I burst through the door of the preparation room right on cue, a slightly breathless, perfectly acted Zenni grin on my face.
Miss Karrie looked up from her notes and clapped her hands together.
"Perfect timing! Just a minute more and you would have been disqualified."
She stepped closer, her eyes scanning my uniform before locking onto the magical ring on my finger...the accessory I used to regulate and mimic my freshman-tier mana reservoir.
"Here, let me see your hand. You need to replace your mana ring; the residual energy from your match with Zero-G shows it's completely overused. Try a new one."
With a practiced, gentle tug, she slid the old ring off my finger and replaced it with a fresh, glowing silver band. I kept my true, massive mana pool tightly compressed and locked down, letting the new ring read only the tiny, standard droplet of energy I allowed it to see.
"Thanks, Miss Karrie," I said, rotating my wrist.
Right on cue, the muffled voice of the arena announcer boomed through the walls, amplified by high-tier acoustic magic.
"Ladies and gentlemen! This is the moment we have all been waiting for! The grand finale of today's exhibition! In the left corner, the rising star who has defied all odds, the first-year prodigy...Crimson Phantom! And in the right corner, representing the elite graduating class, the master of molten rock...the fourth-year, Yellow Volcano!"
The heavy iron-reinforced doors at the end of the staging tunnel slowly began to grind open. A blinding wall of afternoon sunlight spilled into the room, accompanied by a deafening wave of cheers, whistles, and stomping feet from thousands of students packed into the bleachers.
I glanced up toward the VIP balcony one last time before stepping out. Just as I suspected, the velvet seats were completely devoid of Principal Elicia and the Archivist. They were still down in the secure holding cells, finalizing the paperwork to transfer Sticky Sperm to the Council's execution squads.
I leaned my black umbrella securely against the weapon rack, rolled up my pristine ivory-and-gold sleeves, and stepped out into the roaring light of the stadium, marching toward the massive, transparent mana dome that encased the battlefield.
The moment my boots hit the dirt of the arena floor, the crowd erupted.
Looking to the front row on my right, the three beautiful, freshly scented girls were leaning over the railing, completely capturing the attention of the surrounding crowd.
"Don't you dare lose, Zenni! Remember my expensive soap!" Amelia shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth with a fierce, playful smile.
"Extinguish him, Crimson Phantom!" Aisha cheered, waving her arms enthusiastically, her ivory uniform gleaming in the sun.
Cindy nodded proudly from beside them, calling out,
"Keep your distance from the heat, Zenni! You can win this!"
Right behind them, Garret and the rest of the first-year boys were standing on their benches, completely abandoning any upperclassman respect as they banged their fists against the banners, chanting my battle name in a booming rhythm that shook the stadium walls:
"CRIMSON PHANTOM! CRIMSON PHANTOM! CRIMSON PHANTOM!"
Across the arena, the heavy gates opened and Yellow Volcano stepped into the dome, his body already radiating a visible, shimmering heat haze as molten sparks dripped from his knuckles. He glared at me through the steam, his face twisted in a smug, confident sneer.
I walked into the center of the dome and stopped, letting a lazy, carefree smirk stretch across my face as I looked down at my new mana ring.
"The stage is set, the scapegoat is locked away, and my audience is waiting, let's see how much heat this volcano can actually take." I thought, my eyes locking onto the fourth-year.
Yellow Volcano stood at the opposite end of the dirt arena, deliberately keeping a wide distance to maximize his mid-range advantage. He adjusted his heavy gauntlets and threw his head back, letting out a booming, arrogant laugh that carried across the entire stadium.
"Hey, freshman! I hope you enjoyed your little fan club while it lasted! Once the barrier locks, I'm going to melt that pristine little uniform right onto your skin. Your pathetic, watery blood won't even have time to hit the floor before it evaporates!" he mocked, pointing a smoking finger at me.
Adopting Zenni's signature lazy, street-smart swagger, I slouched slightly, resting my hands in my pockets as I threw a cold, mocking smirk right back at him.
"A volcano? Is that really the best name you could come up with, senior? From where I'm standing, you just look like an oversized charcoal briquette. Try not to pass out from the heat before I even get a chance to make you bleed."
The arena crowd gasped, and the insult hit Yellow Volcano like a physical blow. His face turned a deep, furious crimson. Enraged beyond belief, he completely ignored protocol. Before the announcer could even signal the start of the match, he violently thrust his arms downward, his magical circuits flaring as thick, bubbling magma began to heavily imbue his fists, dripping sizzling droplets onto the arena dirt.
But before the referee could scold him, the announcer's amplified voice suddenly boomed through the stadium speakers, shifting the entire atmosphere of the coliseum.
"Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin this highly anticipated grand finale, we are deeply honored to welcome a very special guest to Sisiphon Magic Academy! Direct from the prestigious Caria Mastery Academy in the eastern realms, please give a warm welcome to the esteemed Professor, Miss Sasha!"
The heavy iron doors of the VIP balcony swung open. A striking, purple-haired elf stepped out onto the platform, flanked by four imposing, heavily armored bodyguards. She moved with an elegant, regal grace, calmly walking past the bowing high-ranking staff and comfortably occupying the luxurious, velvet-lined seat that belonged to my sister, Principal Elicia.
I looked up from the arena floor, and a violent shock instantly ran straight down my spine.
No way. I didn't need a detection spell to recognize them. The four imposing bodyguards standing like statues behind her... they were the exact same elite S-rank protectors I had bypassed at the Emerald Spire.
And as I focused my enhanced hunter vision, looking straight past the clever illusion runes and the professional academic robes, the truth hit me like a physical truck.
The purple-haired elf pretending to be Miss Sasha was actually Oksana.
The legendary, ruthless drug lord of the underworld had walked right into a high-security, government-sanctioned magic academy in broad daylight, completely out in the open space. She had fabricated a perfect cover as a visiting foreign professor, and the oblivious students and faculty were treating her with absolute reverence, completely unaware that one of the most wanted criminals on the continent was sitting in their principal's chair.
Up on the balcony, Oksana smoothly lifted a pair of sleek, silver opera binoculars, bringing them to her eyes and locking her gaze directly onto me. A tiny, knowing smirk played on her elegant lips.
She had come here for one reason, and one reason only: to watch her prized, lethal little apprentice duel.
I was completely shocked, but a sudden, dark surge of absolute exhilaration completely replaced my surprise. My blood began to boil beneath my skin, a genuine, terrifying excitement rattling my bones. She had risked everything, walking right into the light just to see what the Crimson Phantom was truly capable of when pushed.
Oksana's disguise was incredibly subtle. To anyone else, she was the picture of academic elegance, wearing a sophisticated professor's dress, her distinctive hair dyed a rich shade of purple, and her signature, intoxicating lotus dust scent completely masked behind a standard concealment charm. Even her four ruthless S-rank bodyguards had traded their blood-stained tactical armor for tailored nobleman suits, blending seamlessly into the VIP tier like wealthy foreign delegates.
A cold chuckle echoed in my mind. The irony was delicious. Down in the dungeons, the Archivist was probably beginning to skin Sticky Sperm alive, completely convinced he had captured Oksana's apprentice. My identity as a student was completely safe from the Council.
But looking up at Oksana, I knew I had a different kind of tightrope to walk. I wanted to impress her, to show her the true, terrifying depth of my power. Yet, I couldn't unleash my high-tier weapons or trigger my signature lifesteal effects. If a massive vortex of stolen vitality erupted in the middle of a school arena, the connection to the legendary Crimson Phantom bounty hunter would be undeniable, and my civilian cover would be permanently blown. I had to dominate this fourth-year using nothing but raw, weaponless mastery over my element.
I looked away from the balcony, turning my gaze back to the furious, magma-cloaked fourth-year standing across from me. The time for hiding behind a clumsy, amateur freshman persona was officially over. If the Drug Lord of the Emerald Spire was sitting in the front row, I wasn't going to give her a mediocre show. I was going to unleash my true, overwhelming skills, utilize the terrifying depth of my real power, and absolutely incinerate this volcano to prove exactly why I wore the mantle of the Phantom.
I took a slow, deep breath, adjusting the silver mana ring on my finger.
Across the dirt arena, Yellow Volcano let out a low growl, the heat radiating from his magma-fists causing the air around him to ripple and warp. The transparent mana dome overhead hummed to life, sealing us inside a localized combat barrier.
We locked eyes. His were burning with arrogant, short-tempered rage; mine were cold, hyper-focused, and flashing with a lethal crimson intent that he was far too blind to understand.
The referee stepped back, raising a silver whistle to his lips.
"FWEET!"
The sharp blast tore through the roaring stadium, and in that exact millisecond, the ground beneath Yellow Volcano's boots violently erupted into liquid fire.