The massive, open roofed arena was packed to capacity with rows upon rows of students filling every layered seat around it. Every set of eyes gleamed with restless excitement as the crowd chanted words of glory into the open air above them.
Their noise and constant chatter disturbed the atmosphere like a violent, rolling wave as they watched the event unfolding on the wide platform at the center of the arena, where two individuals now stood facing each other from opposite sides.
Hermione stood at one edge of the platform, her ruby red eyes gleaming with quiet focus as a golden portal flared to life directly above her. A moment later, a magnificent phoenix emerged from within it, moving with unmistakable grace and majesty, trailing streaks of flame in its wake. Its wingspan stretched well over a hundred feet across, each feather trimmed delicately in vivid blue along its length.
Golden flames danced like flowing liquid across its shimmering, feathered body. Its sharp beak and long, curved talons burned a deep red, while its eyes carried a striking yellow sclera framed around a round, black iris, giving it the piercing gaze of a hawk.
It looked every bit the deadly bird of prey its size and presence suggested, yet it was actually known throughout the region for its remarkably serene nature and the beautiful, haunting song it produced when calm.
The tears of a phoenix were rumored to carry a rare, powerful healing property, capable of repairing even severe injuries and grave, otherwise incurable illness.
It was a 6.2 High Tiered Red Feathered Phoenix, carrying the staggering potential to eventually reach a full 8.0 Champion Tier.
On the opposite side of the platform stood Jack, arms folded arrogantly across his chest, a mischievous smile playing at the corner of his lips. With a simple snap of his fingers, a gleaming portal opened beside him, and a slime formed creature stepped through, its vague humanoid shape shifting subtly with every movement. Its thick, green, gel like body flowed continuously, small inner bubbles drifting lazily beneath its glistening surface.
It was a Goopy Slime Beast, a 5.4 Peak Level Elite Tier summon with the potential to eventually climb as high as a 7.0 High Tier.
Even though a wide gap separated the two opponents’ summons in raw tier, that difference rarely determined the outcome of a battle on its own. Victory could just as easily be claimed through clever efficiency and sharp strategy alone.
Mia in particular wore a distinctly vindictive expression as she watched the match unfold from the crowd. Had things gone only slightly differently, she might have been the one standing there instead, facing down that so called phoenix princess herself, a role that had instead been claimed by one of her own subordinates.
Still, she quietly hoped the fight’s outcome would end up satisfying her all the same.
Jack’s brown hair tousled gently in the light morning breeze drifting across the arena as he stood there, radiating confidence.
"Sure you don’t want to back out while you still can, princess? Wouldn’t want to mess up that pretty bird of yours." He spoke with a mocking, teasing tone, chuckling softly to himself afterward. His summon was well known throughout the school for its remarkable fluid flexibility, corrosive acid attacks, and its unsettling ability to absorb matter and temporarily gain the properties of whatever it touched.
The combat instructor, a man who appeared to be somewhere in his early forties with the sturdy, well conditioned build of a seasoned trainer, stood watch from a clear vantage point along the edge of the wide platform, while the match referee raised a whistle to his lips and blew it sharply to signal the start.
Hermione gestured calmly, inviting Jack to strike first. He smirked with obvious pride as the Slime Beast surged forward with startling, neck breaking speed, its body flowing continuously between different states of matter as it closed the distance.
The Red Feathered Phoenix rose into the air above, its wide wings beating powerfully as it unleashed a hazy wave of scorching wind and fire toward its target below. Jack’s eyes narrowed sharply as the Slime Beast deftly weaved around the incoming flames, continuing to close the gap between itself and the phoenix.
But Hermione simply smiled as her phoenix rained down a sudden downpour of fire projectiles, forming a tight, blazing ring of flame that quickly engulfed the Slime Beast entirely. It seemed she had successfully baited her opponent into moving to exactly the spot she had planned for from the very start of the exchange.
Jack’s eyes widened with visible shock. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, stunned by how quickly the match had turned against him. Who could have guessed that slime would fare so poorly against burning flame.
Golden flames very nearly roasted the Slime Beast entirely before Jack managed to retrieve it back into his own soul space just in time to spare it further harm.
"Hermione Phoenix, child of the exalted Phoenix family, wins the round!" the referee announced, blowing his whistle once more to formally close out the match.
"You always underestimate your opponents before a fight even begins. That’s a serious flaw of yours, and one you need to correct. Next time, learn not to judge a summon purely by appearance. Consider that your assignment ahead of next week’s competition, mister!" the combat instructor barked sharply in Jack’s direction.
The combat instructor could only shake his head at the sight of Jack’s foolish, entirely avoidable loss. He always enjoyed offering thoughtful correction to contestants after a well fought match, but this particular defeat had clearly stemmed from Jack simply failing to think things through.
Jack gritted his teeth, one hand pressed against his left shoulder as he forced himself to remain standing, though his legs looked dangerously close to buckling beneath him. It seemed the sudden loss of his summon had taken a noticeable toll on him physically as well.
Cheers and excited chants rose up through the arena like a rolling storm among the rowdy crowd, several students even letting out admiring whistles at Hermione’s striking appearance as they celebrated her decisive victory. She was, without question, remarkably beautiful, arguably rivaling even the school’s officially numbered top beauties.
Hermione offered a respectful, graceful bow toward the crowd watching her with clear admiration before turning her ass on Jack entirely. His eyes flashed with irritation the moment he caught the quiet mockery in that simple gesture.
Just who exactly did she think she was, carrying herself with such confidence in front of a student who had attended this school long before her arrival? And yet, there was no denying she was genuinely a figure worth admiring, both for her talent and her inborn prestige.
Mia stomped her foot hard against the ground with an exasperated groan after watching one of her own men fall so easily to an opponent. The result left her thoroughly unimpressed, and more than a little furious.
Several more rounds followed after that, each passing by with its own share of interesting moments, until at last it was Kai’s turn, facing off against an opponent whose summon was a massive centipede that slithered and coiled around him like some devious, living serpent.
Its segmented crimson exoskeleton gleamed brightly beneath the sunlight, small arcs of crackling electricity dancing across its surface like a contained storm. Long, spindly legs, arachnid like in their arrangement, ended in razor sharp bone blades capable of slicing clean through solid steel, each step producing a sharp, scuttling noise against the hard platform floor.
The Crimson Blade Centipede was a 5.2 Top Level Elite Tier summon, carrying the potential to eventually reach a 6.0 High Tier.
Kai only smirked faintly at the corner of his lips as a huge portal flared open behind him, releasing a gigantic, reptilian, dragon like creature covered in green scales accented with striking, multicolored adornments. Wide, leathery wings, reminiscent of the sail on some ancient ship, extended from its forelimbs much like those of an oversized vampire bat.
Its sleek, streamlined head bristled with needle sharp fangs, and its piercing yellow eyes, marked by narrow red slit irises, seemed capable of staring straight through the souls of anyone unfortunate enough to meet its gaze. Its long, lashing scaled tail ended in a heavy, spiked ball that swung menacingly behind it with every movement.
This was a true draconic summon, a bloodline renowned throughout the region for its priceless, near indestructible scale armor.
The breath of a dragon was said to strike like a falling meteor of pure destruction, and creatures of this bloodline had long ruled the open skies through sheer, overwhelming might. It was exactly this kind of legendary reputation that always filled Kai with pride, setting him firmly above most other kinds of summoners in his own mind, and nothing anyone said could ever convince him otherwise.
Its violently deafening roar shook the entire arena to its foundations, momentarily drowning out even the excited uproar of the surrounding crowd.
Both the referee and the combat instructor, standing far closer to the source of the noise, instinctively clapped their hands over their ringing ears.
The Multicolored Flail Tailed Wyvern stood at a staggering 6.2 High Tier, with the potential to eventually climb all the way to a 8.5 Champion Tier. That kind of raw potential was nothing short of legendary for a student summoner to possess.
Kai tilted his head slightly, a proud spark gleaming in his honey brown eyes as a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
His opponent, a boy sporting a bowl cut hairstyle and round glasses, raised one visibly trembling hand into the air. His lips quivered continuously as he turned nervously toward the referee.
"Um. Mister, can I please be permitted to submit and leave the stage instead?"
***
The next, and final, round of the day’s matches paired Mark against an opponent as he made his way forward through the crowd, closely escorted by a pair of watchful guards. Along the way, Mark caught several harsh remarks flying through the surrounding crowd, aimed squarely at him.
"Seriously, shouldn’t he have been expelled already, or at least taken into custody by now? Over a hundred people were injured, and thirty nearly died because of his chaos!"
"I’d give anything to end up inside the pocket of that lady of yours, wouldn’t you?"
"How is he even allowed to participate alongside the rest of us? None of this makes any sense to me!"
"No one really knows what he gets up to with that summon of his while he’s alone. Only he knows."
"But come on, he’s still just a kid. He’ll learn something from all of this eventually."
"Hey, get out of here already, you menace!"
"We don’t want you here! Go back to your cell where you belong!"
"This is completely unjust. We want him removed immediately!"
"Like father, like son, I suppose. All either of you have ever brought into this world is catastrophe!"
Mark, who had been quietly ignoring most of the surrounding noise, finally glanced toward the young man responsible for that last remark. Their eyes met briefly, each expression carrying nothing but open contempt and dislike for the other.
There was little point in trying to convince anyone of anything at this stage. In a world like this one, meaning was rarely carried through words alone, but through action instead. And he intended to prove that to every last one of them, given the chance.
The moment he stepped up to the edge of the wide platform, his gaze locked with that of his opponent, the tension between them crackling like two charged batteries drawing steadily closer together. A girl with shoulder length brown hair stood waiting across from him, holding a small packet of tiny candies that she chewed on absently. She was the same girl who had once made a habit of sticking gum beneath his desk.
Candy Girl licked her glossy lips slowly, letting out a soft chuckle at the sight of him standing there. Mark only raised an eyebrow in response, unbothered.
"Oh, look who it is, the guy responsible for historically wrecking Amstral’s Grand Hall. Boohoo, what a real achievement that was."
A/N: I hope that you enjoyed. Please help support the book by adding to your library and giving golden tickets, powerstones. Thanks for your attention. Do you have any name suggestion for Kai’s summon?