonna feel bad. Without Brax tanking Ryden's hits, and without you disrupting and distracting him, I'd have been skewered before I got a single shot off. And don't even get me started on Sylvara, without her harmonic weaving, none of us would've lasted ten seconds."
Sylvara's cheeks flushed pink, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "I… I'm just glad I was of help this time. My ability is strong enough to put me in the top 100, but… I always choke up, so I hold myself back from climbing higher."
Brax barked out a booming laugh. "Well, Syl, this time I can guarantee you didn't choke. Without you, even my stone skin would've been carved up like paper by Ryden's blades."
The words made Sylvara's eyes shimmer. She ducked her head quickly, but the smallest, brightest smile lingered on her lips.
Elijah looked around at his teammates, each one laughing, complimenting, trading jabs without malice, and he felt something swell inside him. Pride. Joy. Belonging. The kind of warmth he had never thought he'd get to feel.
"Thank you, guys," he said quietly, but with deep sincerity.
Mira glanced up, brow furrowed. "Huh? What are you thanking us for?"
Elijah hesitated, then met each of their eyes in turn. "Thank you for trusting me. I know I'm not the toughest one here…" his gaze flicked to Brax.
"…Or the strongest," he admitted, nodding at Rennik.
"…Or the most helpful in team fights," he added with a smile at Sylvara.
"…Or even the smartest," he finished, giving Mira a respectful nod.
"I'm the lowest-ranked person on this team, and I know it took a lot for you to put your faith in a weak nobody like me to lead. So that's why I'm thanking you. I just… I hope that after this, we can all consider each other, at least a little, friends."
The words hung in the air like a spark waiting for kindling.
Sylvara's eyes welled up, and she pressed her sleeve to her face. "Elijah…"
Mira softened, a rare smile breaking across her serious features. "You've shown me I still have a lot to learn. I'd be honored to call you a friend."
Rennik raised a thumb, his grin mischievous but his eyes uncharacteristically warm. "I suppose you guys can be my friends. You've proven you won't hold me back from my destined greatness." His tone was half-joking, half-serious, but the intent was clear.
Brax didn't say anything at first. Instead, he stood, towering over them, and with one sweeping motion yanked them all into a crushing, bone-rattling hug. "You guys are awesome," he rumbled, voice thick with emotion. "Even if we won't fight together in the next part of the trial, I'll be rooting for you all."
Elijah closed his eyes, letting the warmth of the moment seep into him. For once, he didn't feel like the outcast, the failure, the boy who awakened too late. He remembered a line from a game he'd played years ago, words that now felt oddly fitting.
I am thou. Thou art I. Thou hast established a new bond. Through this bond, thou hast been granted new strength.
And he believed it.
Claro's Team Room
"THAT TRASH! THAT PATHETIC WASTE OF AIR!"
The shout rattled the walls. Claro's hands smashed down onto the table hard enough to splinter wood. Black crystals erupted along his arms and shoulders, jagged growths spreading with every heaving breath. His aura turned the air sharp, suffocating.
"How dare he show me up! How dare he defeat someone higher ranked than me!"
His teammates shrank back into the corners, too terrified to speak, too terrified to move. They had seen this before. When Claro lost control, when the black crystals spread, no one was safe.
In his mind, Claro replayed the fight again and again, Elijah's team standing triumphant, Ryden, the unstoppable titan, brought down. Elijah, the late-bloomer reject, was becoming a threat.
No… I won't be overtaken. Not by him. Not by anyone.
He thought of the procedure. Of the shadowed figure who'd offered him power at a price. Of the strength now lurking in his veins. With that, he would never fall behind.
Slowly, his breathing steadied. The crystals receded slightly, though the dark gleam in his eyes didn't fade.
He turned on his so-called teammates, who huddled together like prey before a predator. "You're lucky we won all our matches. Otherwise I'd destroy you here and now for holding me back." His voice dripped venom, and they flinched like whipped dogs.
The room fell silent but for his ragged breathing.
Kat's Team Room
"Woah, Miss Gravelle," one of Kat's teammates gushed, practically bouncing with excitement. "Isn't that the low-ranked student you were put in charge of developing? Leave it to you to make even someone like him into a valuable member of a team that could beat a high ranker!"
Kat's eyes narrowed. Her tone was cool, but an ember of respect flickered in it. "It would do you well not to underestimate him. What Elijah lacks in raw power, he makes up for in cleverness and determination."
Her words silenced the room. She scanned her team with sharp eyes. "In fact, I'm not sure any of you could defeat him in a one-on-one."
Her teammates shifted uncomfortably. A couple scowled.
"Sure, Elijah did well," one muttered, "but it was only because he had a strong team to back him up. Without them, he'd still be useless."
Kat let the words hang, her expression unreadable. She didn't argue. She didn't need to. The slight curl at the corner of her lips said enough.
"Anyway," she said at last, her tone snapping back to instructor-like finality, "winning all three team fights will help your rankings after the exams. I wish you luck in the coming trials."
But in her mind, she thought: Elijah has surpassed every expectation. And he's only just begun.
Tim's Team Room
"Yooooooo!!! Did you guys see that?! That's my boy right there!" Tim practically vaulted onto the table, fists pumping in the air. "Practically raised that kid myself!"
One of his teammates pinched the bridge of their nose. "Tim… come on, man. We're all the same age. You didn't 'raise' anyone."
Tim clicked his tongue, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Surely by now you've learned, after I led us through three consecutive victories, no less, that my wisdom far surpasses my years. You are in the presence of an ancient master, my young pupil."
He patted the student on the shoulder with exaggerated solemnity, adopting a gravelly old-man voice. "Respect your elders, lad. Someday you'll understand the burden of my decades of experience."
His teammates groaned, but a few couldn't suppress their laughter.
"Enough of that," another said, waving him off. "I'm sure you're happy for your friend, Tim. I guess… maybe we haven't been giving Elijah enough credit. That was incredible."
Tim froze mid-gesture. Slowly, a grin stretched across his face. The kind that lit up his whole body. "Damn right it was! He always had it in him. Elijah's smart, he's brave, he just needed to believe in himself. And look at him now. Taking down rank ten! That's my boy!"
His voice shook with pride, the words tumbling over each other in his excitement. He vibrated where he stood, like his body couldn't hold the energy of his joy.
But then, just as quickly, he leaned back and smirked. "Still… can't let him catch up too much. He's gotta remember who the master is, haha!"
His teammates groaned again, but the laughter was warmer this time, their earlier skepticism softened by Tim's infectious enthusiasm.
As chatter filled each of the team rooms across the academy, the last few matches wound down. Screens blinked dark one by one as the final results were tallied. Then, all at once, a pull of mana surged through every student.
The familiar sensation of teleportation washed over them, weightless, like their bodies were dissolved into light. When the glow faded, they stood shoulder to shoulder in the grand coliseum.
The space erupted with noise.
The stands, once empty before the team trials, were now alive with tens of thousands of spectators. At some point during the matches, the academy had opened the gates. Now, cheers crashed like waves over the students below, a thunderous storm of applause, whistles, and shouts.
Elijah blinked against the sudden light. "Woah," he whispered. "They must have brought in the live audience while we were in our matches…"
He wasn't the only one startled. Dozens of students turned in place, gawking at the sea of faces, the banners waving overhead, the sheer roar of it all.
For some, shoulders slumped in shame, knowing their teams had failed. For others, pride swelled in their chests, smiles breaking free as they basked in the recognition.
Elijah's heart hammered in his ribs. This wasn't just a trial anymore. It was a stage. A stage where the entire world could watch.
And somewhere, in that crowd, were people whose eyes mattered, scouts, soldiers, mercenary guild reps, military officers. Futures could be made or broken by the impressions left here.
The Overseer floated above them, arms spread wide. His grin was all teeth, sharp and hungry for spectacle.
"WELL DONE!" his voice boomed, magically amplified until it filled every corner of the coliseum. "WELL FOUGHT! WELL EARNED!"
The crowd responded in kind, thunder rolling from every side.
"Alright, alright," the Overseer chuckled, raising a hand. "Settle down, settle down. I know those were some exciting matches, but it's time to announce the fourth trial."
The noise simmered, excitement thick in the air. Students leaned forward. Elijah found Tim in the sea of bodies and hurried over, standing shoulder-to-shoulder so they could hear together.
The Overseer's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Good. Now, as I'm sure you noticed, nearly every student remains. Three hundred out of three hundred and one, to be precise, since one had to bow out after the second trial." His grin sharpened. "We've had no eliminations yet."
A ripple of tension ran through the students. Everyone knew what was coming.
"HOWEVER!" The Overseer's voice cracked like lightning. "It would be unrealistic to run the final trial with every last one of you. We need to trim the fat. Only one hundred students will pass the fourth trial and move on to the final stage."
Murmurs exploded instantly. Some gasped, others swore under their breath. Even with the expectation lingering in the air, hearing the number out loud, two-thirds of them gone in one sweep, was a punch to the gut.
Elijah's chest tightened. He could feel the weight of the stakes pressing down on him.
The Overseer spread his arms again, his grin widening. "The rules are simple! You'll be divided into five groups of sixty. Each group will face a battle royale. A free-for-all! Only twenty students in each group will advance."
Gasps. A few cheers. A ripple of unease.
The Overseer leaned forward, eyes flashing. "We split it up this way so that you will not be with your former teammates. Don't expect to see your buddies on the battlefield, kiddos. This trial is about you. Not your team. YOU."
His laughter rolled over them like thunder. "And that's it! Really simple rules compared to the last trial, huh?"
The crowd erupted again, but this time it was tinged with a different energy, anticipation laced with bloodlust.
From the stands, voices carried down in excited fragments.
"Did you see that match against Ryden? That kid Elijah's team pulled off the impossible…"
"…Rank ten, dropped by a nobody and his misfit squad..:"
"That glass-slinger, Rennik, he'll be dangerous in the future. Mark my words."
"And the stone-skin kid? Tanked hits from Ryden himself. Unbelievable."
Higher in the stands, the tone was different. More measured.
A woman in a mercenary guild cloak leaned to her comrade. "That synergy wasn't luck. That was budding resonance. If they can coordinate like that already, they'll be monsters in a year or two."
A military officer scribbled notes on a tablet, muttering, "Potential leadership material. Elijah, was it? Needs observation."
Not all voices were impressed. Some scoffed. "Hmph. Ryden could've wiped them out if he'd had proper backup. This doesn't prove anything."
But the name "Elijah" was already being repeated. Whispered. Considered.
Elijah's gaze swept the coliseum, taking in the roaring audience, the rival students, the looming Overseer above them. His stomach twisted with nerves, but at the same time, something else sparked inside him, excitement.
This was no longer just about surviving trials. This was about proving himself.
Beside him, Tim elbowed him with a grin. "Free-for-all, huh? Don't die too fast, apprentice."
Elijah smirked faintly. "Don't hold your breath, master."
The Overseer raised his hands once more, and the roar of the crowd built like a rising storm.
The free-for-all was about to begin.