The magical barrier sealing the arena shimmered into existence, locking the two combatants in a cage of death.

To the audience, this was supposed to be a duel between students. But as Lysander twitched and convulsed, drool sizzling as it hit the stone floor, everyone realized this was something far darker.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!" Lysander shrieked.

"BOOM!"

He launched himself forward. He didn't use magic. He used raw, corrupted kinetics. The stone beneath his feet shattered into dust as he broke the sound barrier, closing the hundred-meter gap in a heartbeat.

"So fast!" A student in the stands screamed.

Lysander's claw, wreathed in black dragon-fire, aimed for Alvian's throat.

Alvian didn't move his feet. He simply raised his left hand.

"[Runic Aegis +2]."

Seven ancient runes materialized instantly, spinning so fast they formed a solid wall of purple light.

"CLANG!"

Lysander's claw slammed into the shield.

[Reactive Force Triggered!]

[-4,500 True Damage!]

A shockwave exploded outward. Lysander's arm twisted unnaturally as the kinetic force was reflected back into his bones.

But he didn't stop. He didn't feel pain.

"ROAR!"

Lysander bit down on the rune, his teeth shattering the magical construct. The corruption in his blood ate through the mana.

"He ate the rune?" Seraphina, watching from the shadows of the VIP box, whispered. "That's Void corruption. He's absorbing mana to fuel his regeneration."

Lysander's broken arm snapped back into place with a sickening crunch. He swung his other claw.

Alvian sidestepped, the [Vestments of the Void Monarch] trailing behind him like a ghost.

"Regeneration," Alvian noted calmly, ducking under a swipe that decapitated a stone statue behind him. "And Mana Absorption. A cheap imitation of my Lance."

Alvian spun the [Lance of the Void Winter].

"Let's see whose hunger is greater."

Alvian thrust the spear.

"[Glacial Void Pierce]."

A beam of black ice shot point-blank into Lysander's chest.

"SQUELCH!"

The beam punched a hole straight through the corrupted mage. But instead of freezing, the wound boiled. Black tendrils shot out from Lysander's chest, grabbing the spear shaft.

"CAUGHT YOU!" Lysander gurgled.

The black veins on Lysander's body glowed. He began to suck the mana out of Alvian's weapon.

[Warning! Mana Drain Detected!]

[Drain Rate: 500 MP/sec.]

The crowd screamed. Lysander was eating Alvian's power!

Any other mage would be panicked. Drained dry in seconds.

But Alvian just smiled. A cold, cruel smile.

"You want my mana?" Alvian asked. "Take it."

He didn't pull back. He pushed more mana into the weapon.

Thanks to the [Tear of the Infinite], Alvian's regeneration was 4,500 MP per second. Lysander was draining 500.

"Here. Have some more."

Alvian flooded the connection. He poured the force of a tsunami into a garden hose.

Lysander's eyes widened. The violet glow in his veins brightened. Then it became blinding.

"TOO... MUCH..." Lysander choked.

His body began to swell. The corruption couldn't handle the infinite purity of the [Tear's] energy.

"You are a bucket," Alvian whispered, leaning in close. "I am the ocean."

Alvian activated [Frost Heart: Avatar State].

For a split second, a pair of ethereal wings made of absolute zero starlight unfurled from Alvian's back.

"FREEZE."

He channeled the infinite mana directly into Lysander's core.

"CRACK! SNAP! POP!"

Lysander's skin turned to ice. The black fire was extinguished. The corruption solidified.

"NO! THE MASTER PROMISED..." Lysander screamed, his voice freezing mid-air.

"Your Master lied," Alvian said.

Alvian ripped the lance free.

He spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick empowered by his 110 Physique.

"SHATTER!"

"BANG!"

Lysander's frozen body exploded. Not into gore, but into thousands of shards of black ice.

[You have slain Corrupted Subject Zero Prototype!]

[Experience Gained: 85,000!]

Alvian stood amidst the glittering debris. He wasn't breathing hard. His mana bar was already full again.

The arena was silent.

Then, Alvian did something unexpected. He knelt down and picked up a shard of the black ice—a piece that contained a pulsating, mechanical chip.

He held it up to the VIP box, where the Academy Council sat. Where the corrupt Vice-Headmaster was watching.

Alvian's voice was amplified by magic, cold and clear.

"This," Alvian announced, holding the chip. "Is Syndicate Tech. Embedded in a student."

The crowd erupted into whispers.

"Syndicate?"

"Inside the Academy?"

Alvian looked directly at the Vice-Headmaster.

"You sent a broken toy to fight me," Alvian said. "Next time, send the real thing. I need the XP."

He crushed the chip in his hand.

[Winner: Alvian!]

The barrier dropped.

Alvian turned and walked toward the tunnel. He didn't celebrate. He didn't wave.

He had sent a message. The war wasn't in the shadows anymore. He had just dragged it into the light.

As he walked into the darkness of the tunnel, he checked his schedule.

[Next Match: Quarter-Finals.]

[Opponent: Garrick the Iron Mountain (Sentinel Faction).]

"A shield," Alvian muttered. "Good target practice."

---

The news of Lysander's corruption spread through the Academy like a plague. The "medics" who rushed to collect the shards of his body were rough, efficient, and wore uniforms with no insignias.

Syndicate cleaners.

Alvian watched from the preparation room. Seraphina leaned against the wall next to him.

"You poked the bear," she said. "The Vice-Headmaster is furious. He tried to disqualify you for 'excessive force'."

"And?" Alvian asked, polishing his Lance.

"And the Headmaster overruled him. Apparently, the old man likes a show." Seraphina grinned. "But be careful. Your next opponent, Garrick? He's been given a gift."

"Another prototype?"

"No," Seraphina shook her head. "An artifact. The [Shield of the Earth Titan]. It's a borrowed Legendary item from the Sentinel Vault. They want to stop your momentum."

"A Legendary Shield," Alvian mused. "Interesting."

[System Announcement: Quarter-Finals Begin!]

[Alvian vs. Garrick.]

Alvian walked out.

The arena had been repaired, the shattered stone replaced.

Standing in the center was Garrick. He was huge. A hulking mass of muscle encased in armor so thick he looked like a walking bunker. In his hand was a shield the size of a door, glowing with a heavy, brown light.

[Target: Garrick]

[Level: 36]

[Class: Fortress Knight]

[Equipment: Shield of the Earth Titan (Legendary - Loaned)]

"I've seen what you do, Anomaly!" Garrick shouted, slamming his shield down. The ground shook. "You rely on burst damage! But this shield can tank a dragon's breath! You cannot break me!"

Alvian stopped ten meters away.

"I don't need to break you, Garrick," Alvian said. "I just need to stop you."

[Round Start!]

Garrick instantly activated his ultimate defense.

"[Titan's Fortress]!"

A dome of earth energy erupted from the shield, covering Garrick. It was solid, impenetrable. Physical attacks would bounce. Magic would be grounded.

"Come on!" Garrick taunted from inside his turtle shell. "Hit me!"

Alvian sighed. "Inefficient."

He didn't charge. He didn't throw his lance.

He raised his hand to the sky.

"[Frost Descent +2]."

"A blizzard?" Garrick laughed. "Cold won't pierce this barrier!"

"Who said I was aiming for the barrier?" Alvian asked.

He channeled his infinite mana.

"Output: Maximum."

"BOOM!"

The sky turned white. A blizzard of apocalyptic proportions slammed into the arena. But Alvian didn't target Garrick. He targeted the floor. The air. The walls.

The temperature in the arena plummeted.

-20 degrees.

-50 degrees.

-100 degrees.

The audience in the front rows screamed as the magical barriers protecting them frosted over.

Inside Garrick's dome, the earth energy held. But the ground beneath him did not.

The stone floor flash-froze. It became brittle.

"What..." Garrick stammered. He could feel the cold seeping through his boots.

"Thermal Laws," Alvian's voice echoed through the storm. "Matter contracts when it cools."

Alvian pointed his lance at the dome.

"And pressurized energy... explodes when the container shrinks."

The dome of earth energy was contracting against the freezing air. The shield was fighting the environment.

"System. [Klaus's Upgrade]. Activate."

[Ding! Blessing Active.]

Alvian used [Shadow Step]. He appeared directly above the dome.

He gripped his Lance with both hands.

"Heavy Impact."

He didn't use a skill. He used gravity and his 110 Physique.

He dropped.

"BANG!"

He hit the top of the dome.

The dome didn't break. But the floor beneath Garrick did.

The frozen stone shattered under the pressure. Garrick and his invincible shield fell into a ten-foot pit.

"Now," Alvian whispered.

He aimed his hand into the pit.

"[Frost Descent +2]: Liquid Nitrogen Mode."

He dumped a concentrated stream of super-cooled mana into the hole.

"NO! WAIT!" Garrick screamed.

The moisture in the air turned to solid ice instantly. The pit filled up.

In three seconds, Garrick was encased in a block of ice. The Legendary Shield was active, glowing, protecting him from damage... but he was stuck. Immobilized. buried in a frozen tomb.

[Target Immobilized.]

Alvian landed on top of the ice block. He tapped it with his lance.

"Ting."

"A shield is useless if you can't move," Alvian said to the frozen figure below.

[Winner: Alvian!]

The crowd was silent for a moment, then erupted. It wasn't the cheers of fans. It was the roar of people witnessing a force of nature.

He hadn't attacked the shield. He had buried the user.

Alvian looked up at the bracket board.

Semi-Finals.

His name moved up.

And on the other side...

[Valeria vs. The Phantom Head.]

Valeria stepped out onto the platform, looking at Alvian across the arena. She nodded.

She had seen it. The absolute dominance.

Alvian walked back to the tunnel.

"Two down," Alvian whispered, clutching the [Key to the Genesis Forge] in his pocket. "Two to go."

"And then... the Undercroft."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.