The Duel Begins

"The important thing in this game is not the result, but the process. I think you understand that, right? So try to play as magnificently as possible!" Julius said.

Yuno's calm, commanding voice echoed across the arena, his eyes focused, brimming with fire. This wasn't just a match — it was a declaration of pride and ambition.

"Manificently? No problem!" Hao Fan grinned, fists clenched at his sides.

To most observers, this was just a duel between two talented youths. But Yuno knew the truth. Hao Fan was no ordinary opponent — he was a force of nature. The kind of person who could single-handedly annihilate a bandit group that even intermediate mages feared. To challenge him was to acknowledge a terrifying truth: Yuno had found a rival worthy of obsession.

He had studied Hao Fan's every move, analyzed every weakness.

His speed... inhuman.

His sword... capable of reflecting magic.

Yuno's solution? Distance and power.

From the moment the green-robed official announced, "First group, step forward!" tension blanketed the entire arena. All eyes turned to Hao Fan and Yuno — two comets destined to collide.

"Begin!"

In a flash, Hao Fan vanished from his position. His muscles erupted with chakra, crackling with green energy. The sheer force of his movement shattered the bluestone beneath his feet.

"Is that... high-speed magic?" the leader of Golden Dawn gasped.

"No," murmured the Black Bull captain, eyes wide. "That's pure physical strength."

Meanwhile, Yuno was airborne in seconds, balanced on his broomstick, maintaining distance as planned. He narrowly avoided Hao Fan's devastating first strike, which landed like a meteor and fractured the arena floor.

"Good," Hao Fan muttered, pulling back the Demon-Dweller Sword. "I like a challenge."

Yuno smirked from above. "Let's see if you like this."

With a whisper, wind spiraled beneath him. "Wind Magic: Tower of Storms!"

A massive tornado erupted below, spiraling with increasing force — then a second, a third…

Five tornados roared to life in perfect synchronization, forming a swirling hurricane of destruction, debris, and magic.

Gasps filled the arena.

"He created a storm system!"

"So much magic power…"

"This is exam-level?!"

Inside the corridors, candidates scrambled to safety. Shalim, hiding and seething, gritted his teeth. "One day… they'll both regret making me look weak…"

The Magic Knight captains observed intently.

"Amazing," whispered the Silver Winged Vulture captain. "Such power… from a commoner."

"And control," added Golden Dawn's leader. "No wild surges. He controls every ounce of it."

"But what about the silver-haired one?" asked the Black Bull captain, eyes glinting. "Why would Yuno unleash this much power… unless he had to?"

Indeed — while others were in awe of Yuno, he saw only one opponent: Hao Fan.

In the eye of the storm, Hao Fan stood, unshaken.

"Smart move," he muttered. "But…"

The sword in his hand glowed — not with magic, but chakra.

His eyes turned blood red. His silver hair stood on end, green and crimson energy coiling around him like serpents.

"Open—Shut the Gate!" he roared.

Boom!

Like a cannon, chakra blasted from his body. The winds bent around him, screaming in protest. With inhuman speed, Hao Fan launched himself into the vortex.

The five tornadoes clashed against the Demon-Dweller Sword — wind shrieked, the air cracked, and magic scattered like fireworks.

Then —

Silence.

One by one, the storm towers collapsed, swallowed by the force of Hao Fan's blow.

Not even five seconds had passed.

Yuno descended slowly, depleted. "I still lost," he muttered, smiling weakly.

Cheers didn't erupt. Instead, stunned silence blanketed the arena. No one could comprehend what they had just seen.

****

"This sword... dispels magic itself?"

"And that boy," murmured the Purple Orca's captain. "He didn't use a single spell."

"Can you even call him a mage?" said the Emerald Mantis leader. "Physical prowess can only take you so far. Magic... is the future."

The Black Bull captain exhaled a smoke ring, eyes gleaming.

"He doesn't need magic," he said coolly. "He has something far more rare — the spirit of a warrior."

Hao Fan lowered his sword, surveying the wreckage of the arena with a sheepish smile. "Maybe I overdid it…"

"He's so cool…" a girl whispered.

"Even if he scored zero on the tests, he has to be accepted," said another.

Those who had mocked Hao Fan earlier fell silent, faces red with shame.

But amid the awe, quiet despair festered.

"How do we compete with that…?" one candidate mumbled. "I thought I was talented. But next to them… I'm just background noise."

Indeed, when the second group's turn came, it took minutes before two nobles hesitantly stepped forward. Their duel was decent — impressive, even — but it could not hope to shine after what had just transpired.

As the sun dipped lower, the matches continued, most of them uneventful. Fatigue settled in.

Then — finally — the last match ended.

Now, it was time for the final verdict.

In the silent moments that followed, one hopeful candidate knelt and whispered, trembling:

"God… please let me be chosen. I can't go back. Not to that village. Not to that life. I'd rather die…"

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue across the ravaged examination grounds, a solemn silence fell over the crowd. Even the wind seemed to hush, as if paying its respects to the intensity of the battle that had just taken place. All eyes remained fixed on the arena—on Hao Fan, whose silver hair fluttered in the breeze like a banner of defiance, and on Yuno, who stood tall despite his defeat, his pride untouched.

Though the two had clashed with everything they had, there was no bitterness between them. Only mutual respect, born from witnessing each other's strength firsthand.

The green-robed mage stepped forward once again, his voice cutting through the still air. "This year's selection has truly defied all expectations. The Magic Knights have much to consider."

One by one, murmurs rose among the candidates, not of jealousy, but of awe and inspiration. Many realized they had just witnessed the emergence of legends in the making.

Hao Fan, with no magic but unmatched will.

Yuno, with soaring power and refined control.

Two boys from the same village—destined to change the world.

And with that, the final selection loomed ever closer. The curtain was only beginning to rise.