"Ack!" Celestia shielded her eyes, her concentration wavering.

I sprinted. Blindly. Trusting my [Detection] skill.

I broke through the snowstorm. I was right in front of her.

I raised my fist—enhanced with everything I had left.

She opened her teary eyes, seeing me loom over her. Panic flashed on her face.

She instinctively unleashed everything she was holding.

[Absolute Zero Pillar]

A massive column of ice erupted from the floor directly under me.

CRUNCH.

It hit me in the chest.

The air left my lungs. My ribs cracked.

I was launched into the air, spinning, before crashing down hard onto the stone floor outside the ring bounds.

My vision swam.

I tried to push myself up, but my body refused to obey.

The last thing I saw was Celestia standing in the center of the ring, surrounded by jagged ice, clutching her chest, looking at me with wide, shocked eyes.

And then, darkness took me.

*****

Silence.

Absolute silence filled the dome.

Samantha lowered her hand slowly.

"Winner… Cadet Celestia."

There was no cheering. No applause.

The students stared at the sprawled figure of Lucien Ashborne. Smoke was still rising from the spot where he had fired his weapon. The ice wall was shattered. The Princess was panting, her hair disheveled, a small cut on her cheek from a piece of debris.

"He…" Bordon's mouth hung open. "He almost had her."

"He forced a Tier 4 spell," Mariella whispered, clutching her staff. "Without using a single offensive spell of his own. Just… that metal stick and a dagger."

Celestia stared at Lucien. Her hands were shaking. Not from the cold, but from the adrenaline.

'If that last strike had been a blade… if he hadn't been knocked back…'

She realized with a jolt of horror that if this had been a real fight, and he had aimed for the kill from the start… she might be dead.

"Medic!" Samantha barked, breaking the trance.

Two medics rushed onto the field with a stretcher. They lifted Lucien's unconscious body.

"Lucien!"

Ariana stood up in the stands, her face pale as a sheet. She made a move to run down the stairs.

"Sit down, Cadet Ariana!" Samantha ordered sharply, though her tone wasn't unkind. "The medics will handle him. He is stable. Your assessment is next."

Ariana froze, her hands gripping the railing until her knuckles turned white. She watched them carry him away, tears brimming in her eyes.

****

"Next match," Samantha announced, sensing the change in atmosphere. "Cadet Ariana vs Cadet Vance."

Vane stepped up. He was a swordsman, grinning confidently. He had seen Ariana—the quiet girl who usually hid behind Lucien. He thought this would be an easy win.

"Don't worry, Ariana," Vance taunted, spinning his practice sword. "I'll go easy on y—"

"Begin!"

Vance lunged forward.

Ariana didn't cast a spell. She didn't raise a shield.

Her hand blurred to the pouch at her waist.

Pop. Gulp.

In one fluid motion, she uncorked a blue vial and downed it.

[Buff: Gale-Force Agility]

As Vance's sword swung down, Ariana vanished.

"Huh?"

Vance slashed at empty air. Ariana appeared five meters to his left, moving with unnatural speed, wind currents trailing behind her heels.

"What the—"

Ariana didn't stop. She reached into her pouch again. This time, she didn't drink. She threw.

Two glass vials hurtled through the air.

Vance scoffed. "Throwing rocks?"

He slashed the vials mid-air.

CRASH.

Bad move.

The vials didn't contain water. They exploded into a thick, heavy purple mist.

[Debuff: Paralysis Fog (Diluted)]

The mist enveloped Vance instantly.

"Cough! Cough! What is… my arms…"

Vance stumbled out of the cloud, his movements suddenly sluggish. His sword tip dragged on the ground. His legs felt like they were stuck in mud.

Ariana stood just outside the cloud, her face impassive.

She raised her hand.

"[Wind Blast]."

It was a simple, Tier 1 spell. But against a paralyzed opponent who couldn't brace himself, it was a cannonball.

BAM!

Vance was launched off his feet. He flew ten meters backward and crashed into the barrier, sliding down unconscious, foaming slightly at the mouth.

The fight had lasted fifteen seconds.

Ariana didn't even look at him. She turned immediately to Samantha.

"I won. Can I go now?"

****

The silence in the stands broke.

"Hey! That's cheating!"

"She used potions! That's against the rules!"

"Yeah! This is a duel of strength, not a drinking contest! She drugged him!"

"Foul play! Disqualify her!"

The students were shouting, pointing fingers. They felt cheated. Magic and swords were noble. Throwing poison and chugging stamina potions felt dirty.

"SILENCE!"

Samantha's roar shook the dome.

She glared at the protesting students.

"You call it foul play?" she asked, her voice dripping with disdain. "Tell me, Cadet Bordon. If you use a sword forged by a master smith to win, is that cheating?"

Bordon blinked. "No, Instructor. A weapon is part of a warrior's kit."

"Then why is a potion different?"

"Because… it's an external item! She bought power!"

"Incorrect," Samantha stated coldly.

She walked over to Ariana, who was fidgeting impatiently.

"Cadet Ariana brewed those potions herself. She gathered the herbs. She distilled the mana. She calculated the ratios."

Samantha turned back to the crowd.

"The rule of the Academy is simple: External factors are illegal during a spar, UNLESS those factors are a result of your own personal strength."

She gestured to the purple mist dissipating in the air.

"An enchanter can use their own scrolls. An artificer can use their own gadgets. And an Alchemist can use their own potions."

She looked at the complaining students.

"If you can brew a potion that triples your speed without stopping your heart, you are free to drink it. If you can create a poison gas that incapacitates an enemy in seconds, you are free to throw it."

"But you can't," she sneered. "So do not begrudge her the talent she has cultivated."

She turned to Ariana, her expression softening into a nod of approval.

"Cadet Ariana. You used your class perfectly. ruthlessly efficient. You performed very well."

"Thank you, Instructor," Ariana said quickly, already backing away. "May I leave?"

"Dismissed."

Ariana didn't wait for a second breath. She turned and sprinted toward the infirmary tunnel, her dress fluttering behind her, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.

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