The First Match Begins
Rias imdiately stepped forward with a bright smile.
"Teacher, don’t worry."
Her red eyes flickered toward Shera with a playful but aningful glint, the corner of her lips lifting slightly as if she were suppressing a laugh.
"We definitely won’t disappoint Guardian Elder."
After all—
Today’s first match would be between her...
And a student from Secret Sword Summit.
She certainly would not disappoint Shera.
The way she said it carried more than confidence. There was a quiet bite hidden beneath her tone, sothing sharp and deliberate. Not disrespectful—no, never that—but unmistakably bold.
A few of the nearby disciples caught it.
So frowned.
So smirked.
And so simply held their breath.
A shift in her stance sent a quiet tremor through the space around her, like the ground knew what was coming. The breeze, drifting slow over cracked earth, paused - just briefly - as though listening.
The air in the arena shifted, turning heavy while she talked.
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t explosive.
A weight pressed inside his ribs, slow and soundless. This stillness hung there, not loud but thick, just breathing.
Fine words were exchanged, though tension lingered beneath. The leaders of each group kept their distance, yet smiled when needed.
Fingers resting lightly on his knee, Leon stayed still next to Mike. A quiet calm hung around him, face giving nothing away. His shoulders didn’t tense, even when the wind shifted.
Yet inside stillness lived a quiet full.
A stillness hung in his hands, fingers slack on the chair’s edge. Yet sothing watchful lived behind his eyes. Slowly, his glance drifted here, then there, taking it all in while seeming to look past. Not a twitch gave him away.
Nothing escaped him.
Not the tightening shoulders.
Not the exchanged glances.
Not even the way Rias held herself just a little straighter after speaking.
Across from him, Shera also wore a courteous smile.
Her posture was elegant, composed to perfection. One hand rested lightly against her side, the other folded with effortless grace. Her expression was warm enough to pass for kindness—but her eyes... her eyes told a different story.
Sharp. asuring.
Amused.
To anyone watching from afar, the two seed perfectly civil.
Like old acquaintances eting under formal circumstances.
Like leaders maintaining dignity in front of their disciples.
But beneath that calm surface—
The competition had already begun.
And it wasn’t just between the students.
Their students understood it as well.
Behind the elders, the young cultivators from both sides stood silently, their eyes occasionally drifting toward each other with quiet hostility.
No one spoke.
No one moved unnecessarily.
But the tension between them was undeniable.
A slight shift of stance.
A tightening grip on a weapon.
A glance held a second too long.
It was enough.
This wasn’t just a friendly exchange of techniques.
This was pride.
Identity.
Validation.
It was a silent battle of pride.
The scorched earth beneath their feet only made it worse.
The ground still bore the scars of past destruction—cracked stone, darkened soil, faint traces of energy that hadn’t fully faded. It was a reminder of what power looked like when restraint disappeared.
And today—
They were all standing on that reminder.
Behind Shera, one young man stood quietly among the other students.
His na was Cassie.
Unlike the others, he wasn’t radiating confidence or anticipation.
He stood slightly behind the line, as if instinctively withdrawing, his posture straight but lacking the sharp edge the others carried.
His gaze slowly drifted toward Selena in the distance.
At first, it was subtle.
A glance.
Then it lingered.
His eyes were complicated.
There was recognition there.
And sothing heavier.
Then he glanced back at Shera standing proudly before him.
Her presence was commanding—effortless, unshaken. She didn’t need to assert authority. It naturally gathered around her.
Cassie watched her for a mont... and sothing in his expression faltered.
His shoulders lowered slightly.
Just a fraction.
But it was enough.
A trace of inferiority surfaced in his expression.
He couldn’t understand it.
It wasn’t just about strength.
It wasn’t just about talent.
It was sothing deeper—sothing that refused to settle no matter how much he tried to ignore it.
Back then—
During that day in Erald Crest Division—
Selena had been the one nobody wanted.
He rembered it clearly.
The murmurs.
The dismissive looks.
The way elders had barely concealed their disinterest.
She had stood there, quiet, unnoticed, almost... erased.
An abandoned student that the elders had rejected without hesitation.
And he—he had been different.
Chosen.
Acknowledged.
Given direction.
At least, that’s what he had believed.
And yet sohow...
Without anyone noticing—
She had surpassed him.
Not gradually.
Not in a way that gave him ti to adjust.
It had just... happened.
One mont, she was behind.
The next—
She was sowhere he couldn’t reach.
At this mont, his heart was filled with tangled emotions.
Confusion.
Frustration.
And sothing he didn’t want to na.
Because once you nad it—
You couldn’t deny it anymore.
His fingers curled slightly at his sides.
He wasn’t angry at her.
That would have been easier.
Instead, there was a quiet ache sitting in his chest, pressing down in a way that made it hard to breathe evenly.
Once—
He had been the shining genius.
The one everyone fought over.
The center of attention.
But now...
Three months after entering the academy—
He had only reached two stars of the Onyx Realm.
anwhile Selena...
She had stepped into that realm on the fifth day after joining the academy.
The gap between them had beco sothing he could barely comprehend.
During these months, Cassie had slowly begun to notice sothing painful.
Shera’s attitude toward him had changed.
When he first joined the academy, Shera had been enthusiastic.
Proud.
Encouraging.
But now...
That enthusiasm had faded.
Sotis Cassie could even feel the faint trace of disappointnt in his teacher’s eyes.
He slowly lifted his gaze again.
This ti he looked toward Leon.
Leon sat quietly at the head of the elders’ table, calm and composed as if the tension around him ant nothing.
Cassie suddenly felt a wave of envy.
He envied Selena.
Not because of her talent.
But because she had t a teacher like Leon.
A teacher who protected her.
Encouraged her.
Cared for her.
anwhile, Secret Sword Summit was nothing like that.
There were too many students there.
Too many rivalries.
To gain attention from Shera, everyone fought openly and secretly.
There was no warmth.
Only competition.
No one noticed Cassie’s strange mood.
At this mont, he looked more like a lonely child standing quietly in the corner.
The other students around him chatted and laughed.
But he couldn’t blend into their world at all.
Ti slowly passed.
The sunlight shifted across the arena stones.
Finally—
Leon glanced briefly at the sky, then turned his head slightly.
"Rias."
His voice was calm.
"Go."
Rias straightened imdiately.
"Okay."
The playful smile disappeared from her face.
Her expression grew serious.
She turned and began walking toward the arena.
The mont she stepped forward—
The crowd erupted.
"It’s starting! It’s starting!"
"The Martial eting is finally beginning!"
"The first match is Athyst Summit Division versus Secret Sword Summit!"
"Now this is going to be interesting!"
Students from all divisions leaned forward excitedly.
"This is the real highlight!"
Almost half the academy had gathered around this arena.
The other arenas looked nearly empty in comparison.
Everyone knew that Leon and Shera had never gotten along.
Which ant—
This fight would definitely be intense.
Rias’ red figure stepped gracefully onto the stage.
Her long red hair flowed behind her like a banner of fire.
The sunlight reflected softly off her silk robes, making her look almost radiant against the pale stone platform.
Whispers imdiately spread through the crowd.
"I heard that this junior sister from Athyst Summit Division only joined the academy about a month ago."
"Really?"
"Then she shouldn’t be very strong, right?"
"Who knows..."
One student shrugged.
"Anyway, today we’ll find out."
"Just watch."
"There’s definitely a good show coming."
-----
Across the arena, Shera watched quietly.
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
He turned slightly and gestured to the student standing behind him.
"Go."
His voice carried quiet authority.
"Perform well."
His eyes flickered briefly toward Leon.
Then he added with a thin smile—
"Don’t disappoint your Guardian Elder Leon."
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