Leonard pulled out a long wooden wand and pointed it at Hayden. Simultaneously, Hayden dashed to the side and grabbed his own wand, which had been a gift from Damian. Neither of them chanted or said anything. Rylan nodded to himself as he kept his eyes on the budding battle, his sharpened field of view managing to grasp everything within the clearing.

I might need to step in.

At their core, all the student council members and Hayden himself were young Mages in training. It was entirely possible for them to make a mistake or misjudge either their own power or that of their opponent. In such a situation, Rylan was confident that he could react faster than anyone else here. He put his right hand on Silver Twilight's hilt. From the side, Lucian glanced at him, then at his hands, before looking back at the fight. Part of him burned with expectation. He knew how much Hayden had improved after their match at the tournament finals.

Like a land after a drought that had been met with rain for the first time, Hayden had greedily absorbed every bit of knowledge that Damian had taught him. Since it had been his first time receiving formal education, he had improved at a frightening rate.

He's much stronger now.

Rylan grinned to himself. Unlike in the tournament finals, there were no obstacles or walls to hide behind. How would Hayden fight? He wanted to see how Hayden's unique fighting style had changed because of his growth.

Almost at the same time, the mana around both Leonard and Hayden changed. Around Leonard, the mana coalesced into water, which then froze in the shape of large spikes, each several meters long and two meters tall. There were five of them in total, but Leonard didn't stop there. The earth underneath Hayden's feet trembled. Meanwhile, the previously still atmosphere around Hayden turned into a fierce whirlwind. A blaze ignited deep within it, causing everything to catch fire in just over a second. A moment later, Hayden could be seen surrounded by a veritable storm of fire. Leonard blinked.

In the next second, their spells moved. The Glacier Fangs pierced through the air with the power of an avalanche, each coming from different angles. The leftmost one, in particular, followed a curved trajectory.

He's predicting where Hayden will dodge toward.

Rylan grinned. His friend wasn't so easily handled.

The storm of fire pushed forward, but not a single blade of grass was scorched. The first Fang arrived. It crashed against the flames and naturally got right through them. However, with each passing fraction of a second, the Glacier Fang became smaller and smaller.

The earth underneath Hayden rose in the shape of Earth Spikes. As if he had been waiting for it, Hayden hurriedly twisted his body to avoid the first Spike, only for the second and third ones to rip their way out of the ground around him. Despite this, his expression was calm and collected.

Finally, only a meter from reaching Hayden, the first Fang melted into water, which evaporated a moment later. The second and third Glacier Fangs were already piercing through the flames, but Hayden acted as if he couldn't even see them. His wand pointed at Leonard, he continued to run and avoid the Earth Spikes.

At the same time, the whirlwind of fire didn't slow down in the least. Instead of rushing straight at Leonard, it circled him, devouring everything around him. Leonard narrowed his eyes and started running as well, in the direction of the only opening that had been left by the fire's movements.

Rylan clicked his tongue.

Wrong way.

It was only obvious for Leonard to try and run toward the only opening left in the curtain of fire. However, that was exactly what made his movements so predictable. It was as if he were loudly announcing where he would go next. In this scenario, there was no way someone on Hayden's level or higher would miss such an obvious opportunity. To prove Rylan's thoughts, Hayden grinned as he avoided a two-meter-long Earth Spike, which grazed his blood to draw a line of blood. Above, a rush of flames separated from the storm of fire in a curved trajectory. Rylan saw where it was going in a heartbeat.

It's going to the only opening.

Hayden had intentionally left an opening in his spell, and that opening was about to be filled with an attack. The fire storm's shape had turned the opening into something like a corridor, where fire would rush through. It was an unavoidable attack, given Leonard's current position.

Rylan threw Leonard a look of interest. Judging from the towering young man's expression, he was aware of the meaning of his actions.

Now, what will you do?

Of course, Rylan already knew what the plan most likely was. He looked at the Glacier Fang that had been going on a curved trajectory around Hayden. It arrived from behind him, aiming straight at his back. Hayden looked at it and lowered his center of gravity, but the Earth Spikes that surged out of the earth hindered his movements. They weren't trying to hit him; instead, they sought only to limit his options. Rylan nodded to himself.

Hayden furrowed his brow and waved his wand. Part of the fire around him gathered and condensed into a thick wall of fire in front of the Fang. At the same time, the perfect circle of fire hadn't been broken. As if on cue, the maelstrom of flames moved. Part of it surrounded Hayden completely, making him look like a bonfire, while the rest moved. The circle of fire shifted without breaking its shape, closing in on Leonard, who frowned. Rylan looked at Hayden with appreciation.

He's not afraid of his own spells anymore.

Unlike how he had handled Tide during the tournament finals, Hayden had willingly surrounded himself with the fire, believing in his ability to control it without being harmed. Rylan grinned. Hayden had stuck with a combination of offensive spells from the start of the battle. Naturally, the mix of wind and fire was especially destructive and would only shine brighter on a battlefield, where space was limited by the presence of other soldiers. From both an area-of-effect and damage standpoints, it was an incredibly effective bet. However, this decision meant that Hayden wasn't free to protect himself with Magic Shield or whatever other spell that could be used defensively, such as Earth Wall.

The Glacier Fang aiming for Hayden's back hit the wall of fire in its way, melting in real time. At the same time, Hayden kept moving, avoiding the last few Earth Spikes without taking his eyes off Leonard. A moment later, the wave of fire from above arrived. The Spikes crumbled as Leonard hurriedly cast Magic Shield to protect himself. The flames crashed against the Shield, while the ones around Hayden melted the remaining Glacier Fangs. Now free from the burden of needing to deal with any attacks, Hayden waved his wand. The ring of fire closed in on Leonard's position even faster like a tidal wave. Leonard pointed his wand at Hayden. His mana moved again.

The temperature increased, but Leonard didn't even flinch as the fire came at him. Hayden kept his gaze fixed on him, clearly ready to react to any incoming spell. Mana coalesced into water around Leonard just as the flames were about to devour him. The moment the fire crashed against the water, it sizzed and evaporated, creating a large wave of steam that quickly roiled over the entire field. Hayden blinked. Part of the whirlwind of fire moved to push the steam away, but it only resulted in the flames hitting more of the water and creating more steam.

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Not a bad plan.

Hayden's visibility was now compromised and would continue to be until he dismissed the flames. Rylan tilted his head.

But so is Leonard's.

What was the goal here? As if to reply to his thoughts, the steam shifted. Sharp blades of wind cut through it, each several meters long. They didn't aim for Hayden's precise location, but because of their sheer size, they succeeded in placing him within their range. Hayden barely had the time to dismiss the flames to cast Magic Shield before the Wind Blades crashed against it. In a split second, Rylan realized what would happen.

He's going to get flung.

The Blades packed a much greater momentum than even he expected. The moment Hayden's feet left the ground, he was pushed backward like an arrow. Gritting his teeth, he waved his wand. The whirlwind, which had remained even after the flames disappeared, pushed the steam away to reveal Leonard's relaxed figure. Leonard pointed his wand at Hayden, who was still in mid-air. The earth behind Hayden rippled and rose in the shape of a large pillar. Rylan nodded to himself. If Hayden did nothing, he would crash against the pillar at full speed. Even with Magic Shield, the impact was bound to leave him confused for a second. Rylan grinned.

Or, at least, it should be.

Hayden unceremoniously crashed against the pillar, Shield against stone, stopping dead in his tracks. As he slid down the pillar to touch the ground, his eyes remained clear, though his brow was furrowed. Leonard blinked. Hayden pointed his wand at him, keeping his Magic Shield active. The steam disappeared as Leonard dismissed the water spell and started running to the side. The earth around him rippled, then rose in the shape of sharp Spikes. A Magic Shield took shape over Leonard's skin as he dodged the first few Spikes. Just like during the battle against Rylan, the Spikes rippled and started ramifying, each giving rise to more, smaller Spikes. Quickly and almost silently, the Spikes started weaving a stone cage around Leonard. Hayden's Shield disappeared. Rylan looked at Leonard with some interest. The young man still looked calm.

Leonard didn't dismiss his Magic Shield, but the Earth Spikes continued to appear, grazing it without crumbling.

He's limiting Leonard's options.

Even with Magic Shield active, if Leonard got trapped within the stone forest without even being able to move, this battle would be over.

Had Leonard also realized this? The earth underneath him abruptly shifted, then rose as another pillar. Since he was standing on it, his figure naturally rose alongside it to quickly tower over the Earth Spikes. Hayden furrowed his brow as the Shield around Leonard was dismissed and waved his wand.

Almost simultaneously, mana coalesced into water around Leonard and aimed straight at Hayden, and the air above him gathered in the shape of sharp half-moons that were several meters long. The Wind Blades descended with incredible force and the Water Bullets shot toward his chest, but Hayden didn't stop moving and ran to the side. He avoided the first few Blades, but couldn't help but be struck in the shoulder by one of the Bullets.

Leonard leaped straight out of his high ground, one of the Blades moving under his feet to slow down his descent.

In such a fashion, Hayden and Leonard kept throwing spells back and forth. Hayden alternated between combinations of one offensive and one defensive spell, and one control spell and one offensive spell. Supported by his quick casting time and battle experience, Hayden was able to pressure Leonard to a surprising degree. For a while, the battle seemed to be in a perfect stalemate.

Then, suddenly, Leonard's casting speed increased, as did the speed and power of his spells. He used defensive spells in unorthodox ways and personalized his offensive spells, much like Hayden. After a certain point, even though their ability to use their spells was similar to each other, Leonard's casting speed surpassed Hayden's. It was the beginning of the end. His spells gradually became more powerful and even more accurate. From the start of the battle, he hadn't suffered a single wound. It was as if he were slowly waving a web around Hayden.

His fighting style is surprisingly careful.

From the side, distant from the constant influx of mana, Rylan tilted his head.

This will end soon.

As if on cue, Hayden made a mistake less than ten seconds later. No, it couldn't even be called a mistake. He was simply too slow to decide which spell to use as Leonard broke through a wall of fire, covered in a Magic Shield. Immediately after he did it, the Shield disappeared. Ice Spears took shape around him, and the earth below Hayden rose to grab his ankles and keep him pinned in place. Hayden blinked and raised his wand, but it was too late. Leonard's casting had clearly caught him off-guard.

Was he slowing down his own casting speed for the sake of this opportunity alone?

Rylan nodded to himself. It was over.

The first spear arrived and created a gash on Hayden's right arm, which was holding his wand. Frost spread out from the wound, making Hayden grit his teeth. The second Spear grazed his left leg, and the third injured his waist. Once they had all wounded him, Hayden collapsed to his knees, his damaged legs no longer able to support his weight.

"Ophelia," Lucian said loudly from the side. Rylan glanced at him. The young man was staring at Hayden with clear appreciation. "Go heal him."

A bit further behind them, Ophelia scoffed.

"Oh, shut up. Don't order me around."

Despite her words, she quickly ran toward Hayden. Rylan surveyed the expressions of all student council members. Without exception, they either looked pleasantly surprised or straight-up shocked, like Louise.

"I'm going to be real with you," Oliver said to Rylan as he nodded at Hayden with a smile. "I didn't think he would do that well. Leonard is no joke when it comes to fighting. He pretty much lives for it."

Rylan nodded in agreement.

"I can tell he's been in a lot of fights," he replied. "A bit surprising, given how young everyone here is."

Leonard's style of carefully gauging his opponent and creating a plan that spanned more than ten minutes to arrive at his victory was one that had been built through a great amount of battle experience. Truthfully, Rylan hadn't expected Hayden to win, but he also hadn't thought Leonard would be such a capable fighter. He smiled.

I'm glad.

This fight only reinforced his belief that the Academy would be safe even if he went to the battlefield.

A short time later, Ophelia finished healing Hayden completely. The boy walked toward Rylan and Jasmine with his head bowed. He scratched the back of his head as he arrived within a few meters of them, then raised his gaze and smiled at them.

"I lost!" he said in an excited tone. "Even though I tried my hardest."

Rylan laughed. He couldn't be more glad that Hayden was like this.

"Don't worry. You'll win next time," he replied.

Hayden immediately nodded.

"If you say so, then I will."

Rylan's smile froze in place before he let out a small sigh.

The other student council members started congratulating Hayden, including Leonard, who was smiling proudly. Next to Rylan, Jasmine shifted nervously.

"…I'm next, then?" she asked him in a low tone.

Rylan looked at her with an understanding smile.

"You don't have to be. I can go first."

She blinked and opened her mouth to reply, then swallowed her words. After a couple of seconds, her expression changed into one of determination.

"No, I'll do it."

Rylan nodded at her, keeping his smile.

"You'll be fine. Good luck."

She nodded, still looking a bit nervous. Once the others stopped talking to Hayden, Rylan told them Jasmine would go next.

"Oh, then I can go," Louise said with a smile. She looked at Jasmine. "Let's try our hardest, okay?"

Jasmine blinked, then nodded. Together, they walked to the middle of the clearing, which contained only a few traces of the previous battle.

Jasmine's fight was surprisingly short. She opened with two Third Circle spells, making full use of her ability to dual cast, but Louise reacted as if she had been waiting for it. By casting two defensive spells but not Magic Shield, she managed to protect herself without limiting the range of her defensive spells to barely above her skin. This, naturally, gave her a bigger window to act, since the spells were forced to stop at a greater distance from her. With a successive barrage of offensive spells mixed with control spells, Louise made full use of her own ability to dual cast to effectively crush Jasmine's inability to properly react to them due to her lacking experience. In the end, the battle ended in less than five minutes.

Rylan walked to the middle of the clearing and tapped Jasmine on the shoulder. She was sitting down and looking at the ground as Ophelia healed her.

"You did well," he said in a soft tone.

"…Well?" Jasmine asked in response, her voice bitter.

"Yes. I think so."

At the same time, as he spoke with her, Rylan could feel the burning gazes of the other student council members, including that of Ophelia herself, who was right next to him.

Let's do this, then.

Rylan cracked his neck.

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