The arena lights dimmed briefly before flaring back to full brilliance.
A deep chime resonated through the stadium, followed by the announcement every spectator had been waiting for.
Group A Final — Star Shine Academy vs. Blitz War Institute.
The objective appeared first, projected in bold, gleaming letters across the screens.
Suppression.
Victory would be decided by total elimination.
A second display shimmered into existence.
Terrain Selection: Ruined Citadel.
The battlefield shifted violently. The flat stone platform fractured and rose, transforming into a sprawling fortress in collapse. Broken towers leaned at precarious angles, while cracked ramparts formed elevated pathways and natural choke points. Jagged staircases led to half-destroyed battlements, and open courtyards created deadly exposure zones.
It was terrain that rewarded mobility and punished hesitation.
Both teams had already studied one another. There would be no surprises born from ignorance.
Star Shine had seen Blitz War's speed—their coordinated bursts of acceleration and precision in rotational pressure. Blitz War, in turn, had witnessed Alex dismantle structured defenses as though they were little more than practice drills.
On Star Shine's side, caution was mandatory.
Blitz War were neither reckless aggressors like Crimson Bastion nor defensive tacticians like Iron Ward. Their strength lay in tempo manipulation—striking, withdrawing, and re-engaging before their opponent could stabilize. A single lapse in spacing could cascade into collapse within seconds.
They were not opponents one could overwhelm through force alone.
On Blitz War's side, however, the assessment was brutally simple.
There was only one true threat: Alex.
Individually, none of them could match his strength or speed. Even together, confronting him directly carried unacceptable risk. They had seen what he did to Iron Ward's team. They had seen the precision of his spear throw in the forest.
Engaging him head-on was not strategy.
It was surrender.
Which left only one viable approach: Eliminate the other three first.
Delay Alex. Distract him. Isolate his teammates and reduce the field before committing to a final confrontation. It was not Blitz War's usual style—they preferred fluid domination and rapid suppression—but adaptability defined true champions.
Circumstances demanded deviation.
Across the ruined citadel, Alex stood at the front of Star Shine's formation, eyes tracing the fractured skyline.
'Their plan is obvious.' he thought. He did not need to hear it spoken. Blitz War would fracture the battlefield, split engagements across multiple elevations, and force him into impossible decisions.
Protect his teammates—
Or pursue the attackers.
He exhaled slowly.
Objectively, the comparison was unfavorable. His teammates were elite within the academy, but Blitz War's four members were faster, stronger, and exceptionally coordinated.
Star Shine did possess two other first-year knights of comparable caliber.
Both were competing in Group B.
Because Alex had been assigned to Group A, Group B had been structured as the academy's concentrated spearhead—their strongest first-year knight lineup. It had been a strategic distribution choice made long before the tournament began.
Which meant that here, in this final, the burden rested disproportionately on him.
The signal flare ignited above the arena. Both teams stepped into their starting zones within the shattered citadel.
Blitz War spread immediately, claiming elevation along broken ramparts and fractured towers. Their spacing was wide, yet subtly interconnected—a web ready to collapse inward.
Star Shine tightened formation near the base of a partially collapsed gatehouse, stone debris offering limited but necessary cover.
Silence lingered for a single breath.
Then the match began.
Blitz War moved instantly—but not toward Alex.
Two vanished into the upper ruins, scaling fractured towers in seconds. The remaining two accelerated low across the courtyard, bypassing Alex entirely and targeting Star Shine's right flank.
They weren't hiding their intention.
Split the field. Remove the weaker pieces.
"Left elevation!" one of Alex's teammates called as steel collided.
The tempo shifted immediately. Blitz War fought in passing bursts—strike, disengage, reposition. They never lingered long enough for Alex to pin them down.
One of Star Shine's defenders was isolated near a collapsed pillar. A feint high, sweep low—flash of light and one of Star Shine's was eliminated.
The battlefield widened.
Alex didn't chase.
Instead, he climbed.
Three rapid steps over broken masonry, then a leap to a fractured rampart. From elevation, the pattern became clear—Blitz War were herding his remaining teammates toward the exposed central courtyard.
They were compressing the space.
Forcing a collapse.
Alex dropped—not toward the attackers, but toward the space they needed to complete the trap.
He landed in the courtyard's center and planted his sword into the stone for a single breath.
A silent declaration.
Continue the rotation and expose their backs—
Or deal with him.
They adjusted instantly.
Two converged on him while the others increased pressure on his final teammate.
But this time, disengagement wasn't simple.
The confined courtyard restricted their exit angles.
The first attacker struck fast, aiming to stall rather than win. Alex parried once, stepped inside the second's guard, and drove his shoulder forward.
Flash.
Eliminated.
The remaining attacker attempted to withdraw, but Alex pivoted and cut across the escape line before momentum could build.
Sword met blade.
Then light.
Above, one of the elevated Blitz War members dove down, trying to capitalize on Alex's brief forward commitment.
Alex didn't turn.
He shifted half a step and thrust backward without looking.
The blade met center mass—then silence fell.
The final Blitz War member stood across the courtyard alone, breathing unevenly.
The match had lasted less than a minute.
He charged anyway.
It ended in three exchanges.
The ruined citadel dissolved into light as the arena reset.
"Victory — Star Shine Academy."
Blitz War had chosen the correct strategy.
It simply hadn't been enough.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
With that, the first day of the Nine Academy Tournament came to a close.
Star Shine Academy stood at the top of Group A in the Simulated Battlefield Trial. Their performance had been decisive, and Alex's dominance left little room for dispute.
As teams dispersed and the arena lights dimmed for the night, attention gradually shifted toward what awaited on the second day.
If Group A had revolved around a singular overwhelming presence, Group B promised something entirely different.
The sub-pool compositions alone guaranteed it.
Pool 1 featured Crimson Bastion Academy, Blitz War Institute, and Ashford Institute—a brutal bracket where raw aggression would collide with speed from the very first match.
Pool 2 consisted of Star Shine Academy, Dawnspire Academy, and Iron Ward Academy—a balanced pool, at least on paper, where defensive structures would clash against disciplined formations.
Pool 3 brought together Stone Gate Academy, Leycross Academy, and Greyfield School—three academies known less for spectacle and more for calculated execution.
Leading Star Shine's Group B squad was Rowan Hale.
A defensive all-rounder by classification, Rowan had once stood at the very top of Star Shine's first-year rankings before Alex's arrival. His command presence was steady rather than explosive, but his battlefield awareness was exceptional.
Alongside him was Sasha Mora.
Twin short swords rested at her hips. Among non-magic users, she ranked among the fastest students in the academy. Her short-distance acceleration was exceptional, and her ability to weave through narrow openings made her invaluable in Suppression and Capture scenarios.
If Group A relied on a singular spearhead, Group B functioned as a balanced formation.
The matches began without delay.
Pool 1 erupted into intensity immediately. Crimson Bastion's relentless forward pressure met Blitz War's fluid mobility in a contest reminiscent of the previous day's final—though without Alex's overwhelming presence to distort the battlefield. Ashford Institute fought fiercely, but ultimately could not match the tempo of the top contenders.
By the end of pool play, Crimson Bastion Academy and Blitz War Institute were tied at four points, advancing to the semifinals.
In Pool 2, Star Shine progressed steadily. Rowan led from the front with his longsword and kite shield, anchoring engagements while Sasha exploited openings with surgical precision. Their coordination, combined with the strength and discipline of their remaining two teammates, overcame Dawnspire's measured advances and Iron Ward's fortified defenses.
They advanced as pool winners.
Pool 3 saw Stone Gate Academy emerge victorious, their heavy defensive style proving frustratingly resilient against more aggressive approaches.
The semifinals paired Star Shine against Crimson Bastion.
It was a difficult match from the outset.
Early exchanges tilted slightly in Star Shine's favor. Rowan's positioning disrupted Crimson Bastion's initial push, and Sasha nearly secured a decisive elimination during a flanking maneuver.
But Crimson Bastion adapted.
They identified a momentary spacing gap during a terrain shift and capitalized instantly, isolating one of Star Shine's members. The numerical disadvantage shifted momentum, and from there, the pressure compounded.
Star Shine fought back fiercely, but the balance never fully returned.
Ultimately, Star Shine Academy finished third in Group B.