In the captains' section, reactions came one after another as everyone focused on the white tiger standing beside Harry.
Rill leaned forward, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Wow," he said openly, "what a huge tiger."
Fuegoleon studied the summon carefully, his expression serious rather than impressed. "That tiger is strong," he said after a moment. "Almost at our level. No—slightly weaker than a captain, but not by much."
William nodded in agreement, his gaze calm and analytical. "Indeed. That would place its strength on par with the heirs of House Velnir and House Lorin."
Charlotte frowned, arms crossed. "But how did he summon it?" she asked. "His magic shouldn't be Beast Magic, like that of House Thorne."
Before anyone else could answer, a quiet voice spoke up.
Dorothy, who had been slumped in her seat moments earlier, lifted her head, eyes open for once. "It's soul magic," she said plainly. "A dangerous type, if I'm being honest. It likely allows him to form a contract with that tiger."
A brief silence followed her words.
Jack scoffed lightly, resting his chin on his hand. "Doesn't matter what kind of magic it is," he said. "I could cut through both of them easily."
Back in the arena, Nova watched the tiger with a faint smile. When Harry had explained the second spell he obtained from his grimoire, Nova had been genuinely surprised—and mildly pleased. The spell allowed Harry to form soul-based contracts with any living being that possessed a soul, whether human, beast, or otherwise.
The types of contracts were straightforward. Temporary contracts, equal contracts, and slavery contracts. Their functions were self-explanatory, and Harry didn't need to spell them out in detail. There was, however, a clear limitation. Harry could form temporary contracts freely, but equal or slavery contracts required him to be at least equal in strength to the target, or stronger.
This tiger was near the peak of the second rank, while Harry himself was only at the peak of the third rank.
That meant only one option was available.
A temporary contract.
The terms were simple. Harry would assist the tiger in breaking through to the next realm, and in return, the tiger would aid Harry in battles and other situations that required its strength.
Watching the two of them together stirred a familiar memory in Nova's mind. The dynamic reminded him of a certain snake sage and his summoned beast, though that snake beast was quite bad tempered.
He shook the thought away and refocused on the battlefield.
Harry moved, the tiger matching his pace without hesitation, and together they advanced toward Veynor as the fight resumed.
----
Veynor frowned as he took in the white tiger's size and presence. It was close enough to his own level that ignoring it would be careless, but not so overwhelming that it changed his confidence.
"Hmph," he said calmly. "If this tiger is your trump card, then you're in for a rude awakening. I've been fighting Arden Thorne and magic beasts since childhood."
His grimoire glowed as he raised his arm. "Gem Magic: Composite Magic—Elemental Lance."
The elemental gems responded at once. Mana condensed into a long metallic lance in his hand, roughly two meters in length. One by one, the five gems embedded themselves along its shaft. Earth thickened the core, metal sharpened the edge, wind wrapped around it for reach and speed, lightning threaded through it for penetration, and fire settled near the tip.
Veynor rolled his shoulders once and took a steady breath. His eyes sharpened as he shifted his focus between the tiger and Harry, clearly deciding on priority.
He moved.
The lance thrust forward, wind magic extending its reach far beyond its physical length. The attack angled past the tiger's chest, aiming for Harry's position behind it. The tiger reacted immediately, stepping into the line of attack. Ice surged along its forelimbs as it struck the lance aside with a heavy swipe. The metal scraped across ice instead of flesh, sending shards of frost skidding across the arena floor.
Veynor followed through without pause. Lightning discharged along the lance, the energy curving outward in a tight arc meant to bypass the tiger entirely. The attack snapped toward Harry from the side.
Harry raised his wand. "Protego."
The shield formed quickly, but the lance struck it a moment later. Cracks spread across the barrier almost instantly before it shattered. The impact forced Harry back a step, but the delay was enough. The tiger shifted its weight and planted itself firmly in front of him again, ice spreading across its body to reinforce its stance.
Veynor clicked his tongue and spun the lance, fire coating the blade-like edge as he slashed downward. The tiger met the strike head-on. Ice burst upward to meet fire, steam rising briefly as the two elements collided. The force pushed the tiger back several steps, its claws carving long grooves into the stone as it resisted being driven aside.
Harry didn't stay still.
He released a compact soul-based spell toward Veynor's legs, not meant to overpower him, but to interfere. The ground beneath Veynor's feet lost cohesion for a split second, forcing him to shift his stance and pull the lance back to maintain balance.
That moment allowed the tiger to counterattack.
It opened its jaws and released a focused breath of ice. The cold spread outward in a wide cone, frost forming instantly across the arena floor. Veynor retreated half a step, earth magic hardening the ground beneath him to keep his footing as the ice crawled toward his boots.
He thrust again, wind compressing around the lance as it punched through the frozen air. The tip grazed the tiger's shoulder, tearing through a layer of ice and fur. The tiger growled low but didn't retreat. It swung a massive paw in response, claws extended. The strike missed Veynor by a narrow margin, but the claws raked across the arena floor, carving deep lines into the stone.
Veynor used the opening to slip to the side, trying once more to angle past the tiger. Lightning surged along the lance as he aimed a precise thrust toward Harry's chest.
Harry reacted immediately. He raised another defensive spell, weaker than before, but timed carefully. The barrier shattered on contact, but it forced the lance to slow just enough for the tiger to intercept again. Ice surged up the tiger's foreleg as it slammed into the shaft, knocking it off course.
The tiger pressed forward now, refusing to give Veynor space. It lunged, snapping its jaws close enough to force him back, then followed with a heavy paw strike. Veynor blocked with the lance, metal and earth reinforcing the shaft as ice exploded against it. The impact sent vibrations through his arms, but he held.
Harry continued to support from behind. When the tiger was pushed back, he reinforced it with soul energy, stabilizing its movements. When Veynor tried to reposition, Harry disrupted his footing or timing with short, precise spells. None of them were decisive, but they added up.
Despite fighting together for the first time, their coordination was functional. The tiger focused on blocking and pressure, using its body and ice to deny space. Harry managed positioning and defense, making sure Veynor never had a clean line to him.
Veynor stepped back slightly, spinning the lance once to rebalance the elements. His expression had hardened. Reaching Harry directly was proving far more difficult than expected, and as long as the boy stayed standing, the tiger wasn't going anywhere.
The fight continued at close range, ice and elemental attacks colliding repeatedly, the arena floor steadily accumulating scars from claws, lance strikes, and frozen impacts as neither side was willing to give ground.
While Veynor was locked in a sustained exchange with Harry and the tiger, the situation on the other side of the arena was going in a very different direction.
Kael was being driven back again and again by Nova.
Each time Kael tried to create distance, space twisted—and Nova was already there. Teleportation that should have given Kael control over positioning was being neutralized completely. Nova appeared beside him, behind him, or directly in his path with unsettling consistency, forcing Kael to react instead of plan.
Frustration was beginning to show.
House Lorin's space magic had always been Kael's greatest advantage. He had trained his entire life to dominate battlefields by controlling distance and angles. Yet against Nova, that advantage meant very little. Nova's movements were faster, cleaner, and more precise, as if space itself favored him rather than resisted him.
It wasn't just a matter of technique.
Kael could feel the gap clearly now. Nova's power wasn't simply higher; it was denser. Each clash sent force through Kael's arms that his body struggled to absorb. His physical strength was weaker, and he had to rely on space magic just to keep from being overwhelmed outright.
Worse still, his magic reserves were draining at an alarming pace.
Every teleportation, every barrier, every forced reposition consumed mana, and Nova's pressure never let him recover. Kael's breathing had grown heavier, his movements just a fraction slower than before. If this continued, he wouldn't just lose—he would be the first to fall.
That realization tightened his jaw.
Their entire plan hinged on Veynor eliminating Harry quickly. Once Nova's partner was removed, the summoned beast would disappear, and the two of them could combine their strength against Nova. It was the only realistic path to victory they had calculated.
But time was slipping away.
Kael narrowly avoided another close-range strike and retreated several steps, forcing space to fold just enough to buy himself a moment. His thoughts churned as he glanced toward the other side of the arena.
What the hell is Veynor doing?
Can't he finish the kid and the tiger already?
The longer this dragged on, the worse his own situation became.