Almost the moment Diana's thoughts surged, the battlefield shifted.
A hundred magic apprentices completed their respective incantations in unison.
"Phantom Curse!"
Roughly a fifth of them vanished from sight, activating stealth magic that cloaked their presence.
"Flight!"
Another fifth ascended into the air, their forms suspended above the field as they cast defensive spells to shield their comrades below.
"Water Barrier!"
"Frozen Armor!"
"Firewall!"
"Earth Shield!"
The air shimmered with the flickers of protective magic. Then, with practiced timing, the remaining sixty apprentices launched their offense in a carefully choreographed assault.
"Quicksand!"
"Sluggishness!"
"Withered Vines, Entangle!"
"Water Bind!"
"Ice Prison!"
Half of the attackers focused on controlling Diana's movement. Brilliant beams of magical light shot toward her with sharp precision. Diana immediately felt the ground beneath her shift—grains of sand swirling as it transformed into a sludgy, sucking swamp.
Without warning, her boots began to sink. Dry, skeletal vines burst from the earth, coiling upward in sync with streams of water, grasping at her wrists and ankles.
"Interesting..." Diana murmured, her eyes lighting up, yet she made no move to resist. She allowed the second half of the coordinated onslaught to begin.
Fireballs, Ice Arrows, Wind Blades, Light Bombs, Stone Spikes...
The air filled with dazzling elementary spells, hurtling toward her like a magical hailstorm. The sheer density of the attack nearly blotted out her field of vision.
Among the bombardment, some spells clearly carried more power.
Hill, a gifted wind mage, had mastered the powerful Stroke Slash, despite having trained for the shortest time.
Meanwhile, James, who specialized exclusively in sharp, swift spells, unleashed a refined Shen Feng Wu Ying, a slicing gust invisible to the naked eye.
This kind of magic could never hope to injure a demigoddess like Diana. Normally, she'd charge forward with brute force and shatter their formation. But she wasn't wearing any armor—just a simple outfit. Charging headlong might leave her clothes tattered, and though her body would be unharmed, it wasn't exactly a dignified choice.
More importantly, curiosity had taken root.
Diana suddenly bent her knees and launched into the air with explosive power, easily breaking free from the magical restraints. She twisted in midair, dodging fireballs and slicing wind blades as she dropped in front of one particular apprentice.
"A fight like this... isn't really suited to someone like you," she said, reaching for the young girl—one she remembered as the eagle-summoner from earlier. She meant to pull the girl to safety.
To her surprise, the girl's face twisted in shock, eyes wide at Diana's sudden approach. But just as Diana's hand reached out—whoosh!—the girl's body was lifted skyward.
"Huh?" Diana blinked.
She hadn't even touched her yet.
It wasn't the girl's doing either—it felt like something yanked her upward from above.
"Levitation Spell!"
A hovering apprentice had just finished chanting the spell aloud.
Diana raised a brow. That kind of timing required intense coordination. Not just tactical—it was strategic.
More astonishingly, even with her supernatural speed, someone had managed to react fast enough to stop her from grabbing the girl.
She had no time to dwell on it.
More control spells rained down again!
This time, they weren't physical restraints like vines or water coils. These were more insidious:
Fear.
Confusion.
Auditory Disruption.
Mind Corrosion.
Invisible spells from the dark arts, curses, sonic manipulation, and mind magic surged toward her.
"They changed tactics the moment I failed to land a hit?"
She was genuinely impressed now.
Their magic wasn't strong, but their battle instincts were sharp—too sharp for students. This wasn't a school skirmish; this was elite-level coordination.
Caught off guard, Diana was struck by several spells in quick succession.
They only made her shudder slightly—more of a tingle than real harm—but it pushed her patience.
"Alright. Let's try again."
She darted sideways, her movement sharp like light refracting off glass. She reached for another apprentice—again, a levitation spell cast just in time lifted the target away.
Then again.
And again.
No matter how fast she moved, someone always intervened at the perfect moment.
"Someone is tracking my movements… and relaying them to the others!"
The realization hit her instantly.
And it made her even more intrigued.
But her continued attempts came at a cost—dullness, weakening, hallucinations, fear—they stacked like a slow poison.
Though her demigod resistance dulled their effects, it was starting to become irritating.
With a sharp exhale, she decided to stop holding back.
In an instant, Diana surged through the formation, moving so quickly the apprentices couldn't react in time. One by one, she reached seven—no, eight—young magicians, and plucked them off the field like dolls, gently tossing them aside.
She didn't harm anyone.
She didn't need to.
Raw power broke through cunning.
The circle of magic began to crumble.
But she wasn't smiling.
Because as she grabbed the ninth apprentice, a heavy force suddenly pressed on her. The air itself grew thick and sluggish, and her legs sank into the ground.
"...A magic circle?"
She spotted a faint shimmer of light.
It had to be the invisible twenty—the stealth team from earlier. While the battle raged, they had cast two mid-tier spells:
Distortion Field.
Air Prison.
Diana's movement stalled—and just then, the assault changed again.
No longer spells.
Shadow Imps.
Fear Hounds.
Ghost Wolves.
Creatures clawed their way out of darkness.
In the sky, bats and crows formed a thick cloud, completely blotting out the light.
Diana's heart stirred.
"They're exploiting my biggest weakness—I can only target one at a time!"
For once, she felt on the back foot.
This was exhausting!
If she used her silver guardian bracelets, she could unleash a shockwave to destroy all the summoned creatures.
But...
She was a demigod!
If she used enchanted gear on a group of students, even if she won, what kind of victory would that be?
"No."
Her pride flared like a flame.
Grinding her teeth, Diana charged into the horde of shadow beasts, fists flying. She crushed ghost wolves, shredded fear hounds, and kicked shadow imps into ash.
Their numbers dwindled.
She was faster than they could summon.
Boom!
The final beast fell, and the shadows cleared.
Around her, the apprentices were pale, their magic exhausted. Diana prepared to deliver the final blow when—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rocked the field.
The corpses of the fallen creatures detonated in bursts of red-black mist.
"Corpse Explosion?!"
The acrid fog spread instantly, coating her skin with poisonous vapor.
Diana flinched.
The lingering curses, the gravity field, the mental strain—they finally began to add up.
And then...
Six apprentices who had remained silent throughout the entire battle suddenly acted.
They cast just six spells.
But the effects?
Dozens of lightning arcs burst across the space. Multi-colored magical ropes surged from every direction.
Mirror Images!
Paralyzing Lightning!
Lightning Chains!
Mind Bindings!
Diana gasped.
"They waited all this time... for this moment."
One bolt struck her arm. Her body seized up.
Red chains wrapped around her legs.
And in that split second—she felt danger. Real danger.
One spell surged with overwhelming power. Unlike anything else they had used.
"This is their real trump card!"
It was Wanda.
The girl who had said nothing and cast nothing until now. She looked barely seventeen, but her eyes glowed crimson with terrifying energy.
In her palms, swirling red light gathered like two miniature suns.
This spell could kill her.
She's not a student.
While Diana stood frozen, Wanda brought her hands together—creating a massive crimson blade that tore through the air toward her!
"Damn it!!"
Diana's pride shattered.
Her arms snapped together.
BOOM!!!
The guardian bracelets clashed, releasing a shockwave that collided with Wanda's blade.
The explosion shattered the hall. Wind howled. Dust choked the air. Everyone was blown back—including Tony, Kitty Pryde, and Jubilation Lee watching from the sidelines.
And when the smoke cleared...
Diana stood in the middle of the ruined hall, breathing heavily.
Her casual clothes had been blown away, revealing her Amazonian battle armor.
The silver bracelets still gleamed, catching the light.
She let out a breath.
"I concede."
Her voice was calm, but her pride stung.
Her gaze lifted—and locked on Joseph, who was standing in the viewing stands.
"How... how did you set this up?" she asked him, narrowing her eyes.
Joseph knew what she meant.
He grinned and shrugged.
This woman… She had battle gear hidden under her civilian outfit?
She came here ready to fight.
Probably never intended for this to be "just" a sparring match.
Still, Joseph chuckled and said, "It's all thanks to the [Trial of the Arcane God]."
He turned to Wanda and the others, who were slowly recovering from the blast.
"If you're still interested, Miss Prince," he said, gesturing toward a hallway, "I'd be happy to show you more."
Diana gave him a look.
Then she nodded, firm and proud.
"Definitely interested."
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