The Duel Arena, a massive circular stone platform inscribed with deflection runes, was packed. Whispers about Kael, the former Mana-Dud, facing the institute's fiery darling, Elara Vance, had spread like wildfire, drawing half the student body. Elara stood across from Kael, radiating a cold fury that barely masked her desperate, burning desire.
"You ignore me for that bookworm and that old snake!" Elara hissed across the distance, her hands already alight with crackling Force Mana. "You think a cosmetic glow-up makes you worthy of the Institute's attention? I will burn that illusion away and make you pay attention to me."
Kael felt the familiar, uncomfortable rush of the chaotic aura pushing out from his Core. His presence was not just a sight; it was a physical force. He could see the female spectators in the stands—hundreds of them—leaning forward, their breath shallow, their eyes glazed over, fixed on the intense, magnetic field surrounding him.
"You called for this, Elara," Kael stated, his voice calm amidst the gathering storm of her anger. He wasn't even generating a protective shield. He didn't need one.
Elara screamed, releasing her signature attack: Force Serpent, a spiraling, emerald whip of raw magical energy designed to shatter shields and break bones. It shot across the arena with terrifying speed and precision, aiming directly for Kael's chest.
It never connected.
The moment the Force Serpent entered Kael's personal aura—a small, invisible space just a foot from his body—it didn't just stop. It faltered, lost momentum, and then, impossibly, dissipated. The concentrated mana, intended to be a deadly weapon, simply dissolved into shimmering, inert particles that fell harmlessly around Kael's feet.
The arena went silent. Elara stared, her eyes wide with disbelief, her body frozen mid-stance. She had poured enough power into that attack to knock down a stone golem, yet Kael stood there, untouched, unfazed, and overwhelmingly, devastatingly appealing.
The silence was shattered by a collective, gasping moan that swept through the female spectators. His effortless superiority, the casual way he had neutralized such immense power, was the most profound display of status and dominance they had ever witnessed. It translated instantly into agonizing, uncontrollable desire.
Elara's powerful anger collapsed inward, replaced by a seismic wave of emotion that hit her with the force of her own failed attack. She didn't feel defeated; she felt dominated. Her knees buckled, her face flushed crimson, and her eyes glazed over with a dizzying rush of adoration. She lowered her head, suddenly unable to meet his gaze, consumed by a fierce, singular thought: He is too strong. He is everything.
Before Kael could speak, a new voice cut through the stunned silence.
"Fascinating. The absorption rate approaches 100% with zero core fluctuation."
Sienna Thorne walked onto the arena floor, completely ignoring the security protocols and the gasping crowd. Her composure was back, rigid and forced. She grabbed Kael's arm, her grip surprisingly tight, and pulled him away from the still-kneeling Elara.
"The demonstration is concluded," Sienna announced to the arena, her voice ringing with false authority. "Mr. Varis is now required for advanced biometric analysis." She didn't look at Elara; she didn't need to. She had physically staked her claim.
As Sienna marched Kael away, Elara finally lifted her head, her eyes burning with fresh jealousy and furious possessiveness. She had tried to dominate him and had been utterly subjugated. Now, Sienna had him. This was war.
With that public display of power, Kael has secured the obsession of the entire female student body, and the rivalry between the core harem members—Lysandra, Sienna, and Elara—is now cemented.