When Serenya saw her subordinates fighting against four opponents, she didn't even consider helping them. With Enrico nearby, she had absolute confidence that they would be able to win, even while at a disadvantage. Therefore, she flew straight toward the leader of those four opponents.
"Why are you following me?"
"Isn't it obvious? The Master can defeat those four on his own. So the best thing to do is defeat their leader and eliminate another team."
On the other side, it was quite possible that the Shengtian team, which had ended up in the same zone as them, was fighting another team. Surely, one of them would be eliminated by the combined strength of their members.
Serenya looked behind her and saw Yumeha with crow wings on her back.
"Just don't get in my way. I want to defeat their leader by myself."
"You just want to impress the Master. I'm sure of it."
"So what if I do? If he likes strong people, then I'll show my future husband just how powerful I am."
Upon arriving at the location, the two found a boy guarding his team's flag. As soon as he noticed the two figures approaching, he raised his hand toward them and conjured a spell.
"Sand Magic: Shatter!"
Several grains of sand emerged from the ground and gathered around the two at an incredible speed. Then, countless blades formed all around them and rapidly advanced, attempting to tear them apart.
"Control Magic: Magical Control."
To the boy's surprise, his magical attack stopped in midair, not moving even an inch, even when he tried to force it forward using his mana.
Serenya observed her opponent with a serious expression.
"From the looks of it, you awakened the Third Circle only recently... I have to say, you're a disappointing leader. You sent your subordinates to certain death while trusting that you could handle several enemies on your own."
The boy gritted his teeth.
"Are you insulting me? Defeating people at the same level as me is easy."
He was Amun Serqet, the second strongest among all the first-year students on his continent. Of course, he would be confident in his ability to defeat other opponents at the same level as him.
"Just so you know, I'm called a prodigy on my continent, and..."
Before he could continue, Serenya tilted her head to the left with a neutral expression.
"I'm sorry to tell you the truth, but we have plenty of prodigies at your level here. I'd say the only truly impressive one is the girl who holds first place among you."
A vein bulged on Amun's forehead. The thing he hated most was being placed below that damned girl he despised so much, especially now, after receiving so many resources from his continent to evolve to the Third Circle.
'I'm not inferior to anyone... If my continent chose me to receive so much training, it's because my level is high.'
His continent had selected five people to undergo extremely intense training and reach the level necessary to claim the top positions at Dawn Academy. Among those five, he was considered the best.
Serenya sighed at the sight of the boy's obvious irritation.
"Enough talking. Let's fight already! I have to show my subordinates how amazing I am."
Amun clenched his fists before conjuring a different spell.
"You'll regret this."
A fire spell appeared in his hand, which he raised toward Serenya. When he opened his palm, an explosion of flames engulfed the girl, but she merely snapped her fingers and made the fire spread out, dissipating the attack. She gave a small smile as she watched those flames disappear so easily.
"That fire is hot, but not as hot as my subordinate's."
Amun didn't know who that subordinate was, but he was already getting irritated by how much that girl kept talking about him. Judging by Serenya's words, that person must have been special in some way.
"Fire Magic and Sand Magic: Glass!"
Tired of listening to Serenya's provocations, Amun decided to end things once and for all. Combining his two affinities, he summoned a combined spell that transformed fire and sand into glass.
With a movement of his hand, he launched one of his most powerful attacks at her. Its speed was astonishing, surpassing even that of the two previous attacks and giving Serenya very little time to react.
Realizing she wouldn't be able to escape using only her natural speed, Serenya used her Control Magic to give a direct command to her own body.
'Body, I command you to become faster.'
Her movements became much more agile. Although she couldn't completely avoid the attack and suffered a few cuts, Serenya managed to dodge most of the glass blades, escaping a series of strikes that would have been difficult to follow under normal circumstances.
"Glass Magic: Invisible Wall!"
Suddenly, Serenya felt her body collide with something she couldn't see. When she tried to retreat, she realized that an invisible wall was blocking her path. Before she could find another escape route, the glass attacks were already advancing toward her. With no room to dodge, she had to resort to her Control Magic once again and give her body a new command.
'Enhanced Resistance!'
The attacks still managed to pierce her skin, but now she could withstand the injuries much better. Amun was incredulous at what was happening. That girl might be at the same level as the first-ranked student on his continent.
"Impossible!"
Serenya's eyes suddenly turned cold. The magic still suspended in the air began moving toward the palm of her hand, slowly being drawn into a whirlwind of pure magical energy.
Realizing what she was preparing, Amun didn't want to give her time to complete the attack. He conjured several glass blades, even sharper than the previous ones, and launched them at the girl. This time, the strikes managed to penetrate her defenses and pierce her skin more deeply.
"This attack isn't enough to stop me..."
Despite her injuries, Serenya didn't interrupt her concentration. On the contrary, the magic gathered in her palm became even more intense as she continued conjuring other Control Magic spells around her, manipulating the air. One of them moved quickly and pinned Amun's arms behind his back. Another covered his mouth, preventing him from speaking.
Amun considered that a foolish move. After all, even without his hands or arms, a mage was still capable of conjuring spells.
"If you think I did this to stop you from using magic, you're very mistaken. It's simply so you won't be able to dodge."
Amun felt a shiver as he realized that the pure magic concentrated in Serenya's palm was beginning to take on a purple hue. Sensing the danger, he tried to free himself, using his own magic to strengthen his body and break the restraints.
Just as he was about to break free, he felt something forming beneath his feet. An invisible platform violently launched him upward, toward Serenya.
"As I said, you must have reached the Third Circle only recently, perhaps two days ago. But there's something you should know..."
Serenya felt that her subordinates had probably already defeated Amun's subordinates some time ago, since there were no longer any signs of attacks in that area. So, she gave a slightly arrogant smile.
"I evolved to the Third Circle one week after my subordinate."
'Pure Magic Attack!'
Serenya finally launched the attack concentrated in the palm of her hand at Amun. At the moment of impact, an enormous explosion engulfed the entire area, swallowing everything around it and leaving behind a massive crater exactly where the flag had been.
Amun disappeared completely, unable to withstand that power.
When the explosion dissipated, Serenya observed the destruction around her. Then, she gave her clothes a few pats, brushing away the dust that had accumulated on them.
"Looks like I won."
"You won, but you were injured by someone who is far below the Master."
Yumeha was standing right behind her. She had watched the entire battle, hoping to find an opportunity to intervene and also demonstrate her power to the Master. Unfortunately, Serenya had reached such a high level that she hadn't left her any room to participate in the fight.
"Yes, my subordinate is amazing, but I'm his leader. I can't fall too far behind, so I'll train even harder."
Yumeha nodded in agreement.
"I hope so, because my Master only deserves strong wives."
"Serenya, Yumeha, good work!"
Enrico and the other two arrived running, showing some excitement at seeing how strong Serenya had become. In fact, they hadn't expected anything less from the team's leader.
"You've become really strong, Serenya."
"Yes, I have, subordinate. So, could you give me a kiss?"
"Of course. I have no reason to refuse."
Elian and Caelan immediately turned away, while Yumeha regretted not having fought Amun before Serenya.