When she saw her subordinates fighting against four opponents, she didn't think of helping them—because with Enrico there, she trusted completely that even at a disadvantage, they would win. So she flew straight toward where the leader of those four was.
"Why are you following me?"
"Isn't it obvious? Master can handle those four alone, so it's best to defeat their leader and eliminate another team."
On the other side, it was likely that Shengtian's team, which had fallen with them, was fighting another team—and surely one would be eliminated due to their combined strength.
"Just don't get in my way or interrupt me. I want to defeat their leader alone."
"You just want to impress Master—I'm sure of it."
"So what if I do? If he likes strong people, then I'll show my future husband how strong I am."
Arriving at the location, the two saw a boy guarding his team's flag. Noticing two figures approaching, he raised his hand toward them and cast a spell.
"Sand Magic: Shatter!"
Sand surged from the ground and gathered around at extreme speed, forming countless blades of sand everywhere. Moving at high velocity, the magic tried to shred the two quickly.
"Control Magic: Magic Control."
To the boy's surprise, his magic stopped in midair, not moving an inch, even as he tried to force his mana.
"Seems like you awakened your third circle recently... I have to say, you're a disappointing leader—sending your subordinates to a certain death, thinking you could handle multiple enemies yourself."
"Are you insulting me? Beating people of my level is easy for me."
He was Amun Serqet, the second strongest among all first-years of his continent. Of course he would be confident in defeating others of his rank.
"Just so you know, I'm called a prodigy in my continent and—"
"Sorry to tell you the truth, but we have many prodigies of your level here. I'd say the only impressive one from your side is your rank 1."
A vein bulged on his forehead—the thing he hated most was being ranked below that cursed girl he despised so much. And even now, after receiving so many resources from his continent to reach the third circle, it burned his pride.
'I'm not beneath anyone… if my continent chose me to be trained this much, it's because my level is high.'
His continent had chosen five people to undergo extreme training and reach the rank of the Dawn Academy—and among those five, he was the best.
"Enough talking. Let's fight already—I have to show my subordinates how amazing I am."
"You'll regret this."
Fire magic surged in his hand as he raised his palm toward Serenya. Opening his hand, a burst of fire engulfed her—but with a snap of her fingers, she dispersed it.
"This fire is hot, but not as hot as my subordinate's."
He didn't know who this subordinate was, but her constant mention of him was starting to irritate him. From her words, this guy must be special somehow.
"Fire Magic and Earth Magic: Glass."
Unable to endure her words any longer, Amun combined his magics, creating glass magic. With a sweep of his arm, he launched the first attack of the battle, surprising Serenya with greater speed than the last two.
'Body, I order you to move faster.'
At the start of the attack, she took a few hits, so she gave a command to her own body through her control magic, this time managing to dodge at higher speed.
"Glass Magic: Invisible Wall."
Hitting something, Serenya realized she'd been cornered by a wall behind her, leaving no chance to dodge the attacks coming from the front. She gave another order to her body.
'Improved Resistance.'
The attacks still pierced her, but now she could withstand much more—leaving Amun stunned. This girl might actually be on par with his continent's rank 1.
"This can't be…"
In her palm, the magic in the air was being pulled into a vortex of pure mana. Not wanting to let it happen, Amun summoned sharper glass shards than before and threw them, piercing her skin deeper than before.
"I still have more—"
The magic in her palm grew stronger while she stayed still, conjuring more magic around her to prevent him from casting further spells by pinning his hands behind a door-like barrier and covering his mouth—something he thought was stupid since mages could still cast spells without hands or voice.
"If you think this is to stop you from using magic, you're very mistaken. It's simply so you can't dodge."
He grew desperate as that pure magic in her hand turned purple, merging with her control magic. He tried to break free, using his own magic to strengthen his body.
"Pure Magic Attack!"
Just as he was about to break free, something formed beneath him, launching him upward with force—it was one of Serenya's invisible platforms.
"Like I said, you must've reached the third circle recently—maybe two days ago. But know one thing…"
Serenya sensed her subordinates had already defeated Amun's, since no more attacks were being launched nearby. She smiled arrogantly.
"I evolved to the third circle one week after my subordinate."
Throwing her attack toward Amun, a massive explosion was generated, erasing everything in that area and creating a crater where the flag once stood. Amun had completely vanished, unable to withstand the blow.
"Looks like I won."
"You won, but got injured by someone far weaker than Master."
Yumeha stood behind her, having watched the entire fight, hoping she could intervene and show her power to Master as well—but to her dismay, Serenya had already reached a high level.
"Yes, my subordinate is incredible, but I'm his leader, so I can't fall too far behind. That's why I'll train even harder."
"I hope so, because my stress only deserves strong wives."
"Serenya, Yumeha—good job."
Enrico and the other two arrived running, excited after seeing how strong Serenya had become, though they hadn't expected any less from their leader.
"You've gotten really strong, Serenya."
"Yes, I have, subordinate. So… would you give me a kiss?"
"Of course, no reason to refuse."
Both Elian and Caelan turned away while Yumeha felt deep regret for not fighting Amun before Serenya did.