As Rentaro sat quietly among the crowd, leaning slightly back in his seat while observing the arena, a loud voice suddenly echoed throughout the colosseum, announcing that the tournament would now begin, and immediately, the atmosphere shifted as excitement filled the air and all eyes turned toward the center stage.
From above, a woman gracefully descended using wind magic, her body floating lightly before touching the ground as if carried by an invisible breeze, and as she landed, she lifted the microphone in her hand and introduced herself with confidence, saying that her name was Lumine and that she would be the host of today's matches, her voice clear and energetic as it echoed across the entire arena.
She extended her arm toward the left side of the arena and announced that the first contestant was a student from Class C, a user of grass magic who had boldly declared that she would defeat one of the Five Royals and claim victory in the tournament, and as the crowd turned their attention, a girl stepped forward with determination in her eyes as Lumine called out her name—Shika Cresendro.
Then Lumine turned to the opposite side and raised her voice even louder, saying that her opponent was one of the Five Royals themselves, someone whose presence alone could captivate others and whose elemental power could freeze anyone in an instant, proudly introducing Drexel Kuranai.
For a moment—no one appeared.
The crowd began murmuring in confusion, wondering where he was, but suddenly, from outside the colosseum, an ice path formed in midair, stretching downward like a frozen staircase, and sliding along it effortlessly was Drexel, his figure calm and composed as he descended, already holding his sword as if the battle had already begun in his mind.
Lumine raised her hand high and declared that the battle would now begin.
Without hesitation, Shika raised her arm and shouted the name of her weapon, calling out "Comfort Aaron," and as she did, a red light burst from her hand, forming into a spear that radiated intense heat, and with a confident expression, she declared that she would melt his ice and evaporate his water, her voice filled with determination.
Drexel looked at her with a calm and almost bored expression as he replied that those were big words coming from a student who had no achievements compared to the Five Royals, his tone cold and dismissive, which immediately angered Shika.
With a sharp breath, Shika lunged forward, her feet pushing off the ground as she leaped into the air, raising her spear above her head while shouting "Inferno Pierce," and as flames engulfed her weapon, she descended rapidly, aiming directly at Drexel.
But Drexel did not move.
Instead, he calmly lifted his sword and whispered softly, saying "Water Slash," and with a simple swing, a massive wave of water surged forward, colliding with Shika's flaming spear midair.
The impact exploded with force.
Steam filled the battlefield as the clash sent shockwaves through the arena, and in the next moment, Shika was thrown backward, crashing hard onto the colosseum floor.
She struggled to stand, her body shaking as she forced herself up, barely able to keep her balance, but Drexel simply stepped forward and said that if she thought that was the end, then she was mistaken, and as he finished speaking, he quietly whispered "Water Blitz."
In an instant—he vanished.
Before Shika could react, Drexel appeared right in front of her, and with a swift motion, he swung his sword, and although Shika tried to block using her spear, the force was overwhelming, sending her flying into the wall with a loud crash.
Her body fell to the ground.
She did not move.
Lumine raised her hand and announced that the winner was Drexel, and immediately, the crowd erupted into cheers, praising his overwhelming strength and dominance.
As Rentaro watched the match, his eyes slightly narrowed, and deep inside, he began to feel doubt creeping in as he wondered if he could truly fight against people like that, quietly admitting to himself that the gap between him and them felt enormous.
Ciel's voice echoed calmly in his mind, reassuring him that he did not need to worry, explaining that all he had to do was imagine the situation he wanted, and it would become reality, reminding him that his power was fundamentally different from everyone else's.
Rentaro slowly nodded and whispered his thanks, and Ciel responded simply that it was no problem.
After two more intense matches, the tournament finally reached its final battle for the day.
Raven versus Noah.
Lumine raised her voice again, saying that everyone should pay close attention because this would be the last match for today, and as she introduced Noah from Class A, the crowd immediately cheered loudly, with his classmates shouting encouragement while some girls called out that they loved him, and Noah walked confidently into the arena, smiling proudly as if he had already secured victory.
Then Lumine introduced his opponent, saying that she was a mysterious girl whose face was always hidden beneath a hoodie, someone many students found difficult to approach, and as she spoke the name Raven, a quiet tension spread across the arena.
From the entrance, Raven stepped forward.
Just one step—
And Noah froze.
A sudden chill ran through his body as he felt something he had never experienced before, and in his mind, he tried to calm himself, telling himself that she was just a girl and that there was no way he could lose, convincing himself that even if she was one of the Five Royals, it did not mean she was unbeatable.
But despite his thoughts, sweat began forming on his forehead.
When Raven finally stood in front of him, Noah glanced at her eyes—and instantly felt uneasy, as if his entire body had been locked in place.
Lumine raised her hand and declared the battle to begin.
Noah snapped out of it and quickly summoned his dagger, forcing a smirk as he told Raven to prepare herself, although his voice trembled slightly as he rushed forward.
In one swift motion, he thrust his dagger forward—
And it pierced through Raven's chest.
Noah's breathing became heavy as he stepped back, thinking that he had won so easily, unable to believe it himself, but suddenly, he felt something cold and sharp resting against his neck.
His body froze.
A voice spoke behind him.
Raven.
Noah's eyes widened in shock as he realized that she was standing behind him, holding her large sword against his neck, and with a trembling voice, he asked how she could be there when she was just in front of him.
Slowly, the figure he had stabbed turned into black smoke and disappeared.
Raven calmly explained that she had used a technique called Dark Clone before he even attacked, her voice low and emotionless as if everything had gone exactly as expected.
Noah's hands began to shake as he realized what had happened, and without saying another word, he dropped his weapon and surrendered.
The entire arena fell silent.
Then—
Applause erupted.
Students were stunned by how fast Raven had moved, how effortless her victory was, and Lumine excitedly announced that even she was surprised by what had just happened, praising Raven's speed and declaring that when it came to agility, no one could match her among the Five Royals.
Rentaro's eyes widened as he watched, unable to even follow Raven's movement, and in his mind, he admitted that he did not see anything at all.
Ciel spoke calmly, explaining that the technique Raven used was called Dark Clone, a skill that created a clone at the start of the match while the user entered a ten-second camouflage state, allowing them to reposition without being detected.
Rentaro let out a quiet breath and said that now he understood, adding that Raven might be the most dangerous among the Five Royals.
But Ciel corrected him, saying that if it had to rank them, Raven was likely the third strongest, and that the strongest among them was still Clark.
Rentaro blinked slightly and said that he had completely forgotten about him.
At that moment, Lumine's voice echoed once more, announcing that the matches for today had officially ended and that the second batch would be revealed tomorrow, reminding everyone not to be late or they might miss the fights.
As the crowd slowly began to leave, Rentaro remained seated for a moment longer, staring at the arena in silence.
Because tomorrow—
It would be his turn