The atmosphere on the high-backed stone chairs remained heavy with the weight of judgment.
While the students had already been whisked back to Mystic Lythoria via the violet teleportation weave, the aftermath of their violence remained. Behind the judges, a group of Verdantia Clan specialists, not the students, but the academy's grounds-keepers and senior elders moved through the clearing like silent ghosts. As the judges debated, these specialists pressed their glowing palms into the soil. Where Mason's fire had scorched the earth and Cassandra's force had shattered the wood, life erupted. The massive oak tree, once splintered into debris, groaned as its fibers re-knit, rising toward the sky in a terrifying display of accelerated growth.
Xandros Bladestorm broke the silence first, his eyes fixed on the recording of the central clearing's destruction. "We must discuss the Prince," Xandros said, his voice cold. "Mason Dorman displayed a level of 'Harmonized Convergence' that usually takes decades to master. By vibrating the earth and air at a resonant frequency, he attacked Cassandra's internal molecular structure. It was a flawless execution of high-tier Eno manipulation."
"And yet," Jethro Lanes interrupted, tapping a holographic screen, "he was outplayed, Look at the moment Cassandra Artemis struck back. She didn't just endure the resonance; she mimicked it. The Ariancam data shows she analyzed the frequency of his shockwave in two attempts and returned it with equal force.
"That isn't just power that's a terrifying level of cognitive adaptation."
The judges zoomed in on the moment the battle shifted from elemental to divine. "The teleportation was the turning point," Lord Barnabas noted, leaning forward. "Mason use of Dio Energy should have ended the fight instantly, His Dio blade should have sliced through any Eno defense she had used in shielding her body, But look at this frame." He paused the feed, Cassandra was shown mid-air, a spear of mixed energy in her hand.
"She shifted her vessel," Xandros observed, his tone showing a rare hint of respect. "For a split second, she didn't just use Eno; she forced her body to resonate with the Dio energy Mason was emitting. She created a hybrid a mixture of the two energy, That is how she pierced his shield, She didn't just fight him; she became like him to defeat him."
Jethro Lanes swiped the holographic feed to the eastern thicket, where the terrain was still soaked and scorched. "We must address the humiliation of the Bladestorm and Akatsuki heirs," Jethro remarked. "Kokoro Akatsuki utilized her birthright with lethal intent, She established a toxic perimeter, using glue-secreting venous traps and Chamomile-gas flowers to induce paralysis,It was a textbook 'Sleeping Forest' formation. But Hesper Eitan didn't just survive it; she mocked it."
The judges watched as Hesper regulated her breathing within an air-barrier, isolating oxygen from the toxins with surgical precision. "Look at the Quintessence Thread," Lord Barnabas pointed out. "Hesper wove all four elements into a single, high-density strand. When Sakura Ryujin attempted to intervene with a blizzard, Hesper didn't retreat.
She turned the environment into a conductor. She materialized a vertical ocean and surged it with high-voltage lightning. Kokoro and Sakura ,two of our highest-ranked Eno users in the senior class , were treated like target practice. Hesper's control over the four elements is so advanced she made the 'elites' look like amateurs."
As the background hummed with the sound of the Verdantia specialists regrowing the forest , the air thick with the sweet, heavy scent of sap and new leaves.
Jethro Lanes turned to the team rankings. "Logan Bladestorm, Kokoro, and Sakura... they were the favorites," Jethro said, shaking his head. "But they fell to the oldest trick in the book: arrogance. They focused so much on the 'new girl' and Cassandra that they ignored the demi-human, Ori Kaito. Her ability to maintain thousands of clones with identical energy signatures is a masterpiece of deception, according to what the ariancam showed, ori Kaito didn't make use of any of her own eno or Dio in making those clones and they aren't any form of magic either, which means it's her clan ability, which is more mind blowing, the fact her clan ability isn't in any record is something else entirely, the signature from her changes instantly to match the clones. Even Koji Yoshida, one of our brightest, was talking to a clone while the real Ori was moving the flags."
"And Group Five," Xandros added, glancing at the scoreboard. "Lia Matsumoto didn't need Dio energy to win.
"She used the Verdantia surveillance web the very network these elders are currently repairing to map the entire forest.
They were the only team that never lost their bearings. They treated this like a mission, not a brawl."
The lead judge stood up as the forest around them was finally restored to its pristine, obsidian-wood glory, the scars of the battle completely erased by the Verdantia's power. "The scores are finalized," he announced. "Cassandra Artemis has proven that her lineage is not to be joked with.
Mason Dorman has the power of a king, but he lacks the humility of a warrior. Hesper Eitan has redefined elemental mastery, and the Verdantia Clan has reminded us that the environment is never neutral; it is a weapon for those who know how to speak to it." He looked toward the horizon, to the position of the school. "Tell Maya the results" The real training begins now."
MYSTIC LYTHORIA
The heavy toll of the Shadowglad battle hung over the quiet halls of Mystic Lythoria as the final bell chimed. While most students filtered out toward the gates, the infirmary remained a pocket of hushed stillness.
Cassandra lay propped against the pillows, her breath finally steady but her body exhausted from the hybrid energy shift. When her brothers, Phobos and Aristo, entered with worried expressions, she gave them a tired but firm smile.
"Go home," she murmured, her voice a rasp. "I need to stay under observation a bit longer. Don't make Mom worry,tell her I just stayed late for extra credits."
Hesper stepped forward from the shadows of the corner, her calm presence acting as an anchor. She turned to zira , who was waiting by the door. "Follow the boys home," Hesper instructed softly. "I'm staying here until Cassandra is back on her feet. We have things to discuss regarding what happened in that clearing."
As the trio made their way toward the school gates, the evening air was filled with the rhythmic tap of their footsteps and Zira's relentless curiosity.
"Seriously, Phobos," Zira said, nudging him with her shoulder. "How do you sleep so much? We just had a massive combat test broadcasted to the whole school, and I swear I saw you nodding off during the teleportation lecture. Are you even human, or just a sentient pillow?"
Phobos let out a long, dramatic yawn, his eyes half-lidded. "Actually, Zira, I'm a high-level strategist,I'm not 'sleeping,' I'm just simulating future battles in my head at 10% brightness to save energy. You should try it; it helps with the stress of being loud."
Aristo chuckled, but his laughter died down instantly as a familiar figure drifted past them.
He stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening. "Ori Kaito-senpai!" he called out.
Ori stopped and turned, her shy, airy expression flickering with surprise. "Oh... hello,Did you need something?"
"I... I wanted to ask," Aristo began, his voice hesitant. "Back there, the moment you walked past... your energy signature changed completely,It was like for a split second, the ground under my feet disappeared, It felt like I had been moved to a totally different location and snapped back again in the blink of an eye, What was that?"
Ori's eyes went wide for a moment, the shy girl vanished, replaced by a look of pure shock. "You felt that?" she whispered. Without warning, she lunged forward and pulled Aristo into a tight, impulsive hug, then pulled back just enough to give him a quick, playful kiss on the cheek. "I can't believe a junior felt that! You're amazing, Aristo!"
She gave them a quick wave and hurried off, her face flushed.
"Whoa," Phobos muttered, suddenly looking much more awake. He crossed his arms, a playfully jealous pout forming on his face. "Must be nice to be the 'chosen one.' I've been sitting here simulating battles for an hour and I don't get any kisses. Life is truly unfair."
Zira's face turned a shade of deep crimson as she turned on Phobos, her voice rising an octave. "Shut up, Phobos! Why are you acting jealous?! It's embarrassing! Stop being a baby!"
Aristo just stood there, frozen, touching his cheek as the evening sun dipped below the horizon of Mystic Lythoria.