Back in the arena. Smoke filled the field from repeated impacts.
Haren was breathing heavily now. "This bastard… what is he even doing?!"
Simon's right arm had been flickering with deep blue Darkness this whole time—
but nothing had been released.
No spell.
No attack.
Just preparation.
Haren gritted his teeth.
"Fine… let's end this!"
The second Exhaust shot forward and hit.
Simon's vision twisted violently.The world split apart. His body nearly gave out.
"How is it?" Haren grinned. "Feels like hell, right? Special Entry No. 1."
Simon slowly raised his head. Sweat dripping. Breathing uneven.
But smiling.
"…No."
He rolled his shoulder.
Crack.
"It's done now."
He clenched his fist.
"Time to counterattack."
"…?!"
Haren froze for a split second.
Then—
Simon punched the air.
RUMBLE.
"…What?"
The arena shook.
Screams erupted from the audience.
Simon punched again.
RUMBLE!!
"Duel Evaluation Rule, Article 3, Clause 4."
Another punch.
RUMBLE!!!
"A participant is disqualified if they leave the arena."
Haren's eyes widened.
Simon smiled faintly.
"But there's no rule that says…"
He raised his fist again.
"...you can't bring something in from outside."
KWAAAAAAAAANG!!!
The wall behind him—
shattered.
Silence.
Then—
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Something massive stepped into the arena.
The ground cracked beneath its weight.
Everyone stared.
Haren laughed.
Dry.
Broken.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
Then he shouted—
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
A massive figure of mud and earth entered the battlefield.
A golem.
A fully formed Mud Golem.
The entire arena exploded into chaos.
"NO WAY—!"
"A GOLEM?!"
"IN A FIRST-YEAR MATCH?!"
Up in the stands—
Cindy's jaw dropped. "…Okay, what."
Claudia was completely frozen.
Merida blinked once. "…Ridiculous."
Rick laughed in disbelief. "Hahah—WHAT?!"
Meilyn stared. "…Are you serious?!"
Cami covered her mouth. "Simon…?!"
Meanwhile—
Knox just smiled.
"Judge! That's illegal!" Haren shouted. "That's an external summon!"
The judge shook their head calmly.
"That golem is controlled by Simon's Jet Black (Darkness). It is valid."
Below, Simon stepped forward.
Calm. Composed.
"Now then."
He smiled. "It's my turn."
The golem moved.
Haren charged desperately.
"AAAAAAAA!"
Black Hand struck the golem—
THOOM.
Nothing.
The golem didn't even move.
Simon raised his fist.
"A straight punch…"
The golem mirrored him.
"…is about putting your weight into it."
He punched.
RUMMMMMMMMMBLE!!!
Haren's body was launched across the arena—
crashing into the wall with overwhelming force.
[Simon Polentia: 76%]
[Haren Cork: 0%]
Silence.
Then—
"The winner! From Class A—Simon Polentia!"
***
After Simon's match ended, both Group 7 and Group 8 relaxed a bit and gathered at the cafeteria for a light lunch.
The earlier tension had eased, replaced by a more casual atmosphere.
"…Still can't believe that," Cindy said, poking at her food. "A golem. Seriously?"
Rick laughed. "Yeah, I'm still processing that too."
"…Weirdo" Merida added flatly.
Claudia smiled faintly, though her eyes showed a hint of focus.
"Well… now it's my turn."
At that, the mood shifted slightly.
Then—
Ring—!
The bell echoed through the cafeteria, signaling the end of lunch.
"Alright, let's go," Knox said, standing up.
The group headed toward the stadium together.
***
When they arrived, Claudia stopped near the entrance to the waiting area.
The others gathered around her.
"Go for it!"
"Don't lose!"
"Have a safe trip!" Cindy added cheerfully.
"…That sounds like she's going somewhere dangerous," Rick muttered.
Claudia let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, thanks everyone."
With that, she turned and headed toward the waiting room, supported by her friends' encouragement.
Meanwhile, Group 7 and the remaining members of Group 8 moved toward the spectator seats.
***
"I will now begin the duel evaluation between Class A student Claudia Menzies and Class M student Fitzgerald Ingles."
"Start!"
The duel began the moment the referee gave the signal.
Fitzgerald immediately took the initiative.
He unfolded his subspace—
and began summoning his monster.
"Seiren's Amalgamation!"
The creature that emerged was grotesque.
At its core was a Seiren, a rare monster that was half-human and half-seabird.
Its lower body was replaced with biological wheels, its torso stretched into a rectangular shape like a wagon, while the upper half remained humanoid. Its large eyes moved erratically in all directions, and its six arms twisted unnaturally, each preparing to cast a different spell.
A summon capable of activating six dark magics at once.
Fitzgerald's plan was simple—
overwhelm Claudia with sheer firepower.
Well.
That was the plan.
Unfortunately for him—
his opponent did not believe in the very common and very polite battle "ethic" of waiting for your opponent to finish preparing.
Claudia had already been educated.
Really well.
By Knox.
And one of Knox's principles was simple:
If your opponent is about to do something dangerous, if your opponent is about to transform—don't wait. Hit them first. Hit them hard!
So—
Claudia didn't wait.
The moment Fitzgerald began his summon, she moved.
Several poison vials flew through the air toward him.
And before they even landed—
"Poison Cyclone!"
A violent storm of toxic energy erupted.
The vials shattered mid-air—
their contents immediately swept into the spinning cyclone, mixing into it like water being dragged into a tornado.
The result, a raging vortex of poison.
"What—?!"
Fitzgerald didn't even have time to react properly.
He—
and his not-yet-fully-formed summon—
were instantly caught in the cyclone.
Spinning.
Dragged.
Torn apart by the swirling storm.
Then—
like something spat out by a beast—
they were flung out.
CRASH!
Fitzgerald slammed into the ground—
and didn't move again.
"....."
"....."
"....."
The arena fell completely silent.
For a brief moment—
no one reacted.
Then...
"Hahaha! Nice strike, Claudia!"
Knox's voice rang out, followed by his applause.
That single reaction broke the silence.
And almost immediately—
realization spread.
"That timing—"
"That kind of move—"
Slowly, people turned their heads.
Toward Knox.
"…."
"That explains everything."
Meanwhile, Claudia stood calmly in the arena, as if nothing unusual had happened at all.
"The winner! Student Claudia Menzies!"
Applause and cheers finally erupted throughout the stadium.