Ten minutes later, the students of Class 1-E followed Professor White once again to the Summoning Plaza of Saint Fusion Academy.
At that moment, besides Class E, the students of Classes B and D were also conducting their Summoning Tests. One by one, Spirits from ancient legends emerged from the stone tablets as students invoked them.
"Blessing of the divine, O Book of Summoning that bears the memory of the planet! Let the Holy Warrior of the Amazon tribe come forth and fight at my side! Spirit Summon!"
"Blessing of the divine, O Book of Summoning that bears the memory of the planet! Let the King's Knight, who guards the realm with sword and shield, come to me and fight by my side! Spirit Summon!!"
"Blessing of the divine, O Book of Summoning that bears the memory of the planet! Let the Dragon Ruler, commander of countless dragons, come forth and join me! Spirit Summon!!"
As one invocation after another resounded, the students of Class E watched with growing excitement.
Alicia observed the Spirits summoned by students from other classes, especially those she recognized from the entrance exam, and noticed something striking: the Spirits they summoned now were nearly as powerful as the ones they had called forth during the entrance exam.
Even so, this was only the Monthly Assessment, and the Book of Summoning this time wasn't being powered by the Grand Magic Array. For them to still summon Spirits of such caliber meant only one thing: the students had all grown stronger over the past month.
'Looks like I'm not the only one who's improved,' Alicia thought with a small smile.
Just then, she noticed Professor White step forward to greet a lady instructor ahead. The woman had long, sleek black hair and ocean-blue eyes as deep as the sea. Her features were elegant and refined, her figure graceful yet striking.
When she noticed Professor White waving to her, the woman looked momentarily surprised, then returned a warm smile. The two exchanged a few words, seemingly confirming some arrangements, before Professor White returned to his class.
"Students," he said, "Class D will finish their Summoning Test shortly. Once they're done, it'll be our turn. Alicia!"
"Here, Professor!" Alicia stepped forward.
"Please organize your classmates into five rows. Each row will perform their test before a separate Summoning Tablet."
"Understood!" Alicia nodded and at once began arranging the students according to their seating order. No one gave her trouble—everyone obediently lined up into five neat columns.
Soon after, Class D finished their Summoning Test, and under the direction of Alicia and Professor White, the students of Class E began their own.
Just as Alicia had sensed, she wasn't the only one who had grown stronger over the month. Many of her classmates had improved as well.
Still, Alicia didn't really care about the others' progress. The only one she was curious about was Chuck Jed—her one remaining rival who could still keep up with her. She wondered what kind of Duel Monster Spirit he would summon.
After all, if Chuck's growth wasn't significant, or if he failed to summon a powerful Spirit, her future dueling life at the Academy would get rather dull.
Before long, it was Chuck's turn to take the test. Alicia, watching from two rows away, felt really curious.
Chuck placed his hand upon the Book of Summoning, took a deep breath, and recited: "Blessing of the divine, O Book of Summoning that bears the memory of the planet! Let the Iron Knight clad in black steel answer my call and fight by my side! Spirit Summon!!"
Magical energy surged into the stone tablet, and one of the hieroglyphs etched at its center began to glow brightly. A streak of black and silver light shot forth, materializing into an armored knight wielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other.
"Oh? So he's summoned Gearfried the Iron Knight? Didn't expect him to know Gearfried's true identity. That's a surprise," Yuui said as he emerged from within Alicia, arms crossed.
Alicia tilted her head. "Yuui-san, is this Iron Knight a powerful Spirit?"
"Hmm... not exactly that powerful, but Gearfried has several evolved forms—one of which is a Level 9 powerhouse."
"Eh!? So strong!?" Alicia exclaimed in astonishment at the might of Chuck's summoned Spirit.
Yuui, however, only barely smiled. "No need to be jealous. In terms of potential and strength, your Neos far surpasses Gearfried. Once you learn to fully unlock his power, you'll understand just how great he truly is."
"I see..." Hearing Neos's name made Alicia recall that strange expression Yuui had worn that day. She unconsciously clenched her fists; however, the feeling passed quickly. The next student had already stepped up for their test, and as class representative, she had to record everyone's results properly.
Gradually, the Summoning Tests for Class E came to an end. Each student had summoned a capable Spirit.
Finally, only Alicia remained.
Her classmates turned to watch her. Everyone knew how strong she was; rumors of her breaking through to the rank of Great Magician had already spread throughout the class.
Naturally, they were eager to see what kind of Spirit Alicia would summon this time.
The last time, she had summoned Elemental HERO Stratos… a mere Level 4 Spirit on paper, but one whose ability was invaluable to any HERO Deck, far exceeding even Level 6 or 7 monsters in strategic importance.
So what kind of Spirit would Alicia summon this time?
...
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