The crowd's loud noise felt like a push. It hit Jonah as he stepped onto the sunny arena floor. The announcer's voice, amplified by magic, echoed loudly from every side.
"And in the south corner, a student who needs no introduction! The Hero of the Dragon's Tooth, the Saint of the Scar! Give it up for Senior Fellow… JONAH!"
A wave of cheers hit him, but they also held a specific, strong hope. He could hear them murmuring in the stands. "Is he going to use the big one?" "I want to see Maul!"
The announcer gestured to the other side of the arena. "And his opponent! A warrior whose power can shatter stone! A Manifestor who can call forth armor harder than diamond and a hammer that can level a fortress! The tower of power, KAELEN!"
Kaelen was just as the announcer said. He was a huge young man, at least a head taller than Draven. As he walked to his starting position, plates of granite-like armor appeared around his body with a grinding sound. A huge war hammer, formed in his hands.
He slammed the hammer on the floor, making a small hole. He looked at Jonah. His look was confident and almost bored. "Let's see the monster, Saint Jonah. Let's make this a real fight."
The crowd cheered in agreement. Jonah spotted the Headmaster in the VIP box, his face impossible to read. A few sections over, Ariana watched, calm and curious.
The starting gong boomed.
Kaelen braced himself, ready for the ground-breaking charge of a beast like Maul.
Jonah just stood there. He closed his eyes.
The crowd reacted with a wave of confused noise.
Then, two things happened. First, a bat-like creature appeared in the air above Jonah's head. It was Echo, his Resonance Drone. It let out a soft, inaudible pulse of sonar.
Second, the air beside Jonah warped for a split second, and then… nothing. Specter had arrived, and it was already invisible.
In Jonah's mind, the world transformed. Echo's sonar feed painted a 3D wireframe of the entire arena in his thoughts. He could see every pillar and every hidden trap mechanism beneath the floor. Specter, his silent assassin, became his secret hand in the fight.
Kaelen grew impatient. "Are you going to fight, or just stand there and nap?" he boomed. He took a heavy step forward.
And the battle began. But it wasn't the battle anyone was expecting.
Suddenly, a perfect copy of Maul appeared into existence right in front of Kaelen.
The crowd gasped. Kaelen grinned. "Finally!" He raised his hammer to meet the charge.
But the illusionary Maul didn't charge. It just stood there, roaring silently, before dissolving into a cloud of smoke.
Kaelen stopped, confused. "What…?"
While he was distracted, the real Specter, still invisible, got behind him fast and created a new illusion: a copy of Jonah, who looked weak, by the arena wall.
"Behind you!" someone in the crowd yelled.
Kaelen spun around, his heavy armor grinding. He saw the fake Jonah and yelled in frustration. "Tricks! You want to play with tricks?" He charged, his heavy steps shaking the ground.
He swung his massive hammer in a destructive arc. But just before it connected, the illusion of Jonah vanished. The hammer smashed into the stone wall sending a shower of dust and rock into the air.
Kaelen was panting now, his frustration mounting. This wasn't a fight. It was a humiliating game of cat and mouse.
"Stand and fight me!" he roared at the real Jonah, who still hadn't moved a single inch from his starting position.
Jonah's eyes remained closed. In his mind, he was the conductor of a silent orchestra. He saw Kaelen's position on his 3D map. He saw his frustration, his exhaustion. And he saw the trap.
Few feet to Kaelen's left was a trigger plate for a standard arena containment net. It was a non-lethal trap, designed to end a match quickly if a beast went out of control.
Specter, Jonah commanded. The final illusion. Put it right on top of the trigger plate.
A new illusion appeared into view. This time it was Sylva, its glowing form an irresistible target.
Kaelen saw the beautiful, fragile-looking creature and saw his chance. All his hidden anger and frustration led to one desperate attack.
"I've got you!" he bellowed, his hammer raised.
He charged across the last ten feet, his heavy, armored boot coming down squarely on the hidden trigger plate.
The illusion of Sylva vanished. Kaelen froze, his eyes wide with sudden understanding.
From hidden slots in the floor, a net woven from thick ropes of pure mana shot upwards, wrapping the massive warrior in an instant. It tightened around him, pinning his arms to his sides and trapping his hammer. He struggled for a moment, but the net held him fast. He was completely stopped.
The arena was silent.
Not a single blow had been struck. Not a drop of blood had been shed. Jonah hadn't even moved. He had won a flawless victory using nothing but strategy, illusion, and a deep understanding of the battlefield.
Jonah opened his eyes. He nodded to Kaelen, who was trapped and very confused. A loud bell rang, showing the match was over.
The arena was very quiet. The crowd was at a loss for how to react. They came to see a big, rough fight. Instead, they witnessed a calm, strategic defeat.
In the VIP box, the Headmaster nodded, showing approval. He got what he wanted.
And a few sections over, Ariana leaned forward slightly in her seat. The casual interest in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a look of strong intent. She wasn't looking at a boy who commanded beasts anymore. She was looking at a grandmaster who had just won a game of chess without ever touching a piece.
Jonah wasn't just a powerful creator. He was a dangerous, unpredictable puzzle. And he was far more interesting than she had ever imagined.