Liang tried to kick one of his enemies away, but his foot passed right through the person. He then turned around to grab a sword that was coming toward him, catching it with his hand and throwing the wielder to the ground.
"Jade Dragons."
Three jade dragons appeared around Liang, preparing a magical attack in their mouths. Raising their heads, the three spat condensed green magic toward the opponent who was attacking from above.
"They're much stronger than I thought."
He was fighting the team of the person who had taken Yue's place a day after the qualifiers — a surprise to everyone, since this guy wasn't even from the academy but from some unknown one. Even Kael had shown up later to quickly ask who this guy was.
"I can't believe it, but they really were hiding their power."
The person he was fighting was completely wrapped in bandages, with deep black, lifeless eyes — but this guy wasn't the one who had defeated Yue; he was just one of his teammates.
'If this guy is already at my level, then that means his leader must be really strong.'
A shadow appeared behind him, but Liang already knew that the clone in front of him was an illusion, so he stood still, letting it hit him.
"I already know who the real one is, and I won't let you out of my sight."
Covering his body with jade armor, Liang dashed forward and landed a punch that made his opponent spit blood.
"Yue wants revenge on you all — that's why she joined our rank one team. So, I'll give my little sister a hand."
Yue wasn't his blood sister, but they had grown up as siblings, each feeling protective of the other. He had even supported her decision to fall for a boy she had only seen once — she hadn't even spoken to him or seen his face properly.
"Well, I only accepted it because he seems like someone confident."
The person he was talking about was Kael — someone very strong, and it was quite possible that he had already reached the third circle. They had discovered he had been working as an official mercenary on weekends for a while now.
'Considering the time, he must have reached the third circle before me. That loudmouth bastard really has potential… but honestly, I think I'd prefer someone like Enrico.'
Grabbing his opponent by the hair, Liang kneed him in the face, lifting him into the air. Holding his leg, Liang pulled him closer, forming a jade sword in his hand.
'This guy's tough, but there's no way he can withstand this.'
With one slash, he split his opponent in half, the two pieces falling to the ground. For a second, he sighed — but then realized the enemy's body wasn't disappearing. In fact, it was starting to fuse back together.
"Wait — regeneration? No… an illusion."
A kick struck his back, sending him rolling forward. He was certain he hadn't taken his eyes off the guy.
'Damn it — he must've cast an illusion over my eyes.'
His jade armor was starting to crack a little. During the fight, his opponent hadn't used any attack magic other than illusion spells, so his unique ability wouldn't work properly here.
'This is weird… it's like my abilities have been completely analyzed.'
His opponent seemed to have studied his abilities — or at least someone had provided him with the information, because the person before him fought like he was following a script.
'I don't know who the hell thinks this is a play, but I'm not letting this fight end like that.'
As his mana surged, his jade armor seemed to evolve. He had been saving this for when he faced Enrico again, but he'd have to use it now.
"Jade Armor — Dragon Weapon Creation."
His armor became more complete, while three weapons materialized: the sword he had used, a spear, and a shield. The dragons that had been at a distance fused into jade dragon warriors, each holding one of the weapons.
"Let's begin."
Caught off guard by an ability he had never seen before, the bandaged man was punched in the face, sent flying backward, while one of the jade warriors raised its sword and slashed his back. The attacks came so fast that it was hard to even think of a defense.
"Roar of the Jade Dragon!"
Appearing above, Liang pointed his arm downward, releasing a burst of green energy straight at his opponent's head.
"This guy's still standing?"
Amid the dust below, his opponent was still on his feet, looking up, preparing something. Liang readied himself for whatever might come, forming jade protection around him.
"Why don't you give up? Your whole team has been completely defeated."
Both turned toward the voice. Liang saw his four teammates lying on the ground. He had joined Ren because they were childhood friends — and seeing him on the ground, he couldn't stop the anger rising within, though he still managed to hold it back.
"How interesting. You remind me of someone — feeling rage but managing to suppress it. Though…"
The masked person stepped on Ren's head hard, making him scream in pain. Ren wasn't the type to scream, so that meant his skull was being crushed in a way that kept him from being seen as 'dead' by the barrier's rules.
"Heh… You beat my little sister and still have the nerve to show me that? I really don't like you."
Liang appeared in front of the masked person with his sword and spear in hand, the three jade warriors surrounding him.
"Team thirteen eliminated. Three teams remain in Block A."
"Wait — isn't that Liang's team?"
Enrico, who had just defeated one of the last enemies from another team, looked up in surprise.
"The team that beat them must be that guy who defeated Yue… Was he really that strong? When I saw him, his level was only second circle."
He had looked into that guy before, back when he used Kael's identity to take mercenary jobs after reaching the third circle.
'Did I just find the third reincarnator? Or is he some kind of change in the story?'
He didn't know if it was good or bad — but something told him he wouldn't like this guy. And honestly, he believed his instincts were right. So, he decided he would keep a very close eye on him.