"What is Kael doing?! If he doesn't stop Cruy's spell, summoning that magic spirit will spell disaster!" Finn couldn't fathom Kael's actions. The spell Kael was chanting wasn't an interference spell like Magic Silence or Mana Disruption—it seemed to be an offensive incantation instead.
"He's overconfident," the Golden Lion muttered, shaking his head. Allowing a summoning-focused mage to cast freely was akin to courting death. He had once considered Kael a formidable rival, but it seemed the boy had grown complacent, repeating the same mistake Carlos had made.
Dylan and Ethan remained expressionless. They knew Kael's arrogance had to stem from a hidden plan.
"Heh. A freshman is just a freshman. You're too green, Classmate Kael!" Cruy sneered coldly. As he finished his incantation, his staff twirled, weaving elegant patterns in the air. Simultaneously, a series of intricate sigils and magic circles emerged on the ground.
He channeled the countless magical elements within the array, coalescing them into a colossal elemental spirit that awoke with a roar.
"Wind Spirit Summoning: Green-Eyed Giant!"
A tidal wave of mana surged outward as a towering azure figure, over ten meters tall, materialized. The crowd paled in unison.
From the magic circle, a massive emerald eye snapped open, followed by a deafening, bestial roar that shook the arena. Tornadic winds erupted, forcing spectators to clamp their hands over their ears, hearts pounding from the sheer pressure.
"Damn it! What is that? It's even stronger than what he summoned last time!" Finn shouted in alarm. Beside him, Amelia frowned silently, though a flicker of unease flashed in her eyes.
Even Ethan and the others tensed. It was clear this summoned creature was monstrous. Such was the might of summoning magic: with enough mana, a caster could fuel their spirit endlessly, unleashing catastrophic destruction.
The oppressive aura froze the air, suffocating all in its wake.
"Gods above…the Green-Eyed Giant—a Chieftain-tier spirit! Cruy actually summoned that! Kael's in for a brutal fight now!" Vesper cried from the commentator's platform.
At her words, the crowd erupted into panic.
The magic academy students, in particular, understood the gravity. Summoned spirits adhered to a strict hierarchy: Stride-tier, Elite-tier, Chieftain-tier, Lord-tier, and Demon King-tier.
Talented mages typically summoned Elite-tier spirits, occasionally Stride-tier if unlucky. Only those with extraordinary summoning aptitude could conjure Chieftain-tier or higher entities. As for Lord-tier? Without mastery of arcane magic, it was utterly impossible.
"A Chieftain-tier summoned spirit… Truly, this Cruy is a prodigy in summoning magic," remarked an elderly mage on the central viewing platform, his gaze approving. His robe bore a golden emblem—the mark of a Saint-Spirit Mage.
Austin stroked his long beard, nodding. "Indeed, his talent is remarkable." The crowd stirred; Austin rarely praised anyone so openly.
"Heh. Know your place, damn freshman!" Cruy sneered. This was the consequence of letting Kael ignore his spellcasting—now he'd be crushed beneath the Green-Eyed Giant's fists!
The colossal spirit loomed like a mountain, each step quaking the earth, its aura oppressive.
Cruy grinned triumphantly. This was his ultimate summoning spell. How could a mere freshman withstand it? In his mind's eye, he already saw the crowd's cheers and adoration—
Yet as disaster loomed, Kael remained eerily calm. His chant concluded.
Cruy's pupils contracted sharply. At Kael's feet, a crimson magic circle flared to life, radiating blistering heat.
"This…is also summoning magic?!" Cruy's instincts screamed danger. The sigils unmistakably marked a summoning array. Could this freshman also master summoning magic?!
"Damn it—Green-Eyed Giant, tear him apart!"
Cruy frantically commanded his spirit. The Giant lunged, fist hurtling toward Kael with storm-force winds. Screams erupted as supporters covered their eyes, bracing for the carnage—
But Cruy was too late.
Kael's spell was complete. Just as Cruy suspected, it was summoning magic—
Summoning magic from The Book of Immortality.
Though Kael had long neglected summoning arts, witnessing Cruy's duel with Carlos had been a revelation. Yesterday, he'd immersed himself in study, grasping its core principles—and now, he unleashed them.
At the very least, Kael possessed two unparalleled advantages critical to summoning magic: terrifying mental fortitude and colossal mana reserves.
"Flame Summoning: Nine-Tailed Firefox!"
From the magic circle, a violent surge of fire erupted. Flame elements converged and erupted, birthing a high-tier intelligent spirit.
A faint, confident smile tugged at Kael's lips. Above him, the Green-Eyed Giant's fist hurtled down, mere inches away. Elemental shockwaves whipped Kael's robes into a frenzy—
But just as the blow was about to land, the Giant's fist was effortlessly caught by crimson-scaled claws. A towering figure shielded Kael completely, its massive shadow engulfing him.
"Screeeeech—!"
A piercing shriek tore through the air as a spirit even larger than the Green-Eyed Giant—over ten meters tall—materialized before the crowd.
Its body blazed with ominous crimson flames, nine colossal tails lashing behind it, hurling boulders like pebbles. The Nine-Tailed Firefox!
Wreathed in searing scarlet fire, its snarling head bore twin crimson eyes blazing with savage ferocity. An aura of primal violence radiated unchecked.
"What…tier is this spirit?!" Vesper gaped in bewilderment, unable to classify the Firefox's rank.
On the central platform, veteran mages stared wide-eyed. Even their expertise failed to decipher the creature's tier.
This wasn't to say Kael's summon rivaled their own power, but rather that the spirit defied categorization—an enigma cloaked in flame.
"This boy…continues to surprise," Austin murmured, his hand tugging absently at his beard in shock, nearly yanking out a fistful of hair.
Ethan's expression mirrored disbelief. When did he learn this?
"What is that monstrosity?!" Cruy stumbled backward, the Firefox's oppressive aura crushing him.
He felt it—the Green-Eyed Giant's towering frame trembled, its spirit quaking with primal fear toward the creature before it.
How is this possible?!
Cruy had never heard of this freshman mastering summoning magic. Yet the truth glared back, undeniable. He stared at the scene, disbelief clawing at him.
"Attack!" Cruy snarled, channeling mana to override the Green-Eyed Giant's fear. The Giant roared, its massive palm splaying open like a fan, conjuring a monstrous hurricane within its grip.
But as the storm raged, the Nine-Tailed Firefox's flames didn't falter—they surged, fed by the winds. The crimson spirit lunged, a scarlet blur outpacing the Giant.
With a ground-shattering leap that fractured the arena floor, the Firefox soared. Its jaws snapped shut around the Giant's arm—
And wrenched violently.
Crrrack!
The Giant's arm tore free. Though the spirit lacked blood, its intricate elemental framework—the core of its consciousness—lay mangled. A deafening howl of agony erupted from the Giant's emerald eye, now brimming with primal terror. Defying Cruy's commands, it did the unthinkable—
It fled.
The colossal spirit curled in on itself, wailing, and scrambled backward at breakneck speed to escape the Firefox.
"Get back here!" Cruy roared, panic and fury twisting his features. The battle had flipped in mere seconds—from certain victory to humiliating defeat.
This can't be happening! What tier is this freshman's spirit?!
His mind screamed denial. His pride, his Chieftain-tier summon, had collapsed without resistance. The Green-Eyed Giant—once a symbol of his dominance—now cowered, fleeing after a single strike from the Nine-Tailed Firefox.
"No!" Cruy's face contorted as he poured mana into reasserting control. But the Giant's spirit severed the connection, rejecting his command entirely.
Summoning backlash.
A critical flaw of summoning magic: if a mage lost control, the recoil was brutal.
Thud.
Cruy crumpled, blood spraying from his lips as he collapsed unconscious.
Deprived of its master's mana, the Giant froze mid-retreat. The Firefox pounced, jaws crunching through the spirit's colossal frame with grotesque snaps.
Kael stood at the arena's center, a mere speck beside the towering Firefox. Yet to the awestruck crowd, he seemed to loom larger than life.
The sheer spectacle left the entire audience breathless.
The arena fell deathly silent, not a breath audible.