"Amazing!"
"Such powerful wind magic!"
The hall erupted in commotion as Neil, clad in heavy rock armor, was swept out of the arena by a tornado that descended from the sky. This scene left the students below wide-eyed. Despite their seemingly disparate physiques, the final outcome of their battle was completely unexpected.
The battle seemed to have only just begun. Neil hadn't even managed to get close before being eliminated. He was defeated by a boy who looked only eleven or twelve years old, an age when they would still be in the Green Sprout Garden at Chaos Academy.
"This is magic." Hank said with a mocking smile, looking at the students of the Magic Academy. The boys from the Mage Tower cheered in response.
"In the first match, Mage Tower wins, and Neil • Barkley is eliminated. The second match will begin immediately. Both captains, please send your representatives to the arena." Capas announced loudly, glancing encouragingly at the students of the Magic Academy without appearing too hasty.
"Okay." A tall, slender student stepped forward from the crowd and walked towards the arena, looking at George with considerable apprehension.
"I will continue to fight." George said, looking at Capas.
"The second match begins!" Capas nodded slightly and announced.
This was a duel between wind magic. The difference in skill between the two was obvious. George easily forced Leant out of the arena without even using Pillar of Gale. In the end, it was only thanks to the intervention of a Magic Academy teacher that two wind blades were blocked for him, otherwise, he might have been in grave danger.
"Mage Tower wins the second match."
"Mage Tower wins the third match."
...
"Mage Tower wins the seventh match."
Capas's calm voice echoed intermittently in the arena. The atmosphere was oppressively quiet as everyone stared at the blond boy standing in the center of the arena, their faces filled with nothing but reverence and awe, in addition to their resentment.
In the seven matches, apart from the level three mage from Chaos Academy posing some threat to him in the last match, he easily forced the rest out of the arena with his wind blades. His young age and powerful magic created a stark contrast, making him incredibly strong and inspiring despair.
"Thank you." George nodded to Capas, glanced at the students from the Magic Academy who hadn't yet entered the arena, shook his head somewhat boredly, and turned to walk out of the arena.
"Well done, George. Now it's my turn." Hank patted George on the shoulder, smiled, and walked into the arena. He waved to Klaus and said, "You're the captain, right? It's too boring to beat you one by one. Now I'll give you a chance. The remaining eight of you will split into two groups, and four of you will go into the arena to fight me at the same time. If you beat me, you'll win today's challenge. If you lose, the Mage Tower probably won't challenge your Chaos Academy again. It's too boring to do something so easy."
"You!" Klaus took a step forward, looking angrily at Hank. Being humiliated in front of his juniors and sisters, and having lost seven matches in a row, he couldn't even muster a single word of rebuttal. This disparity and sense of powerlessness was despairing, so he looked for help from the teachers' seats below the stage.
The other students from the Magic Academy were also furious, but they had been defeated by a boy who looked much younger than them, and two of them were already considered top tier among them. Even if they were replaced, the result wouldn't be any different. Now, hearing what Hank said, his strength was probably even greater.
"This green-haired guy, is he really going to take on four people by himself?"
The students below the stage were shocked and outraged by what they saw. Hank had not only insulted the team members from the Magic Academy, but also the entire Chaos Academy. This kind of contempt was even more oppressive than losing in battle.
"Albert, isn't this against the rules?" Greenton looked past Norvan and said to Albert with some annoyance. They had expected that Chaos Academy would be no match for the Mage Tower, but in previous years, at least they had fought back and forth, and Chaos Academy would not lose too badly.
This year, the rules have been changed. If Chaos Academy is wiped out by two Mage Tower members, or even loses in a four on one situation, Chaos Academy's reputation will likely be greatly affected.
Many teachers in the front row also looked at Albert with unfriendly expressions, as well as Norvan sitting next to him. Today's challenge had almost defied their expectations and control, and it seemed that only Principal Norvan could control the situation.
"This year, we agreed to give the rules to the children. They are negotiating the rules themselves, and the right to agree or disagree is in their hands. There is no intention to force them. If Dean of Students is not satisfied, you can stop them and then revise the rules for them. As long as it is fair and just, I have no objection." Albert smiled at Greenton.
"Let the children decide for themselves. Some experiences are far more important than victory or defeat." Norvan said calmly, looking at the students of the Magic Academy on the stage. He smiled and said, "The children have performed very well, and besides, the competition is not over yet, is it?"
"Yes." Greenton nodded after a moment of silence.
The other teachers, though somewhat surprised, turned away without saying anything more.
Albert gave Norvan a deep look, also remaining silent. This was the space mage whom many great mages in the Mage Tower deeply feared.
Klaus received no help from the teachers' seats, and Capas, standing nearby, tacitly agreed with Hank's words. He looked away, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and thought quickly in his mind that the result of this match was not only about their personal lives, but also about the honor of Chaos Academy. As the captain and the backbone of the team, he absolutely could not act impulsively at this time.
Klaus's gaze slowly swept over his teammates behind him, and finally he looked at Hank and nodded, saying, "I accept your suggestion, but there are only seven of us, so we will split into groups of three and four to compete against you."
"Fourteen people?" Hank raised an eyebrow. There were indeed only seven people left on the stage. Crassus's apprentice didn't seem to have appeared yet, probably too scared to come. He looked at Klaus with a mocking smile and said, "Okay, but isn't that a bit unfair to you guys?"