Facing Silvanus, the man’s arrogant and vicious expression didn’t fade in the slightest.
"Assaulting a student on campus—will such behavior truly go unpunished?" Silvanus said slowly.
The Mage let out a laugh at that. "Of course it’ll be punished. Every cri deserves punishnt. So after I kill you, I’ll go accept my punishnt for beating that little insect to a pulp. Those punishnts might be a nightmare for people like you, but for —they’re nothing."
He was Thomas Fuln, the second son of the powerful Fuln Clan, and Thora was his younger brother.
Because of the boy standing before him, Thora had not only been severely injured but was also unable to enroll at Lumina this year.
Of course, Thomas didn’t care about brotherly affection. But Thora was still a mber of the Fuln Clan—soone who had brought such disgrace upon the family had to be avenged. Thomas would never let that slide.
Although his father had advised him not to act rashly, to Thomas, such words were nothing but cowardice.
He sneered at Silvanus. "Right now, I’ll be the punishnt for your sin—for daring to lay a hand on a mber of the Fuln Clan!"
As he spoke, Thomas pressed his palm onto one side of the Life-and-Death Contract, confirming his will to fight regardless of life or death. His eyes glead with provocation as he looked at Silvanus. "If you’re scared, now’s your last chance to run."
Silvanus chuckled. "Your attempt at provocation isn’t exactly clever."
"You—!" Thomas roared in anger but didn’t move, firmly waiting for Silvanus to step forward.
Silvanus did not disappoint him. His steps were slow but steady as he ascended the stone steps.
Standing face-to-face with Thomas, he wordlessly placed his hand on the stone tablet before him and smiled. "Don’t worry—you won’t need to accept any punishnt... because you’ll be staying here forever."
Thomas burst out laughing, his voice echoing like thunder. "Ha ha ha! Arrogant fool! Too bad you won’t get the chance!"
At that mont, the contract was completed. In an instant, a massive do enveloped the entire arena, separating the spectators from the dueling platform as a faint golden light shimred across it.
The next second, Thomas’s body vanished, leaving behind only flickers of lightning where he had stood.
The stands erupted in thunderous cheers and shouts, the air trembling with excitent as chaos brewed in every corner.
When the students heard that Thomas—a well-known second-year student—had challenged Silvanus, the top first-year from the entrance selection, they sward to the scene almost instantly, like ants drawn to sugar. Within monts, the stands surrounding the arena were nearly packed.
There were usually no stationed Mages guarding Crucile Hall, but whenever a Life-and-Death Duel was initiated, an Elder would always be dispatched under higher orders.
After all, so participants were talented seedlings—people who could not be allowed to die.
Take Silvanus, for example. Not only the Headmaster but even the other Elders wouldn’t wish for such a promising seedling to perish. Thus, exceptions were sotis made: an Elder would oversee the duel, and when victory or defeat beca clear, they would intervene to prevent a fatal outco.
Though the arena was said to disregard life or death, that didn’t necessarily an one had to die. So duelists, upon claiming victory, simply chose to spare their opponent.
But with Thomas—a mber of the Fuln family—there was no doubt his intent was to take Silvanus’s life.
As for Silvanus, though he was the top first-year, no one believed he could actually defeat Thomas. Thomas not only had far more experience but also possessed the noble bloodline Silvanus lacked—a bloodline that granted mbers of the Fuln Clan powerful innate Affinities from birth.
"I can’t believe Silvanus actually accepted the challenge. He’s not an idiot, is he?"
"Ha ha, it was bound to happen sooner or later. A commoner without backing who stands out too much—he was asking for it."
"But that’s not really his fault."
"I think Silvanus is pretty arrogant anyway. Maybe getting beaten up will do him so good."
"You’re all just jealous."
"As a noble myself, I have to say—I’m really looking forward to this battle. Ha ha ha."
"Either way, Silvanus definitely won’t die..." soone murmured, clearly having noticed the supervising Elder.
Suddenly, another student snorted, as if laughing at their naivety.
"Didn’t you see who the supervising Elder is? Ha ha."
"Elder Walther. Looks like Silvanus really is dood this ti. What a pity."
Though they said it was "a pity," none of them stopped laughing.
"Nana, what do you think? Ha ha."
A group of students surrounded Nana, their smiles full of flattery.
Nana frowned as she looked down at the arena, then shifted her gaze toward Elder Walther.
Of course, she wanted to deal with Silvanus herself—so the one standing on the stage right now should have been her, not Thomas!
Silvanus was supposed to be her chosen opponent. How dare Thomas steal that from her?
No matter what, Silvanus must not die here!
Nana glanced coldly at the group of "lapdogs" still flattering her nearby and said in a sharp tone, "Go invite Elder Nicole here."
Elder Nicole—before becoming one of Lumina’s esteed Elders—had once been an outstanding mber of the Aurellan Clan.
Although Elders of Lumina were forbidden from involving themselves in family affairs, offering a little help to a fellow clansman wasn’t exactly against the rules... as long as it wasn’t too blatant or excessive.
Crossing her arms, Nana lowered her eyes to the arena below.
Even if she couldn’t be the first to step onto the stage and face Silvanus, there would still be another opportunity later. For now, she wanted to see just how long Silvanus could hold out.
Silvanus, you want to die? Not so easily.
No one believed Silvanus could win...
At that mont, down on the stage, Silvanus gazed at the lingering sparks of lightning on the opposite side. His expression showed no trace of panic—only a rare, solemn focus.
He stepped forward, one foot sliding slightly ahead as he lowered his stance.
Everything in his ears seed amplified—the crackle of electricity slicing through the air, the whistle of wind torn apart by sheer speed, as if the very space was being ripped open.
Suddenly, Silvanus’s eyes snapped wide open. He spun around and kicked off the ground, propelling himself backward with explosive force.
Ti seed to slow. Thomas’s figure flickered like he’d teleported—appearing before Silvanus in the blink of an eye. His entire body was wreathed in a white-blue light, lightning flaring like living veins across his skin. His fist swelled with power, wrapped in blinding arcs of thunder!
It happened in an instant—Thomas’s punch brushed past Silvanus, missing his nose by only a few centiters.
Clearly, Thomas’s intent had been to blow Silvanus’s head apart with his very first strike. This was truly a battle to the death!
Boom!
A deafening crash erupted, the impact shaking the entire Hall for a mont.
Across the thousand-square-ter arena, a massive crater spread outward, cracks radiating nearly three ters in every direction.
At its center stood Thomas, his fist buried in the ground, lightning still crackling wildly around him. Smoke rose from the scorched, shattered stone where his blow had landed.
He wasn’t a pure Magic-type Mage—but there was no doubt about it: Thomas was a powerful fighter!
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