The second day of the Magic League arrived with even more excitement than the first.
Early in the morning, the Royal Magic University arena was already filled with students. The stone stands were crowded, and the magical barriers around the battlefield shimmered softly in the sunlight.
Everyone was eager to see the next battles.
The first day had eliminated nearly half of the competitors.
Now the remaining students were the strongest ones in the first year.
Sun, Yuki, and Aria walked together toward the arena entrance.
Yuki stretched her arms as she walked.
"I hope my match is early today."
Sun laughed.
"You're way too excited about fighting."
She smirked.
"Of course. That's the fun part."
Aria smiled calmly beside them.
"Just don't destroy the arena."
Yuki shrugged.
"No promises."
They reached the waiting area where the remaining competitors stood.
A large magical board displayed the next matches.
Sun looked up at the glowing list.
"Looks like the next rounds are starting."
A professor stepped into the arena.
"Second round of the First-Year Magic League will begin now!"
Cheers echoed around the stadium.
Yuki's Second Match
The referee called out loudly.
"Yuki Star!"
Yuki stepped forward immediately.
Her opponent was a girl with short brown hair and sharp eyes.
"Lina Hart," she introduced herself confidently.
"Begin!"
The moment the match started, Lina slammed her hand on the ground.
"Earth Cage!"
Large stone walls rose around Yuki, trapping her inside.
The crowd gasped.
"Whoa!"
But inside the cage, Yuki simply smiled.
"Nice try."
She raised her hand.
"Fire Burst!"
BOOM!
A powerful explosion of flames shattered the stone walls instantly.
Dust spread across the arena.
Lina frowned.
"Then try this!"
She pointed forward.
"Stone Spears!"
Multiple sharp rocks shot toward Yuki.
Yuki spun her hand in the air.
"Water Spiral."
A swirling current of water deflected the stones easily.
Then Yuki extended her palm.
"Fire Shot!"
A blazing fireball flew forward and exploded near Lina's feet.
The shockwave knocked her off balance.
Before she could recover-
"Water Bind."
Streams of water wrapped around her arms and legs.
She fell to the ground.
The referee raised his hand.
"Winner: Yuki Star!"
The crowd applauded loudly.
Yuki walked back toward Sun and Aria with a confident smile.
"That was a little more fun."
Sun nodded.
"You're getting faster."
Sun's Second Match
Soon after, the referee called again.
"Sun Star!"
Sun stepped into the arena calmly.
His opponent this time looked stronger than the previous one.
A tall boy with dark blue hair stepped forward.
"I'm Daren. Water magician."
Sun nodded respectfully.
"Sun."
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Immediately, Daren attacked.
"Water Spear!"
Three sharp spears of water shot toward Sun.
Sun reacted instantly.
"Earth Wall!"
A thick stone wall rose from the ground and blocked the attack.
Daren waved his hand again.
"Water Wave!"
A large wave rushed forward.
Sun jumped aside.
Then he raised both hands.
"Thunder Flash!"
Lightning cracked across the arena and struck the ground near Daren.
The impact forced him backward.
The crowd murmured.
"Lightning magic too...?"
Daren looked serious now.
"Not bad."
He raised his staff.
"Water Prison!"
A sphere of water formed around Sun, trapping him inside.
Students gasped.
Sun could barely move.
Daren smiled.
"You lose."
But inside the prison, Sun closed his eyes calmly.
Then he whispered-
"Thunder Pulse."
Electricity exploded inside the water sphere.
CRACK!
The entire prison shattered instantly.
Before Daren could react-
"Fire Dash."
Sun rushed forward surrounded by flames.
Then he thrust his hand forward.
"Thunder Strike!"
Lightning struck the ground beneath Daren.
The shockwave knocked him flat on the arena floor.
The referee immediately raised his hand.
"Winner: Sun Star!"
Cheers erupted from the audience.
Sun walked back to his friends.
Yuki smirked.
"That lightning trick was clever."
Sun shrugged.
"I learned it during training with Andrius."
Aria nodded thoughtfully.
"He really trained you well."
Aria's Second Match
Next, the announcer called-
"Aria Stark!"
Students whispered again.
"The princess..."
Her opponent was a boy who specialized in fire magic.
He stepped forward confidently.
"Don't expect me to go easy just because you're royalty."
Aria smiled politely.
"I wouldn't want you to."
"Begin!"
The boy launched his attack immediately.
"Flame Spear!"
A long spear of fire shot toward Aria.
She lifted her hand calmly.
"Wind Barrier."
The spear scattered into sparks.
Then she moved forward gracefully.
"Wind Blade."
A sharp blade of air cut across the arena.
The fire magician barely dodged.
He attacked again.
"Flame Cyclone!"
A spinning vortex of fire rushed toward her.
Aria closed her eyes briefly.
Then she whispered-
"Royal Wind Magic... Gale Burst."
A massive explosion of wind blasted outward.
The fire cyclone was completely blown away.
The powerful gust threw her opponent across the arena.
He landed outside the battle ring.
The referee announced-
"Winner: Aria Stark!"
The crowd applauded loudly.
Sun clapped.
"That was impressive."
Yuki nodded.
"You barely moved."
Aria laughed softly.
"Efficiency is important in battle."
The Final Four
By the evening, the battles had continued for hours.
Many strong students were eliminated one by one.
Finally, only four competitors remained.
The magical board displayed their names.
Sun Star
Yuki Star
Aria Stark
Wela Frost
Sun crossed his arms.
"So these are the semifinals."
Yuki looked excited.
"Almost there."
Aria studied the last name on the board.
"Wela Frost... I've heard about her."
Sun looked curious.
"Who is she?"
A cold voice suddenly spoke from behind them.
"That would be me."
They turned around.
A girl with long silver hair stood there quietly.
Her eyes were calm and sharp.
Frost-like mana gently surrounded her body.
"I specialize in ice magic," she said.
Yuki smiled slightly.
"Sounds interesting."
Wela looked at her calmly.
"I hope you can keep up."
Then she walked away.
Sun scratched his head.
"She seems serious."
Aria nodded.
"She's probably very strong."
Yuki cracked her knuckles.
"Good."
Sun raised an eyebrow.
"Good?"
Yuki grinned.
"I like strong opponents."
The professor then stepped into the arena again.
"Tomorrow will be the semifinals."
He raised his staff.
"The matches will be-"
"Sun Star vs Aria Stark"
"Yuki Star vs Wela Frost"
The entire arena erupted with excitement.
Students began whispering loudly.
"Sun versus the princess!"
"And Yuki against that ice girl!"
Sun looked at Aria and smiled.
"Looks like we're fighting tomorrow."
Aria returned the smile.
"I've been waiting for this."
Yuki stretched her arms confidently.
"Let's all give it our best."
Above them, the night sky of Ferbia slowly filled with stars.
Tomorrow would decide who would advance to the final battle.
And who would be one step closer to winning the Magical Pet.