Confidence

Glancing back at Ethan to ensure he was still secure, Orion unleashed a barrage of wind bolts toward the other team, testing their defenses, looking for an opening to score a point.

However, the first woman's smokescreen obscured most of his attacks, causing them to veer off course. Only one bolt came close, forcing the second man to raise a metal wall in defense.

Seeing that Ethan had finished summoning his crystals, Orion advanced onto the battlefield, continuing his wind bolts to maintain pressure.

His path was quickly blocked as the first woman conjured a lingering mist of acid, its eerie green vapor hanging in the air, a clear attempt to keep him at bay.

Meanwhile, the second woman altered her song, shifting the melody into a dissonant, jarring tone. A burst of sound erupted toward Jace, aiming to knock him off balance mid-skate.

Seeing the attack coming, Jace reacted instantly, summoning an angled sheet of water in front of him. The soundwave struck the water and ricocheted away, its speed increasing as it passed harmlessly by.

The woman's eyes widened in shock at how effortlessly he had countered her attack. Adjusting her tune, she sent pulsing vibrations into the ground instead, aiming to destabilize his footing on the ice.

On the other side of the battlefield, Astra faced down the fire streaking toward her. She recalled their teacher's duel, drawing inspiration as she coated herself in a supercooled layer of water. The flames crashed against her, hissing into steam, but failed to penetrate the icy shield.

The man on the hill, surprised by her relentless advance, quickly shifted tactics. He conjured a swirling vortex of fire and lava in front of her, attempting to either force her back or accelerate the rate at which she burned through her defenses.

Astra grinned at the challenge. Instead of retreating, she crafted a narrow archway using her metal magic, freezing the inside with a layer of ice to keep it cool as she passed through.

Seeing her emerge unscathed, the man switched to an evasive strategy, using wind magic to enhance his mobility while hurling bursts of flame in her direction, trying to keep her at a distance.

Meanwhile, the last opponent focused on defense, raising various metal barriers to create a fortified position for his team.

However, due to staying low and only summoning his crystals until now, Ethan had been almost entirely ignored by the enemy team.

Grinning, he finally rose to his full height, his eyes and crystals sparking with electricity. A single bolt ripped across the battlefield, striking the metal barriers the defensive man had just summoned. The lightning arced through the structures in a violent chain reaction, and before the man could react...

Ding!

The familiar sound echoed through the arena, signaling the first point. Cheers erupted from the spectators, especially among students who had already finished their contests.

"ZEUS! ZEUS! ZEUS!"

Still recovering from the shock, the man slammed his hands onto the ground, reshaping the metal to disrupt Ethan's clear line of fire. At the same time, he adjusted the barriers, stripping them of their conductivity to prevent another lightning strike.

Meanwhile, back on the hill, Astra remained undeterred as her opponent continued launching fire at her. The flames ricocheted harmlessly off her supercooled water layer, steam hissing into the air as she skipped forward, humming to herself.

Finally closing the distance, she spun on her heel, hurling a freshly formed ice disk toward him.

The man barely managed to evade, using a burst of wind magic to twist his body just enough to avoid the projectile. However, to those watching, it was becoming increasingly clear, he was at a disadvantage.

In the center of the battlefield, Orion kept up his assault. His wind bolts launched like artillery shells, the high, arcing trajectories making them difficult to defend against.

His target, the dark mage, felt her frustration mounting. Deciding she needed to reposition, she melted into the shadows, attempting to gain better cover.

Orion grinned. That was exactly what he had been waiting for. The moment she moved, he redirected his aim, launching a wind bolt toward the musical woman instead.

On Jace's side, he countered the vibrations in the ground using his earth magic, stabilizing his footing. With his balance restored, he wasted no time, summoning and launching several ice bolts at the musician.

The woman reacted quickly, shifting the melody of her tune. A pulse of sound erupted from her, shattering the ice bolts midair. A triumphant grin crossed her face…

Right up until Orion's wind bolt struck her shoulder.

Ding.

Aurora watched as the scoreboard updated, the bright 2-0 glowing against the screen.

She let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Logically, based on all her research, she had known they should have a strong advantage in this fight. But after how the first round had gone… doubt had crept in.

Now, with the score in their favor, her confidence began to steady once more.