The three-day buffer passed quickly. Daemon spent the time between training and the Forge, not only refining the gloves he gave to Julian but also practicing his own Steam Affinity, pushing the limits of rapid phase change. The second test of the tournament, the Theoretical Battle, proved to be the easiest to navigate but the most frustrating in scoring. The test required students to analyze a magically complex combat scenario proposed by the instructors—such as "How would a three-mage team best neutralize a Runic Golem protected by a passive Mana Drain Field?"—and provide a detailed, written strategy. Daemon answered to the best of his augmented abilities. His strategies were always the most efficient, often involving the calculated use of exotic geometry, elemental fusion, or psychological warfare. However, his solutions were invariably out of pocket; they did not align with the Berlin Academy's rigid, established magical doctrine. He was marked down severely, receiving seventy out of one hundred points, not because his strategy was wrong, but because his answers defied regular, accepted magical practices, proving to the instructors that his genius was confined to the realm of the impractical.
The final, critical test arrived: the Combat Test. This was the definitive measure of status. Each student had the opportunity to face three individual opponents, and one of these matchups would be a compulsory duel against an upperclassman from Year Two, a formidable measure of skill. Julian, Daemon's newly allied commoner, was scheduled for one of the very first matches. His opponent was Gareth, the Fire mage who shared the same orphanage with Daemon—a boy whose simple, aggressive Fire affinity was bolstered by years of street-fighting experience and the backing of a minor noble patron. Gareth saw Julian as an easy win, a chance to prove his own brutal talent. The two stood opposite each other in the center of the large training arena, the stands packed with anxious students and judging instructors.
Gareth did not hesitate. He launched a barrage of quick, explosive fireballs aimed directly at Julian's head and torso, intending to end the fight in a flash of heat. Julian, however, was already channeling. He had only a fraction of the reserves needed for full-body conversion, but he was prepared. He executed two quick, evasive dodges, conserving his magical energy. When the third, largest fireball arced toward his chest, Julian focused his Aether, and his right arm and shoulder instantly flashed into blackened steel. The fireball struck the metal, splattering harmlessly, the brief exposure to the strain quickly mitigated by his practiced release. Gareth, infuriated by the dodge and the unexpected metal defense, dropped his guard to begin charging a larger, more complex incantation. This was Julian's opening.
Julian charged forward, relying on his natural speed rather than any complex magic. As he closed the distance, he channeled Aether into the Lightning Gloves gifted by Daemon. With minimal effort, the gloves crackled to life, enveloped in a tight, visible field of blue-white electrical energy. He didn't need to sustain his metal skin; the gloves managed the output. Julian leaped, delivering a fierce, unexpected cross-punch to Gareth's solar plexus. The blow landed with a sickening thump, but it was the electrical shock delivered by the gloves that turned the attack lethal. The focused lightning field delivered a massive, paralyzing jolt that instantly disrupted Gareth's nervous system and shattered his concentration. The complex fire incantation in his hands sputtered and died. Gareth gasped, his body locking up mid-channel, and he dropped to his knees, utterly disabled by the overwhelming kinetic and electrical shock. Julian didn't hesitate. He pulled back his fist and, with a final, decisive movement, delivered a charged uppercut to Gareth's jaw. The combined kinetic force and electrical current sent Gareth flying backward, landing outside the boundary lines, unconscious. The duel was over in less than ten seconds.
A stunned, absolute silence enveloped the arena, broken only by the hurried footsteps of the medical team. The students and instructors were utterly bewildered by the sudden shift in the combat meta. The Students erupted in cheers—a massive underdog had just destroyed a favored noble. The nobles, however, were speechless. They had just watched a known, defensively limited commoner effortlessly bypass a Fire Mage's offense and disable him with two punches. Whispers immediately started about the gloves: What were those? They aren't standard Academy issue. Who made them? Sheila von Lancaster, watching from the stands, her previous anger replaced by a dawning terror, realized: Those are Daemon's gloves! He didn't just give Julian equipment; he gave him a fundamental cheat! He designed Julian's victory! The commoner who had choked her was not only lethally skilled but was also capable of equipping his allies with devastating, custom-made weapons. Master Harkan (Principles of Magic) looked completely aghast. "Impossible. That level of focused electrical discharge requires a specialized, large-scale matrix, or a pure Lightning affinity core. That boy is a metal mage! He channeled a minimal amount of base Aether, and the gloves did the rest! That runic matrix—it defied the conservation of energy principle as we know it. Who forged that? The power output was disproportionate to the input!" Master Veridian (Weapons Proficiency) simply stared, realizing that the boy who made the "Kyoto-style" sword had applied the same genius to runic enchantment. Daemon was no longer just making custom weapons; he was strategically arming his allies to upend the established Academy hierarchy. Julian, still catching his breath, felt a surge of energy and confidence he had never known. The gloves hummed with residual power, and he realized the truth of Daemon's words: he had just defeated a superior foe by rising above the limitations of the norm, armed with a powerful, calculated truth.