Leon controlled a raging storm of papers that filled the arena from corner to corner.
The white sheets swirled endlessly through the air like a flock of hungry birds hunting prey, yet no matter how many angles Leon attacked from, none of them could touch Pogan.
Pogan's body twisted unnaturally.
His torso bent backward until his spine nearly formed a complete arch. One leg folded over his shoulder while his upper body spun sideways to evade another attack. His movements looked horrifying to normal people, but strangely fluid at the same time.
The crowd watched with disturbed fascination.
"He dodged that too?!"
"What kind of body magic is that?"
"That shouldn't even be possible!"
Leon narrowed his eyes as another wave of papers missed their target.
His opponent was troublesome.
Very troublesome.
Leon's magic excelled at overwhelming enemies through versatility and numbers. Against most people, once his papers surrounded them the battle was effectively over. Every paper could transform into something different—a weapon, shield, construct, or trap.
But Pogan was a terrible matchup.
His flexible body made direct attacks difficult to land, while his strange durability let him survive things that should cripple normal fighters.
Leon clicked his tongue internally.
And trapping him again wouldn't work.
Earlier in the battle Leon had already attempted to imprison Pogan within layered paper bindings. It should have ended the match instantly.
Instead Pogan simply used weak flame magic to burn through the prison.
The fire itself wasn't powerful.
Honestly, it was mediocre.
But paper was still paper.
Leon had been forced to abandon nearly a quarter of his reserve sheets before the flames spread to the rest.
Even now some burnt fragments still floated around the arena floor.
Leon glanced briefly at his remaining papers.
Still enough.
But he couldn't waste them recklessly anymore.
Pogan meanwhile breathed heavily while staring at the countless sheets surrounding him.
His arm still ached from earlier attacks, and although he hid it well, continuously twisting his body this violently was exhausting. Every strange movement strained his muscles and joints.
Still…
He grinned.
"This guy's annoying."
Leon ignored the taunt.
His eyes remained focused.
Calm.
Analytical.
Suddenly the floating papers around him stopped moving randomly.
Then they folded together.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The sound echoed repeatedly as dozens of papers compressed and hardened.
The audience watched curiously.
"What's he making now?"
Within moments several paper rifles formed around Leon, hovering beside him like loyal soldiers awaiting orders.
Even Pogan's expression changed slightly.
He had learned by now not to underestimate Leon's paper constructs simply because they looked fragile.
Leon raised his hand.
The barrels aimed at Pogan simultaneously.
"Fire."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Paper bullets exploded outward.
The bullets moved shockingly fast, slicing through the air with enough force to whistle loudly.
Pogan immediately jumped sideways.
Another bullet came toward his face.
He bent backward unnaturally.
A third targeted his chest.
His shoulder suddenly dislocated itself with a sickening crack, allowing the bullet to narrowly pass by.
The audience winced.
"Eugh…"
"That looks painful…"
Pogan continued weaving through the attacks with impossible movements.
At first glance it looked like Leon was missing every shot.
But Leon's expression remained completely calm.
Pogan noticed that immediately.
Why isn't he frustrated?
Then instinct screamed at him.
Danger.
Pogan's eyes widened.
The bullets behind him suddenly stopped midair.
Then reversed direction.
"What?!"
Leon smirked faintly.
Unlike real bullets, his paper projectiles remained under his control.
Pogan twisted desperately to dodge, but his body was already off balance from avoiding the earlier barrage.
One bullet pierced through his upper arm.
Another tore through his thigh.
Blood sprayed across the arena floor.
"Agh!"
Pogan collapsed onto one knee.
The audience erupted.
"He got him!"
Leon didn't hesitate.
The rifles immediately dissolved back into countless sheets before gathering above Pogan.
The papers compressed tighter and tighter until a gigantic hammer formed overhead.
The sheer size of it cast a shadow over Pogan.
Pogan looked up.
"…Seriously?"
Leon clenched his fist.
The hammer descended.
BOOOOOOM!
The arena trembled violently.
Stone tiles shattered underneath the impact as dust exploded everywhere.
Several audience members instinctively flinched from the sound alone.
"That's gotta be over!"
"There's no way he survived that!"
Leon stared at the massive hammer pressed against the arena floor.
Then his eyes narrowed.
It stopped.
The hammer should have completely flattened Pogan instantly.
Instead it felt…resisted.
Leon focused carefully.
A small gap existed beneath the hammer.
Inside that gap—
Pogan stood there trembling violently.
One arm held the gigantic hammer overhead.
His injured leg shook uncontrollably beneath him while veins bulged across his body.
The audience went silent.
Leon himself looked stunned.
Holding that much weight with one arm should have been impossible.
Pogan gritted his teeth so hard blood dripped from his mouth.
Every muscle in his body screamed in agony.
His shoulder joints were tearing.
His wounded leg threatened to snap completely.
But he refused to collapse.
Not yet.
Leon's thoughts raced quickly.
I can't separate the hammer.
Every remaining paper sheet currently reinforced the structure. If he removed any papers to attack separately, the entire construct would destabilize.
So the battle became a contest of endurance.
Leon watched silently.
Pogan struggled desperately beneath the hammer.
Seconds passed.
Sweat poured from Pogan's body.
His arm trembled harder.
His knees buckled lower and lower.
Finally—
CRACK.
His arm gave out.
The hammer slammed down completely.
BOOOOOOM!
A crater formed beneath the impact.
Dust consumed the battlefield.
Leon exhaled softly.
That should finally—
The hammer suddenly shifted.
Then dissolved apart.
Countless papers floated away revealing Pogan still standing.
Completely unharmed.
Leon froze.
The audience froze.
Even the referee blinked in confusion.
"H-how?" Leon stammered.
Pogan grinned proudly despite his exhaustion.
"Easy."
His body suddenly flattened slightly for demonstration.
"I just turned myself flat."
The audience exploded into noise.
"He WHAT?!"
"That's cheating!"
"How does that even work?!"
Leon stared blankly for several seconds.
Flattening his body had spread the force across a wider surface, drastically reducing the damage.
Ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
But Leon quickly forced himself calm again.
Shock wouldn't win battles.
More papers gathered beside him.
They folded rapidly into the shape of a large hound.
The creature's body looked entirely made from layered paper, yet it moved like a real beast. Its paper jaws opened revealing sharp folded teeth.
"Paper hounds!"
The construct lunged.
Pogan immediately jumped backward.
The hound crashed into the ground where he had stood moments earlier before turning around again aggressively.
But Leon wasn't finished.
More papers scattered across the arena floor suddenly rose upward.
"Paper pursuit."
The floating sheets moved eerily.
Not like weapons.
Like living parasites.
Pogan's expression changed immediately when he realized their target.
His face.
The papers aimed directly for his nose and mouth while other sheets wrapped toward his arms and legs trying to restrain him.
If they blocked his breathing—
He could genuinely suffocate.
And dying to paper would be the dumbest death imaginable.
"Oh hell no!"
Pogan twisted wildly to avoid them.
One paper wrapped around his wrist.
He burned it immediately with weak flames before another attacked his face from behind.
At the same time the paper hound lunged again.
Leon continued attacking relentlessly.
Snakes formed from papers slithered along the ground.
Eagles swooped downward with razor-sharp wings.
Blades emerged from floating sheets.
The battlefield transformed into a living nightmare of white constructs chasing Pogan from every direction.
Pogan couldn't even counterattack anymore.
Every second became pure survival.
Left.
Right.
Duck.
Twist.
Burn.
Jump.
His breathing grew heavier and heavier.
His injured leg slowed him down further with each movement.
Eventually he reached the arena wall.
The paper creatures closed in from every direction.
Leon stepped forward calmly.
A paper sword formed within his hand before stopping inches from Pogan's throat.
Silence filled the arena.
Pogan stared at the blade for several moments.
Then sighed deeply.
"…I surrender."
The referee instantly raised his arm.
"Winner! Leon of Formosa Academy!"
Thunderous applause erupted from Formosa's side.
Leon finally relaxed slightly.
His papers drifted harmlessly downward around him like falling snow.
Pogan meanwhile laughed bitterly while scratching his head.
"You're scary, man."
Leon adjusted his glasses quietly.
"You're weird."
The audience laughed.
But while their match ended—
Another battle still continued across the arena.
And unlike Leon's strategic fight…
Issac's battle was overwhelmingly one-sided.
Kelly sprinted desperately across the battlefield while explosions erupted behind her nonstop.
BOOM!
A fire beam narrowly missed her shoulder.
CRACK!
Ice spikes erupted from the ground forcing her to jump sideways.
Another magical tool floating beside Issac launched lightning toward her immediately afterward.
Kelly's breathing was ragged.
She was running out of mana.
Completely.
Compared to Leon's careful tactical style, Issac fought like a walking arsenal.
Dozens of magical devices floated around him simultaneously, each created through his engineering magic. Some gathered elemental energy while others analyzed trajectories or prepared hidden attacks.
And Issac himself barely even moved.
He simply walked forward calmly while overwhelming Kelly with endless pressure.
Kelly bit her lip desperately.
Every cotton shield she created became weaker than the last.
Her mana reserves were almost empty.
Issac noticed immediately.
"She's done."
Another beam fired.
Kelly barely summoned cotton in time to redirect it away.
Sweat drenched her face.
Her legs felt numb.
Still—
She refused to surrender.
Not yet.
Issac raised another device.
A concentrated fire beam charged at its center.
Kelly backed toward the arena edge unknowingly.
Then realized too late—
She was cornered.
Several floating weapons surrounded her from all sides.
No escape.
Issac aimed directly at her.
"This ends now."
The beam fired.
Kelly's eyes sharpened desperately.
At the final second she thrust both hands forward with everything she had left.
A massive cotton wall appeared instantly before her.
Unlike her earlier soft cotton defenses, this one was compressed incredibly densely.
BOOOOM!
The fire beam reflected straight back toward Issac.
The crowd gasped loudly.
But Issac remained calm.
The reflected beam struck the armor attached to his chest.
Instead of exploding—
The armor absorbed it.
Glowing red lines spread across its surface.
Kelly's eyes widened.
Issac had expected this.
HISSSSS—
Superheated gas burst from vents along the armor.
The heat spread across the battlefield instantly.
Kelly suddenly felt her skin heat violently.
Her pores opened automatically from the temperature change.
Issac immediately raised another device.
An ice beam fired.
Kelly's exhausted body couldn't react anymore.
The freezing attack shot toward her chest—
A blur appeared.
The referee intercepted the attack and carried Kelly away instantly.
"Match over!"
The referee raised his arm loudly.
"Formosa Academy wins and advances!"
The Formosa team exploded into cheers.
Olivia screamed loudly while jumping excitedly.
"LILYYYY! DID YOU SEE THAT?!"
Corey quickly grabbed her shoulders before she could charge onto the arena.
"Calm down!"
"But we won!"
The celebrations lasted for a short while.
Lily smiled to herself as she went to the bayarm school wards to get healed