This was how Matteo had won her earlier matches.

Her first soul skill, despite coming from a mere ten-year spirit soul, was exceptionally effective. It directly restrained her opponents and left them helpless.

However, its limitations were just as clear. Once used, it required a cooldown of twenty seconds before it could be activated again.

On a real battlefield, she would likely only get one chance.

Alfred began silently counting the seconds Ray was trapped. If the prison held for ten seconds, the match would be over.

In the first match, Matteo had won this way. In the second, her opponent had fared even worse.

The moment he tried to escape, the stone prison formed too quickly. He had been launched skyward by a rising pillar, saved from crippling injury only because Alfred caught him mid-fall.

Ray had no intention of risking that outcome.

He remained still, letting the prison close around him.

"Ten…" Alfred began counting aloud, his voice flat and emotionless.

According to his rules, being trapped by a Control System Battle Soul Master for more than ten seconds was no different from death.

Ray showed no trace of panic. Instead, he slowly raised his arms.

Two gray flashes appeared in his hands.

"Nine…"

Bang!

The Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers came crashing down. With a deafening roar, the stone pillars in front of him shattered instantly. Dust and fragments exploded outward as if struck by a siege weapon.

Alfred didn't even have time to say "eight."

Ray stepped forward through the rubble, hammers still in hand.

The entire class froze.

A sharp intake of breath rippled through the students. Even Raziel Phoenix, who had already fought Ray twice, hadn't expected him to break the stone prison in such a brutal, direct way.

Alfred's eyes gleamed as an unusual expression crossed his face. He nodded slowly. "Ray wins."

With his eyesight, he had already confirmed that the hammers weren't soul tools.

They carried no soul power at all. Even if they were soul tools, Ray's current soul power wouldn't have been enough to drive them like that.

This kid's strength… It's monstrous.

Raziel Phoenix stared, eyes wide.

He was holding back when he fought me?

In truth, Ray hadn't held back at all. It simply hadn't occurred to him to use his forging hammers in combat before. He had only taken them out today because he needed raw destructive power.

He hadn't expected a single strike to produce such overwhelming results.

Alfred turned his gaze toward Raziel. "Raziel Phoenix. Your turn."

Raziel Phoenix jumped into the arena, his mood darkening as he recalled how much food Ray had eaten that morning. If he'd known they would fight again today, he never would have paid for that meal.

Ray shifted his stance, facing Raziel Phoenix with the hammers still in hand. He wasn't confident of victory. The last time had been nothing short of a miracle. Yet now, gripping the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers, he felt strangely at ease. It was as if they had already become part of his body, bolstering his confidence.

Just as Raziel Phoenix was thinking about how to handle Ray, a cold voice cut in.

"The fourth round, second match. Raziel Phoenix versus Alfred."

"What?" Raziel Phoenix blurted out, nearly choking on the words as he turned toward the icily arrogant teacher.

Alfred glanced at him indifferently. "Did you think I would allow unfairness in my class? You will take one attack from me. Then you'll fight Ray."

Raziel Phoenix stared at him, stunned. "Teacher… you're joking, right? You're a teacher!"

Alfred had already walked over to Ray. With a casual wave of his hand, Ray was carried aside, still holding his hammers. Alfred then reached to his waist and undid his belt.

"Teacher, what are you doing?" Raziel instinctively backed away two steps. Then he realized Alfred's trousers were so well-fitted that even without the belt, they didn't move at all.

Alfred snapped his wrist.

The belt straightened instantly, stretched taut like a blade.

"I won't release my martial soul," he said calmly. "You only need to endure one attack."

He stepped forward with his left foot, and the belt thrust out like a sword.

Raziel Phoenix reacted instantly, retreating at full speed as he released his martial soul. To him, it was laughable to think Alfred would be harmless without using his martial soul. With soul power alone, that belt was no different from a real weapon.

Retreating was his only choice.

Raziel Phoenix trusted his speed completely. As he moved, he raised the Light Dragon Dagger defensively in front of him.

Then something terrifying happened.

No matter how fast he retreated, Alfred's belt remained directly in front of him. The thrust looked simple, almost casual, yet it tracked him perfectly. There was nowhere to dodge.

Bang!

"Aah!"

At the final moment, the belt softened slightly, striking rather than piercing. Still, the impact sent Raziel Phoenix flying. He rolled across the ground twice before scrambling upright, clutching his shoulder and gasping in pain.

Cold sweat drenched his forehead.

What terrified him most wasn't the pain. It was the instant before the strike, when he had genuinely felt death closing in. That overwhelming pressure crushed the spirit itself.

Too frightening… just how deep is Teacher Alfred's strength?

"You have one minute to rest," Alfred said, already rewrapping the belt around his waist. "After that, the finals begin."

With that, he turned and walked calmly to the side, leaving Raziel Phoenix standing there, shaken to the core.

The class remained utterly silent after witnessing Alfred's single strike. No one dared to whisper now. Their formation tightened unconsciously, backs straighter, breaths lighter. In front of this teacher, the pressure felt almost tangible.

Ray blinked a few times.

Moments earlier, he had been watching closely. When Alfred's sword thrust forward, Raziel Phoenix had already begun dodging, yet to Ray it looked like a trapped insect struggling in a spider's web.

No matter how Raziel Phoenix twisted or retreated, there was simply no path to escape.

It was a plain thrust. No martial soul. No soul skill.

Yet it completely suppressed Raziel Phoenix.

What kind of cultivation is needed for that?

Ray's respect for the so-called Icily Arrogant Prince Charming rose sharply. While reverence bloomed in his heart, he discreetly slipped the soul camera back into his Heavy Silver Rings.

Senior Sister Estella Silver's request still lingered in his mind. It was his first time doing something like this, but he was prepared.

Raziel Phoenix wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, standing stiffly as he reflected on the crushing pressure he had just faced.

That sword had not been a reckless attack.

Under that invisible oppression, Raziel Phoenix had felt completely sealed. In front of Ray, he could still fight back. In front of Alfred, every possible choice felt like a step toward death. Escape simply did not exist.

"One minute is up. Prepare yourselves."

Raziel Phoenix lifted his head and locked eyes with Ray. Ray met his gaze calmly.

This was their third battle.

Raziel Phoenix had lost twice already. Even if he refused to admit it, fear had crept into his heart. That terrifying golden light still haunted his memory. This time, he would be cautious. Extremely cautious.

"Begin!"

Alfred's command marked the start of the final match in Class Five.

Raziel Phoenix released his martial soul. The Light Dragon Dagger gleamed in his hand, but he didn't charge recklessly. Instead, he began circling Ray.

Ray released his Silverfalls Vine at the same time. Just like his match against Leiza, the grass wove itself into a vast net around him, dense and irregular, waiting patiently.

Raziel Phoenix's heart stirred.

The memory of being sent flying the first time flashed in his mind.

And now Ray wasn't even using his fists anymore.

He was holding hammers.

Two dark, gleaming Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers.

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