Only a third of the match duration had elapsed—so how could anyone already "know" the result?

Several professors still refused to accept it. Staring at their own struggling teams in the magic mirrors, they offered last‑ditch prayers to the Gods, hoping to claw back even a point or two.

They no longer expected a top‑three finish—just not an utterly humiliating loss.

Prince Alfried's foresight proved sound. After he left, teams were knocked out one after another until only Siria and the Divine College remained.

The second round lasted twenty‑four hours; before even half that time had passed, the Ten Great Academies and every other school were completely wiped out.

For the remaining twelve hours, the professors could do nothing but glare at two mirrors: one showing the Divine College, one showing Siria.

One team fought in a storm of gore; the other lounged in unbothered ease. A jarring contrast.

That relaxed team—seen from any angle—infuriated the rest of the faculty.

What kind of secret technique had Siria's junior team used to make the Monsters so obedient?

Tell them to run laps—they ran laps. Tell them to turn—they turned. Even the lava Monsters that tunneled up later somehow froze themselves to death.

Eyes swung back and forth between the Divine College and Siria, all waiting for the verdict.

Would first place belong to the Divine College—or to Siria?

They waited from sunrise to sunset, and only at six the next evening—when time expired—did the answer arrive.

Both the Divine College and Siria held their defenses. All three hundred scarecrows remained intact. Their tallied scores were identical.

"This… both are perfect scores. Whose name goes first?" asked the professor filling out the record sheet.

Professor Chester: "The Divine College, of course!"

Professor Moses: "Siria Magic Academy, obviously!"

"The Divine College fought nonstop all day—their strength is plain to all!"

"Our Siria students held the line effortlessly; the scarecrows didn't even get rained on. Their strength is superior!"

"You—!"

"You what? Write Siria!"

"Write the Divine College!"

Unable to break the deadlock, the recording professor quietly squeezed both names into the top line.

—Tied for first.

Naturally, the Divine College's name was written before Siria's.

Thus the second round ended.

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Leaving the arena, Luo Wei learned the middle and senior division results on the way back to the Viewing Chapel.

The senior division—led by the Guinea Pig upperclassman—took first. The middle division hit a snag and only managed fifth.

Fifth is a dangerous place: if any one of Siria's three teams dropped out of the overall top five, Siria Magic Academy's accreditation would be revoked.

However, "top five" referred to combined results. Siria's middle team had claimed first in Round One; with both rounds added, they currently ranked third overall.

This year's middle division captain was Hessel Calansis.

Last year Theodore's leadership had severely damaged the academy's reputation, so this year they chose the seemingly steadier Hessel.

Hessel disliked conversation and wore a perpetual cold look. Aside from Theodore, the others were somewhat afraid of her.

Their "incident" traced back to poor coordination.

Gordon was injured in Round One; for Round Two Professor Pence had Winnie replace him—shattering what little tacit understanding they'd had.

When Monsters hit their perimeter the five fought like five separate teams.

Laura at least spared glances to see if anyone else needed help; Theodore watched only Laura. Hessel ignored everyone—head down, hacking.

If not for Hessel's alchemical skill—improvising magical weapons that slaughtered nearly a third of the Monsters—they would have been eliminated midway.

Their inability to run coordinated tactics extracted a harsh price.

Winnie and another commoner teammate, contaminated by dark aura, under Monster influence turned their swords on themselves—nearly bleeding out.

Fortunately, Laura noticed in time and chopped them both unconscious.

Eager to show off for Laura, Theodore had overextended early, diving deep into the horde—only to have his entire right arm bitten off.

In rescuing him, Laura's palm was corroded.

Hessel, only carrying a forging hammer, spent hours in close combat until hallucinations set in. Whatever she imagined the Monsters to be, she went berserk.

When Laura and Theodore edged too near, both caught a hammer blow—suffering internal injuries.

Even after every Monster was dead, Hessel kept swinging. Only when Professor Pence entered did he subdue her and bring her to the treatment room at the Viewing Chapel.

Now Siria's junior team was being escorted there by Professor Moses as well.

Because all of them had been exposed to dark aura, Moses feared they'd been marked and insisted on a round of purification.

Hearing "purification," Luo Wei and the teammates beside her felt instant foreboding.

"Professor Moses, may I ask," Luo Wei chose her words with care, "what method the support staff will use to purify us?"

"Prince Alfried sponsored three hundred bottles of Healing Potion and Holy Water for each academy. Drink them and you'll be fine."

Reaching the treatment room door, Professor Moses pushed it open. "Inside, children."

Except for Jack, the other four hesitated noticeably.

"Professor Moses, if we're not injured, can we save the Healing Potions and Holy Water for later?" Axina asked, pinching her skirt hem.

"Healing Potions can be saved. Professor Phil will examine you; if you're unhurt you needn't drink those. But the Holy Water must be taken, to ensure no dark aura remains," Moses replied.

Luo Wei glanced at Hol and Gladys. Holy Water mandatory—trouble for them.

"All right, in you go—Professor Phil is waiting," Moses urged.

Unwilling or not, the four found no grounds to refuse and stepped silently through the doorway.

They could only think of some workaround once inside.

The treatment room was large, shared by all academies, each section partitioned by sheer drapes for a measure of privacy.

Siria Magic Academy's area sat in a corner against the wall. In the modest space a long wooden communal bunk had been thrown together; unconscious students lay shoulder to shoulder.

Only three remained awake: Theodore, Laura, and Sebastian Noel—the Guinea Pig upperclassman. None looked well.

The drape lifted; Siria's junior five entered—earning wide‑eyed stares.

Theodore's eyes bulged as he swept them. "You—you're all uninjured!"

"Not just uninjured—every hair in place, not a speck of blood," Sebastian observed.

Laura, cradling her corroded hand, pupils wide: "Did you not encounter Monsters?"

The middle division's support instructor—Professor Rossetti—added, "Didn't you hear on the way back? The junior students crushed every academy with their ingenuity this time!"

She turned to Luo Wei, a sincere smile lighting her face. "Congratulations, Luo Wei—first place again."

"Thank you, Li—Professor Rossetti." Luo Wei lifted her skirt and dipped a curtsey, smiling. "In the Academy I'll address you that way."

Princess Lilith Rossetti blinked. "Of course. In the Academy we're teacher and student; outside, we're friends."

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