"It's you." As Seraphiel glanced at the opponent who had recently reduced Deklabi to tears, her deep blue eyes narrowed slightly. Then, a glow upon her back flashed, and a pair of wings outlined in pure white silk threads appeared, radiating beauty and sanctity.
Soon, the two began clashing amidst the forest of stone pillars, whilst the Holy Sword wielder, Ahmed, was busy fighting against a horde of skeletal necromancy creatures charging at him from the front of the stone forest, unable to pay them any attention.
In midair, Seraphiel moved with ease, her white silk wings granting her exceptional agility. With her Sword of Flame in hand, a simple swing was enough to heat and distort Weston's long spear to the brink of slipping from his grasp.
After repelling Weston once more, Seraphiel hovered in place, then, raising her hand, summoned four pristine Light Sabers which pierced through the air, pinning Weston to the ground.
Having done that, she ascended higher, as the wings on her back ignited with even more radiant and intense flames, shining like a miniature sun, illuminating the entire venue as if it were broad daylight.
"The time has come, for the blazing light with six wings to stand atop the abyss of the vortex.
This favored child of goodness and beauty, with the Piercing Red Spear in her left hand and the White Flame Serpent Sword in her right, leads three thousand four hundred sixty-nine angels, and forty-seven thousand nine hundred fifty-five Holy Flame Knights, twenty-two thousand three hundred forty-seven Priests of Prayer, one hundred eight thousand two hundred sixty-four soldiers of the Holy Church, and two hundred fifty thousand of the United Salvation Army.
They dive into Hell itself to battle one final time with one hundred eleven thousand four hundred sixty-seven chaotic shadows, three hundred seventy-five thousand one hundred twenty-nine corrupted beings."
Verses from the Book of Candlelight resonated while the words chanted by the crowd below gradually synchronized with hers, swelling into a grand chorus. She then spread her hands wide until a column of light descended from the sky, and a White Flame Serpent Sword appeared in her hand, its blazing edge revealing her flawless face, her golden hair dancing freely, lit by only those radiantly bright eyes.
Done. When Tilan saw the rising white and gold Serpent Sword in the sky, she knew this duel was over.
Indeed, as Seraphiel swung her sword, her figure streaked across the dark night sky like a dazzling meteor. Every student from Edith Academy was enveloped in the white light, their Withering Sequence's magic power purified and burned away until they collapsed, powerless. In the process, only Weston held out for a few exchanges before purification. The rest crumbled upon contact.
"Make way, Sister Seraphiel~"
Just as this Angel of Holy Flame was about to defeat the last few opponents, a childish voice belonging to 'Deklabi' called out from behind her.
Responding, she promptly ceased her attack, turned around, and flew back to Deklabi's side.
At this moment, Deklabi, who had gone unnoticed for a while, was also ready. Lifting her tin staff high, its tip adorned with a shimmering pentagram, she brought it swinging down, and a giant star fell from the sky. It descended heavily like a cookie, showering golden crumbs that pressed upon the ground before scattering.
In the end, the giant pentagram cookie that had covered most of the arena dissipated, leaving only an empty pentagram Branding on the ground, within which lay a jumble of Edith Academy students.
The judge announced the outcome of the battle without any passion, as if it were almost too predictable that Lelysia Academy had won.
Afterward, videos of the two students from Lelysia Academy blazed across the internet. The 'Holy Sword' wielder Ahmed, who had previously been the center of attention, was now overshadowed. More discussions focused on the two girls who appeared later, Seraphiel and Bettina (Deklabi).
"They're just like real angels."
"If there really were angels, they'd probably look like her."
"That little angel behind is so adorable."
"Why doesn't our school have such cute angels?"
The various online discussions attracted even more spectators, who gradually discovered the identities of the two angels in the video.
"So, you're saying they never showed up outside the Academy before?"
In the office of Saint Ingo Academy, a man propped his head up as he watched the projected images; his attire identified him as the current Student Council President, Suochensi.
"Yes, President. It's not just us, the reactions from other Academies indicate surprise as well. It seems they, too, were unaware of these two students' capabilities. The last time Lelysia Academy shared any information internally was during last term's Angel's Descent Ceremony."
Lelysia Academy implemented a closed-off educational system that even restricted students' internet access. It was nearly impossible for outsiders to enter, hence internal affairs were always mysterious. Only a small amount was revealed during a few major competitions each year, well-known to the outside world. Unexpectedly, this event turned into major news.
"It looks like in the coming years, our focus won't only be on Edith Academy," Suochensi remarked with a sigh and then requested footage of the genius boy from Thunder Edge Academy, who had appeared during last winter's festival competition. Comparing him with Seraphiel, he estimated that even he would likely win less than he would lose against her.
Competition was becoming fiercer, or perhaps since the split of Saint Ingo, their strength had diminished, and their advantage over other Academies had faded. Many talented students were now choosing schools based on their preferences rather than automatically enrolling at Saint Ingo Academy as done previously. With such circumstances, it was challenging to maintain a gap in student quality, and it was impossible to endlessly improve one's own educational resources and conditions. And so, Saint Ingo found itself gradually caught up by a few other Academies.