The room buzzed with barely contained exhaustion, the dim overhead lights doing little to help. Most of the students slumped in their seats, some rubbing their eyes, others flat-out glaring at Kallard, who stood at the front of the classroom with the kind of smug satisfaction only she could pull off.
"Welcome back. I bet you're really starting to love the classroom now, huh?" Kallard smirked, arms crossed.
A collective groan rippled through the class. Waking up early was bad enough—getting dragged out of bed before their usual time was practically a war crime.
Sosuke, sprawled in the back row with his arms folded behind his head, barely lifted a hand. "Was it so important we had to wake up this early?"
"You didn't have to wake up earlier at all," Kallard said, grinning. "I just thought it'd be fun."
That earned her a few death stares. She didn't seem to care.
"Now, listen up. This is important," she continued, voice sharpening. "Your time here is coming to an end, and before you leave, you'll be given one final test. Each of you will face a powerful opponent in front of an audience."
That got their attention. Ryoma sat up straighter, eyes widening. Ren leaned forward, silver eyes flickering with interest.
Reid raised a hand. "How big of an audience are we talking?"
Kallard tilted her head. "The whole world."
Silence.
"The High Council thinks it'd be a brilliant idea to showcase our next generation to the public," she went on. "Maybe they're right. If you perform well, it could strike fear into our enemies."
A weighted pause followed. Some students exchanged glances, some stared at their desks. Others—like Sosuke—merely exhaled through their nose, unreadable.
"But," Kallard continued, flipping open a thick textbook on the podium, "that's not what concerns me the most. I've noticed a problem—one that could get some of you killed. You're relying too much on your core techniques to carry you through battle. That is a mistake."
She let that settle before turning the page. "The spells you learned at Astralis may seem basic now, but there are far more powerful ones that could serve you just as well—if not better. The problem is, most of you have completely abandoned spellcasting in favor of brute force." Her sharp gaze swept over them. "That ends today. We're going back to the fundamentals."
A few students visibly tensed. Others scowled. But Kallard wasn't finished.
"Magic isn't just about throwing out flashy attacks. Spells require structure, efficiency, and precision. Any fool can pour mana into an attack and hope it lands, but a real fighter knows how to control their output. Today, we'll be focusing on proper spell formation, casting speed, and mana efficiency."
"Now," Kallard said, snapping the book shut with a sharp thud, "let's begin."
Kallard rapped her knuckles against the podium. "Alright, let's make something clear—you've all learned this before, but some of you have gotten lazy. So we're going back to the basics."
She raised a hand, and a thin strand of mana flared to life around her fingers, shifting like a living thread. "Step one: Manifestation. You pull mana from your core and push it into the world. No control, no spell." With a flick of her wrist, the energy dissipated.
"Step two: Formation. This is where most of you mess up. A spell isn't just a thought—it's knowledge, intent, and structure. Unless you've fully mastered a spell, you need the incantation to stabilize it. If you forget the words or say them incorrectly? Congratulations, you just wasted your time—or worse, you just blew your own arm off."
She extended her palm, and a glowing sigil formed in the air. The symbols pulsed, shifting as she spoke. "A proper spell has a framework. The incantation pulls the pieces together, while your mana shapes the result. If either is weak, the spell collapses."
The sigil pulsed brighter, then vanished as she clenched her fist. "Step three: Execution. Speed matters. You hesitate, you die. That's why mastery is everything—if you train a spell to the point where you no longer need the incantation, you cut out a critical delay in battle."
She let that sink in before adding, "And before any of you ask, summoning magic is the only exception. No incantation, just a hand sign. Everything else? Say it, or watch it fail."
Kallard swept her gaze over the class, arms crossed. "Now, show me you haven't completely wasted your time here. The sparring room and library are open for a reason—use them. The weight room isn't the only thing that exists in this damn place. Get moving. Class dismissed."
Sosuke pushed off his seat, hands in his pockets as he strolled toward the door. Rin fell into step beside him.
"I think I know what I have to do," he muttered.
Rin shot him a questioning look. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going to fight Arthur."
She blinked. "Why him?"
"Because—" Sosuke glanced at her. "Don't you remember that stunt he pulled against you? Ultimate spells. We were never even taught that concept." He gestured vaguely, as if the answer should've been obvious.
"Kallard will probably cover it at some point," Rin reasoned.
"That's not a reason to wait." Sosuke kept walking, his pace steady, his mind set. "I'm going to learn it now—and figure out how Arthur knew something that advanced two years ago."
Rin exhaled through her nose, watching him go. "Got it."
Sosuke didn't need to think twice about where Arthur would be. The guy was always in the library.
As expected, he found him there, flipping through a thick tome, absorbed in its contents. Sosuke didn't hesitate.
"Arthur Veiss, I challenge you to a duel."
Arthur barely spared him a glance. "No."
Sosuke crossed his arms. "Why? Are you afraid I'll win?"
Arthur turned a page. "You really think that'll work on me?"
"I don't know, you tell me. I'm just stating facts. You've never beaten me in a one-on-one. Never even proved you're better than me beyond stats."
Arthur stilled. Slowly, he shut the book and placed it aside. Then, in one swift motion, he stood, grabbed Sosuke by the collar, and pulled him in just enough for their eyes to meet.
He sighed. "Fine. Let's go at it. I'll prove to you that I'm stronger."
Sosuke grinned slightly, not expecting it to work so easily.
Arthur released him and strode toward the exit. "I'll be waiting, Estrella."
Sosuke exhaled, shaking his head. As he turned, he caught sight of something he hadn't expected—Reid, seated at one of the library tables, flipping through a book.
"Reid…?" Sosuke frowned. "Why are you here? You can't even use spells."
Reid didn't look up. "I can still learn to control my mana better, can't I? Figured I should do something after finding out how much I actually have."
Sosuke regarded him for a moment before nodding.
"Good luck with your spar," Reid added.
"Yeah." Sosuke turned and walked off, his mind already on the fight ahead.
The sparring arena was vast, but compared to the battlefield where they'd undergone their last major test, it felt almost compact. The air thrummed with residual mana from previous fights, a faint, crackling tension lingering in the space.
Sosuke rolled his shoulders as he stepped forward, locking eyes with Arthur.
"Arthur, I want you to know—don't hold back. You know about ultimate spells, don't you?"
Arthur stood across from him, arms relaxed at his sides, his expression unreadable. "And?"
"I want you to teach me. And explain how you learned them in the first place."
"No," Arthur said simply.
"Right," Sosuke exhaled. "Because if you did, I'd surpass you too fast."
Arthur's jaw tightened. His fist snapped forward in a sharp right hook—fast, direct, but not unexpected. Sosuke sidestepped effortlessly, shifting his weight just enough to let the punch pass within inches of his face.
Then he struck.
His knee shot up toward Arthur's ribs, but Arthur twisted with the impact, deflecting it with his forearm. Sosuke followed with a sweeping kick, aiming low. Arthur jumped back, avoiding the strike, but Sosuke was already moving, closing the distance again. He feinted a jab—Arthur's eyes flicked to it for a fraction of a second—before slamming his elbow toward his opponent's sternum.
Arthur reacted instantly. A burst of mana flared around him, and with a single step, he vanished.
A rush of air—Sosuke barely had time to turn before Arthur reappeared behind him, already mid-swing. He ducked, feeling the punch skim past his head. The moment his feet touched the ground again, Arthur was there, pressing forward, throwing a barrage of strikes.
Sosuke blocked, countered, weaved between them with sharp, practiced movements, but Arthur's attacks were relentless. He wasn't just strong—his technique was precise, refined. Every strike carried weight, every motion controlled.
A spark of electricity crackled through the air. Arthur's fist shimmered with energy as he drove it toward Sosuke's ribs.
Sosuke reacted on instinct.
"Lightning veils the storm—Thunderclad!"
A pulse of mana surged through him. Sparks danced along his skin, his body moving with unnatural speed. Arthur's electrified punch grazed past as Sosuke twisted, narrowly avoiding a direct hit. He retaliated instantly.
"Pierce and sunder, Lightning Fang!"
Electricity roared from his fingertips, a jagged arc of violet energy streaking toward Arthur. But Arthur didn't flinch.
With a single motion, he raised his hand.
"Titan's Bulwark."
A translucent barrier of reinforced mana flared into existence, absorbing the brunt of the attack. The ground beneath them trembled from the force of the clash, sparks and shards of energy scattering across the arena floor.
Arthur dropped the shield and lunged. A punch, enhanced by raw mana, rocketed toward Sosuke's gut. He barely managed to intercept it, the impact rattling up his arm. Arthur didn't stop—his foot slammed against the ground, shifting his momentum as he drove an open palm toward Sosuke's chest.
Sosuke twisted, avoiding the worst of it, but the blow still connected with his shoulder, sending him skidding backward. His boots scraped against the floor, body bracing against the impact.
Arthur exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "You're fast," he admitted. "But that won't be enough."
Sosuke wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his heartbeat steady despite the growing heat of the fight. He smirked slightly. "Then show me something stronger."
Arthur obliged.
He took a slow step forward, his mana flaring. The pressure in the room shifted—he wasn't holding back anymore.
Sosuke braced himself.
The real fight was about to begin.