"I'm fine." Ray drew in a deep breath. There was still a trace of chill and dull pain inside him, but compared to what he had endured over the past few days, it was insignificant. If that agony had felt like death itself, then this was no more than a bad stomachache.

Barbara stared at Ray in disbelief. After being struck by a Shadow Clone and already being the weakest of the three, Ray was still standing upright. What kind of monster was this?

"Die!" Lily suddenly shouted.

Before Ray could stop her, she had already surged forward.

A green glow flared around her body as she accelerated. With a sharp motion of both hands, a fireball and an icicle shot forth at the same time.

As the attacks flew, the green light around her intensified, her eyes becoming crystalline and focused. The fireball detonated first, and in the next instant, her hands turned icy blue.

When the icicle shattered, that cold blue light merged seamlessly with the green radiance around her.

A furious gale erupted.

The howling wind instantly reminded everyone present of the devastating hurricane that had swept through West Ocean City just days before.

In the blink of an eye, wind and ice fused together, forming a towering tornado five meters tall and a meter wide that surged straight toward Barbara's group.

The temperature on the stage plummeted. Countless ice shards whirled within the storm, transforming into razor-sharp blades that screamed through the air.

The expressions of Barbara's trio darkened. Volt stepped forward to take the brunt of the attack, while the other two hastily reinforced their defenses with soul power.

Dodging was impossible.

The tornado dominated the entire stage, dragging them toward its core. Their movements slowed drastically, leaving them trapped within its range.

Aaron stared in shock.

This… was the soul skill of a one-ring Soul Master? Even a Soul Elder with a thousand-year soul ring might not be able to produce something like this!

Blizzard.

A terrifying fusion of ice and wind.

Among the three from class five, the strongest wasn't Raziel Phoenix with his twin martial souls and superior soul power.

It was Lily.

She had never revealed her true strength before. But now, after Ray had been injured, her anger had erupted. This was her most powerful elemental attack.

Yet the price was steep.

After unleashing the blizzard, Lily's face turned deathly pale, her body swaying unsteadily. Ray immediately caught her, supporting her before she could fall.

Violent impacts echoed continuously from within the storm. Flickers of light could still be seen inside, proof that Barbara's trio was desperately defending themselves.

Raziel Phoenix tightened his grip on the Light Dragon Dagger, eyes shining. He had once experienced Lily's blizzard firsthand and knew just how terrifying it was. Even now, with two soul rings and twin martial souls, he doubted he could withstand it head-on. If he ever faced it, running away would be his only option.

Though he often argued with Lily, his respect for her strength was unquestionable.

After a full ten seconds, the blizzard finally began to dissipate. The air around the stage had grown bitterly cold.

The three figures gradually emerged.

Volt stood in front, his clothes shredded and his body covered in bruises. Thankfully, he had shielded his face, sparing it from disfigurement.

Barbara and Ares were in slightly better condition, but their faces were pale. That storm had drained an enormous amount of their soul power.

The spectators' perception of Lily changed completely.

Is she really a new student?

Just how terrifying would she become in the future?

Light Dragon Dagger in hand, Raziel Phoenix stepped forward. "Concede."

Anyone could see it. The opposing trio had expended more than half of their soul power and were all injured.

Aaron also moved closer, ready to end the match at any moment. Even though he hated to admit it, Lily's strength was absurd. Only now did he truly understand why Alfred had insisted on taking her in. He had been blind.

"We haven't lost yet." Barbara's gaze remained sharp, though his words were forced through clenched teeth.

Ares hesitated. "Do you really want to…?"

"We can't lose," Barbara said firmly.

Volt suddenly straightened, releasing a thunderous roar. Black aura surged around him once more.

A trace of mockery flashed through Raziel Phoenix's eyes. Still trying to turn the tables now? In a blur, he dashed toward Barbara, targeting the core of their team.

But suddenly, a dark figure intercepted him. Black light burst forth, blocking his strike and slowing him down.

Raziel Phoenix's pupils shrank.

Barbara had already flown behind Volt and wrapped his arms around his waist.

A deep dragon roar merged with the piercing cry of an eagle. In that instant, both of their bodies turned pitch black, like flowing ink, as they began an eerie fusion.

Barbara transformed into a streak of black light, merging into Volt and forming a pair of wings on his back.

Volt's body expanded rapidly. A massive tail extended from his spine, and both arms mutated into Bone Dragon Claws. His aura skyrocketed.

"Get lost!" Volt bellowed, slashing forward.

Raziel Phoenix tried to evade, but black light wrapped around him like a swamp, dragging him down.

It happened too fast.

Ray had no time to rescue him with Silverfalls Vine. Raziel Phoenix crossed his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger to defend, but he was still blasted away.

Blood sprayed from Raziel Phoenix's mouth midair. Ray heard the sickening crack of fractured bones.

"Raziel Phoenix!" Ray caught him as he fell.

Raziel Phoenix's eyes were tightly shut, already unconscious. His daggers faded as his aura weakened.

"You bastard! This is only a match!" Ray roared, charging forward without hesitation.

Golden scales erupted across his right arm, spreading from his fingertips upward. His arm thickened visibly, power surging through it.

His pupils turned molten gold.

When he stomped his left foot down, the ground thundered.

He shot forward like a cannonball, straight toward the transformed Volt.

Volt flapped his wings and lifted his massive body into the air. With a twist, his tail lashed out.

Ray exhaled sharply, black vapor spilling from his mouth. His right hand enlarged further, fingers elongating into a dragon's claw.

Unlike Volt's Bone Dragon Claw, Ray's claw had five talons.

Bang!

Golden Dragon Claw slammed into the sweeping Bone Dragon tail. Golden light flared across the tail as Ray was blasted backward by the impact.

Midair, Ray twisted his body and yanked on the Silverfalls Vine wrapped around Volt, pulling himself back in.

The Golden Dragon Claw descended again—this time aimed straight at Volt's head.

Volt crossed both claws to block.

At that instant—

Ray released a deafening dragon's roar. A faint golden radiance flickered from Ray's body for the briefest instant.

Yet in that instant, Volt's Bone Dragon Claw slowed as if it had plunged into thick mud.

The Golden Dragon Claw descended.

"Stop!" Aaron and Lara shouted at the same time.

But Ray could no longer hear them.

His vision was filled only with Raziel Phoenix's blood, with the image of his friend collapsing. Rage drowned out reason. With his strength already unleashed, it was impossible to halt the strike.

Just then, a slender arm appeared without sound.

Two fingers gently brushed Ray's right arm, nudging it aside.

The Golden Dragon Claw, originally aimed straight at Volt's head, was deflected at the last moment and slammed into his right claw instead.

Bang!

Despite being several times larger than Ray in his transformed state, Volt was smashed into the ground like a meteor. Ray, carried by the recoil, landed lightly several steps away.

"Enough."

A cold voice rang out, clear and absolute. Like a bell at dawn, it tore Ray from his fury.

Alfred stood beside him, Raziel Phoenix cradled in his arms.

On the ground, Volt's Bone Dragon Claw lay twisted at a grotesque angle. A clear fracture split his tail where Ray's strike had landed.

Black light peeled away from Volt's body. The fusion unraveled.

As the two figures separated and reverted to their original forms, agonized screams erupted.

Barbara lay sprawled on the stage, both legs broken. Volt's right arm was bent at an impossible angle, shattered. Their cries echoed with unbearable pain.

No one had expected the match to descend into such tragedy.

"Teacher! How can you allow your students to act with such brutality?" Lara flew onto the stage, pointing furiously at Alfred.

Alfred didn't even glance at her.

He simply said to Ray, "Go."

Lara tried to step forward, but an icy, murderous aura suddenly burst from Alfred. Her entire body froze, death's chill crawling up her spine.

Ray's arm gradually returned to normal. Weakness washed over him in waves. Though he had expelled some of the black gas earlier, a lingering chill still coiled in his abdomen.

Lily followed behind Alfred, her eyes fixed on Raziel Phoenix's pale face. Together, the three of them left the stage.

Aaron remained behind, his expression dark enough to drip water.

This time… things had gone too far.

Three students were seriously injured in a single match. As the referee, responsibility fell squarely on him. This was a major incident, one that hadn't occurred in many years.

Alfred carried Raziel Phoenix straight to the infirmary. A teacher with a recovery-type martial soul examined him carefully.

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