The attendant was surprised as well, but he called it. "The first win goes to Class Sixty-Seven!"
There was only a smattering of applause from some members of the audience. After all, Class Sixty-Seven hadn’t done anything. Besides, they had been expected to win anyway.
"The next challengers from Class Sixty-Seven and Class Thirteen should step forward!"
Mireia from Class Thirteen stood up. She was an Unbound at the peak of her strength who had almost completely built her Primordial Ground. She carried a sword at her waist, and her expression was calm and composed.
Those who knew her understood that she was strong for her rank, not someone who could be overlooked.
Everyone looked at Class Thirteen. Were they going to pull the same trick once again?
But Caelen said, "Marek, you go up there. Don’t try to hold anything back."
Marek flinched when he heard Caelen’s voice. But he stood up, his expression gloomy, as if he would rather be anywhere else than here.
People were surprised. There was actually someone in Class Thirteen besides Kolu who could fight? Information about this Marek from Class Thirteen was quickly dug up and spread.
Marek Nyxen of House Nyxen. Their family was considered a lower Sicon family. Marek himself wasn’t from the main family, only one of its numerous branches. But he still carried the name, which meant he couldn’t be that bad.
The reason he was in the Academy and kept a low profile was that he had committed a crime in House Nyxen and had since fallen out of favour with the family.
That was why he was in Class Thirteen, the lowest of the low. That was all the information they could find on Marek.
His strength was unknown, but considering he was from a Sicon family, even if it was only a branch, he couldn’t be that bad, right?
People started getting interested in the fight. What surprised most people, including the students of Class Thirteen themselves, was the fact that there had actually been a member of House Nyxen among them for nearly two years, and none of them knew!
Truly worthy of being an assassin family.
They now realised that, in the seemingly useless Class Thirteen, there were three Sicon family members!
Marek sighed as he stepped onto the platform and looked at his opponent. His mind was filled with complicated thoughts at that moment.
’Caelen... he allowed me to escape, didn’t he? Did he plant something on me? Will he kill me? What’s his plan? Is letting me fight here a setup to test me? Quickly, I need to show my loyalty!’
The two of them faced each other.
Mireia stood with her sword at her waist, her hand already resting on its hilt. Marek, meanwhile, simply stood there.
Mireia’s expression turned angry.
"Do you think that just because you’re from a Sicon family, you’re stronger than me? Is that why you stand there so defenseless?"
She felt that he was looking down on her!
Marek did not say anything.
And that only seemed to make her even angrier.
"Is this why your instructor dared to accept a challenge from our class? Because you have a Sicon family member?"
Yet again, Marek did not say anything, simply standing there like a statue.
This had always been a difference and a societal problem. Before the Academy, the Sicon families held the strongest authority, possessed the highest number of cultivators, and dominated the world.
And while the power of the Sicon families hadn’t wavered, the Academy had been raising people without family backgrounds to become powerful, creating other strong forces in the world.
In a way, there had always been subtle, unspoken pressure and friction between them.
Marek finally raised his head, his eyes narrowed.
"Are you here just to talk? Just get to the point!"
He was already feeling irritation and fear because of Caelen. He didn’t have time to engage in a conversation!
Mireia’s face twisted, and her hand tightened around her sword. Her aura surged, and Essence coiled around her in brilliant gold and white.
"Very well!"
Before her voice had even faded, she had already taken a step forward. It was only one step, but she had already crossed the distance between them, simultaneously drawing her sword!
The sound of the sword being drawn was like a stinging song. It hummed and vibrated through the air. A beam of sword light followed, rushing forward at incredible speed.
The sword light contained Essence. A sword technique manifested as a solid beam of light. So swift, so fast!
And... it struck Marek! It cut his image in two from the shoulder up!
That’s right, what the sword light cut was Marek’s image, not his real self! It was an illusion.
The moment Mireia drew her sword, how could he simply stand there and do nothing?
He immediately made his move. His fingers moved swiftly as he created Essence techniques. First, he created an illusion of himself standing there, then another technique that completely erased his presence from Mireia’s awareness.
These two moves had already demonstrated his level of strength to the audience. As an Unbound, he wasn’t any weaker than his opponent... perhaps he was even stronger!
But Mireia merely sneered.
"Mere tricks. This can’t fool me!"
Her hand tightened around her sword. Her legs rose and fell as her body twisted. In just a breath, her sword had moved more than a dozen times in different directions.
Sword light, horizontal, vertical, straight, twisting, curling... it all rose and fell, cutting through the air in every direction!
You’re hiding? Then my sword will reach everywhere. Where will you hide then?
Sword light filled the entire platform, and the beams not only collided with one another but also seemed to follow predetermined paths, working together. This fully demonstrated her control over Essence.
Mireia’s swordsmanship was excellent! People in the audience nodded in appreciation.
Caelen, in his seat, watched the battle intently, knowing that it would offer him a glimpse into the power of this world.
Surprisingly, what everyone had been waiting for didn’t happen. New chapters come out on g.com first.
The sword light cut through every part of the platform, but there wasn’t even a ripple indicating that someone had been struck! None of the sword light touched the vanished Marek!
It was as if he had truly disappeared!
But Caelen, who was sitting there, could still see Marek. The man was behind Mireia. Everything around him was shadowy, as if he were in a ’night’ or a void. He constantly moved around to remain behind her.
’What a curious power,’ Caelen thought. He could see and feel Marek, but at the same time, he almost couldn’t. ’If this power is elevated to a higher rank, it might even fool me.’
Beside him, Kolu said, "That is a secret technique of the Nyxen family called the Five Void Steps. It’s a top-tier movement technique. I didn’t expect him to have grasped it."
"Why?" Caelen asked.
"Because it has a high entry threshold and isn’t known to ordinary members of the Nyxen family. It seems Marek isn’t as simple as he appears." Kolu gave Caelen a deep look.
It was as if he were asking, ’So you’ve been keeping him as your secret student all this while? You, Caelen, aren’t as simple as you look either.’
But Caelen didn’t say anything. He was truly focused on the fight. He appreciated Mireia’s swordsmanship.
Caelen was someone who appreciated talent. He always got the itch to put countless talents against each other to see who would come out on top.
He had used this method to create several ’nails’ on Earth. Nails that he drove into the ground to stabilise the world. He truly deserved his title as the First Awakener.
He smiled slightly.
’Which title will I gain in this new place?’
But he was getting bored with the fight. Mireia was still being cautious, moving around and swinging her sword while Marek hid in the shadows like a rat.
’I need to do something. Is that guy truly not going to go all out and finish things?’
Caelen could roughly gauge the strength of those below him. Mireia, though strong, wasn’t stronger than Marek.
"Marek has taken the strategy of slowly draining Mireia while striking from the shadows. An assassin’s greatest strength lies in concealment and swift attacks. It’s the best method in this situation," Kolu said.
Caelen raised his brows.
"Mireia is no match for Marek."
Kolu nodded. "Of course. Apart from the Essence Scripture of the Nyxen family, he must have learned countless secret techniques. That’s the strength of a Sicon family. But that aside, attitude and mental prowess should also be considered. Marek is a timid person and might not seize the initiative."
Caelen had a strange expression on his face as he looked at Kolu.
He sneered inwardly.
’Marek is timid? That guy is a practising assassin with a strong bloodlust. He has killed more powerful people than you. He’s just acting.’
’I won’t allow him to act anymore,’ Caelen decided, preparing to make his move.
’If that fool ends the battle too quickly, I won’t be able to see different kinds of techniques!’