The first member of Jester's team that he eliminated was the healer. His intention was to prevent his opponents from being able to hold out for too long, but, to his surprise, they were doing quite well even without her. The reason was simple: three of the remaining members had reached the Third Circle, and each of them was one of the three strongest students on the continent of Valtara.
'Without a doubt, the continent of Valtara sent its three strongest students to the same team, ensuring they would have a good chance of advancing in the competition.'
It was a smart decision. Separating those three would be practically declaring their teams defeated. Even so, it seemed they didn't like one another at all, to the point that they were struggling even to work together.
'It was a good thing I eliminated that Second Circle healer. She seemed to be the one who somehow kept the three of them together.'
"Arthur Klein, fall back and attack from a distance!"
"All right!"
The boy named Arthur Klein had red hair and used a rather interesting type of magic: Mechanical Magic, an affinity considered unique.
'Even with this magic, he's still in the Second Circle.'
The girl who had given the order seemed to belong to the same territory as him. Her name was Erika Von Stahlheim, the number one student at her academy. She had silver hair, blue eyes, and wore very well-kept clothes. Like her, the other two strongest members also held first place at their respective academies.
Jester smiled as he watched her dodge a powerful attack from one of his subordinates.
'She's fighting well against Ti, even though she's at a disadvantage.'
A hooded boy who used a metal claw on his fists was trying to hit her with his magical attacks.
"Annoying girl! I'll kill you!"
"Watch your tone when speaking to me, you filthy scum!"
Erika said that because Ti used Shadow Magic, something that seemed to irritate her deeply. Her face even showed contempt whenever she looked at him.
"Calm down, Eri. Ethan is already irritated because his girlfriend was eliminated. Having you act like this too will only make things worse."
"I don't care!"
About five meters away from Erika was a dark-skinned girl with several tribal tattoos that glowed whenever she used her white-looking magical spirit. She was attacking Ícaro with precise movements. Her name was Chinwe Okonkwo, also the number one student at her academy.
Meanwhile, another boy was advancing across the battlefield, dodging several attacks. He interrupted the two girls' conversation.
"I'm not liking this conversation... First, I'm not irritated. Second, she's not my..."
'After all, we still haven't made anything official.'
The rain had begun shortly before. The sound of raindrops falling mixed with the thunder, creating perfect conditions for Ethan Davis, the last member of the team who also held first place at his respective academy, to use his Lightning Magic more effectively. The boy with messy blond hair maintained a serious expression. Despite being the most injured among the three, he had already managed to defeat his opponent.
'I'd better eliminate their leader right away.'
Ethan dodged a few more attacks before turning his attention back to his two companions, who were still fighting.
"Hey, you two! Take care of things here. I'll deal with the one who looks like their leader."
Erika frowned upon hearing Ethan's decision.
"Why does it have to be you...? And there he goes."
Chinwe, who was also following her companion's movements, realized the real reason behind his actions.
"He must be irritated because their leader was the one who eliminated Mina."
Ethan wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, keeping his gaze sharp as a blade. His bluish aura of crackling lightning surrounded his body, illuminating the darkness of the forest as he stared directly at his opponent.
"Your ambush was pretty good."
Jester twirled a black staff between his fingers, wearing a smile that didn't seem human. The pale gleam in his eyes showed that he had absolute control over the situation, accompanied by an extremely unsettling confidence.
"Thank you for the compliment. You fight well... for someone who still believes in flags and continental glory."
Jester's drawn-out, mocking voice irritated Ethan, who spat the blood still in his mouth onto the ground. Apparently, that guy knew a few things about him. So, he decided to respond to the provocation with something that reflected his own personality quite well.
"You talk too much for someone who's about to fall."
Ethan raised one hand and pointed toward the ground as the lightning surrounding his body grew even more intense.
"And I don't care what you think, because I'm going to mark this forest with the name of my territory!"
The air trembled as Ethan charged forward, making the ground explode beneath his feet. His body shot forward like a living arrow, surrounded by lightning that illuminated the forest.
"Lightning Dash!"
Jester raised his staff and traced a dark red magic circle. Immediately, translucent bones emerged from the ground like spears, intercepting the attack. Ethan reacted quickly, dodging as the lightning around his body distorted his trajectory.
The impact made the ground tremble. A flash tore through the darkness of the forest, splitting trunks and burning leaves, while the sound of metal striking bone echoed through the surroundings.
Ethan landed with a spin, accumulating kinetic energy in his legs.
'I had to use my second affinity to dodge.'
"Tsk... Your summoning magic is ugly. It looks like something used by dead people."
Jester placed the tip of his staff against the ground, ready to launch his next attack.
"It's simply evolution. You, on the other hand, seem to be nothing but noise and pride."
The bitter taunts between the two seemed endless. However, what irritated Ethan the most was Jester's constant smile, accompanied by a gaze that seemed to conceal something beyond mere confidence.
A bolt of lightning began accumulating in Ethan's palm. He assumed a combat stance and stared at his opponent.
"Pride is what made my parents and my people stand up. And what do you have? A poisonous tongue and cemetery tricks?"
"Perhaps. But if properly used in the future, these tricks might even allow me to reach the level of the gods."
"Nonsense."
The ground split beneath Ethan's feet. He spun his body and threw an amplified punch, making the air around him explode.
"Kinetic Burst!"
The impact generated a shock wave that traveled dozens of meters, uprooting trees and opening a crater the size of a house.
Jester was hurled against a tree trunk, causing his staff to crack from the impact. Even so, he slowly stood up, coughing but without losing his smile.
"Ah... Now I understand. You really believe brute force can overcome everything, don't you, little proud one?"
"Little? I'm big enough to bury you right here!"
Ethan couldn't hide his anger over his companion's elimination, even as he tried to maintain a firm expression.
Without giving his opponent time to react, he jumped again, his body surrounded by a whirlwind of electricity. The ground burned beneath his feet, and the air vibrated with the accumulated energy as the lightning condensed into a spear.
"Lightning Spear – Heaven Splitter!"
The attack tore through the air, turning night into day for a brief moment. The sound of thunder echoed throughout the valley in that part of the forest. When the light finally faded, Jester was kneeling, his left arm injured and smoke rising from his body.
The area surrounding that zone had been devastated. Only ashes and pieces of charred trees remained.
Even in the face of such destruction, Jester continued smiling, as though none of it could shake him.
Ethan narrowed his eyes when he realized his opponent was still standing.
"Still standing? It looks like I'm fighting a cockroach."
Jester raised his gaze. For a brief moment, his expression changed. His smile disappeared, and something different flickered in his eyes.
"You're strong, Ethan Davis. But the power you hide inside yourself is... chaotic. Wouldn't it be interesting for me to absorb it and evolve?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes, suspicious of his opponent's words. However, he soon dismissed some of his suspicions. After all, everyone was looking for some way to evolve. Even so, that conversation gave him an idea: that guy seemed interested in something far beyond a simple fight.