After five minutes passed, every single class was already on the arena, awaiting for some kind of signal to begin the fight.
Until Ellen, who was scanning everyone, finally spoke.
"Begin."
For a few seconds, no one moved.
Four full classes stood in their starting positions, each group reading the same moment in a different way, weighing the cost of being first against the danger of waiting too long, while the rows of spectators who were from the 2nd and 3rd years above the field leaned forward in excitement.
Then the Azure Dragon Class broke the stillness.
Crackle!
Sera Vane moved first, her twin blades leaving their sheaths in the same motion that carried her body forward, her feet barely touching the ground as lightning affinity traced thin, controlled lines along both swords.
She crossed the distance between formations in an instant that felt too short to measure, closing nearly thirty meters before most people had properly processed that she had already begun moving.
