'Zero Impact.'
Seeing the enormous amount of mana accumulated in Grark's axe, Enrico decided to face him head-on. The two attacks collided at the same instant, and the force of the collision made the ground tremble as a wave of destruction spread throughout the area. Without giving Grark time to take advantage of the opening, Enrico created his fire bow and fired two arrows in succession. Grark managed to deflect both with his axe and continued advancing, maintaining pressure on him.
"Impact Magic: Invisible Strike!"
An impact struck Enrico's back, but he did not even move from his spot. He had already assumed his stance and begun charging his next attack. Grark noticed the movement and advanced with his axe prepared to strike his ribs. When the weapon got close, Enrico clenched his fist, causing a red glow to surround his hand, and threw the punch directly at Grark.
The force was enough to send him flying backward.
Grark fell to his knees and placed a hand on his stomach while trying to endure the pain running through his insides. Even with his Unique Skill active, he was certain that blow could have opened a hole in his abdomen if it had been a little stronger.
"Thunder Magic: Electric Magnet!"
An attack struck Enrico's shoulder. He immediately recognized that magic, as it had already been used a few times during the story. The attack itself did not possess impressive power, but its true purpose was to create a kind of attraction on the target, causing all the lightning launched afterward to be directed toward them, even if they tried to dodge it.
It was a very useful magic for Lan.
'He learned it faster. That's good. Now he just needs some education and he'll be a good companion.'
Three thunder spears appeared and advanced toward Enrico. Since dodging would make no difference because of the technique's effect, he simply covered his hand with fire and destroyed all three at once. Then, he used Charged Impulse to close the distance to Lan.
Lan barely managed to react before receiving a punch to the face. The impact knocked three teeth out of his mouth, and he staggered backward while Enrico remained in front of him.
Enrico knew people like Lan very well. As long as they were not completely destroyed, they simply did not stop. To be honest, he was already beginning to reconsider whether he really wanted that boy by his side, but he remembered the help Lan had provided in the original story and decided to make a little more effort.
'If he ever crosses the line, I'll eliminate him.'
That was when several golden swords approached Enrico from behind. He noticed the attacks, but decided to ignore them. If he was going to continue fighting, he preferred to eliminate Lan at that moment.
His fist began accumulating fire as he combined two techniques he already knew. Zero Impact and Charged Impulse had different functions, but their principles could be combined to create something much more destructive.
"Fire Magic: Charged Impact!"
The movement was so fast that, before the eyes of the others, there did not seem to be a hand or even an arm during the instant of the attack. The fist struck Lan's face with brutal force, breaking his nose and jaw. His entire face almost caved in from the impact.
Lan fell to the ground with almost all of his teeth broken.
Shortly afterward, his body disappeared, being eliminated from the battle.
"Earth Impact!"
Grark seemed to have understood Enrico's idea.
Seeing the result of that combination, he tried to do something similar, but ended up choosing a much more dangerous path for someone at his level. He tried to combine two different magics and, since he still did not have enough control to do so, the technique failed before it could be completed.
Enrico looked at him.
"Grark, what I combined were two abilities with the same magic, not two different magics. How are you going to be my subordinate like this?"
"Sorry, human."
While the two prepared to fight again, Elowyn decided to take advantage of the distraction. Her new golden magic allowed her to spread several explosive traps throughout the battlefield, so she began secretly preparing some of them while keeping her eyes on Enrico.
'I can't let him discover anything.'
To prevent him from noticing her intentions, she continued launching golden swords, spears, and arrows in his direction. Enrico dodged the projectiles while advancing across the battlefield, forcing Elowyn to continue changing the position of the attacks to try to follow him.
She clenched her fists.
She could not believe how much he had evolved.
Elowyn was also considered a prodigy, but she knew that there were other students above her at that academy. The problem was that now someone had appeared who seemed to be growing even faster than her.
'I will be the queen who rules Sanos. I cannot lose, especially knowing that my father is watching.'
Grark ended up being launched into the air during the confrontation, and Elowyn took advantage of that opening to concentrate her mana into a single sword. The weapon quickly grew until it reached four meters in length.
Upon noticing its size, Grark almost took a step backward. If he were not a companion and an honorable warrior, he probably would have fled from that attack.
"Golden Magic: Queen's Sword!"
Elowyn launched the enormous sword at Enrico. He waited until it was close and quickly created his fire bow, preparing his most powerful attack.
"Flame Shot!"
The arrow struck the center of the golden sword. The collision could not completely stop Enrico's attack; its force passed through the sword and diverted it from its original trajectory. The shot passed dangerously close to Elowyn's shoulder, dragging her backward from the power of the impact.
It was at that moment that Grark appeared behind Enrico.
His fire clone appeared between the two and managed to hold Grark's arms, although it had difficulty containing all of the warrior's strength. Enrico took advantage of the few seconds he gained and struck another punch into Grark's stomach, making him almost vomit.
Even while feeling the pain, Grark grabbed Enrico.
It was exactly what Elowyn expected.
Before the battle began, she had warned all her subordinates that if Enrico became too strong, one of them should sacrifice themselves to cause as much damage as possible.
Now, Grark was fulfilling that role.
"Golden Spear: Piercing Mode!"
A golden spear appeared in Elowyn's hands. Circular lines ran throughout the weapon, going from the tip to the handle. As soon as it was launched, the spear began spinning violently, distorting the air around it as it advanced.
It was the first technique Elowyn had truly created on her own, without her father's advice, after spending that entire month preparing for that fight. Now she would finally show her creation to everyone.
An explosion of golden power appeared in front of Enrico.
He was caught by surprise.
'This technique is quite strong.'
That was the true difference between Elowyn and Lan. Even though he hated the princess, Enrico could not simply ignore that potential. It would be impossible to give up on her and eliminate her when someone with that ability could still evolve greatly.
Enrico then made his body explode into flames, releasing everything he had to push Grark away. The warrior was forced to let go of him, and Enrico immediately changed his stance.
The spear continued spinning toward him.
Instead of trying to stop it directly, Enrico followed the movement with his own mana-covered hands, spinning them in the same direction as the weapon. With great effort, he managed to alter its trajectory and divert it upward.
Grark, who was in the direction of the spear's new path, widened his eyes.
For a moment, he thought he was going to die.
However, he disappeared at the right moment, being eliminated before the spear could hit him. The weapon pierced through the walls and continued advancing until it disappeared.
'If Grark was eliminated before being hit, that means he would have died.'
Enrico looked at the image of the ranks and noticed that his number had been replaced by Grark's. This reassured him. It made sense, and once that fight ended, it was quite possible that he would also receive Elowyn's rank, even if he could not eliminate her.
Elowyn was bleeding from her nose and showing obvious frustration. It was the first time someone had managed to defeat her in that manner, and the situation was probably even more difficult because she knew her father was watching the battle.
Enrico checked his statistics.
Elowyn was at 98%. She was close to reaching the Second Circle.
'Let's finish this.'
"He's all yours."
Upon hearing Elowyn say those words, Enrico immediately jumped backward.
An explosion occurred in front of him, caused only by the lightning that came from the feet of the girl who had just appeared.
Enrico immediately recognized who she was.
Danyana Stormclaw.
Rank 7 of the first year.
Apparently, his real battle would begin now.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Enrico. I hope you're not tired. If you want, I can wait."
Danyana maintained a confident smile on her face.
Enrico responded with another smile.
It was time to find out whether he was really at the level of the top ten students in the first year.
"I don't need to rest, so come whenever you want."
"That's how I like it."
Danyana's smile widened as lightning and wind began continuously swirling around her body. Enrico assumed a combat stance, and the two remained facing each other for a brief moment.
Then, in a single movement, both disappeared from Elowyn's sight.
Sílvia and Camila, who had been following that fight from the beginning, also completely lost sight of the two.
Only Valença seemed to follow what was happening. She raised her head and looked upward.
Far above them, Enrico and Danyana were already exchanging blows.