CAW! CAW! CAW!

  Boundless, suffocating darkness descended from the heavens!

  The oppression was palpable, a physical weight pressing down on the world. It felt as though the sky itself had dissolved into liquid shadow, crushing down upon Gareth with the inexorable momentum of a collapsing mountain.

  In an instant, the blood drained from Gareth’s face, leaving it as pale as parchment.

  The complacency and arrogance born from summoning his forest of blood-vines vanished like smoke in a gale, replaced by a visceral, bone-deep panic that seized his heart.

  In his terror, he frantically manipulated the crimson vines, commanding them to rise and weave into a desperate canopy to intercept the descending black cloud.

  BOOM!

  Accompanied by a deafening, earth-shaking roar, the two torrents—one of living shadow, one of biological horror—collided violently in the void.

  It was a scene of chaotic annihilation.

  In the blink of an eye, countless Mist Crows were lashed into oblivion by the thorny vines, their forms dissipating into wisps of black smoke that choked the air.

  Simultaneously, the crimson defense line suffered catastrophic damage. Countless vines were torn apart by razor-sharp talons and beaks, their severed stumps spraying vital fluids and convulsing like electrocuted snakes as they recoiled in pain into the earth.

  The point of impact became a meat grinder of mana and biomass. Every passing second, scores of crows and vines were erased from existence.

  However, the mathematics of the battlefield were cruel. Gareth commanded only a hundred vines. Against a legion numbering in the thousands, his defeat was not a possibility—it was a statistical certainty.

  Under the fearless, suicidal assault of the shadow-constructs, the blood-vines were whittled down at a rate visible to the naked eye.

  In the eyes of the spectators—Cecily, Xavier, and Ignis—the red defense line was being devoured by the black tide like flesh by acid. It would not hold for another breath.

  "These Familiar derivatives... they are too strong!" Ignis’s eyes widened, his voice trembling with genuine horror.

  Xavier’s expression was grave, his usual sneer wiped clean.

  Judging by the intensity of the clash, every single shadow-crow Pierce had summoned possessed strength nearing that of a Grand Knight.

  If there were dozens, it would be a trivial nuisance.

  If there were hundreds, it would be a manageable threat.

  But there were four or five thousand. Facing such a quantity, even Xavier, with all his bloodline pride, was not confident he could survive the onslaught intact.

  How?! How did a mere apprentice cultivate such a tyrannical army of Familiars? Even a Formal Wizard's personal menagerie might not be this terrifying in scale!

  "Gareth is done," Ignis sighed, his voice heavy with the finality of the verdict.

  Xavier’s mouth twitched. He wanted to argue—to claim Gareth was exhausted from the previous two fights, to find an excuse—but the words died in his throat.

  Anyone with functioning eyes could see the brutal truth: Pierce was completely, utterly suppressing Gareth.

  And the most terrifying part? Pierce hadn't even drawn his Arcane Artifact. He was crushing Crimson Lotus City’s ace with nothing but spells and Familiars.

  Xavier looked back at the arena.

  Gareth, who had been high-spirited and dominant moments ago, was now drenched in cold sweat, his eyes darting frantically.

  With the destruction of the blood-vines, his Biological Arcane Artifact had likely suffered severe, perhaps permanent, trauma. It would be useless without long-term recovery and resource investment.

  He had no cards left to play. His mana was dry, his artifact broken, his defenses shattered.

  If he didn't want to die here, ripped apart by shadows, he had to surrender.

  Gareth understood this. Seeing the crow swarm tear through his last line of defense and turn their hungry, soulless gazes upon him, his survival instinct overrode his pride.

  He opened his mouth, his throat straining to scream, "I surren—"

  Flash.

  Space distorted. A figure appeared silently behind him, like a ghost stepping out of a mirror.

  Beneath the robes on Pierce's chest, a complex rune glowed with a dull, rhythmic light, humming with spatial energy.

  The Blink Sigil.

  On the eagle's back, Xavier and Ignis’s faces went slack with shock. Space magic?!

  Gareth sensed the anomaly behind him instantly. The hair on his neck stood up, and his eyes bulged in realization.

  It was too late.

  A sword light, wreathed in crackling blue lightning, slashed horizontally through the air.

  CRACK-DOOM!

  Violent electric light erupted, instantly shattering Gareth's Mage Armor and detonating every protective trinket he wore in a shower of sparks. The blade met no resistance as it connected with his neck.

  Shing.

  Gareth’s head exploded into a mist of blood and bone fragments, the stump instantly cauterized black by the searing lightning.

  Thud.

  The headless corpse swayed for a moment, then collapsed heavily to the ground, kicking once before stilling.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Pierce stood over the body, his longsword humming, a layer of azure electricity flowing like liquid mercury along the silver blade.

  Silence.

  A heavy, suffocating silence blanketed the forest clearing.

  Friend and foe alike stared at the scene, rendered mute by the sudden, decisive brutality.

  The three Wizards from Crimson Lotus City narrowed their eyes, dangerous lights flickering within their gazes. Zorander’s friendly demeanor evaporated instantly, replaced by a cold, murderous intent.

  Hmph.

  A cold snort rang out like a hammer blow.

  Zorander looked up to see the Masked Wizard staring him down, a clear warning in his eyes. Do not interfere.

  Zorander looked away, his expression dark as thunder.

  "Incredible!"

  Recovering her senses, Cecily stared at Pierce, her beautiful eyes sparkling with undisguised awe.

  She had known Pierce would win the moment he suppressed Gareth with spells, but she hadn't expected it to be this clean. This brutal. This efficient.

  He hadn't even used the Argent Star!

  Yuman looked on with deep appreciation, biting her lip in regret.

  That old fossil Morven has the devil's own luck. What a waste. If this boy were in the Violet Academy, his talent combined with my biological modification techniques would have created a monster capable of shaking the continent.

  Elric noticed Yuman's calculating gaze. Knowing his old friend’s habits well, he whispered a reminder, "The competition isn't over yet."

  Yuman rolled her eyes but said nothing.

  Crimson Lotus City wasted no time. They sent out their second champion: Ignis.

  Landing on the scarred earth, Ignis stared at Pierce as if facing a demon from the abyss.

  Gareth’s headless corpse lay nearby, a grim reminder of the stakes. No one dared underestimate Pierce now.

  He cast so many spells and controlled that massive swarm... his mental power consumption must be astronomical, Ignis analyzed rapidly, his brain working furiously. Spells are not the main threat anymore. If I deal with the crows, he only has the Arcane Artifact left.

  Ignis made his plan. Without hesitation, he roared and activated his own Arcane Artifact.

  ROAR!

  Raging flames erupted from every pore of his body.

  In the dazzling firelight, his physique expanded rapidly. His skin cracked open like cooling lava, revealing veins of flowing, dark red magma underneath.

  A scorching heatwave swept across the arena, distorting the air and raising the ambient temperature by ten degrees in an instant.

  A few Mist Crows that strayed too close wailed as they ignited, burning to ash in mid-air before they could even touch him.

  "Magma-type Biological Modification?"

  Pierce watched with interest, his eyes reflecting the firelight.

  Clearly, Ignis’s Arcane Artifact was fire-aligned and designed to amplify his specific physiology. Much like Cecily’s Ring of Shadowfire, it was a perfect synergy.

  With a thought, Pierce commanded the swarm.

  The black cloud pressed down again, crushing toward Ignis like a collapsing ceiling of wings and claws.

  Ignis, now a five-meter-tall giant of rock and magma, stood his ground. His face, now a mask of cracked stone, remained expressionless. He drew back a fist wreathed in white-hot flame and punched out.

  BOOM!

  A cone of fire and liquid magma erupted from his fist, resembling an enhanced Burning Hands spell but amplified tenfold. It instantly engulfed the vanguard of the swarm.

  Sizzle...

  Hundreds of Mist Crows vaporized into ash without a sound.

  Ignis roared, swinging his fists in a rhythmic devastation. Each blow claimed hundreds of shadows. Fire met darkness, and fire was winning.

  For a moment, the arena seemed filled with nothing but roaring flames.

  Pierce raised an eyebrow. Crimson Lotus had chosen their order well; Ignis was a hard, elemental counter to the swarm.

  Nearly two thousand crows had been lost breaking Gareth’s defense. Now, Ignis was burning through the remainder. Less than half remained.

  Seeing this, Pierce made a decision. He recalled them.

  The black cloud reversed its flow, swirling back to Pierce and condensing into a wisp of smoke that wrapped around his wrist, reforming into the black bracelet.

  Ignis frowned, pausing his assault, confused by the retreat.

  But then, he looked closer.

  At some point, a layer of cyan and azure halos had appeared around Pierce’s body, vibrating with an astonishing density of energy particles.

  "Elemental Runes!" Ignis gasped.

  He wasn't surprised Pierce knew them. He was surprised by the intensity and quantity.

  Ignis had been focused on the crows, but the spectators saw it clearly.

  Pierce hadn't cast one rune. He had cast eight.

  Three Lightning Runes. Five Gale Runes.

  "Rune stacking..." On the eagle, Xavier’s expression went numb with disbelief.

  First the Magic Tattoo. Now Rune Stacking?

  None of this was in the intelligence report. How many bottom cards does this guy have hidden up his sleeve?

  Pierce’s figure blurred.

  Whoosh!

  He shot toward Ignis like an arrow released from a god’s bow.

  Ignis’s face darkened. He dares to engage me in melee?

  Although surprised by the runes, Ignis was confident in his physical dominance. He was a Magma Giant now—a fortress of heat and stone.

  He punched out, his fist like a meteor trailing fire.

  Whoosh.

  Ignis hit nothing but empty air. Pierce had vanished from his field of view entirely.

  Blink?

  No. It was pure speed. Speed so fast Ignis’s eyes couldn't track it.

  Smash!

  The magma fist hit the ground, blasting a crater and sending molten rock flying.

  Ignis spun around, panic rising—only to be greeted by a blinding sword light descending from above.

  RIP!

  The sword, carrying the destructive force of three stacked Lightning Runes, slashed across Ignis’s back.

  CRACK-BOOM!

  The lightning detonated upon contact. Ignis felt as if he’d been struck by a tribulation bolt from the heavens. He staggered forward, uncontrollable, as agonizing pain seared through his rocky hide, penetrating straight to the bone.

  "How is that possible?!"

  It is just Lightning Runes... why is the power so high?!

  Ignis was horrified. The strike felt almost as heavy as a full-force hit from a Tier 1 Arcane Artifact.

  Before he could process it, Pierce was there again.

  With five Gale Runes stacked, Pierce’s speed was ghostly, leaving afterimages in his wake.

  Ignis couldn't even touch the hem of his robe. He was a punching bag, a lumbering giant fighting a shadow.

  Even his area-of-effect heat waves were blocked effortlessly by Pierce’s Mage Armor.

  In contrast, every time Pierce’s sword connected, chunks of rock and sprays of magma exploded from Ignis’s body.

  The Crimson Lotus side fell into a deathly silence.

  Xavier’s face was twisted in realization.

  "Legendary Knight... Pierce has advanced to Legendary Knight!"

  Another fact omitted from the intelligence.

  Xavier cursed their spies in his heart. Idiots! Useless trash! Sending us to die!

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The arena became a kaleidoscope of lightning and fire.

  But it was a one-sided massacre. Ignis was covered in cracks, bleeding magma and essence, powerless to fight back.

  "It is time to end this," Pierce murmured, his voice cutting through the roar of battle.

  He retreated suddenly, creating distance. He raised his hand, making a grasping motion in the empty air.

  Hummmm.

  A dazzling light erupted from the tattoo on his back, shining through his robes.

  Countless tiny electric arcs swarmed into his palm, condensing rapidly into a solid, vibrating Lightning Spear.

  The air screamed as the energy density reached critical mass.

  Staring at that spear, Ignis felt a sensation he had never known before.

  The cold, absolute certainty of death.

  Terror seized him. He opened his mouth to scream, "I surr—"

  Pierce threw.

  The Lightning Spear vanished from his hand, turning into a streak of pure light.

  In the same instant, Ignis looked down.

  The spear was protruding from his chest.

  "..."

  Ignis’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

  KA-BOOM!

  The Thunderburst detonated.

  A pillar of blinding lightning engulfed him, expanding into a sphere of destruction that swallowed everything within a hundred meters.

  The roar shook the forest, echoing for miles like the wrath of a god.

  When the light finally faded, a crater three meters deep and a hundred meters wide smoked in the center of the arena. The earth was glassed.

  Ignis was gone.

  Not a bone, not a drop of magma remained. He had been atomized.

  The six presiding Wizards stared blankly.

  Xavier’s face was devoid of blood. His knuckles were white as he gripped the feathers of the eagle.

  Cecily watched Pierce, her eyes shining like stars.

  He won again!

  A crushing victory. No suspense. No mercy.

  Pierce lowered his hand, exhaling a long breath.

  "As expected of the Thunderburst Sigil. That power exceeded 200 degrees. Perhaps close to 250. Only the Argent Star pushed to its limit could match that."

  Seeing Ignis about to surrender, Pierce had used the tattoo decisively. No mercy for the enemy.

  He glanced at the empty crater. Pity about the loot.

  Gathering his thoughts, Pierce looked up at the Hag Eagle hovering in the sky.

  His gaze locked onto Xavier.

  "Only you remain," Pierce said calmly.

  His voice, carried by the wind particles, drifted up to the eagle clearly.

  Xavier trembled, cold sweat soaking his robes.