The day of the group battles had finally arrived. Everyone was taking their positions, forming their teams.
Mare glanced at Mio and Liora.
"You two… you're always sticking with Horobi's team. Can't you ever make your own choices?" he teased.
Mio crossed her arms, smirking.
"Oh really? And why is that a problem for you? You know full well you could never beat our team, so just stay quiet."
Liora added, rolling her eyes.
"Come on, just say it, Mare. You want to be on Horobi's team so you can win, right? If you've got the guts, face him yourself."
From behind, Raii suddenly appeared, his tone cutting through the chatter.
"Enough! All three of you, zip it. In this class, the groups will be my decision, not yours."
Danzo muttered,
"But sir, everyone else is picking their own teams… why can't we?"
Raii's eyes narrowed.
"Shut up, Danzo. Do as I say, or I'll haunt you in your dreams and cancel winter vacation just for you."
Danzo stayed quiet, muttering under his breath, "No one wants to mess with this teacher…"
Raii continued,
"Class 1-A will have two groups of five."
Team 1:
Horobi Enma
Jimmi
Loki
Danzo
Erish
Team 2:
Mio Haizaki
Liora
Mare
Hozu
Kaame
Mio frowned.
"Sir… why separate us?"
Raii tilted his head, confused.
"Huh? Did you three make some kind of pact to stick together? Just follow the plan quietly."
Mio laughed softly.
"Fine. We'll show you, Liora. We're not useless."
Liora smiled, nodding.
"Yeah, absolutely!"
Horobi approached them, a calm smile on his face.
"Good luck, both of you. Don't worry, I won't hold back… but not too much either."
Mio smirked.
"No worries. I won't make it easy for you either."
Liora nodded.
"Best of luck, Horobi."
With that, the trio went to their respective teams.
Raii raised his hand.
"I'll be watching this match myself to keep everything under control."
Round 1 Matches
Team 1 (1-A) vs Team 8 (1-D)
Team 2 (1-A) vs Team 5 (1-C)
Team 3 (1-B) vs Team 7 (1-D)
Team 4 (1-B) vs Team 6 (1-C)
The first match began.
Erish whispered to Horobi,
"Save your mana for the final round. You can just guide us for now."
Horobi nodded.
"Don't worry. I'm not using mana yet."
Danzo muttered,
"Good. There are strong opponents in 1-B, so they'll need you to fight."
Horobi stepped back.
"Alright, I'll just guide and give directions."
One by one, Team 1's attacks eliminated Team 8's students, and Raii announced,
"The winner is Team 1."
Next,
Team 2 vs Team 5.
Liora looked at Mio.
"I want to finish this quickly so I can face Horobi."
Mio smirked.
"Couldn't have said it better myself. Let's do this."
Team 5 tried to replicate the mistakes of the previous match, but Mio and Liora were ready.
Mio bound two opponents with earth magic.
Liora launched fire magic, but one opponent's summon blocked it.
Mare summoned his golem, and the battle became chaotic.
Mio's wind blades disrupted Team 5's balance, while Liora prepared a fire tornado.
Kaame, normally quiet, threw a massive water sphere toward the enemies.
An opponent attacked Kaame with earth magic, which was then redirected toward Liora. She skillfully dodged and countered with poison.
Mio fired a dark sphere, hitting multiple targets. Liora's poison weakened two more opponents, and Mare's golem crushed another.
Raii raised his hand.
"Match over. The winner is Team 2."
Mio and Liora glanced at each other, silently praising their teamwork.
Mare approached.
"Not bad, but your hands… are you okay?"
Mio waved it off.
"No worries, Mare. Horobi's got my back."
Liora added with a smirk,
"I've got Horobi too."
Mare muttered,
"So Horobi's taken both of them… are they his girlfriends?"
Erish laughed.
"Doesn't matter. Good job, both of you. Now move on."
Team 3 vs Team 7
Tua glared at Horobi from the sidelines.
"This time, I'll defeat him… and take my revenge."
Linksan sighed.
"Relax. Horobi's stronger now. If you try to fight him alone, you'll just lose again. Work together this time."
Tua nodded.
"Fine… just this once."
The match began, with Tua opening strong, attacking everyone.
Linksan jumped in, countering with lightning and sword strikes.
Rika Solen and Elmiya Frost joined, using fire and earth magic in coordination.
Team 3's teamwork was solid, and the last student fell after a tough fight.
Raii announced,
"The winner is Team 3."
Team 4 vs Team 6
Team 4 won.
Next Round
Team 2 vs Team 4
Team 1 vs Team 3
Team 2 and Team 4 faced each other in the arena.
The tension was palpable.
Mio whispered,
"Careful… these guys aren't careless like the last team."
Liora nodded.
"Their formation looks planned."
Raii raised his hand.
"Begin."
Team 4 scattered, avoiding direct confrontation. Mare groaned.
"Why are they running?"
Suddenly—
Boom! The ground cracked beneath them.
Kaame almost lost balance, but Mio stabilized him with a gust of wind.
"Underground attacks…" she murmured.
Another fast attacker rushed Hozu, who barely blocked.
Liora realized the plan.
"They're trying to split us up!"
Team 2's formation broke, each member engaged individually.
Mio fought a long-range duel.
Liora handled two attackers at once.
Mare controlled his golem.
Wind blades from Mio were blocked by stone walls.
"Not bad," she muttered.
A second attack forced her to retreat.
"Two vs one… seriously?"
she gritted her teeth.
Liora dodged continuous strikes, countering expertly, though one opponent escaped.
"Running won't help," she said.
Mio shouted,
"Liora! Left side clear!"
Liora summoned her serpent, pushing an attacker away. Mio created a strong wind current, aligning two Team 4 members.
"Now!" Liora shouted, unleashing a fire burst.
Both hit, but still standing.
Team 4's leader stepped forward.
"End this."
Stone spikes, lightning, and fire blasted simultaneously. Kaame's barrier broke, Mare's golem fell.
Mio was about to take a direct hit when Liora intervened.
"Move!" she shouted, taking the blow herself.
Liora whispered,
"Mio… finish it."
Mio's eyes hardened.
"Alright…"
She concentrated her mana. The air became heavy.
"Don't let her cast!" the Team 4 leader yelled.
Liora blocked with fire walls, serpent, and close combat skills—holding them off.
Mio raised her hand.
"Compressed Wind Field."
An invisible pressure field threw everyone off balance.
"Now, Liora!" she yelled.
Liora attacked in succession. Students fell one by one.
Seconds later, only one opponent remained, exhausted.
Mio approached.
"Give up."
The opponent sank to his knees.
"…We lost."
Raii raised his hand.
"Match over. The winner is Team 2."
Liora sighed.
"…That wasn't easy."
Mio smiled faintly.
"Good. Now… Horobi."
Horobi watched from afar, eyes flickering with interest.
Raii announced,
"Next: Team 1 vs Team 3. Last match of Round 2."
Tua glanced at Horobi, a slow, confident smirk on his face.
"This time… I'll make you lose. And it'll be me who beats you.."