The atmosphere in the testing room seed more tense now. The woman who had led them there, apparently the leader of the assessnt, gestured for all the students to co closer. Her eyes were now more serious, observing each of the participants. Kael could sense that sothing was about to change, and knew that the idea of a combat test was not a simple one.
"Now, the most interesting part," said the woman, her eyes shining with a hint of anticipation. "You will all go through a series of combats. It's not a simple tournant, but a practical assessnt. The aim is to test your real combat skills, your adaptability and the effective use of your abilities. It will be everyone against everyone."
A murmur of surprise and nervousness ran through the room. Kael, however, remained as impassive as ever as he watched the others. So were visibly tense, others seed excited, but he knew that this was a perfect opportunity to show what he could really do.
The woman continued, showing no emotion on her face. "There will be no restrictions on the use of magic or weapons, but avoid causing serious harm to others. The aim is not to kill, but to demonstrate your abilities. Each fight will be monitored by teachers and, based on the results, the next stages will be decided."
Kael stood up, stretching slowly, while the other students prepared for battle. The combat field was set up in the center of the room, a spacious area with a magical grid around it to ensure that no one was accidentally thrown out of the arena. The tension in the air was palpable, and everyone began to line up, ready to fight.
The first students began to be called up one by one for the fights. The woman in charge of the evaluation signaled, and soon the first fight began: a young man with short hair and a nervous appearance against a girl with long hair and an air of confidence. The fight was quick, with the boy trying to fire spells, but the girl quickly countered his attempts with a magical shield, delivering a direct blow that sent him crashing to the ground.
Kael watched impassively as the tests unfolded in front of him. He had a clear view of the others' strategies and already knew how he could stand out. When he was finally called upon, he stood up unhurriedly, his gaze fixed on his next opponents.
The fight that followed was a succession of quick movents and maneuvers. Kael faced a young man with a long sword and a basic hand-to-hand combat technique. However, he quickly realized that the young man relied too much on his brute strength and had no real concept of mana control.
Kael, on the other hand, knew how to manipulate the flow of mana more efficiently. He didn't need a sword to defeat that opponent. With a simple wave of his hand, Kael made the mana around him expand, creating a force field that blocked his opponent's attack. Then, concentrating, he manipulated his mana with precision, causing the force field itself to push the young man backwards, knocking him down.
The surrounding crowd watched in silence. The teachers kept an eye on every detail, already beginning to formulate their analysis of Kael. His mastery of mana manipulation was evident, but what really surprised the observers was the ease with which he disard his opponent, without even having to fight physically.
Umbra appeared, floating next to Kael, watching the fight with a mischievous smile. "Well, you still know how to impress. Yeah, looks like the 'disadvantage' of the combat test is nothing to you."
Kael just shrugged. "I already knew this would be easy. But what matters is how they react afterwards."
Umbra gave an enigmatic smile. "Do you think you'll be the only one to do that? Wait until you see the others."
Kael, now more relaxed, continued to watch the other fights. He was becoming increasingly bored with the lack of resistance. Even the most skilled students didn't seem to live up to his expectations. But when he looked at the next participant - a young woman with silver hair and a powerful aura of energy around her - his interest was imdiately piqued. She had her eyes closed, but Kael could feel the pressure of the mana emanating from her.
It was Alia Valroth.
She entered the arena with a calm deanor, but Kael noticed that there was sothing different about her presence. Her energy seed controlled but imnse, as if she were ready to unleash uncontrollable power at any mont.
When the fight began, her opponent tried to get in close with a series of impact spells, but Alia was quicker. She opened her eyes, and in one fluid movent, manipulated her mana, creating an invisible wall of energy that absorbed all attacks, before approaching with impressive speed. With a swift movent of her hands, she made a blade of pure mana cut through her opponent's line of defense, knocking him to the ground without any hesitation.
Kael couldn't help but be impressed. Although he knew that his own mana control was unusual, there was sothing about the way Alia fought that captured his attention. She wasn't just fighting - she was dominating the field with a presence that Kael recognized, sothing visceral and powerful.
"This girl... has more than ets the eye," Kael muttered to himself, watching Alia with more interest. Umbra, who had returned to her floating position, looked at him with a subtle smile. "Interesting, huh? That must be fun."
Kael didn't reply, just continued to watch her. He knew she was an opponent to watch, but he wouldn't let himself be easily impressed. There were many other participants there, and he was curious to see what else the competition had to offer.
Kael watched the fights in front of him with an implacable expression. When another student's fight was over, he turned to Umbra, who was floating next to him, his eyes fixed on the clashes.
"Honestly, apart from Alia, I don't think I've been interested in any of those around us," Kael said, without taking his eyes off the arena.
Umbra, who until then had seed distracted, turned to him, her smile fading to give way to a more serious expression. "No wonder. As you grew up being trained by the Witch Queen, your level of knowledge and skill certainly affects your judgnt. Comparison with what you know is inevitable. Even those with great potential end up becoming just one more when compared to the people you've already t."
Kael grimaced slightly, but didn't disagree. He knew what Umbra ant. His life had never been ordinary. His training with such powerful figures had set his expectations very high. Even the most skilled in this room seed... minor in comparison.
"Let's just say that Eva, Elion, Eleonor, Albert, and even Irelia are people so far above average that, to their eyes, the rest beco irrelevant," Umbra continued, his voice laden with a wisdom that only a spirit who had witnessed so many lives could have. "But... be careful with that judgnt. Don't underestimate your enemies. Nor your friends. The world is full of surprises, and it's not because soone doesn't stand out at first that they can't beco a formidable opponent. The most obvious are not always the strongest."
Kael was silent for a mont, reflecting on Umbra's words. He knew how sharp her intuition could be, but she was right. It wasn't wise to underestimate anyone, even if their abilities seed limited. Life taught that appearances could be deceptive.
"You're right," Kael finally replied, his voice softer, but still with a calculating tone. "But so far, no one here has shown that there's anything I can't overco. I'll watch, but I won't lose my focus. My goal is clear."
Umbra floated closer to him, her eyes sparkling with a slight hint of amusent. "Always so determined, Kael. But rember, even the most powerful have their weak points. Even you." She smiled, already preparing herself to see how he would react to the next challenges.
Kael shrugged. "Everyone has weaknesses. But that's what makes stronger."
He looked back at the arena, ready for what was to co next. The competition was far from over, and he knew that, as strong as the others were, his own potential had yet to be fully revealed.
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