The entire coliseum had fallen silent.
The massive battlefield that had once been filled with the sounds of steel clashing and powerful magic was now completely sealed in crystal.
Great Elder Neil stood at the center of the arena, his crystal magic still surrounding the battlefield.
The reason was simple.
Just moments ago, Lord Chad Grace and Lord Ackman had nearly collided again.
Their previous battle had already pushed the coliseum to its limits.
Another clash between them could have been catastrophic.
Whispers immediately began spreading throughout the crowd.
"Wow…"
"So that was the power of Lord Ackman and Lord Chad?"
"I couldn't even follow their movements."
"They were fighting like monsters…"
"Honestly, if the Great Elder hadn't stepped in…"
One young royal leaned toward his friend.
"I'm telling you, Ackman would have beaten the hell out of Chad Grace if the Great Elder hadn't stopped them."
His friend immediately frowned.
"You really think so?"
"Of course. You saw what happened."
Several people around them nodded in agreement, while others remained silent.
Not everyone in the arena seemed convinced.
On the battlefield, Neil slowly looked between the two Lords.
Then—
He smirked.
"Damn."
Both Chad and Ackman looked toward him.
Neil chuckled.
"Watching both of you fight was quite the experience."
He looked toward the crowd.
"And judging from everyone's reaction, I wasn't the only one entertained."
A few people laughed nervously.
Neil's expression then became more serious.
"But do you know why I stepped in?"
Neither Chad nor Ackman answered.
Neil looked at the destruction around them.
"The power level of that final clash had already exceeded what I was willing to allow inside this coliseum."
He pointed toward the surrounding crystal walls.
"If that collision had landed directly, the impact wouldn't have stopped at the battlefield."
His eyes moved across the audience.
"It would've destroyed the coliseum…"
He paused.
"…along with everyone inside this arena."
The crowd immediately became quiet.
Neil then smiled again.
"So I had to think twice before allowing the two of you to continue."
Chad looked at the crystal surrounding him.
"Fair enough."
Neil crossed his arms.
"But on the bright side…"
His smile widened.
"Neither of you even realized something."
Chad raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Neil pointed toward their right arms.
"The red bands."
Both Lords looked down.
Their eyes widened.
The red bands that had been tied around their right arms were gone.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Chad stared at his arm.
Then he rubbed the back of his head.
"Damn…"
He genuinely hadn't noticed.
During the battle, both of them had been so focused on avoiding defeat that neither had realized their opponent had already completed the actual objective.
Ackman simply looked at his arm.
Then—
He smirked.
"You were using your entire power just for me?"
Chad slowly looked at him.
A smile appeared on his face.
"If you hadn't stepped in…"
He tightened his grip around his sword.
"…we would've had much more fun than you expected."
Ackman's smirk widened.
The two Lords stared at each other.
Even after everything that had happened, neither seemed satisfied.
At the side of the arena, Lady Nerissa covered her mouth as she laughed.
She held her small fox in her arms, gently stroking its fur.
"What are those two even thinking?"
Beside her, Lord Kelvin remained silent.
His eyes stayed fixed on Chad.
Kelvin's expression was different from everyone else's.
He had known Chad for a very long time.
He had fought beside him.
He had watched him grow.
But even Kelvin hadn't expected this.
Damn.
I've been beside Chad for so long…
How did he become this strong?
Kelvin clenched his fist.
His strength skyrocketed in such a short amount of time.
He looked at himself.
Then he smiled.
Fine.
I'll get stronger too.
His eyes narrowed with determination.
Soon.
Very soon.
Meanwhile, among the crowd—
Mason Grace sat quietly.
But something had caught his attention.
Janelle Ackman was looking directly at him.
Mason froze.
She's was looking at me.
He blinked.
Why?
He glanced around before looking back at her.
Janelle still looking in his direction.
Mason's face became slightly warm.
She's… really pretty.
He quickly shook the thought away.
Wait.
Why do I think she's looking at me?
He looked down at himself.
Maybe because I look different from the other royals.
Mason quietly laughed to himself.
I'm thinking too much.
Before he could think any further—
Neil's voice echoed throughout the entire coliseum.
"Everyone!"
The crowd immediately became silent.
Neil stood at the center of the battlefield.
"The Lords' Clash has officially come to an end."
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Neil raised one hand, bringing the noise back down.
"But I want every upcoming scout and every student preparing to enter this academy to remember what you witnessed today."
He looked toward Chad and Ackman.
"You just witnessed the power of two of the pillars of this academy."
The crowd remained completely focused on him.
"In less than two weeks, the Entrance Tournament will begin."
A wave of excitement immediately spread throughout the coliseum.
"If you've already received your application form, then you should be preparing."
Neil's voice became firm.
"Train."
"Prepare your body."
"Prepare your mind."
"And most importantly…"
His eyes sharpened.
"Be ready to prove yourselves."
The crowd erupted again.
Neil then smiled.
"And this year's recruitment…"
He paused.
"…will be quite interesting."
The crowd quieted.
"This year, we have several notable candidates."
Neil raised his hand.
"The first…"
His eyes moved toward where he has been seated before
"Janelle Ackman."
The reaction was immediate.
"Janelle!"
"It's Janelle Ackman!"
"She's actually entering the academy!"
"She's so beautiful…"
Several young royals began whispering excitedly.
Janelle remained composed.
Neil continued.
"From the Ackman family."
Janelle simply sat quietly.
Then Neil announced the next name.
"Duke Mighty."
The crowd suddenly became much quieter.
"Duke Mighty?"
"Wait…"
"The son of Dakuta Mighty?"
Whispers spread throughout the arena.
"I heard his father was terrifying."
"Wasn't his father one of the greatest assassins in the kingdom?"
"That's what I heard."
"He was famous for completing missions without his targets even realizing he was there."
"And his Iron Magic was apparently incredible."
"So his son is entering the academy?"
"This year's recruits are going to be insane."
One group of royals continued discussing Duke.
Then one of them laughed.
"Don't you get it?"
The others looked at him.
"This kind of battle doesn't impress the Mighties."
He laughed.
"Hahaha!"
Mason listened carefully.
Duke Mighty…
Who exactly is this guy?
Neil continued.
"And our next candidate…"
He paused.
"Riven Veylor."
The crowd murmured.
"Veylor?"
"Another major family?"
"I've heard of them."
Riven remained seated among the candidates, saying nothing.
His expression was calm.
Almost too calm.
Neil didn't explain anything about his abilities.
He simply continued.
"And last, but certainly not least…"
Neil's eyes moved toward the crowd.
"Mason Grace."
Mason froze.
His eyes widened.
a pause
Me?
Everyone around him suddenly turned.
Neil looked directly at him.
Then smiled.
Beside him, Chad smiled proudly.
Mason slowly stood.
The whispers began immediately.
"That's him?"
"Mason Grace?"
"Another peasant boy?"
"How did he even get an application?"
"He won't survive the tournament."
"He should stop dreaming about entering the academy."
Mason heard them.
Every word.
Every insult.
Every doubt.
But strangely…
None of it mattered.
Because all he could think about was one thing.
The Great Elder had called his name.
He was going to enter the academy.
Mason placed his right hand against his chest and bowed respectfully toward Neil.
"Great Elder."
The entire arena became quiet.
"I look forward to joining the academy."
His voice was firm.
"I'll give everything I have."
He raised his head.
"And I'll prove that hard work can take me there."
Neil smiled.
Chad's smile widened.
Mason slowly sat back down.
Across the arena—
Janelle stared at him.
This time, there was something different in her expression.
Surprise.
She hadn't expected that kind of determination from him.
At the academy section of the coliseum, most of the existing students were still seated.
Among them—
Cadoc sat quietly.
He had barely reacted to anything that had happened.
But when he heard Chad's name being mentioned again…
His expression changed.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Lord Chad's abilities…"
He lowered his head slightly.
"now i got the answers am looking for."
Cadoc slowly stood.
Nobody paid much attention to him.
He quietly walked away from his seat.
One step.
Then another.
He passed through the coliseum entrance.
The noise of the crowd slowly faded behind him.
Once he reached the outside—
Cadoc stopped.
His smile returned.
"I wonder…"
He looked toward the sky.
"How happy Demon King Abel will be when he hears this."
His eyes narrowed.
"I have some very interesting news to share with him."
Cadoc turned away from the coliseum.
And disappeared into the distance.
The Entrance Tournament was less than two weeks away.
And none of them knew just how much the academy was about to change.