The arena sealed shut.
Stone walls rose high into the air, engraved with suppression sigils. The ground reshaped itself—broken pillars, uneven terrain, patches of forest-like cover, jagged rocks scattered across the battlefield.
Valier stood at the center.
Above him, floating platforms held instructors and evaluators. Hundreds of eyes were locked onto the arena.
An instructor stepped forward, his voice amplified by mana.
"Listen carefully."
His gaze swept across the remaining candidates.
"This is not a duel. This is not a spar."
The arena trembled slightly.
"This is a mock battle designed to simulate real combat conditions."
A sigil flared, projecting information into the air.
---
COMBAT SCORING CRITERIA
Combat Efficiency (30 points)
Reflexes & Awareness (25 points)
Lethality Control (20 points)
Tactical Judgment (15 points)
Mana Consumption & Stability (10 points)
"Total: 100 points."
The instructor's expression hardened.
"Killing is unnecessary. Hesitation is unacceptable."
A pause.
"Begin."
---
The air rippled.
Enemies materialized.
Six armored constructs emerged first, blades humming with mana. From the forested section, something heavier moved.
Valier exhaled.
"Iron Bloom."
Metallic blades erupted from his forearms, unfolding like black petals—long, curved, merciless.
The moment the constructs moved—
Valier vanished.
A blade flashed.
The first construct collapsed before it understood it had been struck.
The second swung wildly.
Valier slipped beneath the arc, twisted, and drove his blade straight through its chest core.
Crack.
Two down.
The remaining constructs surrounded him.
Valier's eyes sharpened.
Time seemed to stretch.
He weaved between attacks with inhuman precision—leaning just enough to let a blade pass, pivoting on the ball of his foot, twisting his body like a predator slipping through a closing trap.
An instructor leaned forward sharply.
"…Those reflexes," he muttered. "That isn't training. That's instinct honed through blood."
A strike missed Valier's throat by a hair.
He countered.
Both forearm blades crossed.
Three constructs fell in a single fluid motion.
The last attempted retreat.
Valier lunged, shattered its knee with a kick, and severed its head mid-fall.
Silence.
Then—
The ground shook.
From the forest emerged an ogre-class construct, plated in mana-forged armor, eyes burning crimson.
Gasps rippled through the stands.
Valier smiled.
"Good."
The ogre charged.
Valier charged back.
At the final instant, he leapt—twisting midair, blades carving across the ogre's eyes. As it roared, Valier landed on its shoulder, ran up its spine, and plunged both blades into the skull core.
The ogre froze.
Then collapsed.
---
Across the arena, other battles concluded.
A tall girl with emerald eyes stood atop a shattered pillar, her bow glowing with verdant mana. Her arrows split mid-flight, curving unnaturally.
Lyssara Leraje — heir-apparent of the Leraje household, her family famed for spatial-marksmanship and mana-guided trajectories.
Elsewhere, a silver-haired noble wielding chained weapons crushed his final opponent, his strikes precise and merciless.
Amon Bael, full-blooded descendant of the Bael lineage.
His title was no honorific—only those carrying Bael's original war-mark were permitted to bear the name. His family traced their blood directly to Bael himself, and the chains he wielded were manifestations of Bael's Dominion Mana:
Absolute Restraint.
In another quadrant, a commoner with crimson markings roared as massive gauntlets wrapped his fists—each strike exploding with raw fury.
Kuroda Akagi, bearer of the Gauntlets of Wrath, his power unstable but overwhelming.
Four more candidates finished moments later.
A girl surrounded by floating blood-red sigils calmly erased her enemies.
Ravielle Marchosias, known for blood-conversion combat arts.
A broad-shouldered boy wielding a massive cleaver moved with brutal efficiency.
Darius Andras, whose family specialized in execution-based combat.
A slender girl with shadow-wreathed feet eliminated her opponents without being seen once.
Selene Raum, mistress of displacement and concealment.
And finally, a quiet boy whose body shimmered like liquid steel endured every blow before countering decisively.
Kael Buer, defensive specialist of the Buer lineage.
Eight remained standing.
---
The arena dissolved.
Students gathered in the amphitheater as instructors tallied results.
Names were called.
"Lyssara Leraje. Mock battle score: 98."
Gasps.
"Amon Bael. Score: 97."
"Kuroda Akagi. Score: 96."
Murmurs spread—fear mixed with disbelief.
Then—
"Valier Sabnoryx."
The Headmaster spoke personally.
"Score: 98."
The noise exploded.
Commoners stared in stunned silence.
Nobles exchanged wary glances.
The Headmaster raised his hand.
"Tier A contains eight students."
Eight names ignited in crimson light.
Valier Sabnoryx
Lyssara Leraje
Amon Bael
Kuroda Akagi
Ravielle Marchosias
Darius Andras
Selene Raum
Kael Buer
The divide was unmistakable.
Tier A stood apart.
---
Valier felt none of the stares.
His gaze lifted instinctively.
High above, on a shadowed balcony, a tall woman with long flowing hair watched him calmly.
Seraphae.
Her expression was unreadable.
"…He is holding himself back," she said softly,
"and doesn't realize how dangerous that is."
---
End of Chapter
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