Selene hesitated as she looked at Cassian…

They weren't even attending the Academy officially and but here they are, being involved in troubles…

"It's too early. We haven't even started classes." She whispered to Cassian.

Cassian exhaled slowly. "But if we refuse, they'll take it as weakness."

The leader of the group grinned wider after sensing their hesitation. "Exactly. Unless you're afraid. Afraid that your prayers won't stand against real spells. Pathetic…"

Selene's aura changed as her cheerful demeanor was finally gone after hearing those mocking words, as they were already directed at her church… "We're not afraid."

Cassian smiled, seeing how Selene had finally gotten serious.

Although they only have three foundational spells taught to them in the church, it doesn't mean that they would have similar abilities to other children in the church.

After all, their talent, control, affinity, and level of skill were quite different from those of the other young Arcanists raised by the church. The two of them were sent here for a reason…

"Fine. A challenge, then. But only in the practice ground, under the Academy's rules."

The four disciples of the Liquidator Order exchanged satisfied glances.

The leader was the happiest among the group.

"Good. Let's see if the Church's path can stand against ours. Hans and Tim… The two of you should be more than enough."

The two then felt excited as they certainly wanted to prove that the Order was the one teaching the best Mystic Arts.

Together, the two groups began walking toward the practice grounds…

Needless to say, the tension around them was quite noticeable, so it drew curious glances from other students.

Just like that, rumors spread quickly as they realized the backers of those students…

It appears that the first showdown between the Church and the Liquidators was about to happen, even before classes had begun.

***

The practice grounds of the Marshall Academy were wide…

It was certainly enough to handle hundreds of students practicing…

It was an open space with several Formations Nodes that could be seen on various corners.

They had no idea what kind of protective runes it had, but they were sure that only Immortals could damage this place.

Indeed, within this place, students often came to test their spells, and today, a few higher-year students were actually training as well.

Cassian and Selene stood opposite Hans and Tim, the two chosen disciples of the Order of the Illustrious Liquidator.

Their leader, on the other hand, was even more excited after seeing that there were a lot of people watching…

They didn't just come here to learn in the Academy after all. They were also here to showcase that the organization they belonged to was a lot more impressive than anyone believed.

Perhaps, they could even recruit other Mystic Arts Practitioners to join their Order!

One of the older students, a second-year named Ardan, arrived after hearing the commotion…

His aura was quite intimidating, and based on his emblem, he seemed to be a student of the Dark Arts. With his appearance, the crowd instinctively gave him space. He raised an eyebrow at the two groups. "A duel before classes even begin? Interesting. I'll act as arbiter. Even if you all have weak spells, you also have weak defense, it should be properly observed… This is two on two, right? You fight until one side yields or is unable to continue. Agreed?"

Cassian nodded firmly. "Agreed."

Hans grinned. "Agreed. But let's make it more fun. A wager."

Selene frowned. "What kind of wager?"

Tim smirked. "The losers must acknowledge, here in front of everyone, that their faction's teachings are inferior. No excuses."

The crowd murmured at the boldness of the demand.

Cassian's jaw tightened. "Fine. But when you lose, you'll say the same."

Ardan chuckled. "Good. Then let's begin. Step into the circle."

The four students entered the dueling circle, and the protective runes glowed faintly as the formations activated.

Of course, they all have Arcane Protection inherent to all Arcanists… Still, that wasn't strong enough to deflect Arcane Spells of the same level, so the training ground's rune protection was also needed.

Ardan then raised his hand to announce the start of their match…

"Begin."

Hans moved first, as he invoked Piercing Ray, one of the three foundational spells of the Order…

It was a thin beam of concentrated light that shot forward. It was fast and precise, aimed directly at Cassian's chest.

Cassian reacted instantly, raising his hand as he released his own spell…

Spirit Veil was activated, and a translucent barrier appeared and it also absorbing the ray and dispersing it harmlessly!

Spirit Veil wasn't normally used like this. However, at the moment of impact, Cassian actually used his innate Mystic Energy to implode the Spirit Veil he released, making the spell useless.

This was a skill that made him quite special… He was able to control his Spells to their full capabilities.

Just like that, the crowd murmured as they couldn't help but feel excited at the battle of these young students…

Nonetheless, Tim followed up and used another Spell…

Binding Seal was activated beneath Selene's feet, and glowing chains of light rose to entangle her. Selene smirked after seeing that, and she released Resonant Pulse.

A wave of vibrating energy burst outward, shattering the chains before they could tighten.

"What? Impossible!" Tim was shocked as he knew that the Resonant Pulse should not be enough to break that spell!

However, Tim had no idea that Selene didn't just cast a single Resonant Pulse… It was a layered spell!

Three of those spells were actually activated with only a few seconds in gap!

Just like that, the pulse rippled across the ground, forcing Tim to stumble back.

Selene smirked. "Your seals are just brittle…"

Tim clenched his fist as he felt humiliated… "You won't be laughing when Cleansing Flame burns through your veil."

He then raised his hand, conjuring a small but intense flame that surged forward...

The fire wasn't meant to kill, the protective formations would prevent that, but it was hot enough to overwhelm a weak defense…

***

In the meantime, as the battle was intensifying, a silver fox with three tails appeared near the training ground, and it caught everyone's attention except for the four on the stage!

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