Magical explosions echoed throughout the dome. On the elevated platforms, students fought to remain in the competition, while those who fell were transported to a safer area, where they could await the results of the first stage.
Roberto leaped onto another platform after defeating the four opponents who had attacked him. As he prepared for the next confrontation, he kept part of his attention on his companions, watching their movements so he could help them if any problems arose.
'They're a bunch of lunatics.'
Too worried about keeping track of the others, Roberto ended up making a mistake. A fireball struck his back before he even noticed the attack.
"Damn it! I got distracted!"
He immediately turned around and raised one hand toward the person who had cast the spell. A blue light began to form in his palm, gathering energy for a counterattack.
However, before he could cast his spell, he noticed a boy approaching from behind. The opponent held a sword pointed directly at his ribs, taking advantage of the moment when Roberto was distracted.
With no time to dodge and determined not to waste the opportunity to launch a more powerful attack, Roberto decided to take the hit.
But the sword never reached him.
An arrow pierced the attacker's stomach, interrupting his movement. The boy's eyes widened before his body began to disappear.
Roberto immediately recognized who had fired the arrow. Seeing that he was safe now, he dispelled his magic.
"Enrico, don't shoot to kill!"
"Don't worry."
Enrico appeared nearby, maintaining his usual composure.
Roberto looked at the place where his opponent had disappeared and finally realized something important. The barrier surrounding the arena wasn't just there to protect the spectators. It also prevented participants from being killed during the confrontations. Even so, he still seemed concerned.
"But won't that traumatize him?"
"This barrier interrupts the user's consciousness when it detects an imminent death. That guy didn't even feel the hit."
Roberto stared at Enrico for several seconds.
"That's scary... But I'd like to know how you discovered that."
"Because I saw some brats trying to kill others without any mercy."
Enrico pointed toward a distant platform.
Roberto followed the indicated direction and saw a student repeatedly attacking his opponents, trying to eliminate as many participants as possible. However, whenever he realized he was at a disadvantage, the boy retreated to avoid being defeated.
"Then how does that guy know about it?"
"He's from Vesparello and belongs to an important family. He probably received information about the rules and safety mechanisms before we did."
The boy was Matteo. Since Roberto had never met him before, he didn't recognize his identity. Even so, judging by his clothes and behavior, it was obvious that he belonged to an influential family.
Roberto simply nodded, accepting the explanation.
"I thought you guys were going to fight without worrying about your companions."
Enrico turned his gaze back toward the arena and prepared to leap onto another platform.
"I may be crazy, but I still want all the students from our academy to advance."
Before Roberto could respond, Enrico leaped again, landing on a platform where eight students were engaged in a confrontation.
In the room reserved for teachers and directors, Hao and Virelle watched the scene with satisfied expressions. At least one of the students was demonstrating common sense, even if the others seemed determined to face their opponents alone.
Roberto took a deep breath and turned his attention back to his opponents.
"If that's how it's going to be, then I'll focus more on my own fight."
On another platform, Elaris had already launched her counterattack.
A wall of ice appeared in front of her, withstanding a series of spells cast by her opponents. Magical explosions spread across the frozen surface, but the structure remained firm.
Elaris clenched her hand, and the wall shattered into dozens of sharp spikes.
"Ice Spikes!"
With a movement of her arms, she launched the projectiles at her opponents. The spikes pierced through the magical defenses of several students, hitting them before they could react. One after another, the participants were eliminated from the platform.
Now that she knew the barrier would prevent the students from dying, Elaris could fight without having to restrain her own power as much.
She advanced and grabbed two opponents by their arms, using the force of her movement to throw them toward their companions.
Before the others could help them, Elaris pointed her fingers at the group.
"Ice Claws!"
Several freezing attacks shot from her hands, striking the students who were trying to regroup. The platform was filled with a series of impacts, and more participants disappeared after being eliminated.
'So far, it seems the strongest are eliminating the weakest. That's good.'
Elaris began observing the other confrontations while keeping the remaining opponents under control.
It was then that she sensed a powerful manifestation of mana in another part of the arena.
Turning her head, she saw several students being hurled into the air. The source of those attacks was Lira, who advanced with impressive efficiency, eliminating her opponents without wasting any movements.
Without a doubt, Astrong Academy was one of the institutions eliminating the most participants in that stage. However, it wasn't the only one attracting the spectators' attention.
The five best students from Shengtian Academy were also defeating a large number of opponents.
Liang Xuanwu, who had accompanied Kai in the aquatic dungeon, had apparently become the second-ranked student at his academy. Beside him was Yue Qianlan, the fourth-ranked student. The two were working together with another student whose identity Elaris couldn't recognize, but who was probably the fifth-ranked student.
'It seems their first- and third-ranked students had the same idea as us.'
At a certain distance, Elaris spotted a boy and a girl fighting on different platforms. Both wore the Shengtian Academy uniform, and the way they faced their opponents suggested that they also intended to advance without relying on their companions.
Elaris turned her attention to the screen displaying the number of remaining participants.
Only thirty more eliminations were needed to end that stage.
"We've already passed the halfway point. I'd better take this a little more seriously."
She concentrated mana in her hands, forming two spheres of ice. The temperature around her dropped rapidly, and a thin layer of frost began spreading across the platform's surface.
Elaris pointed her palms toward her opponents.
The two spheres shot forward at high speed, freezing the students who couldn't escape in time.
However, before she could continue, several fire arrows passed close to her face.
Elaris didn't move. She had already sensed the attacker and knew those arrows weren't aimed at her.
The projectiles passed by her side and struck a student who was sneaking up on her, holding a dagger.
"Thanks, Enrico, but I'd already sensed that he was behind me."
"Really? Then I won't help you anymore."
"Wait! That's not what I meant!"
Enrico chuckled before activating his ability and leaving Elaris behind.
"Charged Impulse!"
He charged straight at two nearby opponents, closing the distance between them in an instant.
'Zero Impact!'
His fists struck the stomachs of the two students almost simultaneously. Using the momentum of his movement, Enrico spun his body in midair and delivered a kick that sent them flying off the platform.
Before the others could react, he created another arrow and fired it at several opponents surrounding Roberto.
The students were distracted by the unexpected attack, giving the green-haired boy an opportunity to counterattack.
Roberto concentrated mana in his hand and directed it toward his opponents.
"Diamond Magic: Diamond Soldiers!"
Several blue crystals appeared around two students. The diamonds quickly grew, taking the shape of soldiers armed with swords, who immediately charged toward their targets.
The opponents tried to react, but they soon found themselves forced to fight the soldiers while Roberto prepared his next spell.
Enrico watched the scene with interest.
'Diamond magic... It's quite powerful. Once it reaches Circle Three, it'll become much more durable than most other types of magic.'
While his companions dealt with their opponents, he realized that the situation was relatively under control. The stronger students seemed to be avoiding unnecessary energy expenditure, since nobody knew what challenges awaited them in the next stages.
Enrico, on the other hand, was beginning to get bored.
"I got excited for nothing."
He had expected to find opponents capable of giving him some difficulty, but so far, he hadn't faced any challenge worth mentioning.
Even so, he wasn't completely wasting the opportunity. During the confrontations, he kept Circular Breathing active whenever he managed to control his own rhythm, using every movement to improve his mastery of the technique.
[At least you're doing exercises that will help your development, since you're using quite a lot of magic.]
'You're right... Only eight more eliminations are needed. I'll finish this quickly.'
Enrico noticed that the weaker students were beginning to avoid direct encounters. After witnessing the strength of the more powerful participants, many had started looking for opportunities to escape the confrontations rather than trying to face them.
He decided to end the fight quickly.
Raising his hand, he created an arrow and began concentrating a much larger amount of mana into its structure. Magical energy accumulated around the projectile, making its surface glow intensely.
'Flaming Shot: Maximum!'
Enrico released the arrow.
The projectile disappeared from his sight almost immediately, crossing the platform at a terrifying speed. The students who couldn't dodge were struck by the wave of energy, and a gigantic explosion engulfed the area.
Enrico remained motionless, observing the result. His expression stayed neutral, but a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead.
'Damn it... That was the first time I'd used this version. I couldn't control its power.'
[...I think you screwed up.]
The problem wasn't just the size of the explosion.
The elimination count on the screen had exceeded the required number. Instead of eliminating the eight remaining students, Enrico had eliminated seventeen participants with a single attack.
The students still near him stared at him with expressions of disbelief.
On the elevated platform, Queen Sofia sighed when she saw the result. She had expected the qualifying rounds to be eventful, but she hadn't intended to deal with a problem of that magnitude right in the first stage.