Rivalry I

Nero watched the performances of the top three students, sighing quietly as he observed them. 

Monstrous.

Their talent was beyond anything he had ever seen. It was almost terrifying.

He remembered when he was sixteen. Back then, being at High Silver-rank during mid-terms had earned him the label of a prodigy. But now, looking at these students, he wouldn't dare consider himself talented anymore.

Everyone in Class A surpassed his younger self in terms of potential, but these three were in a league of their own.

Nero's eyes lingered on Arthur and Lucifer.

Otherworldly. 

Their skill, their power—it felt as if they were operating on a different plane entirely. Even in this academy filled with prodigies, those two stood apart.

'This generation... perhaps they will be the ones to achieve it,' Nero thought, his expression darkening.

Maybe, after thousands of year, they would finally free Earth from the grip of the black mana species. The first glimmer of hope had come nearly two centuries ago with Liam Kagu, followed by the Martial King, who singlehandedly killed one of the most powerful black mana users. And now, with these new geniuses emerging, that hope was stronger than ever.

But for now, Nero had the difficult task of ranking these three exceptional students.

Ren was clearly Rank 3. He was incredibly powerful, but still a step behind Arthur and Lucifer. That much was certain.

Where it became complicated was deciding between Arthur and Lucifer.

'How has he become this strong after being in a coma for a month?' Nero wondered, his eyes narrowing as he considered Arthur. Missing an entire month of progress during the integration process was no small setback. Had he not fallen into that coma, would he have claimed Rank 1?

Unfortunately, the reality was that Arthur wasn't quite on Lucifer's level yet. Lucifer had the advantage of completing the second stage of integration, which granted him double the mana capacity and output compared to Arthur—even without factoring in their Gifts or arts.

With a heavy sigh, Nero knew how the rankings would fall. But still, the gap between these two was closing faster than anyone could have predicted.

'I honestly thought Arthur had lost his only chance to surpass Lucifer,' Nero admitted to himself.

When Arthur was defeated by Lucifer after the latter unlocked his second Gift, Nero had believed the gap between them would never close. After all, one of them had two Gifts, while the other had only one. That kind of disparity was supposed to be insurmountable.

Throughout history, only one other person had ever possessed two Gifts. And now, in this generation, there were two standing right before him.

Nero knew that Arthur's impressive movements—those precise footwork patterns of the Martial King—weren't solely a product of his talent. No, they were the result of his second Gift, a power that allowed him to copy others. 

Because if Arthur had truly mastered such techniques through pure talent, it would have been more than extraordinary—it would have been reality-defying, something that could reshape the world itself. In short, it would have been impossible.

'His second Gift must be incredibly powerful,' Nero concluded, inputting the final numbers into the ranking machine.

Despite Arthur's remarkable growth, the numbers told the story: Lucifer still held the lead, but Arthur was closer than anyone could have imagined.

__________________________________________________________________________________

The next day, we gathered in the classroom as Professor Nero stood before us, holding the final results.

Nero cleared his throat, his gaze scanning the room before he began.

"First, I want to acknowledge the hard work each of you has put into these mid-terms. However, as always, there are those who have truly distinguished themselves."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle before continuing.

"In first place, as expected, is Lucifer Windward. His completion of the second stage of Integration and mastery over his abilities has kept him at the top."

There were murmurs throughout the room, but none of us were surprised. Lucifer had proven his superiority once again.

"In second place, Arthur Nightingale," Nero announced, turning his gaze toward me. "Despite being in a coma for a month, Arthur has shown remarkable progress, narrowing the gap between him and Lucifer."

I felt a mix of pride and determination welling up inside me. The distance between us was shrinking, but it wasn't closed yet.

Nero continued, "Third place goes to Ren Kagu, whose raw strength and precision have kept him just behind the top two. However, the gap between Ren and Arthur is clear."

Ren gave a small nod, accepting his place with a stoic expression.

"Fourth is Rachel Creighton," Nero said, casting a glance at her. "Rachel has reclaimed her position with her recent breakthrough to White-rank and impressive use of her bow."

Rachel smiled slightly, satisfied with her rank.

"Jin Ashbluff takes fifth," Nero announced. "Although Jin is still formidable, Rachel's growth has earned her the upper hand this time."

Jin's jaw tightened, but he gave a curt nod. It was clear he wasn't going to accept this position without a fight in the future.

"In sixth place, Ian Viserion. His mastery over fire continues to develop, but there's still ground to cover if he intends to surpass the others."

Ian remained composed, though I could sense the quiet intensity in his eyes.

"Cecilia Slatemark holds seventh," Nero went on. "Her control has improved significantly, but she hasn't quite surpassed Ian yet."

Cecilia listened quietly, her expression neutral but her competitive spirit clear.

"And finally, Seraphina Zenith rounds out the top eight. While her agility and mana control have grown, there's still much room for improvement compared to those above her."

Seraphina's expression flickered briefly with determination. It was clear she intended to rise higher.

Nero closed the ranking announcements with a final, thoughtful look over the room.

"These rankings reflect your current standing, but remember—nothing is set in stone. The Inter-Academy Festival is approaching, and that will be your next chance to prove yourselves. Push harder, strive further, and we'll see how these rankings shift when the real battles begin."

With that, the classroom buzzed with conversation as everyone absorbed the results. I stood there, knowing this was just another step toward the larger battles looming on the horizon.