The designated site lay near the Azure Cloud Tower. Kael and Amelia arrived swiftly, finding a packed training ground buzzing with tension. Crowds from both Magic and Warrior Academies murmured anxiously, their grim expressions confirming the dire situation.
"Senior Kael, you're here!" Ivy spotted him first, darting over to clutch his arm. Despite being first-years, she insisted on the honorific – a habit Kael tolerated with reluctant amusement.
Noticing Amelia's presence, Ivy hastily released him and stuck out her tongue. Rumors of their relationship had spread wildfire-fast.
Amelia merely nodded, unfazed by the girl's antics.
"What's the situation?" Kael asked.
Ivy's enthusiasm dimmed. "Nankur sent five 'exchange students' – all high sixth-rank or above. Their leader Simon's borderline seventh-rank. He's already crushed three of ours, including Korgoth!"
Kael's jaw tightened. Nankur Academy, renowned for magical prowess, had clearly orchestrated this humiliation. Flamecrest's reputation as the premier academy now teetered on the edge.
"If we lose here," Ivy whispered urgently, "we'll become the four academies' laughingstock! Instructor Evelyn is frantic. Dylan's vanished, so it's all on you!"
Kael surveyed the arena. Nankur's delegation stood arrogantly amidst Flamecrest's defeated – Simon preening like a peacock beside Korgoth's unconscious form. The stakes were clear: this wasn't an exchange, but a calculated power play.
Amelia's hand brushed his shoulder. "Shall we?"
He stepped forward, frostfire flickering at his fingertips. Time to remind Nankur why Flamecrest wore the crown.
Evelyn and Ivy's urgency now made sense. As Kael assessed the situation, the crowd erupted anew. A ripple of dismay spread as Ivy paled. "Cruy's fighting now! If even he loses…"
"Move!" Kael barked.
With Amelia flanking him, they channeled mana and aura to part the throng. The training ground's central arena came into view, where Cruy stood gasping beside his battered Emerald Ocular Colossus. His opponent – a Nankur mage with a shattered staff – lay defeated but defiant.
"Cruy won!" Ivy exhaled in relief.
Kael shook his head. Though victorious, Cruy's trembling hands and sweat-drenched robes betrayed his exhaustion. His mana reserves were frayed to the breaking point.
The true threat loomed among Nankur's remaining four delegates. Simon leaned casually against a pillar, arms crossed. Beside him stood Jessica, whose sun-kissed complexion and cropped battle-robes drew admirers like moths to flame. Finn's persistent infatuation with her had burned her image into Kael's memory.
Jessica's wildcat smirk widened as she noticed Kael's arrival. Her gaze lingered on Amelia before flicking back, challenge gleaming in hazel eyes.
"Flamecrest's last hope arrives," Simon drawmed, stepping forward. "Shall we skip the warmups, prodigy?"
Kael ignored the jab, assessing the quartet. Two others flanked Simon: a hulking enchanter and a lithe runecaster. Only Jessica remained seated, toying with a frostfire crystal – a mocking replica of Kael's signature spell.
"Rules?" Kael demanded.
"Survival," Jessica purred. "Till yield or incapacity."
Amelia's hand brushed his – a knight's silent vow. Whatever Nankur planned, they'd face it united.
Kael and Amelia's arrival instantly stole the crowd's attention, dimming Jessica's spotlight.
"Is that Simon?" Kael nodded toward the defeated mage.
"No, that's Dean," Ivy whispered, gesturing discreetly at a pale, angular-faced youth among the Nankur delegation. "Simon's their ace – he took down Jaxon and Korgoth earlier. Cruy challenged him, but they swapped in Dean halfway…"
Understanding dawned. This was dimensional warfare tactics – Nankur's version of Tianji's horse racing strategy. Simon, their strongest, had exhausted Flamecrest's key players first. Then they'd baited Cruy into wasting his strength on Dean, their weakest link. Now Simon stood refreshed and ready to mop up Flamecrest's spent remnants.
"Clever bastards," Kael muttered. The scheme reeked of meticulous planning. Nankur hadn't come for cultural exchange – this was a surgical strike at Flamecrest's reputation.
Across the arena, Simon smirked as Cruy's Emerald Colossus flickered and dissolved. The victor swayed dangerously, mana reserves depleted.
"Flamecrest's vaunted summoners?" Simon drawled, stepping forward. "More like candle flames – bright, brief, and easily snuffed."
Jessica chuckled, twirling a lock of chestnut hair around her finger. Her gaze slid to Amelia. "Your knight's glaring could melt glaciers. Does she always chaperone you, pretty boy?"
Amelia's hand drifted toward her sword hilt. Kael stayed her with a touch.
"Save your strength," he murmured. "They want us rattled."
Simon's staff sparked with violet lightning. "Enough theatrics. Flamecrest's last stand begins now."
The challenge hung in the air – not a duel, but an execution. Yet Kael's frostfire eyes blazed colder than ever.
"Kael, you're here!"
Evelyn's voice cut through the murmurs, her crimson battle-robes standing stark against the anxious crowd. The relief on her striking features was palpable as her gaze locked onto Kael.
All eyes swiveled to him. Among Nankur's delegates, Simon and Jessica exchanged wary glances. They'd studied Kael's duel against Cruy meticulously – his frostfire mastery and tactical brilliance had earned him the second spot on their threat list, trailing only Dylan. Their entire scheme hinged on Dylan's absence, confirmed through weeks of reconnaissance.
"Flamecrest's pet prodigy," Simon drawled, though his knuckles whitened around his staff. "Late to your own funeral?"
Kael ignored the jab, assessing the battlefield. Nankur's strategy unfolded with brutal clarity: exhaust Flamecrest's strongest through staggered matches, preserving their own stamina. Jaxon and Korgoth already lay defeated, Cruy teetering on collapse. By the rules of this "exchange," Flamecrest could field only five challengers. Four had fallen. Kael would face Nankur's freshest four alone.
Evelyn's silent plea hung between them – Make it honorable, at least.
But Kael's smile sharpened.
"Apologies for the delay," he said, frostfire swirling at his fingertips. "Shall we properly begin?"