Chapter 289 - 289: I'm not a weakling!

Words : 1174 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Stepping out of the underground chambers reserved for the second-year students, four figures emerged—Raze, Vince, Vanica, and Vorden. These were the warriors comprising Team B of the second-year division. Previously, Team A had been composed of Scarlet, Greg, Jay, and Raze, but with Gordon sitting this round out to even the teams, the lineup had shifted accordingly. Now, Team B of the second-year students stood across from their upperclassmen counterparts—Team B of the third-years—each group stationed on opposite sides of the battlefield, their gazes sharp, their nerves simmering beneath the surface. "Every year, the rules of the tournament are different," Captain Amir's voice sliced cleanly through the buzz of the eager crowd. "And this year… it's no different," he finished cryptically. Suddenly, the sky above shimmered. Two giant crystals, each the size of a dragon's egg, began descending slowly, one crystal coming to rest behind each team. Gasps rippled through the crowd, confusion dancing across their faces. "What are they planning now?" someone whispered among the audience. Before more could be said, Raze turned to his teammates, his tone hushed but resolute. "We're doing this to prove to the world—and to Grey—that we're not weaklings. We are not pushovers. So we fight with everything we've got." "Your motivation only works if Grey's watching," Vorden muttered, arms crossed, unimpressed. "He is watching," Vanica replied, her eyes flicking toward the sea of spectators. "I can feel it." "Tsk." Vorden scoffed but said nothing more. Amir's voice boomed again, grabbing everyone's attention. "The rules are simple: Destroy your opponent's crystal within the thirty-minute time limit, and you win. If time runs out, it's a draw." Just then, the ground beneath them began to tremble. Cracks snaked across the arena floor, and the battlefield began to widen—its size expanding, shifting, transforming until it resembled a full-scale coliseum, as vast as a football field. Grey, seated among the spectators, leaned forward in awe. 'The coliseum… it's changing shape!' He watched in disbelief as the compact arena stretched into a sprawling battlefield. 'This... This is powerful Earth Magic! But who—Amir doesn't use Earth Magic… Wait. The Principal?' His eyes darted toward the black booth widening even further. 'Lucian… the Principal is here?!' Amir turned sharply toward Lucian, who sat in regal comfort, fingers resting lazily on the armrest of his chair and a playful grin tugging at his lips. "Why did you do that?" Amir asked, raising a brow. Lucian chuckled. "I just thought the game needed a little more… excitement. A bigger field makes for better entertainment." "The field was already large enough," Amir argued, exasperated. Searᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lucian shrugged. "If they're going to entertain me, they better give it their all. Bigger stage, better drama." Amir sighed, then turned back to address the crowd. "Apologies, everyone. Our dear Principal decided on some last-minute changes. But the rules remain: destroy the crystal in thirty minutes." He took his seat once more, a smirk playing on his lips. "Let the tournament… commence!" The moment the signal was given, tension crackled in the air. The expanded battlefield gave each team ample distance to strategize. What was once a moderate arena had now doubled in size. To safeguard the crowd from stray attacks, a transparent, reactive barrier shimmered to life around the spectating stands—its mana-sensitive core flaring at the first sign of magical disturbance. "Strategy's in place," Raze murmured. "Let's begin." Crackles of lightning coiled around his limbs like serpents as he narrowed his gaze toward the distant enemy crystal. It now loomed under a darkened shadow, guarded fiercely by a lone figure—Selene—while her three teammates charged forward like arrows loosed from a bow. "Let's go!" Raze roared, his body bursting with lightning as he shot forward like a thunderbolt. A third-year student leapt high into the air, water swirling at his fingertips. With a sweeping motion, he hurled several water bullets, bursting spheres that raced toward Raze. But Raze flipped, ducked, and weaved between them with practiced agility. Suddenly, sharp spikes of earth jutted toward him—deadly and fast—but a metal shield appeared just in time, blocking the attack with a resounding clang. From the opposing side, another third-year coated his feet in lightning and blitzed forward, his goal clear—the second-years' crystal. Noticing this, Raze spun, blasting a surge of lightning at the water mage, slamming into him and sending him skidding backward, hair frizzled from the shock. Lightning surged around Raze's boots, shaping into electrified greaves. With a thunderous bang, he bolted after the attacker threatening the crystal. "Vince, hold the front!" Raze barked, forming a lightning arrow in his palm. He hurled it forward, but the enemy barely evaded it, the projectile exploding into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. The lightning third-year retaliated, flinging a bolt over his shoulder. Raze ducked under it with inches to spare. "You should've kept your focus on your fight, I got things covered here." Vorden's voice echoed coolly as mist began to envelop the crystal, cloaking him and Vanica in a dense shroud. "No!" the lightning attacker shouted in frustration, accelerating—dust exploding beneath his feet in his desperation. From above, Raze kicked the air, propelling himself with a thunderclap, and slammed into the ground directly in front of the enemy. Lightning exploded outward, creeping like fanged vines up the attacker's legs—stinging and paralyzing. As the mist swallowed the crystal in its depths, Vorden's confident thought rang out in the haze: 'You can't break what you can't even see.' Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the battlefield, Vince faced off against a looming third-year who was radiating Earth Magic. The water mage lay groaning behind him, still recovering from Raze's earlier strike. "Oh? The weak little brother of Dave," the Earth user sneered, his lips curling into a twisted smile. Vince didn't flinch. A metal sword shimmered into his grip, and a gauntlet coiled around his left hand like armor forged from resolve. "I am Vince," he replied, steel in his tone, "and I'm no weakling." "To me, you're nothing but a substitute," the older student growled. "I've always wanted to knock that smug grin off Dave's face. He's too strong—but you? You're perfect for revenge." With that, earth began to encase the upperclassman's body. Rocky layers formed over his feet, up his legs, his chest, and arms—until he looked more like a walking boulder than a man. Vince's metal armor gleamed beneath the sunlight. His eyes didn't leave the third-year for a second. "I will crush you, weakling!" the Earth mage roared as he charged with surprising speed for someone so heavily armored. "I'm not Dave! And I'm not weak!" Vince bellowed in return, dashing forward to meet the challenge head-on—sword raised, heart burning with fury.

Chapter 289 - 289: I'm not a weakling!

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