"We were fighting with our lives on the line, and he’s over there sleeping!" Adrian shouted in frustration. Yor glanced at the sleeping Aster and shrugged. "Let him sleep. Maybe he trained all night. Otherwise, how could he possibly sleep in a place this noisy?"
Captain Lyra clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. "Alright, everyone, calm down. Don’t stress too much. I’ve already prepared healing and mana potions. Alas, Adrian, take these and recover before the next match."
"Yes, Captain."
Adrian accepted the potions, glanced at Aster one last time, then drank them in one gulp, his frustration still written all over his face.
After an hour, the match between Saint Helena Martial Art College and Broad River Martial Art College officially began. This was Saint Helena’s very first match in the tournament, so the audience was eager to witness the strength of their awakened classes.
The referee stepped into the center of the arena.
"Representatives from both colleges, please enter the arena."
Broad River sent Riven Ravencrest as their first fighter. From Saint Helena, the spiky white haired boy everyone had noticed earlier calmly walked into the arena.
With a gentle smile, the principal of Saint Helena introduced him. "This is the ace of our team, Veyl Seraphine. The class he awakened is Celestial Vanguard, a Unique Class."
The announcement immediately drew surprised murmurs from the audience.
General Cassius and the other principals exchanged glances. None of them had ever heard of such a class before. Cassius let out a dry laugh. "Have Unique Classes suddenly become common?"
Inside the arena, Veyl stood quietly in his spotless white uniform. His short, spiky white hair swayed gently in the breeze as he held a spear in one hand and a shield in the other.
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
The instant the match started, Riven disappeared "Mirrored Step!" His figure split into several afterimages as he rapidly closed the distance. "Whirling Edge!" His sword spun in a deadly arc, aiming to overwhelm Veyl before he could react. However, Veyl remained perfectly calm. "Aegis of the Stars." A shimmering celestial barrier instantly surrounded him. Tiny black and white stars floated inside the transparent shield, making it resemble the endless night sky.
Clang!
Riven’s spinning slash crashed into the barrier but failed to break through. Instead, a burst of holy energy rebounded from the shield.
Boom!
The reflected force sent Riven stumbling backward, several fresh cuts appearing across his body.
His expression changed "What...?"
Veyl seized the opening without hesitation. He raised his spear toward the sky "Radiant Judgment." Brilliant celestial light gathered around the spearhead, becoming so dazzling that many spectators instinctively shielded their eyes.
The next instant
Whoosh!
A spear of pure holy light shot across the arena faster than anyone could react.
Pshh!
It pierced straight through Riven’s right shoulder, leaving behind a clean hole. Blood splattered onto the arena floor as Riven staggered backward, clutching his shoulder in pain.
The audience gasped.
"That attack could’ve killed him!"
"Saint Helena’s students are ruthless!"
Broad River’s principal immediately stood up. "What is the meaning of this?" he shouted angrily. "The tournament rules clearly forbid life threatening attacks! Have you completely ignored the regulations?"
Saint Helena’s principal remained calm. "Relax. Your student isn’t in any danger." He pointed toward the arena. "Our medical team has already arrived. Our healing instructor specializes in advanced recovery magic. Injuries like this are nothing to our students. They experience them during training every few days."
Everyone turned toward the arena. A female instructor hurried onto the battlefield and placed her glowing hand over Riven’s wound. Warm green light enveloped his shoulder. Before everyone’s eyes, flesh regenerated, muscles reconnected, and the hole completely disappeared within seconds, leaving only a tear in his uniform.
Broad River’s principal finally let out a sigh of relief. General Cassius narrowed his eyes.
"Their students regularly endure injuries like that?"
"If Military College had a healer of that caliber, we could increase the intensity of our training several times over" As he thought about it, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the audience seats where Aisha sat quietly watching the battle.
After Riven’s defeat, Dorian Crowe entered the arena. He fought with everything he had, but the gap in strength was simply too great. Within minutes, he was overwhelmed by Veyl and collapsed with multiple injuries across his body. Once again, Saint Helena’s healer entered the arena and restored him to perfect condition within moments.
The referee looked toward Broad River’s side. "Please send your next contestant."
Instead, Broad River’s principal slowly stood up "We surrender."
The audience fell silent.
"I know my students well. They are not strong enough to defeat Saint Helena this year. I refuse to let them suffer unnecessary injuries. Therefore... we surrender."
The referee nodded. "The winner of this match"
He raised his hand high.
"...Saint Helena Martial Art College!"
The Saint Helena students erupted into cheers.
"Veyl!"
"Veyl!"
"Veyl!"
The stadium echoed with his name.
However, the misunderstanding involving Aster still lingered in Veyl’s mind. He stepped forward, raised his spear, and shouted loud enough for the entire stadium to hear. "Where is Aster from Military College? Come and fight me! I challenge you!"
The Saint Helena students immediately erupted into even louder cheers.
"Fight him!"
"Show Military College who’s stronger!"
"Veyl! Veyl!"
Before Aster could respond, Adrian calmly stepped into the arena. "You want to challenge Military College?" Adrian said confidently, a proud smile on his face. "Seems like you don’t know your place."
Veyl frowned. "Why are you here? Where is Aster?"
Adrian smirked and pointed toward the Military College seating area. Veyl, along with everyone else, turned to look. There, sitting comfortably in his seat... Aster was asleep. The stadium fell silent for a second before bursting into laughter.
"He’s actually sleeping!"
"How can someone sleep in a place this noisy?"
"Maybe he trained a little too hard last night."
"I heard plenty of clapping coming from his room."
Even Saint Helena’s principal couldn’t help laughing. "Hahaha! Aster is certainly... an interesting young man." General Cassius quietly covered his face with one hand, wishing he could disappear from embarrassment.
Seeing Aster sleeping so peacefully while ignoring his challenge completely, Veyl’s expression darkened. Veins bulged on his forehead as anger surged through him. Adrian drew his sword and pointed it toward Veyl. "Hey, look over here. I’m your opponent this round."
Veyl slowly shifted his gaze away from Aster.
Without another word, he lowered his stance and tightened his grip on his spear. Adrian did the same. The atmosphere inside the arena instantly became tense as both fighters prepared for battle.
The referee’s hand dropped.
"Begin!"
The moment the match started, Veyl charged forward, anger burning in his eyes after witnessing Aster sleeping carelessly after looking down on him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
His spear danced like a silver dragon, thrusting from every angle. Adrian calmly responded with Tempest Step, weaving between the attacks before drawing his sword in a flash. Lightning Draw! A bolt of lightning streaked toward Veyl. He blocked it with the shaft of his spear, but the impact forced him back several meters.
Adrian immediately closed the distance, his sword crackling with lightning as he unleashed a barrage of slashes. For the first time, Veyl was being pushed onto the defensive.
He clenched his teeth. Golden mana erupted from his body.
"Ascendant Form!"
A pillar of divine light descended from the heavens. Brilliant wings of holy energy spread behind his back as a radiant aura enveloped his body. His speed and strength surged to an entirely different level, while holy energy continuously healed the minor wounds Adrian had inflicted.
The audience gasped.
In an instant, Veyl vanished.
Boom!
Adrian barely managed to block the incoming spear, but the overwhelming force launched him across the arena. Before he could regain his footing, Veyl appeared above him.
"Radiant Judgment!"
A colossal spear of celestial light descended from the sky. Adrian activated Mana Pressure, trying to weaken the attack, and escaped with Tempest Step, but the explosion still caught him.
BOOM!
A blinding pillar of holy light engulfed the arena. When the light faded, Adrian was kneeling on one knee, his clothes torn and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. A glowing holy mark shone on his chest.
Veyl didn’t give him a chance to recover. With his radiant wings propelling him forward, he unleashed a relentless storm of spear strikes. Every attack was strengthened by holy power, and the glowing mark amplified the damage Adrian received.
Clang! Clang! Bang!
Adrian desperately blocked, but each collision drove him farther back. His arms trembled from the overwhelming force. With one final burst of speed, Veyl thrust his spear straight toward Adrian’s chest.
BOOM!
The impact shattered Adrian’s guard and sent him crashing into the arena wall. Dust filled the battlefield. After several seconds, Adrian struggled to stand but could no longer continue.
The referee raised his hand.
"Winner... Veyl Seraphine of Saint Helena Martial Art College!"
And In the resting room captain Lyra with a worried expression said "Wake up Aster!"