The battlefield trembled with anticipation.
Meena Meril of Solaren stood at one end of the arena. Her fiery red dress fluttered in the wind, blue flames flickering faintly from her arms. Her eyes were focused, lips pressed in resolve. Opposite her, Tency Emberlin of Royal Gate stepped forward, her twenty thread bands glowing dimly around her wrists, each one a silent witness to her mastery.
ANNOUNCER: "Begin!"
The moment the call rang out, the air ignited.
Meena raised her arm. A bright blue fireball formed instantly at her palm. It pulsed with power—Comet. The projectile ripped through the air like a meteor.
Tency's eyes locked onto Meena's form. One of her mana threads shimmered—Movement Thread. Without a step, her body shot diagonally left like a hooked projectile. The Comet exploded where she'd been, shaking the arena walls.
Civilian 1: "She dodged without moving her legs! What was that?!"
Civilian 2: "Those are her threads! She uses them like magic triggers."
Meena extended her hands. Dozens of tiny red embers floated around her. Fallen Stars. The air shimmered, then burst into dozens of flaming droplets raining toward Tency.
Tency's gaze locked again. Two bands glowed this time—Attack Threads. One launched a fiery projectile from behind Meena, another from above.
Meena noticed too late. The threads didn't need to be physically launched; they simply manifested the attack once activated.
BOOM! The shot from above exploded near her shoulder, knocking her back. The Fallen Stars missed their mark as Tency dashed using Movement Thread again.
Civilian 3: "They're both using mid-range attacks but she's outmaneuvering her!"
Civilian 4: "Tency isn't dodging, she's redirecting!"
Meena gritted her teeth. She raised both hands again. This time, a long delay formed. A spiral of fire formed in front of her—Fire Spear. It took time. Seconds passed.
Tency activated another thread. This one gleamed white—Binding Thread.
A glowing line extended from her wrist and wrapped around the battlefield space, locking onto Meena. But Meena leapt high.
BOOM! The Fire Spear launched just before the binding took full effect, narrowly breaking her posture. The spear shot like a bullet.
Tency activated Movement Thread, but the spear was fast.
BOOM! It hit near her right foot, charring the ground.
Civilian 5: "They're predicting each other's activation time. It's a battle of calculations."
Civilian 6: "And every skill comes with a delay or risk. They're forcing each other into those gaps."
Meena didn't stop. The second she landed, she began Fallen Stars again, this time moving to the right.
Tency, instead of evading, activated a thread that had not yet been seen—Charge Thread. Her hands glowed as the bands absorbed ambient mana.
She stood her ground under the fire rain.
The crowd gasped.
Civilian 7: "She's not moving! Is she taking the hit?"
A second before the fireballs reached her, she activated four different Attack Threads—from both flanks, from above, and behind Meena.
The moment Meena released Fallen Stars, the strikes slammed into her from four directions. Tency had baited her to attack.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Meena rolled across the arena floor, shoulder scorched. But she still had fire on her fingertips.
She gasped, furious.
Civilian 8: "Tency is setting traps by reading skill delay."
Civilian 9: "And Meena's attacks are harder but slower. Tency is exploiting reload time!"
Meena threw up both arms. Two Comets formed this time—dual casting. The strain showed on her face.
Tency's eyes glowed again—Binding Thread.
The threads activated just as Meena hurled both Comets—one aimed directly, one curving.
The binding thread activated around Meena before she could change position. The blue fireballs rocketed toward Tency.
Tency smiled faintly.
She triggered her Charge Thread.
The mana burst exploded outward, shielding her from the blast radius of both comets. One clipped her shoulder, searing fabric. The other dissolved into the explosion from the mana burst.
Smoke clouded the field.
Meena struggled to free herself. The Binding Thread held firm. No ropes. No chains. Just spatial restriction.
Tency raised her hand.
Her final Attack Thread—the one that fires mana bullets from all sides.
She triggered it.
The air vibrated.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
A full-scale fire bullet storm exploded around Meena's bound body. She screamed but held firm until the spell ended.
Understood. Here's the ending written in proper novel format, consistent with the tone and structure of the battle:
A moment of silence blanketed the arena—an eerie pause following the violent symphony of flames and mana. Meena Meril, her breathing ragged, stood within a ring of scorched earth, sweat clinging to her brow. The air shimmered around her, the aftermath of her devastating "Fallen Stars" still sizzling in the distance. Her arms trembled—not from fear, but from the sheer volume of mana she had burned through.
Opposite her stood Tency Emberlin.
Calm. Silent. Composed.
Twenty glowing mana bands hovered faintly around her wrists, the number alone enough to stun even seasoned mages. One glinted brighter than the rest—the Binding Thread, glowing a sharp, radiant violet.
The two locked eyes once more.
Click.
The thread activated.
Before Meena could even react, her limbs stopped responding. A cold bind of mana—not rope, not chain, but something more fundamental—wrapped around her like the laws of reality themselves had turned against her will.
Meena's eyes widened. "Tch—!"
But it was already too late.
Click.
The Charge Thread. A heavy pulse surged into the air as Tency's mana reservoir compressed into a single, crackling orb between her palms. It pulsed like a beating heart, its rhythm growing louder, faster, heavier.
And then—
Click.
The final thread activated.
From all sides—above, behind, left, right, beneath—the air exploded with mana bullets, dozens of them, honed for precision and power. They rained inward like arrows upon a single target—Meena.
A pillar of flame and force erupted in the center of the arena.
When the smoke cleared, Meena Meril stood, still conscious, barely—her knees buckled, her form scorched, her lips parted as if to cast another spell but no sound came.
The Binding Thread flickered, then faded.
And Meena fell.
The crowd, stunned into silence, finally exhaled.
Announcer (with a thundering voice):
"Victory… Tency Emberlin of Ashes!"
The crowd erupted. Cheers, gasps, roars of praise—and a few stunned whispers.
Civilian No. 12: "She actually beat Meena Meril… without even taking a single hit…"
Civilian No. 38: "That was precision… She set that up from the very beginning…"
Civilian No. 9: "Is this the power of a Threadmaster? I thought it was just some weird technique!"
Civilian No. 101: "She's terrifying. The way she moved… like she saw every move ahead of time…"
As Tency stood in the flames, her expression unchanged, she quietly deactivated the remaining threads. No celebration. No arrogance. Just focus.
The sun above the Land of Flames continued to burn, but for that moment, the one who burned brightest…
was her.
Tency Emberlin—the winner.
Imperial Adviser:"Seems like we won't have to worry about finding brides for the princes."
Imperial Commander:"Yes… even though that Meena girl was defeated overwhelmingly, she is still a genius. It's just that her opponent was too smart… too prepared."
He paused, then added with a slight smirk.
Imperial Commander:"But if it came down to raw power and strength alone—she would have overpowered her opponent."
The two stood in silence, watching as Meena was gently lifted off the battleground by the medics. The crowd continued its roar, but the seeds of imperial interest had already been sown.
Announcer:"Then for the next match… Osmian of Claron and Wuxing of Ashes!"
The announcement echoed across the arena, and immediately the atmosphere shifted. From the eastern gate, Osmian entered with light steps and a glowing smile. A lively aura surrounded him, his gray hair glinting under the sunlight, and his rare white eyes stood out like twin moons in the sea of fire. His very presence was radiant.
From the opposite gate, Wuxing walked in silence. A stark contrast to his opponent, he was cloaked entirely in white—white mask, white robe, and long white hair that swayed with the wind. Despite standing in plain view, his presence was disturbingly absent, as if he blended into nothingness.
Osmian waved cheerfully.
Osmian:"Hi, I'm Osmian!"
Wuxing:...…(Silence)
Osmian tilted his head slightly.
Osmian:"?"[Is he a blockhead?]
A loud burst from the announcer broke the tension.
Announcer:"Begin!"
There was no hesitation. Osmian, a pure mage who relied solely on spellcasting, raised his hand high. A massive glyph formed in the sky, and instantly the air ignited.
Osmian:"Falling Sun!"
The same spell used earlier by Rocyan—but this was on another level. The scale was terrifying. The spell's size covered nearly half the arena. A burning sun materialized above, its flames already licking the sky as it descended. The heat alone made the emergency shields around the stadium flare up in defense. The entire arena trembled under the sheer pressure.
Flames flooded the battlefield, boiling the very ground beneath.
Crowd:"AAAAAHHHH!""THE ARENA'S MELTING!""WHAT POWER IS THIS?!"
Even those who had already fought, whether victorious or defeated, looked on in silent despair. The gap in strength was undeniable.
Crowd (Civilian No.77):"There's no hope. He's on a different level…"
Imperial Adviser narrowed his eyes, standing beside the Imperial Commander high above in the observation tower.
Imperial Adviser:"This kid… He's already at the level of a General. Truly, a once-in-a-century genius."
From a lower gallery, another figure scoffed. Dressed in a relaxed fashion, arms behind his head, Smorken Kenviss, principal of Ashes Academy, clicked his tongue.
Smorken:"Why the hell are all these foggies making such a fuss over something like this?"
Below, the fire still raged. The audience waited for confirmation of victory—but the fire didn't claim its target.
Osmian:"Wow… I didn't expect you to survive this."
With a wave of his hand, the flooding flames twisted, forming a massive flame tornado that spun violently, its center locked on Wuxing's location.
Imperial Adviser (alarmed):"Commander! You must prepare to save the other kid—!"
Before he could finish, a dazzling bolt of white lightning shot through the flames like a divine spear.
BOOM!It pierced through the inferno and slammed Osmian into the arena wall, stone cracking and flames dispersing on impact.
Crowd (Civilian No.41):"WHAT?! LIGHTNING?!""I thought he was a fire user!""How is that not fire?!"
Imperial Commander (rising to his feet):"What is going on here?! One after another… Is this a kids' duel or a summit conference before a war?!"
From the rubble, Osmian pulled himself up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.His eyes sparkled with battle hunger.
Osmian:"I don't care about the lightning magic... but you're the first opponent I've seen who's at my level."
Suddenly, his body began to glow white.
Not gold. Not red.White flames emerged and wrapped around him like a royal cloak.
He raised his arm, and with a war cry, he fired a massive flame cannon toward Wuxing.
Crowd (Civilian No.12):"W-White flames?!""Isn't that… the legendary fire of the former Emperor of Claron?!"
Imperial Adviser:"What now… This ceremony is beyond reasoning…"
Crowd (Unified):"This year's graduation ceremony is definitely recorded in history!"
Yet…
As the cannon surged, Wuxing remained still. His katana flashed once, clean and minimal, dispersing the cannon flame like a breeze swatting a candle.
He blinked—the teleportation technique was so subtle, no magic glyph, no sound.
He appeared behind Osmian. The tip of his katana touched Osmian's neck.
Everything stopped.
Osmian slowly pulled his flames back.
Announcer (in disbelief):"…Wuxing of Ashes… wins!"
Silence.
For several seconds, the audience didn't react. Then the shock exploded into disbelief.
Crowd:"He defeated him…""That was the strongest kid so far!""Who even is this guy…?!""Lightning user? In Aghnikhaat?! That's impossible! There's no rain here!""What is this madness?!"
This match left behind more confusion than clarity.
High above, behind the crimson window, the Emperor finally spoke.
Emperor:"Adviser, bring that Wuxing kid's principal to the palace."
He paused, thoughtful.
Emperor:"And… we can't overlook the appearance of white flames either. Keep an eye on the Osmian kid."
Imperial Adviser:"Yes, Your Majesty."
Imperial Commander (glaring down):"Smorken! What the hell are you doing at Ashes Academy?!"
With such chaotic brilliance erupting in one match, the remaining matches were all ignored, despite their high standards. The attention, the awe, the history—it had already been sealed in this moment.
Thus, the Warrior Graduation Ceremony of the Great Academies came to its end.
The Imperial Adviser, standing on the terrace, watched the sun dip behind the flaming mountains. The skies of the Flame Empire painted gold and red… and beneath it, the battlefield of tomorrow began to stir.
Imperial Adviser (softly):"What great changes are waiting… for such incidents to happen?"
He closed his eyes.