Alex was stomping toward the arena.
Dorren had awakened his anger in a way no other participant had. Marc was, and always would be, a weak spot for Alex, and Dorren had poked that wound twice in the same breath.
This fight was now personal, and Alex intended to make it as humiliating as possible.
His only real concern was the gravity spell, Distortion.
Alex racked his brain.
'This damn spell has to have a weakness.' But he couldn't spot it immediately, so he had to figure it out mid-fight.
As Dorren stepped into the arena, the atmosphere heated, tension thick in the air.
Alex didn't say anything after their last exchange.
Dorren, however, kept taunting. "You sure talk big. Let's see if you can back up your words." He clearly wanted to get into Alex's head, but he didn't know anger only sharpened Alex's focus—it didn't dull it.
Tessa and Scarlett exchanged worried looks.
They didn't know how Alex would act from here, but they knew it wouldn't be pretty.
Among the spectators, Mirelle watched with interest. She had sparred with Dorren plenty of times. While he was a douchebag, she knew he was strong.
His gravity magic made him a nuisance, and she struggled to defeat him, almost never managing to. She wondered how Alex would do it—and what tricks he might pull.
As the referee stood between them, he raised his hand, glancing at Alex and Dorren.
"Ready?" He swung his arm down. "Start!"
Alex opened with his classic Wind Slicer, testing Distortion.
Dorren dodged sideways without magic, then countered with Hailstorm, sending an incessant stream of ice shards toward Alex.
Alex cast Water Shield, blocking the barrage.
He had to hold off for now—he didn't yet know how much mana Dorren used to maintain the spell.
But the Water Shield slowed under the freezing impact, layers turning solid.
At first, Alex thought that was bad, but then paused.
'I could use it as a natural ice shield.'
He slowed the rotation even further, letting the dome freeze completely, then canceled the spell, leaving only the hardened shell.
Without stepping out of cover, Alex cast Water Spear, shoving it through the opening. He followed it out—he needed line of sight to control it.
Dorren canceled Hailstorm the moment he saw the spear emerge.
This was Alex's most infamous spell—the one that chased endlessly—but Dorren had countermeasures.
As the spear neared, he shouted, "Distortion!" Space warped around him.
The spear twisted downward, forced toward the ground.
Outside the arena, Mirelle muttered, "What an idiot," cringing as Dorren announced his spell aloud. He and that friend of his were the only ones who yelled spell names like amateur stage performers.
Dorren forced gravity downward because redirecting sideways or upward would allow Alex to re-control the spear's angle.
Gravity magic was rare among nobles, so its weaknesses weren't widely known. It couldn't be all-powerful.
Alex used the moment Dorren yelled his spell to release control of the spear, letting it fall naturally.
Water Spear was always meant as a test. Now with a natural shield in front of him, he could push offense safely.
'He can control the direction of the redirection,' Alex analyzed.
He immediately cast Spiked Water Arrow, firing it at Dorren.
The arrow shot forward at eye-watering speed.
Dorren shouted, again, "Distortion!"
Alex narrowed his eyes.
'Can he cast it as many times as he wants? If it's that strong and spammable, the cost must be huge.'
He raised his hand, casting Wind Slicer Barrage.
'Can he maintain it endlessly?' he wondered as dozens of blades rained down.
Alex had stopped taking Dorren seriously the moment he helped freeze the Water Shield, gifting him a permanent ice wall. Now Alex was simply testing the spell out of curiosity.
Outside the arena, Tessa muttered, "He's toying with him."
Scarlett nodded. "Yes. Dorren lost the moment he froze Alex's Water Shield—he gave him an indefinite ice shield to hide behind."
"What an imbecile," Tessa concluded.
"He's not the brightest, especially since he actually yells his spells," Scarlett added.
Mirelle also noticed Alex was testing Distortion's limits.
'He turned a disadvantage into an advantage instantly.'
Alex's adaptability was unsettling—and impressive.
But Dorren wasn't finished. He realized Alex was figuring out Distortion, so he decided to gamble.
He would take damage now in exchange for activating his artifact.
It was far more expensive than standard ones, and it held a dual-element spell.
Frost Shockwave—a mix of sound and ice, similar to Ice Nova but with a stunning wave.
He needed to cast it before Distortion drained his mana dry.
He canceled his spell and took two blades to the torso, then triggered the artifact.
A deafening shockwave of freezing force exploded across the arena.
Alex didn't see it coming. He clenched his ears and ducked behind the dome.
Ringing filled his skull, turning everything silent. The membrane in his ears turned red; he couldn't hear anything.
Shit. A dual-element spell. It caught him off-guard.
But Alex was used to enduring pain. He peeked around the ice dome and saw Dorren rushing toward him.
Feigning a pained expression, he secretly cast Water Spear again. His mana reserves were declining after maintaining the barrage, but he now knew Dorren's Distortion drained heavily as well.
When Dorren rounded the dome to finish the job, he felt a sharp pain in his back.
He hadn't counted on the artifact sound wave weakening the dome, just like Tessa's case with her Ice Shield.
Alex broke the spear through the thinner ice, hitting him on the back and paralyzing him.
Dorren collapsed, gasping, but tried to raise his right arm.
A Wind Slicer severed his arm, and the membrane disabled it. The left followed moments later.
Dorren lay defenseless.
Instead of ending the fight cleanly, Alex walked over, straddled him, and began punching his face.
He punched again and again—merciless, unrelenting.
He only had moments until the membrane disqualified Dorren through blood loss, and he savored every second.
The brutality left the crowd silent.
Alex was going too far, perhaps—but Dorren had mocked Marc. He earned it.
Moments later, Alex's body locked up.
The referee froze him by force through the membrane.
"Fight over. Winner: Alexander," he announced without enthusiasm.
And just like that, Alex became one of the two best fighters in the academy.