Kael held Amelia's hand as they arrived at Zone One, now teeming with spectators eagerly awaiting the protagonists of the day.
When the pair entered, all eyes briefly locked onto Kael before snapping to their intertwined hands.
Shock. Confusion. Disbelief. Anger. Envy.
A kaleidoscope of reactions swept through the crowd, their faces contorting like a gallery of exaggerated theater masks.
Nearly everyone recognized Kael and Amelia—he, the prodigy of the Magic Academy; she, the frosty goddess of the Warrior Academy. Both had shone brilliantly in the Arcane-Martial Tournament, but as representatives of rival institutions, their unity baffled the onlookers.
"What the hell? Since when does Amelia, who's never spared a glance for anyone, hold hands with that Magic Academy upstart?!" cried a lovestruck Warrior Academy student.
"They're together? But I was going to confess to Senior Kael…" muttered a heartbroken Magic Academy girl.
The arena erupted into chaos, the tension boiling over like a pot of scalding water.
Yet the two at the storm's center remained unshaken. Kael, growing ever more thick-skinned, ignored the stares. Amelia, aloof by nature, dismissed the whispers outright.
Still, Kael couldn't help but hear the collective shattering of hearts—especially from male students of both academies.
Amelia, hailed as the Warrior Academy's unparalleled beauty, was renowned not just for her looks but her icy demeanor. No man had ever been seen close to her, let alone touching her hand.
Though rumors of her and Kael had recently circulated, most dismissed them as laughable gossip.
Now, the truth was undeniable.
Since when could anyone touch Amelia's hand? If anyone else had tried, they'd have been met with silence—or worse.
"Damn it! Kael's stealing the spotlight again! First dominating the Arcane-Martial Tournament, now snatching our academy's top beauty…" A warrior muttered bitterly, echoing the collective dismay rippling through the crowd.
Sighs filled the arena. Every notable student from Yanhua Academy knew Amelia's frosty reputation—which made her sudden intimacy with Kael all the more shocking.
When had Amelia ever been this close to a man?
The unspoken truth of their relationship hung in the air.
Ethan and Dylan, having already secured their quarterfinal spots in morning matches, observed calmly. As elites among their peers, their composure far surpassed the crowd's frenzy. Kael's upcoming battle against the Golden Lion would decide the final slot.
"Kael actually pulled it off with Amelia…" Finn gaped, torn between awe and despair. Just days ago, he'd joked about their rumored bond. Now, witnessing their joined hands, he could only marvel. How does Kael excel at everything—even wooing girls? I'll never stand a chance beside him!
The arena's chatter died abruptly.
A burly, towering figure emerged at the entrance—Eli, the Golden Lion—his fiery gaze locked solely on Kael, Amelia beside him utterly ignored.
"The final quarterfinal match begins now!" announced Vesper, materializing on the platform with his trademark grin. "Seven victors already await. Only Zone One's outcome remains!"
All eyes swiveled to Kael and Eli. This clash was the tournament's most anticipated: Eli, last year's runner-up, wielded unmatched experience despite slower growth than Dylan (last season's third). Meanwhile, Kael—the brightest rising star in Arcane-Martial history—had defied expectations as a freshman, leaving the world wondering: How far can he go?
The clash between these two was indeed the tournament's greatest suspense.
Kael released Amelia's hand, flashing her a confident smile before stepping toward the arena.
"You've got this," Amelia encouraged.
"Mm."
With a nod, Kael leapt onto the platform, landing with the steadiness of a seasoned warrior—a testament to his physique, reforged by the Thousand-Year Ice Essence and now rivaling a Level 3 warrior's endurance, an anomaly among mages.
"Remarkable! Student Kael ascends the three-meter platform without magic! Student Eli, your turn!" Vesper's voice boomed, shifting attention to the Golden Lion.
Eli snorted, vaulting onto the stage without channeling his combat aura. Though effortless for a warrior, his feat paled compared to Kael's, whose mage status made it extraordinary.
The battle had begun before the first spell was cast.
"To leap that height purely through physical strength… Is he truly a mage?" murmured a royal delegate from the Kaela Kingdom on the VIP dais, intrigued.
"This match will be one to remember," drawled Zorath the Silent, lounging in his seat with an amused grin. That boy's grown sharper overnight. Astonishing.
The Arcane-Martial Tournament was a crucible for prodigies in their prime—their explosive growth drawing scrutiny from empires, factions, and even the Sacred Council. Here, potential blazed brightest.
"Ethan, old friend, isn't your disciple among these contenders? Or did he fail to crack the top eight?" Austin teased, relishing the chance to provoke.
Ethan scoffed. Though lifelong comrades, their rivalry was legendary. "Save your concern, you old fool. My disciple needs no pity!"
Bystanders stifled laughter as the two elders bickered like children—a rare sight for men of their stature.
On the platform, Kael and Eli stood poised like stalking panthers. At Vesper's signal, their gazes sharpened, the air crackling with tension.
With a flash of Stellar Steps, Kael swiftly retreated, maintaining distance from the Golden Lion. His scepter flicked forward as he chanted, "Gravity Bind!"
Striking first was strategic—Kael knew their power gap wasn't insurmountable.
The Golden Lion staggered as the interference magic took hold, his body weighed down as if bearing a mountain. "You think a petty Gravity Bind can stop me?" he growled. Muscles bulged explosively, veins rippling as combat aura surged through him.
A sharp crack echoed—like shattering glass—as the Golden Lion's brute force shattered the spell's constraints.
It was Kael's first encounter with such defiance.
The Golden Lion had torn through the Gravity Bind using raw aura, not only nullifying it but triggering a violent magic backlash!
Yet Kael stood unfazed. The Equilibrium Gem atop his Holy Flame Scepter glowed faintly, and his extraordinary mental resilience neutralized the backlash's toll. Only a flicker of surprise betrayed his thoughts: His strength surpasses expectations.
The Golden Lion, too, hid his shock. No mage should withstand a backlash without flinching. This boy… a monster in human skin.
Their first skirmish ended in stalemate—neither gaining ground.
A draw, for now.