Kalim had been launching attacks non-stop when suddenly his target disappeared.

His eyes darted frantically in every direction, panic creeping into his face. But no matter where he looked, Logan was nowhere to be found.

And then he felt it.

A monstrous pressure surged from behind, like some ferocious presence had silently appeared and was about to devour him whole.

He turned, desperate to see what it was. But before his eyes could even see what it was...

Bam!

A deafening explosion rang out.

Kalim's body was sent hurtling forward like a ragdoll, limbs flailing through the air.

But before he could even hit the ground, a figure emerged before him from nowhere...

And then..

Thud!

A knee buried itself deep into Kalim's stomach.

His entire body came to an abrupt halt, mid-air.

Blood burst from his mouth as his expression twisted in agony.

And then, like a wet piece of clothes, his body slid down… limp… lifeless.

A stunned silence swept across the arena.

High in the royal balcony, Arsalan, King of Drahzul, sat frozen... his eyes were locked on the battlefield, completely dazed.

Just moments ago, the Arcadian fighter had vanished.

Then, without warning, his kingdom's warrior had been struck down by an invisible force from behind. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of the attacker.

Frantically, his eyes scanned the arena, searching for Kalim.

He soon found him. Kalem was still suspended in the air, flying helplessly forward.

And then... his body suddenly stopped in place, as if he'd slammed into an invisible wall.

And then he could see what he had been looking for...

The Arcadian fighter.... Standing right before Kalem's body

He stood there as if nothing had happened.

Arsalan's knuckles tightened against the armrest of his throne, the wood cracking under the pressure.

"What the hell is he?" he whispered, breath ragged. "How is he that fast? How can anyone be that fast? What kind of magic is that?!"

A man seated beside him leaned in and said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness… he didn't use any magic."

Arsalan turned to him sharply, eyes wide, face pale as if he'd seen a ghost.

"What did you say?! He didn't use magic? Don't speak nonsense. How is that even possible?!"

The man swallowed hard, visibly shaken.

"I... I know how it sounds. Even I can't bring myself to believe it. But it's the truth. There was no mana fluctuation. That… was pure brute force. All physical."

Arsalan stared ahead, completely speechless.

His mind, for once, had no answer.

Seeing the stunned expressions across the arena, those seated in Arcadia's section couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of satisfaction.

They weren't the type to flaunt power, most of them didn't enjoy showing off.

But today… they savored every second of it.

For so long, it had always been them being shocked by Logan's unnatural, unexplainable power.

But now, the tables had turned.

And for once, they could enjoy it seeing others in the same shoes as them.

Yet, not everyone from Arcadia shared the same reaction.

There were those like Leonard and Damian, whose faces remained stiff and unreadable.

And then, there was another group... neither proud nor envious, but equally shocked as the rest of the crowd.

They sat high above, in the royal balcony:

King Raelor Hale, ruler of Arcadia, sat with his wife Queen Priscilla, and their two elder sons, Elias and Ramos.

Rowan and Daliah were supposed to be seated here too.

But they had chosen to sit with others, among the people who had shared in Logan's journey.

The royal family had arrived just moments before Logan's battle began, quietly settling into their seats.

Now, King Raelor stared at the arena, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Is that the boy Rowan kept bragging about?" he muttered. "The one with some unique technique for strengthening the body? Astounding… How did we not know we had such a gem under our nose all this time?"

"True," Queen Priscilla added, nodding slowly. "If we had known earlier, we could've nurtured him far more carefully." Her eyes remained locked on the battlefield.

"But I still don't understand the part Rowan mentioned… Something about this Logan winning the entire tournament without using a single spell?" Her voice trailed off, full of disbelief.

Elias, the eldest prince, said nothing.

His fists clenched faintly in his lap.

"So Rowan knew about all this from the beginning… But he still never told me. Why? Don't they trust me? Am I really that incompetent as an elder brother?" he wondered silently, his chest tightening.

Meanwhile, Ramos, Arcadia's second prince was simply enjoying the show. A battle-lover through and through, he had no interest in politics or scheming. All he cared about was strength.

He leaned over toward Elias and grinned.

"Brother, I'm glad I came today," he said with genuine excitement in his voice.

Elias didn't say anything. His eyes were focused on the arena.

Meanwhile, after Kalim's limp body slid to the ground, Logan didn't even bother to stay.

Without looking back, he turned and began walking toward the gallery where the others were seated.

His steps were calm. Confident.

"One down," he whispered under his breath as he exited the arena.

He didn't need to check. He knew Kalim wasn't getting up.

And back in the arena, the referee Thalan approached Kalim. He crouched beside him, placed two fingers on his neck, and checked for a pulse.

After a few seconds, he stood up straight, turned to face the audience, and announced in a booming voice:

"Kalim is knocked out! Winner… Logan Smith!"

The name Logan Smith echoed throughout the arena.

Some erupted into wild cheers. Others sat frozen in disbelief.

In the galleries belonging to the other kingdoms like Solmyr, Caelondor, and Velkar, shocked murmurs quickly spread.

"He actually won?!"

"That boy defeated Kalim? But Kalim is an A-Class veteran! A Tier Five mage in all of his three attribute! He was just inches away from becoming an S-Class!"

"Then doesn't that mean... that kid from Arcadia is already S-Class?! How the hell is that even possible?!"

The confusion was deafening.

Murmurs raced through the stands like wildfire, some in awe, some in fear, and some in complete denial.

But in the midst of it all, Thalan's voice boomed once again, cutting through the chaos like a blade.

"Next match... Charles of Caelondor vs Meridith of Solmyr."

As his name was called, Charles stood up from the Caelondor section and headed toward the arena.

As he walked, he glanced briefly at Logan.

His gaze was unreadable but intense.

Then, without a word, he headed toward the stage.

From the opposite side, a woman in her thirties rose from Solmyr's corner... Meridith. She started walking toward the battlefield as well.

Her presence was calm… but powerful.

As both fighters stood facing each other, Thalan stepped forward and took his place between them.

His voice rang out across the silent arena.

"Ready?"

He glanced at Charles first, then Meridith.

Both nodded in unison.

Charles's affinities were air and earth. Few from Arcadia like Ali Arkman, Noah, and Logan already knew about it.

As for Meridith of Solmyr, her affinities remained unknown. No one in the Arcadian corner had any clue what she was capable of.

From the Arcadia section, Ali Arkman narrowed his eyes. "She seems strong."

Noah nodded. "Yes. But Charles will probably win. I know his resilience. And he's trained under Rowan as well… for last fourten days, he's been practicing cultivation."

Ali shrugged. "Yeah. Let's see what happens."

Meanwhile, Logan sat silently between Rudeous and Alice. His eyes were locked on the battlefield.

His gaze was focused, serene, but unwavering.

Though he had already secured his victory, there wasn't even a trace of arrogance or boredom in his expression.

He wasn't looking for glory.

He was here… for something far greater. To protect a future. To save humanity.

Back in the arena..

"Begin!" Thalan's command echoed across the coliseum.

And the moment the word left his lips... Both fighters launched into motion.

There was no hesitation. No holding back. No one wanted to give the other even the slightest advantage.

Charles stomped the ground, channeling his Earth affinity to reinforce his stance, while a gust of wind coiled around him like a serpent, ready to strike.

Meridith, in contrast, was pure fire and fury. Her palms crackled with lightning, and flames danced around her fingertips as if alive.

She dashed forward, her speed enhanced by lightning surging through her limbs.

Charles raised a stone wall with a stomp but Meridith was already in the air, fire swirling around her fist.

Boom!

She crashed down, her flaming strike smashing through the barrier. Sparks flew as Charles countered with a burst of wind that knocked her back but she landed gracefully, lightning crackling beneath her feet.

The crowd roared with cheers.

Both shot toward each other again. Sparkles of spells covered the area as sounds of their clash echoed. For a moment, no one could tell who would win.

But Logan? He chuckled as if he already had the answer.

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