What truly decided a battle between mages?

Was it who possessed more mana, or who stood at a higher circle?

Who was the stronger mage—and who was the better one?

The answer was more complicated than most people liked to admit.

Having a higher mana heart didn't automatically mean one understood magic better.

Some mages spent their entire lives chasing power, while others devoted themselves to uncovering the truths behind spells, formulas, and the laws that governed the world itself.

Even the academy acknowledged this.

Magic was subjective.

Growth paths differed.

Talent manifested in strange ways.

But when it came to real combat—when spells were exchanged and lives were on the line—there was one rule that stood above the rest.

Casting speed.

The mage who could release their spell first usually won.

No matter how devastating or beautiful a spell was, if it couldn't be cast in time, it was meaningless.

A slow mage was a dead mage.

Simple as that.

And when it came to casting speed…

Rose stood at the very top.

Rumor had it that aside from Senior Alice, no one in the entire academy could match Rose's casting speed—not professors, not upperclassmen, not even prodigies whispered about in secret.

Stacia felt her jaw tighten as she stepped onto the stage.

The platform was massive, reinforced with layers of protective magic that shimmered faintly under the light.

Even so, she could feel the pressure already pressing down on her shoulders.

"Let us once again welcome a rising star among the first-years!"

The announcer's voice boomed across the coliseum.

"Winning all her previous matches in a blaze of ferocity and brilliance, now regarded as the top-ranked student among her peers—Stacia Alger Del Luna!"

The crowd erupted.

Cheers, whistles, shouting—her name echoed from every direction.

Even some of the judges leaned forward with visible interest, their eyes sharp with expectation.

As someone who had always carried a certain level of popularity, Stacia casually ignored the roaring crowd as she scanned her surroundings.

As expected, there were far more people than she had anticipated.

Every seat was filled, and even that wasn't enough.

Students stood along the stairways, leaned against the rails, and crowded the back just to get a glimpse of the match.

Some of them were here for her—she knew that much.

But most of this… was because of Rose.

That alone spoke volumes about the kind of presence Rose Brilliance held within the academy.

Stacia's crimson eyes shifted upward toward the judges' platform.

Among them, standing calmly above the rest, was the emperor himself, his blue gaze fixed on the stage.

Once again.

Was it coincidence… or deliberate?

Every one of her matches so far had been overseen by him. Four times was already far beyond chance.

What made it stranger was the fact that he hadn't bothered to personally attend matches for Seo, Rose, or even his own daughter, Snow.

Yet here he was.

Watching her.

The thought lingered, but Stacia pushed it aside. Now wasn't the time to dwell on unanswered questions.

Her focus returned to the stage ahead.

"Everyone! Let us welcome the future Archmage—no, perhaps already the next Archmage herself!"

The announcer's voice boomed through the coliseum.

"The golden child! The pride of the Brilliance household! The genius of the century and one of the heroes of light who once saved the academy from darkness!"

The cheers exploded, far louder than before.

"The one blessed by the heavens themselves! The brightest star in the entire academy—Rose Brilliance!"

Amid the overwhelming applause and excitement, Rose stepped onto the stage calm.

There was no arrogance in her posture, no need to acknowledge the crowd.

She simply walked forward as if this was no different from any other day.

And yet—

The moment she stood there, the entire coliseum seemed to quiet down just a little.

Stacia tightened her grip on her sword.

So this is her…

Now Stacia finally understood what it meant to stand before Rose in an actual battle.

Rose wasn't doing anything special.

She wasn't releasing pressure, wasn't taking a stance, wasn't even looking particularly serious.

And yet…

Her presence alone was suffocating.

The mana around Rose was far too dense.

Even with her clearly holding herself back, the faint leakage was enough for anyone with decent perception to feel it crawling over their skin.

It pressed down on Stacia's senses, heavy and vast, like standing at the edge of a deep sea.

A faint nervousness settled in her chest.

But then—

She saw him.

Riley.

Among the crowd, his gaze was fixed on the stage.

Yes, it was obvious he was here for Rose.

Anyone would be.

But knowing that didn't matter.

Just seeing him there was enough.

Stacia's lips curved slightly, a subtle smile only she noticed.

That's fine… this is enough.

She tightened her grip around her sword.

Her mana flared.

"Let the battle begin!"

The moment the announcer's voice rang out, Stacia moved.

She shot forward in an instant.

Flames erupted from her feet and wrapped around her body, igniting her like a flying meteor as she closed the distance.

The ground beneath her cracked from the force of her push-off.

Crimson-gold fire surged and condensed along her blade, the heat warping the air around it.

She didn't hesitate.

She didn't test.

She went all in from the start.

Yes—casting speed mattered for mages.

But Stacia wasn't just a mage.

She was one of the rare few who could wield swordsmanship and magic simultaneously, without either one holding the other back.

Time seemed to slow.

In that stretched moment, she saw it clearly.

Rose wasn't reacting.

No spell chant.

No barrier forming.

No movement at all.

This is it.

Her mana heart surged.

[Skill: Mana Burn]

Her mana ignited violently, the flames intensifying as the skill activated.

The surrounding mana in the air began to melt away, evaporating under the sheer heat and destructive nature of her burn.

Even ambient mana was being consumed, stripped away as if it never existed.

If Rose tried to raise a barrier—

It would melt.

If she tried to block—

It would be cut through.

Stacia's blade descended, wrapped in roaring flames, aimed straight at Rose—

With no intention of holding back.

Her path to victory had been clear.

Or so she thought.

As her blade closed in—

She felt it.

A sudden shift.

The mana around her twisted unnaturally, dense and tightly controlled. It wasn't just strong—it was precise.

Too precise.

Her flames reacted instantly, flaring violently as if trying to resist something they couldn't burn.

Then everything collapsed inward.

Before she could even process it, Stacia's vision flipped.

"Huh—?"

The world turned upside down.

She realized she was falling—no, she had already been thrown.

Her body was sent flying upward, her sense of balance completely stolen from her.

The stage below rapidly shrank as the air rushed past her ears.

"What… just happened?"

She forced her flames to erupt again, twisting her body midair, barely managing to stabilize herself.

Below her, Rose stood calmly.

Looking up.

Her golden eyes were neutral. No strain. No urgency.

That alone sent a chill down Stacia's spine.

Did she… move me?

Celestial magic?

Gravity?

Space?

Dozens of questions flooded her mind, but before she could reach even one answer—

SHIINNGGG!!!

A sharp, ringing sound echoed across the arena.

Golden light erupted beneath her.

From the stage floor, countless spear-shaped constructs burst forth, formed entirely of condensed light.

They rose slowly at first, like pillars being pulled from the earth, each one radiating overwhelming purity and pressure.

One.

Ten.

Hundreds.

No—thousands.

The entire stage had become a forest of glowing spears.

[Mid Grade: Light Magic]

[Spear of Light]

Stacia's eyes widened.

"This many…?!"

Before she could react—

Click.

Rose snapped her fingers.

In the next instant, every spear tilted upward.

Then they fired.

A rain of golden light tore through the air, screaming toward Stacia from below.

The pressure alone crushed against her body as the spears closed in, sealing off her escape routes in an instant.

Her heartbeat spiked.

There was no time to hesitate now.

There was no way Stacia could react to every single spear.

Much like their attribute suggested, the spears moved at near light-speed.

Some came straight at her, others curved midair, changing their trajectories as if they were alive—clearly meant to surround her and leave no blind spot.

Dodging wasn't an option.

Blocking everything wasn't either.

So, Stacia did the only thing she could.

She trusted herself.

Her flames.

Her instincts.

Her sword.

Her stance shifted.

Flames burst out from her body once more, wrapping around her arms and blade as heat distorted the air around her.

In that instant, her movements sharpened—cleaner, faster, almost instinctual.

She wasn't thinking anymore.

Her body remembered.

A technique she had once failed to reproduce.

A form she had only copied before.

This time, she completed it.

[HIDDEN BLADE TECHNIQUE: THIRD FORM]

[FULL MOON]

Stacia moved.

Her sword flashed again and again, slashing in every direction she could imagine—and some she couldn't.

Crimson flames traced each swing, forming arcs of fire that collided head-on with the descending spears.

Light shattered against steel.

Flame roared against radiance.

Above the stage, the sky lit up as if stars were crashing into one another.

....

"…H-Hey," Alice muttered from the stands, eyes wide. "Isn't this a bit overkill?"

No one answered her.

Up above, Stacia continued slashing through the relentless barrage as Rose calmly summoned spear after spear without pause.

Golden light rained down endlessly, only to be cut apart by blazing crimson arcs.

To the audience, it looked unreal.

Like shooting stars colliding midair.

Like two forces that shouldn't exist at the same time.

The crowd fell silent.

Even the judges—seasoned veterans who had seen countless battles—were left speechless, their eyes fixed on the spectacle unfolding before them.

This wasn't a normal match anymore.

It was a clash between monsters.

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