Chapter 23: The Battle for House Null

The moment the instructor's hand dropped, chaos erupted.

House Greystone's duelists moved first, spreading out with practiced precision. Edwin stood at the back, hands glowing with arcane energy, while his team—two warriors, a rogue, and a spellcaster—closed in fast.

Elias smirked. "Alright, team. Let's show them why we exist."

Reinhardt vs. Greystone's Frontline

The first to clash was Reinhardt.

One of Greystone's warriors, a lanky swordsman, lunged forward with a swift, precise strike—but Reinhardt didn't dodge.

Instead, he planted his feet, raised his massive war hammer, and swung with full force.

BOOM.

The swordsman barely managed to block the strike, but the raw force sent him skidding back, struggling to stay upright. The crowd gasped.

Reinhardt grinned. "What's wrong? Thought I'd be slower?"

The swordsman gritted his teeth and lunged again, but Reinhardt was ready this time—he feinted left, then brought his hammer down in an arc of pure power.

The warrior barely blocked in time, but the impact disarmed him, sending his weapon clattering across the arena.

Reinhardt didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and slammed his shoulder into his opponent's chest, knocking him clean out of the ring.

The instructor called it. "Eliminated!"

House Null had drawn first blood.

Cecilia vs. Greystone's Rogue

While Reinhardt dominated the frontline, Cecilia was already moving.

The opposing rogue tried to flank, but Cecilia vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind her opponent in a blink.

"Too slow."

Before the Greystone rogue could react, Cecilia hooked her foot around her opponent's ankle and tripped her.

The rogue stumbled forward—right into a dagger strike aimed at her arm.

She barely dodged, twisting away, but Cecilia was relentless.

In three rapid movements, Cecilia feinted left, rolled under a desperate counterattack, and landed a precision strike on the rogue's wrist.

The Greystone rogue's dagger clattered to the ground.

Cecilia smirked. "Nice try."

With one final sweep of her leg, Cecilia sent her opponent crashing to the ground.

The instructor called it. "Eliminated!"

Marco vs. Greystone's Spellcaster

While Cecilia handled the rogue, Marco faced off against Greystone's mage.

The spellcaster raised his hands, summoning a barrage of mana bolts, launching them in quick succession.

Marco didn't dodge.

Instead, he uncorked a vial and threw it at the ground.

A burst of thick purple smoke exploded outward, swallowing the incoming projectiles.

The crowd murmured in confusion.

From within the smoke, Marco's voice rang out. "Alchemy isn't just for potions."

The spellcaster tried to step back, but the moment his foot touched the smoke, he stumbled.

He froze.

The instructor narrowed his eyes. "Greystone's mage is paralyzed. House Null's alchemist wins this round."

The crowd gasped again.

Lira whistled. "That's three down."

House Greystone was losing.

Elias vs. Edwin Greystone

With most of his team eliminated, Edwin's confident smirk was gone.

Elias stepped forward, flexing his fingers inside his newly upgraded gauntlet.

Edwin gritted his teeth. "You think you can challenge real nobles and win?"

Elias smirked. "I don't think. I know."

Edwin snarled and raised his hands. Lightning crackled between his fingers as he fired a bolt of electricity straight at Elias.

Elias didn't dodge.

He raised his gauntlet.

Absorption mode activated.

The moment the lightning hit, it was swallowed into the gauntlet's core, energy dispersing smoothly through the dual-core regulator.

The crowd gasped.

Edwin's eyes widened. "What?"

Elias grinned. "Oh, I didn't mention? I upgraded."

Before Edwin could react, Elias twisted his wrist and unleashed the stored energy—not as a wild blast, but as a focused shockwave straight at Edwin's chest.

The impact sent Edwin flying.

He hit the ground hard, his body skidding across the dueling ring before rolling to a stop.

Silence.

Then—

The instructor raised a hand.

"House Greystone is eliminated! House Null wins!"

A New House is Born

For a second, no one moved.

Then, the crowd exploded.

Gasps, whispers, even a few cheers. House Greystone had been crushed.

Elias rolled his shoulders and turned to his team. "Not bad for our first match."

Reinhardt grinned. "Let's do that again sometime."

Cecilia smirked. "Easiest money I've ever made."

Marco wiped sweat off his brow. "I think I need to lie down."

Ivy nodded. "We made history today."

Elias looked up at the stands, where several noble representatives watched with narrowed eyes.

They had forced the Academy to acknowledge them.

House Null existed now.

And the nobles weren't going to ignore them anymore.

Lira shook her head, but she was smiling. "Elias, you idiot. You actually pulled it off."

Elias grinned. "Of course I did."

House Null had arrived.

And the Academy would never be the same again.