Ron Phynex was covered in the red feathers of his phoenix. His hands and feet had turned into claws, and his eyes had become sharp.
Glass asked,
"Where's the beak?"
Ron wanted to show off, but Glass ruined the moment with his unexpected question.
"You know what? You're annoying."
"..."
Ron was upset, but Glass said nothing, letting his sword speak for him.
"(Subzero Duel)."
The atmosphere grew cold, but the flames surrounding Ron remained unaffected. Ron spread his large, wide wings.
He began flying around the arena, heating everything up.
"I hope you won't get cooked!"
Ron smirked, but Glass used his art.
"(Sano Family Art: Absolute Freeze)."
The aura surrounding Glass became extremely cold. Then he used another spell.
"(Ice Blades)."
Numerous ice blades formed around Glass, pointing toward the flying Ron and following his movements.
"You need more than that!"
Ron dodged everything, leaving the ice to melt in his presence. Glass wanted to do something, but he suddenly stopped.
"Hmm? You! What are you doing?!"
"Resting."
"Huh?!"
Glass stood still, watching the red bird fly as he noticed something.
Seeing this, Tim Ayr said,
"Fusing with a beast is a dangerous art because it consumes stamina and affects mental health. To avoid these problems, students must learn techniques and spells that strengthen their bodies and minds. That's why we hold this exchange."
The veins on Ron's face became prominent as he began to feel unwell, but he still had to put on a show against Glass Sano.
"(Phoenix Descending)!"
High in the sky, Ron summoned the enormous red shadow of a phoenix, making Kaine Sano uneasy. He warned Glass,
"Be careful. He's using his guardian spirit."
Glass was astonished, but he quickly recovered and said,
"He used his guardian spirit, so why can't I?!"
"I won't help you."
"Huh?!!"
Glass was stunned by Kaine's answer.
"Why?!"
"Glass, you have two arts. If you can't finish him using the Sano Family Art, use the Winter's King Art."
"But I haven't mastered it yet."
"Now is your chance to learn."
"!!!"
Glass saw an enormous mass of red flames descending from the sky toward him. However, Tim didn't lift a finger to stop it, as if he were expecting something to happen.
'I hope Kaine doesn't kill this boy.'
Glass closed his eyes, remembering every time he had nearly died while using that art.
'I can do it.'
"(Winter's King Art: Eternal Ice Statue)!"
His unique physique, the Eternal Ice Statue, was the foundation of the entire art. He allowed the cold aura to invade his body as he faced Ron's attack.
EXPLOSION!!!!
Steam filled the arena, and no one could see anything.
Marine Sano was anxious about Glass and wanted to scream, but then she saw a blue, icy aura shining in the center of the arena.
"Glass?"
Glass looked like a man made of ice. Parts of his body had melted, while other parts had frozen, allowing him to reform his body.
Glass asked coldly,
"Were you trying to kill me?"
Ron was no longer in the sky. He lay beneath Glass's feet after separating from his phoenix.
Ron couldn't breathe because of the steam and the pressure of Glass's foot on his chest.
Glass didn't expect an answer, so he used another technique he had learned.
"(Winter's King Art: Ice-blade Arm)."
His arm was surrounded by weapon aura, which formed a blade. It resembled the Aura Embodiment of the sixth level, but it was weaker.
Glass swung his arm, but Tim stopped him.
"Hold on."
Glass stopped and turned toward Tim, who used his spell to return Glass to his original form and restore his normal body.
Tim looked at Ron and said,
"You're a troublemaker, aren't you?"
Ron pretended to be innocent.
"I just wanted to win—"
"By using your guardian spirit against a fourth-level student?"
Ron said,
"He has a guardian spirit too!"
"No excuses! I made the rules clear: guardian spirits must not be used unless absolutely necessary!"
Shion Lan was in his room in the arena, thinking,
'I suppose this rule was introduced because of what happened when Yossi Sano lost control during the tournament. That way, no one will use their guardian spirit unnecessarily.'
Shion watched Ron and thought,
"Why did he do that? It was as if he had to win at any cost. I don't think this is part of Bimal's culture, considering how well the previous matches went. Does he have a grudge against Glass?"
Shion continued thinking and didn't realize that another match had ended and that it was his turn.
"The third-grade student of the Noble Division, Shion Lan!"
Shion heard his name and said,
"I can't use my full power, so I'll do the best I can."
Shion entered the arena to the sound of applause. His opponent was a girl. She wasn't like the members of Ishtar's mythical families, but she still possessed an aura that marked her as a supreme being.
"Shion Lan, young lady."
"Oh! Seri Whi, Lord Lan."
They introduced themselves to each other, leaving everyone confused.
"Sorry, but I have to say something."
"What?"
Seri looked at Shion, waiting for him to continue.
"I'm exhausted and weak, and I can't use my full power. So don't misunderstand me if you see me at a disadvantage."
Seri smiled unconsciously and said,
"You don't have to explain anything. Thank you for being honest."
Shion smiled and closed his eyes.
"Begin!"
The referee gave the signal, and Seri summoned a white snake. It was extremely long and thick, with blue eyes.
Seri used her art.
"(Art of White Snake)."
She assumed her stance, allowing the snake to crawl around her body, but Shion still hadn't opened his eyes.
"You have to open your eyes, Lord Lan!"
Seri thrust her hands forward, directing her snake toward Shion, who activated his Stellar Aura.
DODGE!
Shion moved swiftly and dodged the snake, but he still didn't open his eyes.
"What?!!"
Seri was stunned, but Shion explained,
"That's my new technique. I have to sense movements and react quickly, but I need to close my eyes to sense them properly."
Shion closed his eyes again, allowing his aura to cover him. Seri remembered the instructions she had received while in the Ishtar Kingdom.
"Observe Shion Lan."
Seri decided to carry out her duty. She used her aura and directed her white snake toward him again, but Shion easily evaded its attacks.
Shion thought,
'Using (Pressure) with my aura allows me to sense differences in air pressure. Combining it with (Chasing the Wind) lets me move in the opposite direction of an incoming attack. All I have to do is sense the direction of the attack.'
Shion felt the air pressing against his back, so he used the air itself to move away from the white snake and landed at a distance.
The audience was surprised, but Ryan Shine said,
"I didn't expect him to use the wind like that."
Asin Night said,
"I don't think I've ever seen a technique like that in the Torano Family."
Shion moved freely, as if nothing could hold him back.
Seri asked,
"Aren't you going to attack?"
Shion said,
"I don't know how to attack when your beast is so fast."
"Then stop moving and—"
"All right."
Shion stood still, but he changed his elemental affinity to earth.
Seri was surprised that he had stopped moving, but she prepared herself and commanded her beast.
"(White Fang)!"
The white snake opened its mouth wide and attacked Shion, whose aura had been condensed.
Shion whispered,
"(Solidification), (Condensation)."
Shion's body became as hard as ceramic, and his aura made it even more rigid.
The snake tried to bite him, but its fangs couldn't penetrate his skin. Shion tried to grab them, but Seri summoned the snake back beside her, putting some distance between them.
Shion thought,
'I can't face the snake using only one element, but I can't use both wind and earth at the same time.'
Shion opened his eyes for a moment.
'I forgot that I can divide my body's elemental usage and use different elements in different parts!'
He breathed slowly, making his legs as light as the wind while filling his upper body with the earth element.
He used both (Chasing the Wind) and (Solidification).
"Prepare yourself!"
Shion announced his intention to attack. Seri didn't respond. Instead, she partially fused with her beast, unlike Ron. White scales appeared on her hands, and her eyes turned blue. Nothing else changed.
Shion struck the ground and rushed forward, throwing a punch at Seri.
Seri saw his movements but couldn't react in time. The wind surrounding Shion threw everything into chaos, and her instinctive defense was all that allowed her to block his fist.
PUNCH!!
Although she blocked the punch, that didn't mean she escaped its effects. Her body was sent flying backward until she crashed into the wall.
COUGH!!
Seri coughed up some blood, but her injuries weren't dangerous. Her transformation faded, making the outcome obvious.
"Shion Lan wins!"
Shion helped Seri stand.
"Good match."
"..."
Seri didn't answer and left the arena.
Shion didn't care much, especially since he felt that something was suspicious about Bimal's outstanding students.
'I can't describe exactly how I feel about them, but I can tell that something is wrong.'
He left the arena and joined the audience to watch the remaining matches. There, he saw Harry Gill mercilessly crushing his opponent.
Harry Gill was at the third level, and the chaotic air surrounding him made him terrifying. His opponent fought alongside a storm wolf, but Harry showed what a real storm looked like in the arena.
"He hasn't changed at all."
Shion said this as he watched Harry glare at the noble students with hatred.
The second-grade students began their matches. One of them was a royal contest between the Crown Princess of the Ostiferos Kingdom and the Princess of the Ishtar Kingdom.
Jina was at the second level, but her aura was anything but ordinary. Her opponent, Sherry, was no easy opponent either.
"The princesses' match. Who do you think will win?"
Glass asked Shion.
Shion said,
"I don't have the authority to judge a match like this."
Glass said,
"Both of them were affected because of you. You must know more than anyone else."
"..."
Both princesses had tried to look into him and had been affected by the (Aura of Death). Shion wasn't proud of that.
Shion said,
"I think Princess Sherry has special eyes. Until I understand their abilities, I can't make a judgment."
In the arena, Princess Jina said,
"We're at Karath Academy, so I'll let you make the first move."
Princess Sherry didn't pretend to be polite and simply said,
"Fine."
Sherry drew her needle sword and pointed it at Jina's neck.
Jina used her eyes to perceive Sherry's feelings and intentions.
'It's a trap.'
Jina didn't defend herself. Instead, she attacked.
"(Thunder Birds)!"
Her technique had grown stronger, making the thunderbirds larger and faster.
Each swing of her needle sword created a thunderbird that targeted Sherry, who summoned her beast.
Her beast was something unexpected from a princess like her.
"Silkworm!"
A small silkworm appeared on the back of her hand and caught the sword. The silkworm produced silk threads that quickly caught the thunderbirds and changed their directions.
"..."
No one could speak, but Shi Yun Lan, within Shion, said,
"A silkworm... This girl is dangerous. She'll defeat your princess."
Shion was stunned. He communicated with Shi Yun Lan.
"Is that beast really that dangerous?!"
"On its own? No. But combined with her ability? Yes."
Shion remembered Sherry's attempt to look into him.
"What is her ability?"
Shi Yun Lan said,
"Watch and learn."
Jina swung her sword repeatedly, but none of the thunderbirds could reach Sherry.
"(Lightning Feathers)!"
Jina swung again, and golden feathers charged with electricity appeared in the air and targeted Sherry, who didn't panic.
"(Silk Tissue)!"
Silk threads touched the tip of the needle sword, and Sherry swung it, creating a wall of silky fabric.
The threads couldn't penetrate it, but Jina moved swiftly, leaving sparks behind her steps as she tried to reach Sherry with the tip of her needle sword.
"(Electric Beak)!"
Jina tried to pierce the silky barrier, but Sherry moved quickly and swung her sword around Jina's blade, stopping it.
Jina found herself facing Sherry, unable to move her sword, so she stepped back to escape her opponent's reach.
"Where are you going?"
Sherry didn't let Jina escape. She sent her threads after Jina and caught her.
"It's over!"
Sherry was about to stab Jina, but Jina used a defensive technique.
"(Golden Wings)!"
The aura surrounded Jina, covering her in golden wings and blocking the stab.
Sherry saw her threads burning because of Jina's aura, but she smiled and said,
"You should be worried about maintaining that technique for too long."
Jina said,
"You won't be able to penetrate my defense."
Sherry said nothing. Instead, she looked at Jina with her orange and purple eyes as they began to glow.
Shion noticed what was happening and was shocked.
"..."
Jina couldn't speak as her defense faded and she fell to the ground.