Live comments on the Imperial Star Net streamed across the screen like a river of stars:
"Here we go! Here we go! Avelia is finally making her appearance!"
"Go, Thorne! Defeat that 'Culinary Master' Kylen!"
"Tough call! But the betting odds actually favor Thorne!"
"It's just a compatibility issue! Expert analysis says Kylen and Avelia's abilities may struggle against speed-type Contractors!"
"Wow! Even Star Emblem Mentors from Imperial Contract Academy and Riverside Beast Contract Academy have come to watch!"
"They're here to study their future opponents, right?"
This highly anticipated duel attracted countless eyes. Star Emblem Mentors from other top-tier Contract Academies also made a special trip to observe.
"Jaren, did your Imperial Contract Academy come too?"
"Lior, isn't your Riverside Beast Contract Academy the same? You're here to see Kylen, aren't you?"
Lior nodded. "Naturally. But Kylen might not beat Thorne…"
Jaren stared at the center of the arena. "Indeed. Thorne is at least the 43rd-ranked young genius on the Arcana Potential Rankings. Kylen's strange talent might break into the top ten, but in terms of compatibility, Thorne clearly has the upper hand."
For Contractors whose spiritual power had not yet reached high tiers, speed often played a decisive role.
No matter how powerful the strength, it was meaningless if it couldn't hit the target. That was why the betting market favored Thorne.
The referee raised his scepter high. "The duel begins!"
Kylen and Thorne Voss held their breath simultaneously. The moment the command fell, both of them sprang into action.
A surge of purple lightning erupted in front of Thorne. A contracted creature wrapped in lightning with a wingspan of two meters appeared — Sequence No.103, the Thunder Claw Raptor. Crackling thunder struck the marble floor, creating spiderweb-like cracks.
His S-rank talent, Thunder Step Aura, activated instantly: immune to lightning damage and able to greatly boost movement speed using lightning power.
The "Thunder Step" of the Ascension Realm could already break the sound barrier, turning into a blurry afterimage.
"Bang!"
The sound of breaking air was deafening. Thorne Voss and the Thunder Claw Raptor transformed into two intertwined streams of lightning, slicing destructive lightning arcs across the arena as they charged straight at Kylen.
"Avelia."
Kylen called softly. A deep crimson glow instantly emanated from Avelia's body. Semi-transparent gelatinous energy spread from beneath her feet — this was her core ability, Primordial Assimilation.
The thick crimson gelatinous domain expanded at a visible speed. Wherever it passed, the air became heavy, seemingly about to pull the Thunder Claw Raptor's body into the assimilation range.
Thorne Voss had long been prepared. To resist this move, he had brought a Silver Class Abyssal Armament from his family — the Holy Silver Barrier Pendant.
The moment the pendant came into contact with the gelatinous domain, it burst forth with silver light patterns, forming a semi-transparent barrier in an attempt to block the erosion of the crimson gelatin.
"Zizzle."
The silver barrier collided with the crimson gelatin, emitting faint energy scorching sounds. But to Thorne Voss's surprise, the power of this Abyssal Armament couldn't completely block the influence of Primordial Assimilation.
Although the Thunder Claw Raptor wasn't fully assimilated, its movements slowed significantly.
The frequency of its wing flaps dropped by half, and a hint of muddled scarlet flickered in its eyes.
"No wonder you're the former top-tier Avelia of the academy… Without this Holy Silver Pendant, I'm afraid I couldn't handle you today!"
Thorne was secretly stunned. He hadn't expected her control over Primordial Assimilation to be so precise.
Kylen watched Thorne's movements calmly. That the opponent could produce a targeted Abyssal Armament didn't exceed his expectations.
Thorne Voss's figure, transformed into lightning, was as fast as a ghost. Even with his Astral Flow Realm spiritual power, he could only catch blurry afterimages. In terms of compatibility, this duel was indeed tricky.
The lightning struck suddenly. Just as Thorne's attack was about to touch Kylen's face, Avelia's Blood Coagulation Control activated.
The blood in Thorne Voss's limbs seemed to be pulled by an invisible force. His knees involuntarily tried to bend. Could she actually lock onto him while he was moving at high speed?
Fortunately, he had a backup plan. Another Silver Class Abyssal Armament, the Phantom Shroud Doll, activated. It could transfer all energy interference and damage inflicted on him to the doll.
Avelia's blood control was instantly transferred to the doll. Thorne barely broke free, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "Kylen, you're doomed to lose!"
Just as his attack was about to hit, a pair of pitch-black delta wings unfolded behind Kylen. This was the Silver Class Abyssal Armament, Crimson Dragon Wings.
With a flap, it stirred up strong winds, carrying him and Avelia up into the sky to avoid the fatal assault.
At the same time, dozens of deep crimson gelatinous spears condensed at Avelia's fingertips. They shot fiercely at Thorne Voss with the sound of breaking air.
Thorne Voss didn't dare to take the hit head-on. He dodged nimbly with his speed advantage, looked up at the two in the sky, and his expression turned solemn. "A flight-type Abyssal Armament?"
"You underestimate me, Kylen!"
As the light patterns of the Holy Silver Barrier Pendant flickered, the Thunder Claw Raptor finally broke free from the sluggishness of Primordial Assimilation.
The lightning around its body surged, and its feathers stood on end like sharp blades.
Boosted by Thorne's Thunder Step Aura, the man and the beast transformed into two streams of blazing white lightning, intertwining into a huge lightning spear that soared into the sky.
"Thunder Feather Barrage!"
Thousands of lightning-infused feather blades poured down, their assault more terrifying than a hail of bullets. Many people in the spectator stands held their breath for Kylen.
Yet—
Kylen flapped his dragon wings, stirring up a tornado mixed with sonic shockwaves. It swept away countless thunder feathers, and the invisible sound waves stabbed straight at Thorne Voss's eardrums.
Thorne Voss dodged in haste but was still left with tinnitus, nearly deafened.
"Damn it! These dragon wings are actually high-tier armaments forged from the remains of Crimson-Horned Pterosaur wings!"
Thorne cursed secretly. He could feel that if the fight dragged on any longer, the side effect of the Phantom Shroud Doll would soon erupt — the damage absorbed by the doll would rebound on him exponentially.
As a direct descendant of the Voss family, he could never lose to a commoner Contractor from an ordinary background. It would be a disgrace to the entire family.
"Thunder Claw, fuse!"
The lightning from Thorne and the Thunder Claw Raptor completely intertwined, transforming into a blazing white lightning spear that surpassed the sound barrier. Its speed reached the limit of visual perception.
"It's over!"
"Bang!"
The blazing white lightning spear exploded into a cloud of deep crimson gelatin mist, piercing straight through "Kylen's" body.
The on-site audience widened their eyes in unison. Could Kylen have lost just like that?
Lior's eyes were sharp. He said slowly, "No, it's Thorne who lost."
"I never thought Avelia's control over Primordial Assimilation would be this masterful." "Kylen's judgment is too meticulous. He doesn't look like a freshman at all. Their coordination is flawless."
Thorne was still immersed in the ecstasy of victory. It wasn't until he looked down at the puddle of thick crimson gelatin at his feet and raised his head that he saw a bizarre sight: Kylen and Avelia were still hovering high in the sky, looking down at him from above.
"How… how is this possible?"
He clearly pierced Kylen, so why was the other party unharmed?
Suddenly, the light of the Phantom Shroud Doll dimmed. The side effect didn't come as expected.
A terrible thought crossed his mind — could it be that…
Thorne belatedly realized that he had been under Kylen's control from the very beginning.
Avelia's Blood Coagulation Control had never truly harmed him. The initial blood control was just a decoy.
Later, she had only slightly adjusted the flow of blood in his eyes, causing a tiny, imperceptible deviation in his visual judgment.
And it was this tiny deviation that led him into the trap completely.
The puddle of deep crimson gelatin at his feet was originally a mimic body that Avelia had condensed in advance using Primordial Assimilation.
She had used the gelatin to create a dummy identical to Kylen. His all-out, spectacular attack had merely shattered a meaningless clump of gelatin.
A dark crimson longbow slowly materialized in Kylen's hand. Runes flowed across the bow's body — this was the Silver Class Abyssal Armament, Night Devourer Longbow.
A contemptuous smile curved on his lips. "Your acrobatic performance was quite entertaining, Thorne — is your family in the circus business?"
Thorne's lungs were almost bursting with anger. His attack, which he had thought was stunning the entire audience, was nothing but a ridiculous clown show in everyone's eyes.
Laughter and discussions erupted in the spectator stands:
"Haha! I thought this was a peak duel, but it's just a farce to go with meals!"
"Too bad it's past dinner time. Otherwise, I could eat three more plates of grilled meat!"
"This is the S-rank Contractor from the Practical Combat Department? The Eldrin Culinary Academy needs talents like you!"
Thorne gritted his teeth so hard that his molars almost cracked. The lightning around his body surged violently. "Thunderstep Aura!"
Kylen drew the longbow, his eyes cold and calm. "Unfortunately, speed isn't your exclusive specialty."