"Ready? Set... Begin!"

The instant the referee's signal echoed across the arena, both Kyle and I exploded into immediate action.

Kyle's Phoenix wings burst into existence with brilliant golden flames, the ethereal constructs spreading wide as fire wreathed his entire body. The heat radiating from him was intense enough that spectators in the nearest sections felt uncomfortable warmth despite protective barriers.

I responded by flooding my body with Blood Control, the enhanced circulation system pumping power through every muscle fiber with maximum efficiency. Blood Enhancement activated simultaneously, the combination creating synergy that amplified my physical capabilities exponentially.

COLLISION! FIRST EXCHANGE!

We met in the arena's center with devastating impact, my blade clashing against Kyle's Phoenix fire-wreathed sword. The shockwave from the collision rippled across the arena floor, creating visible distortion in the air.

Kyle's eyes widened slightly at the contact - he'd expected to overpower me through sheer bloodline advantage, but instead found himself matched evenly in that first exchange.

"You're stronger than before," he acknowledged, immediately launching into aggressive combination attacks.

Slash!

His swordsmanship was genuinely good, refined through proper training and enhanced by Phoenix bloodline advantages. Each strike carried enough power to shatter stone, and his movements flowed like fire consuming everything in its path.

I defended effortlessly, my 2nd Order Supernatural Physique providing reaction speed and physical capability that exceeded his expectations.

My blade work intercepted his attacks while delivering precise counters that forced him into defensive responses. The Swift Essence aspect made my movements ten percent faster than they should be, creating timing advantages that accumulated rapidly.

"What—" Kyle's expression showed growing confusion as he realized his overwhelming offense was being nullified completely.

The crowd's murmuring grew louder as they recognized something unexpected was happening. This wasn't the competitive but ultimately decisive fight they'd anticipated - this was looking increasingly one-sided in the opposite direction from predictions.

I increased my offensive pressure methodically, my enhanced physique allowing sustained high-intensity combat that Kyle's stamina couldn't match despite Phoenix vitality. Each exchange saw me gaining incremental advantages - better positioning, cleaner strikes, more efficient movement.

Kyle activated his Phoenix regeneration as minor cuts began accumulating, the wounds healing rapidly but requiring mana expenditure to maintain.

"You're burning through resources," I observed calmly while continuing relentless pressure. "Regeneration isn't free."

His jaw clenched with frustration, recognizing the tactical problem. His Phoenix bloodline granted incredible healing, but the mana cost meant he couldn't sustain it indefinitely against someone who kept inflicting damage faster than seemed possible for peak-Elite rank.

Kyle channeled everything into a massive Phoenix fire assault, golden flames erupting in a devastating wave designed to overwhelm through sheer scale and power.

I responded with simple, brutal efficiency.

My body's capabilities spiked dramatically as I pushed Blood Control to the next level, every system operating at peak performance. The power flowing through me transcended normal Elite-rank parameters entirely.

I moved through Kyle's fire attack with speed that appeared as blur even to enhanced perception, my blade cutting through the Phoenix flames like they were nothing more than colored light.

The crowd's murmuring suddenly cut off into shocked silence.

In the instructor section, I saw expressions of disbelief forming. Sylvia's eyes had gone wide. Victor Castellane leaned forward with intense focus. Even the Headmaster's normally composed demeanor showed visible surprise.

"That's not... that's Transcendent-rank speed," someone in the crowd said loudly enough to be heard in the sudden quiet.

The realization spread like wildfire through the amphitheater.

"He's Transcendent rank?!"

"A first-year reached Transcendent?!"

"That's impossible! It's only been one semester!"

Kyle's face had gone pale as understanding hit him. The capability gap he'd been experiencing wasn't just superior technique or better preparation - it was fundamental rank difference. He was peak-Elite fighting someone who'd already advanced to Transcendent.

In the spectator section where Seraphina watched with the other eliminated competitors, her expression showed absolute shock. She'd dumped Adrian for being weak and unambitious, had lost decisively to him in quarterfinals, and now discovered he'd reached a rank that most students didn't achieve until third or fourth year.

The humiliation of that realization was written clearly across her face.

"You... you're Transcendent rank," Kyle said, his voice carrying disbelief. "How? When?!"

"Doesn't matter," I replied, not bothering to explain that I'd actually just reached transcendent rank yesterday after hunting in the forest and my capabilities far exceeded normal Transcendent parameters through accumulated advantages.

I pressed the attack with renewed intensity. My Transcendent-level capabilities expressed themselves fully - speed that Kyle couldn't track properly, strength that overwhelmed his defenses, technique execution that was simply flawless.

Kyle fought desperately, channelling maximum Phoenix fire and burning through mana reserves at unsustainable rates. His regeneration worked overtime healing the accumulating damage, his Phoenix wings provided every advantage his bloodline could offer.

None of it mattered.

I was faster, stronger, more skilled, and operating with capabilities he simply couldn't match. Each exchange ended with Kyle taking damage and being forced backward, his defensive positioning degrading as exhaustion and mana depletion accumulated.

The supreme Phoenix bloodline that had dominated Emmet and Sarah was proving insufficient against someone with a bloodline of equivalent rank.

"This is insane," I heard Kael say from the spectator section. "He's not just winning - he's toying with him."

Elen's voice carried wonder. "Transcendent rank in first semester. That's... there's no precedent for this. Even the most talented prodigies usually need a full year minimum."

In the faculty section, the Headmaster was having quiet but intense discussion with senior instructors, clearly trying to understand how this advancement had occurred without academy awareness.

Sylvia's expression showed complex mixture of emotions - pride that her student had achieved something remarkable, concern about what it meant, and calculation about how this would affect the academy.

Kyle attempted one last desperate gambit, gathering every remaining scrap of mana for a final overwhelming Phoenix Ascension technique - the same attack that had demolished Emmet in their semifinal match.

Golden flames erupted in a pillar of fire that consumed the entire arena centre, the heat so intense that protective barriers strained under the load.

I stood within the inferno, Blood Enhancement and Supernatural Physique providing more than sufficient durability to withstand the attack. Stone Echo activated reflexively, adding another layer of protection that made Kyle's strongest technique feel like standing near a particularly warm campfire.

When the flames cleared, I remained completely unharmed, not even my clothes significantly damaged.

Kyle stood there with empty mana reserves, breathing heavily, his Phoenix wings flickering and fading as he lacked the energy to maintain them.

"It's over," I said calmly.

I closed the distance with Transcendent speed and delivered a controlled strike to his chest - powerful enough to send him flying backward into the arena barrier but calibrated carefully to avoid serious injury, he was still the main character after all.

Kyle crashed into the protective enchantments and slumped down, conscious but completely unable to continue fighting. His mana was depleted, his stamina exhausted, and his body accumulated enough damage that even Phoenix regeneration couldn't address everything without rest.

The referee hesitated only momentarily before making the obvious call.

"Winner by knockout: Adrian Blackwood! Your First-Year Tournament Champion!"

The arena erupted in absolute chaos.

Half the crowd was cheering with wild enthusiasm, excited by the dominant performance and historic achievement. The other half was still processing the revelation that a first-year student had reached Transcendent rank in a single semester.

"TRANSCENDENT RANK IN FIRST SEMESTER!"

"THE BLACKWOOD HEIR IS A MONSTER!"

The shouts overlapped into cacophony of excitement, disbelief, and animated discussion about what they'd just witnessed.

I stood calmly in the arena centre as medical staff rushed to attend Kyle, my breathing barely elevated despite the intensive fight. The Transcendent-level stamina meant that even maximum-output combat barely taxed my reserves.

The Headmaster rose from his seat, his voice magically amplified to cut through the crowd noise.

"SILENCE!"

The authority in that single word from a King-rank awakener brought immediate quiet.

"What we have witnessed today is extraordinary," the Headmaster continued, his tone mixing professional composure with genuine wonder. "Adrian Blackwood has not only won the First-Year Tournament decisively, but has revealed an advancement to Transcendent rank that represents one of the fastest progressions in academy history."

He paused, allowing that to resonate.

"This accomplishment will require investigation to ensure it was achieved through legitimate means and does not represent dangers to the student's foundation or health. However, such investigation does not diminish the achievement itself."

The Headmaster's gaze fixed on me directly. "Adrian Blackwood, approach the podium for your championship recognition."

I walked calmly to the central platform where tournament awards were traditionally presented, ignoring the thousands of eyes tracking my every movement.

The Headmaster personally presented the championship medal - an ornate golden emblem that marked first-year tournament victory.

"Two hundred thousand academy points, as promised," he announced. "Along with formal recognition as First-Year Champion and all associated privileges."

The crowd applauded, the sound carrying complex mixture of genuine appreciation, competitive jealousy, and lingering disbelief.

Kyle had been helped to his feet by medical staff and stood watching from the side, his expression unreadable but clearly containing fury, humiliation, and forced acceptance of reality.

Seraphina sat in the spectator section looking at everything with a mixture of different emotions.

In our group's section, Kael, Elen, were cheering enthusiastically, clearly proud despite their own eliminations.

The tournament had concluded.

And everyone in the academy now knew with absolute certainty: Adrian Blackwood was operating on a completely different level from his peers.

Transcendent rank in first semester.

Champion without serious challenge.

The "uncrowned king" title was no longer unofficial - it was undeniable fact recognized by everyone who'd witnessed today's demonstration.

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