The next few rounds passed quickly.
One team after another was eliminated from the tournament until only the strongest remained. The atmosphere around the island arena gradually became more intense as students from every academy gathered around the stages to watch the final matches.
Formosa Academy's name was repeatedly shouted throughout the venue after Olivia and Corey unexpectedly advanced all the way into the semi-finals of the duo tournament.
Meanwhile, in the solo division, only two participants remained.
Saik Sim.
And Tina Mune.
One was a smiling monster that disturbed everyone who looked at him.
The other was a walking fortress whose overwhelming strength crushed nearly every opponent she fought.
Students constantly debated which of them would win.
"The creepy guy is definitely hiding something."
"No way, Tina destroys him."
"Didn't Saik make a rank three student surrender without moving?"
"I still think Tina's stronger."
"She literally punched through a stone barrier…"
The audience buzzed with anticipation.
Backstage, Olivia nervously adjusted her grip on her staff while waiting for her next match.
Her hands were slightly sweaty.
Across from her, Corey leaned against the wall with his wand spinning between his fingers.
Unlike Olivia, he looked perfectly relaxed.
But internally Corey was far from calm.
The deeper they advanced into the tournament, the stronger their opponents became. Their earlier strategy of recklessly attacking and improvising mid battle no longer worked.
The previous match had already pushed them hard enough.
Corey glanced toward Olivia from the corner of his eye.
At least she stopped trying to jump directly into danger every five seconds… mostly.
"Don't overthink things," Corey said casually.
Olivia looked at him.
"That's easy for you to say."
Corey shrugged.
"If something goes wrong I'll just copy their magic."
Olivia stared at him blankly.
"That's not reassuring at all."
Before Corey could respond, an announcer's voice echoed throughout the waiting area.
"Participants for the second semi-final duo match please enter the arena!"
Corey stretched his shoulders before walking forward.
Olivia followed behind him while taking a deep breath.
The moment they stepped onto the stage, loud cheers erupted from Formosa Academy's section.
"COREY!"
"OLIVIA!"
"FORMOSA!"
Corey smirked slightly at the noise while Olivia stiffened from the pressure.
The massive arena felt even bigger now that only a few matches remained.
The referee stepped toward the center of the stage and amplified his voice with magic.
"Ray Tori and Daisy Days versus Olivia Holder and Corey Key!"
The crowd applauded loudly.
On the opposite side of the arena stood a tall boy with damp blue robes and messy hair. Beside him was a girl calmly holding a strange umbrella-shaped staff.
Corey narrowed his eyes.
Water mage?
No… maybe fire and water mixed together?
His gaze shifted toward the girl.
Long range support type probably.
The umbrella's weird though.
The referee raised his arm.
"Begin!"
A whistle rang across the arena.
Olivia instinctively bent her knees, preparing to charge forward.
Then she suddenly froze.
Corey slowly looked back at her.
Olivia awkwardly straightened herself.
Right… healer role.
Corey nearly sighed out loud before focusing forward.
Good. At least she remembered this time.
Without hesitation Corey raised his wand.
"Stone bullets."
Several sharpened rocks blasted forward through the air toward Ray.
The boy reacted instantly.
"Water wall!"
A curtain of water surged upward in front of him.
The rocks slammed into the barrier before slowing down and sinking into the liquid.
Corey's eyes sharpened.
Definitely water magic.
Interesting.
Most people considered water a defensive element, but skilled water mages were irritatingly adaptable.
Corey immediately switched targets.
"For now let's test the girl."
He flicked his wand again.
"Wind bullets."
Invisible projectiles shot toward Daisy.
The girl calmly opened her umbrella.
Fwoosh.
The wind bullets vanished the moment they touched its surface.
The audience murmured.
"What was that?"
"She blocked wind magic?"
"Is the umbrella enchanted?"
Corey frowned slightly.
That wasn't normal.
Olivia stood behind Corey gripping her staff tightly.
She felt useless.
Again.
Corey was fighting while she simply stood there watching.
Every instinct in her body wanted to run forward and help directly, but after nearly throwing several matches earlier in the tournament she understood Corey was right.
She was better at support.
Still…
Doing nothing made her anxious.
Corey continuously launched spells without pause.
Stone bullets.
Wind blades.
Small fireballs copied from previous opponents.
Ray retaliated with streams of water while Daisy occasionally blocked attacks using her strange umbrella.
The battle quickly intensified.
Spells exploded across the arena while debris scattered across the stage.
The audience watched excitedly.
"They're way stronger than before."
"Corey's adapting again."
"That umbrella girl hasn't even attacked yet."
At one point Daisy nearly got struck by a wind bullet.
But suddenly a loose stone flew upward and intercepted the attack midair.
Corey's expression changed slightly.
That rock moved strangely.
Not naturally.
His eyes narrowed.
Something's interfering with the battlefield.
Another stone suddenly rolled slightly across the ground.
Corey noticed it immediately.
Olivia meanwhile nervously watched the battle unfold.
She wanted to help.
Think Olivia.
Think.
Corey blocked another attack before shouting behind him.
"Can you stop staring and give me buffs already?!"
Olivia jolted.
"R-right!"
"And use debuffs too! You can literally weaken people!"
Olivia blinked.
Debuffs.
Right.
She almost forgot.
Her support magic wasn't only healing and enhancement.
Because she rarely used curses in normal school battles, she instinctively ignored them during the tournament.
Olivia quickly raised her staff.
"Speed enhancement!"
A warm light covered Corey's body.
Immediately Corey felt lighter.
Faster.
His movements sharpened.
"Durability enhancement!"
Another spell strengthened his body.
Then Olivia pointed toward Ray.
"Weakness curse."
A faint gray light struck him.
Ray suddenly stumbled.
His breathing became uneven.
Cold Sweat rapidly formed across his forehead.
For water mages, coldness debuffs were especially unbearable.
Ray grit his teeth while trying to maintain concentration.
"What the hell…"
Corey immediately noticed the change.
Nice.
He pressed forward aggressively.
Stone bullets bombarded Ray from multiple directions while Corey used enhanced speed to constantly reposition himself.
Ray panicked.
He launched fireballs wildly across the arena.
Explosions erupted everywhere.
But Corey calmly dodged each attack.
At one point he even copied one of Ray's fireballs and hurled it back.
The audience erupted into cheers.
"He copied it again!"
"That ability is so unfair!"
"Formosa's duo is insane!"
Ray's movements became increasingly sloppy under Olivia's debuff.
Corey cornered him near the edge of the stage.
This is over.
He launched one final stone bullet directly toward Ray's chest.
Then suddenly—
The projectile abruptly shifted sideways.
Slash.
A shallow cut appeared on Corey's cheek.
The audience gasped.
Corey immediately jumped backward.
Olivia hurriedly healed the cut.
But Corey barely paid attention.
His eyes scanned the battlefield carefully.
That wasn't coincidence.
Something redirected my spell.
But how?
He suddenly realized something else.
Daisy was gone.
Corey's pupils shrank.
He rapidly turned around.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No movement.
The audience also noticed.
"Where'd she go?"
"She disappeared?"
Then someone screamed.
"ABOVE YOU!"
Corey looked upward.
Daisy floated high in the air while holding her opened umbrella overhead.
The crowd exploded into shock.
"She's flying?!"
"No way!"
"Since when could she do that?!"
Even the teachers watching from above looked surprised.
Olivia instinctively prepared to jump upward.
Corey immediately glared at her.
Olivia slowly lowered herself again.
"...Right."
Daisy smiled calmly from above.
Then the debris scattered around the battlefield suddenly rose into the air.
Hundreds of broken stones floated around her.
The audience went silent.
With a wave of her hand the debris shot downward like a storm.
Corey instantly dodged while analyzing everything.
Floating.
Object control.
Midair redirection.
The umbrella wasn't the magic.
It was her focus.
Telekinesis.
Corey's eyes widened slightly.
That's advanced magic.
Magic branching from darkness… but treated almost like its own category.
No wonder she reached the semi-finals.
The stones chased Corey relentlessly.
Every time they hit the ground they rose again.
Daisy controlled all of them simultaneously.
Corey grinned.
"I see it now."
Daisy suddenly felt uneasy.
Corey stopped dodging for a brief moment.
One of the floating rocks halted midair.
Then another.
Then another.
Daisy's eyes widened.
No way.
The rocks abruptly turned around and shot back toward her.
The audience erupted.
"HE COPIED IT?!"
"That fast?!"
"Are you serious?!"
Corey smirked smugly.
"Interesting magic," he called upward. "I'll be borrowing it."
Daisy hurriedly dodged her own projectiles while maintaining flight.
But telekinesis consumed enormous mana.
Especially flight.
Sweat slowly formed across her forehead.
Meanwhile Ray finally recovered enough to move properly.
Seeing Corey distracted, he immediately rushed toward Olivia.
If I take out the support mage—
Olivia saw him charging toward her.
For a split second she panicked.
Then she remembered Corey's words.
Stop acting helpless.
Ray reached her and raised his fist covered in flames.
Olivia punched him directly in the stomach.
Boom.
Ray's eyes bulged outward.
The flames vanished instantly.
His body folded before collapsing unconscious onto the ground.
The audience became completely silent.
Olivia blinked.
"…I didn't even use buffs."
A few students stared blankly.
Then suddenly laughter erupted across the arena.
"She knocked him out?!"
"With one punch?!"
"That's the healer?!"
Even Corey looked disturbed for a second.
Daisy meanwhile finally lost concentration.
Her floating body wobbled dangerously.
No mana left—
She began falling.
The audience gasped.
Corey instantly dropped control over the debris and redirected his telekinesis toward Daisy.
Her body slowed moments before impact.
She gently floated onto the arena floor instead of crashing into it.
The crowd quieted slightly at the unexpected kindness.
Daisy stared at Corey in shock.
Corey awkwardly looked away.
The referee immediately raised his arm.
"Winner—Olivia Holder and Corey Key from Formosa Academy!"
The Formosa students exploded into cheers.
"THEY MADE FINALS!"
"COREY!"
"OLIVIA!"
Olivia looked stunned for a moment before smiling widely.
Corey simply sighed in relief.
One more match left.
....
Meanwhile, in the solo tournament arena, the atmosphere felt entirely different from the excitement of the duo matches.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Tina Mune stood at one side of the arena with her large staff resting against her shoulder while staring at the boy opposite her.
Saik Sim smiled back silently.
That same smile.
The unsettling expression never seemed to leave his face no matter what happened around him. Several students in the audience avoided looking at him directly for too long.
Even Tina felt uncomfortable.
Not scared.
Just irritated.
The boy looked physically weak. Thin arms, pale skin, messy black hair that partially covered his eyes.
Yet everyone he fought until now lost badly.
Some surrendered before the match properly began.
Others collapsed without understanding what happened.
Tina slowly tightened her grip on her staff.
He's dangerous.
The referee looked between the two participants nervously before quickly stepping away from the center of the arena.
"Begin!"
The moment the whistle sounded, black spears materialized around Saik.
One after another.
Then more.
And more.
Dozens of dark spears floated silently around him until the entire area behind Saik looked like a forest of sharpened steel.
The audience immediately quieted down.
Even from the stands, the pressure from the dark magic felt uncomfortable.
Saik raised his hand slightly.
The spears launched forward.
Boom!
The arena floor exploded apart where Tina previously stood. Tina jumped sideways with surprising speed for someone her size while another spear narrowly missed her shoulder.
A third came immediately after.
Tina twisted her body and blocked it using her staff.
Clang!
The impact forced her backward several steps.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Strong.
Those spears were much heavier than they looked.
Saik continued smiling while more black spears formed around him.
No chanting.
No delay.
Just endless attacks.
The spears continuously shot toward Tina from every angle, forcing her to move around the arena nonstop.
Boom!
Another explosion shattered part of the stage.
Dust and debris spread through the air.
Tina smashed away one spear before ducking beneath another. A black spear grazed her sleeve and tore part of it open.
The audience watched nervously.
Something felt strange.
Normally Tina overwhelmed opponents with brute strength almost immediately, yet now she looked oddly cautious.
She wasn't counterattacking much either.
Instead, she carefully watched Saik while continuously retreating around the arena.
Saik tilted his head slightly while smiling.
As if curious why Tina wasn't rushing him directly.
Another wave of spears descended from above.
Tina's muscles tensed before she leapt backward again.
Boom!
The arena shook violently.
The constant barrage gradually filled the battlefield with smoke, dust, and broken stone.
For brief moments Tina disappeared entirely from view before reappearing elsewhere through the smoke.
Saik's smile widened further.
He stretched out his hand.
The black spears hovering behind him multiplied again.
A few students watching swallowed nervously.
"That's too many..."
The teachers above the arena also started paying closer attention.
Even they could tell Saik wasn't fighting normally anymore.
He was hunting.
Meanwhile Tina slowly circled toward the left side of the battlefield while gripping her staff tightly.
A faint shimmer of light briefly flickered across the arena floor near her feet.
Then vanished.
Nobody noticed it.
Saik raised both hands.
The floating spears trembled violently.
Then every spear shot forward simultaneously.
The audience gasped.
The storm of black projectiles completely swallowed Tina's figure.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Explosions erupted nonstop across the arena.
Dust clouds filled the battlefield entirely.
For several seconds nobody could even see what was happening inside.
Then suddenly—
The spears stopped moving.
The smoke slowly cleared.
Silence spread across the arena.
Tina stood in the center of the battlefield.
Or rather—
What remained of her.
Several black spears pierced directly through her body.
One through the stomach.
Another through the shoulder.
Two more through her chest.
Blood dripped onto the shattered arena floor.
The audience froze.
A girl in the crowd screamed.
Even the referee stumbled backward in horror before hurriedly shouting,
"T-Tina Mune is unable to continue! Winner—"
Drip.
Saik blinked once.
Something warm rolled down the side of his face.
A thin line of blood slowly traveled down from the back of his head.
The referee's voice faltered.
Saik's smile weakened slightly for the first time.
The dead Tina suddenly flickered.
Like distorted light reflecting across water.
Then her body dissolved into glowing particles.
The entire arena erupted into confusion.
"What?!"
"Wait—"
"An illusion?!"
Saik's pupils shrank.
Behind him stood Tina.
Completely unharmed.
Her staff was still raised from a full-force swing.
For the first time since entering the tournament, genuine confusion appeared on Saik's face.
Bang.
The heavy staff slammed into the side of his head again.
Saik collapsed onto the arena floor face first.
The arena became deathly silent.
Nobody understood what had happened.
Not immediately.
Students stared blankly at the battlefield while trying to piece together the fight in their minds.
Then slowly—
People began remembering small details.
Tina fighting strangely cautiously.
The flickers of light near the ground.
The smoke covering the battlefield.
Saik blocking his own vision with the spear barrage.
At some point during the chaos, Tina had disappeared completely.
The "Tina" everyone watched afterward had only been an illusion created from manipulated light.
Not only Saik had been deceived.
The referee had been fooled too.
Even several teachers watching from above failed to notice.
A teacher muttered quietly under his breath.
"She replaced herself..."
Another teacher shook his head slowly.
"No... she replaced everyone's perception."
The realization sent chills through several students in the audience.
This wasn't simple illusion magic.
Tina had manipulated the vision of hundreds of people simultaneously while hiding herself somewhere inside the battlefield.
And while Saik focused entirely on killing the fake Tina—
The real Tina calmly walked behind him.
Tina looked down coldly at Saik's unconscious body.
Even now, the creepy smile still remained on his face.
Tina frowned slightly before resting her staff against her shoulder again.
What a creepy guy.