Neither Adrian nor Julian underestimated the other as each sensed the danger in their opponent.
So the moment Mrs Georgina’s voice boomed, they both took action.
Adrian shot forward immediately, his body shimmering with mana as the Phantom Flow Technique kicked in, his steps a blur of afterimages slicing through the 40-meter square.
Julian remained unfazed, raising a hand swiftly and calling in a chilling tone.
Dark tendrils erupted from the ground, writhing like vipers across Adrian’s path.
They were slow, clumsy even and posed no real threat to Adrian, so he easily wove through them effortlessly, closing in on Julian like a storm.
The Mages’ benches were a graveyard of hope, their faces pale as they watched Adrian’s relentless advance.
’Another thrashing,’ one thought, despair sinking in after Adrian’s string of dominant wins.
But Julian stayed calm with his deadpan gaze, chanting again and again,
More tendrils sprouted, filling the field with shadowy snares, their numbers growing with each spell.
Adrian barely noticed them, as his kick was already chambered as he reached Julian’s position, ready to end it in one blow.
Adrian’s foot swung and his boots struck the air, but then a chilling chant stopped him cold.
The words echoed from nowhere, distant and eerie, catching Adrian off guard.
Pitch-black darkness swallowed the square, a void so thick it smothered all light.
The crowd gasped and their hearts pounded, as the field vanished from view.
The sudden blindness disoriented Adrian sense. ’He has more than one spell,’ he realized. No Mage had mastered multiple spells yet... until now.
Julian’s voice cut through the dark, and a spear of pure shadow shot toward Adrian, stabbing him u his side and drawing blood.
Adrian gritted his teeth, as the spear dissolved after stabbing him. He began weaving around the field erratically.
’I can’t stay still.’
The darkness blinded him, making him easy prey for Julian’s attacks so he had to be on the move, but just then, one of the tendrils on the ground snagged his ankle, slowing him.
Another grazed his arm, its grip like icy claws. Then came more chants as he remained in place, and more dark spears pierced him; one in his shoulder, another in his thigh.
Blood trickled and his movements grew sluggish, each hit chipping away at his strength.
Outside the veil, the crowd held its breath, the square an impenetrable black dome. The Knights muttered nervously, as their earlier cheers were silenced.
’He’s not like the others,’ Von thought, his gaze flicking to Georgina, whose hand twitched, ready to intervene the moment Julian won. The instructors saw it clearly: Julian wasn’t a 1-Star Mage. He was 2-Star, not just anyone, but a prodigy hiding in plain sight.
Adrian stumbled through the darkness with ragged breaths, dodging another spear by luck alone.
Julian’s voice seemed to shift, coming from every direction, disorienting him further.
’Another spell?’ Adrian wondered, his mind racing. A third spear hit his stomach, the same spot as before, and blood welled in his mouth.
He coughed and his vision swam as his body screamed for reprieve.
’I can’t keep this up,’ he admitted, desperation creeping in. If only he had a lightning tool from his [Inventory], he could counter the darkness.
But as Julian chanted again, preparing a final spell, Adrian decided that it was enough.
In a split-second decision, he willed his [Inventory] to release a healing potion.
The sweet liquid hit his tongue without needing to retrieve it physically, its warmth spreading through him.
His wounds clotted and the pain dulled as his strength surged back. He knew it wasn’t permanent, it was a potion after all, so he had to act quickly.
A dark spear shot toward him, but Adrian managed to dodge it in time.
’Enough playing fair,’ he thought, abandoning his plan to rely solely on physical prowess.
He activated [Mapping], pairing it with a Mana Detector.
The System map lit up in his [Inventory], and he saw the tendrils littered on the ground, their mana pulsing faintly, and there... 20 meters away, stood Julian, his figure glowing on the map like a beacon.
’Got you,’ Adrian thought, a smile curving his lips.
He noticed Julian’s chants and spears didn’t match his position, a trick likely woven into the shadow veil or another spell. ’Doesn’t matter now.’
Adrian exploded forward, his Phantom Flow at its peak, dodging tendrils with surgical precision.
A spear came, but he sidestepped, its tip grazing his sleeve. Another, and he ducked, the air hissing behind him.
The crowd, blind to the action, felt the tension, their breaths held as the darkness churned.
Adrian closed the gap, his eyes locked on Julian’s true position, ignoring the misdirection. At three meters, he leaped, his leg snapping out in a lightning-fast kick aimed at Julian’s head.
The blow connected, a bone-jarring impact that sent Julian tumbling back, blood spraying from his mouth.
The shadow veil shattered, and light flooded the square as the tendrils dissolved into nothing.
Julian hit the ground, his body still and his eyes closed. He was knocked out cold.
The crowd erupted and the Knights’ roars were deafening, shaking the field like a tidal wave.
The Mages sat stunned. Their last hope was crushed. Their faces were pale as they grappled with the impossible: three Knights had dismantled their entire roster.
Mrs. Georgina stepped forward, her voice steady but tinged with awe.
Golden light bathed Julian, stabilizing his injuries, though he remained unconscious.
"Knight Number 19 wins! The Knights are victorious!"
The announcement sealed it: for the first time in the Academy’s history, the Knights had won the Exchange.
The field exploded into chaos immediately the announcement was made, as the Knights swarm into the square, chanting Adrian’s name and going crazy with blazing pride.
Master Von walked closer to Adrian and clapped his shoulder in pride. "Well done, you’ve done well."