With the Spade Class falling back, their defeat evident, all eyes turned toward the next challengers—the Diamond Class.
Unlike the combat-heavy Spade Class, the Diamond Class was composed primarily of mages. Only a handful of warriors and combatants stood among them, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for with powerful magic.
At their forefront stood the Crown Prince.
Dressed in his pristine academy robes, his posture was effortlessly elegant, his aura commanding. With a single glance, he assessed the battlefield, his violet eyes gleaming with sharp calculation.
Then, with the ease of someone born to lead, he issued his commands.
"Form a pentagram formation. Support casters, enhance the front line. Offensive mages, synchronize your attacks—layer the spellcasting."
His orders were precise, his tone neither hurried nor anxious.
The Diamond Class moved like a coordinated machine.
The mages positioned themselves, their hands glowing with various magical elements—fire, wind, lightning, ice, and earth. Meanwhile, the few sword-wielders among them adjusted their stance, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Begin!"
The first spell ignited the air.
A column of fire erupted from the hands of a fire mage, surging toward the High-Tier Puppet, the heat causing the air to shimmer.
Before the flames could dissipate, a wind mage swiftly followed up, his spell amplifying the fire, turning it into a raging firestorm.
From above, a bolt of lightning cracked, striking through the center of the inferno, causing a sudden, violent explosion.
A dazzling display of combined magic.
Yuna, still standing at the sidelines, watched intently.
Though her expression remained neutral, her heart stirred slightly.
'That was… kinda cool.'
She was never one for effort. Training? Learning magic? Expending energy? Too much work.
But that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate those who did work hard.
'Mages really have it nice… So flashy, so powerful…'
Her fingers twitched slightly, almost as if she wanted to cast something herself—but the thought passed just as quickly as it came.
Beside her, Austin stood as still as ever, uninterested in anything but her presence. He was always like this making Yuna slightly immune to it.
She sighed.
'At least pretend to be impressed, Austin…'
The Diamond Class kept up their relentless assault, their layered spells hammering against the puppet.
Each attack was calculated, their teamwork impeccable.
Water spells softened the puppet's metallic exterior.
Lightning followed, aiming for conductivity.
Earth magic attempted to bind its movements.
Their strategy was sound.
But the High-Tier Puppet was built for endurance.
Its runes flared brightly, dispelling some of the weakened effects of their attacks. With a sudden lurch, it broke free from its restraints, its mechanical arms swinging with deadly force.
The Diamond Class mages, lacking the physical resilience of their Spade counterparts, scrambled to evade.
A wind mage was knocked aside, his body sent rolling across the floor.
An ice mage attempted to retaliate, summoning a wall of jagged frost, but the puppet shattered it with ease.
Despite the brilliant execution of their strategy, the difference in raw power was undeniable.
The Crown Prince, who had remained calm all this time, narrowed his eyes.
"Retreat."
The word was spoken without hesitation.
The Diamond Class fell back, their breathing heavy, their pride bruised.
They had fought well.
But they had not won.
As the dust settled, murmurs rippled across the gathered students.
Some from the Club and Spade Classes looked relieved—perhaps the Diamond Class wasn't as invincible as they seemed.
The Heart Class, however, remained as unbothered as ever.
Among them, Yuna sighed quietly, internally fawning over the battle she just witnessed.
'Mages are so dazzling…'
But in the end—
'Still too much work.'
She let the thought go, shifting her attention toward the next group about to step into the arena.
Now, all that remained were the Club Class… and them.
With the Diamond Class stepping back, their defeat evident, the Club Class finally moved forward.
Unlike the Spade Class, who relied on combat proficiency, and the Diamond Class, who showcased magical superiority, the Club Class was a mix of everything.
They had warriors and mages, but what truly made them stand out was the sheer diversity of their awakened abilities.
Beast tamers with their summoned creatures, shadow manipulators blending into the darkness, shape-shifters adjusting their forms, light users illuminating the battlefield, poison ability users coating weapons in deadly toxins, and many more—each student possessing an ability uniquely their own.
And yet, despite their varied strengths, the class moved with surprising unity.
At the center of their formation stood their Class Representative.
He looked incredibly unremarkable
Nothing particularly intimidating.
Nothing particularly impressive.
But the moment he spoke, the Club Class followed his command without hesitation.
"Beast Tamers, keep the puppet occupied. Poison users, weaken its mobility. Light users, suppress its vision. Shadow manipulators, disrupt its footing. Shape-shifters, focus on agility and distraction. Mages, warriors—provide cover!"
Unlike the Spade Class, where some students didn't fully listen to Enyo, or the Diamond Class, where obedience was due to the Crown Prince's status, the Club Class acted with perfect synchronization.
No hesitation.
No resistance.
They moved as one.
And it was all because of their seemingly ordinary leader.
At his command, the battle erupted into motion.
Beast tamers released their creatures, each one unique—wolves, falcons, serpents, even a strange crystalline mantis that shimmered like glass.
The creatures rushed at the High-Tier Puppet, snarling, clawing, biting.
The puppet swung its massive arm, knocking away a shadowy panther, but before it could recover, a wave of poison-coated daggers rained upon its joints.
The shadow ability users moved swiftly, merging into the darkness, appearing and disappearing at different points, throwing the puppet's tracking mechanisms into disarray.
From above, a light user conjured a blinding flash, momentarily stunning the puppet's artificial eyes.
Shape-shifters darted around the battlefield, some taking the form of agile beasts, others adapting to elongated limbs for increased reach—each one creating a constant state of movement.
And at the heart of it all—
Their Class Representative.
His ability? Enhancement.
It didn't seem particularly overwhelming at first glance.
But in practice, it was terrifying.
A single touch to a warrior's sword, and suddenly, it cut deeper and faster.
A simple gesture to a mage's spell, and suddenly, the fireball burned hotter, the ice shards became sharper, the lightning struck harder.
Even a brief contact with a beast tamer's summoned creature, and the beast grew stronger, faster, more ferocious.
The Club Class wasn't the strongest.
But with their Class Rep's ability, they fought the longest.
From the sidelines, Yuna watched with growing fascination.
She had already been impressed with the Spade Class's combat prowess and the Diamond Class's magical coordination, but…
This?
This was chaotic brilliance.
Unlike the structured formations of the previous groups, the Club Class looked like a wild, unpredictable force.
And yet, it worked.
Each student knew their role, moving fluidly, shifting positions instinctively, supporting one another without hesitation.
Yuna's lips twitched upward slightly.
'This is… kinda amazing.'
For someone as lazy as her, watching people put in so much effort was strangely admirable.
Although she don't know what battle formation they used or what the command of the class rep will reap, all she knows is that the display of power is incredible satisfying to watch.
She rested her chin on her hand, watching with interest as the shape-shifters adapted mid-battle, as the light users provided precise flashes of blinding light, as the beast tamers commanded their creatures with expertise.
'Magic is flashy. Combat is powerful. But this… this is pure chaos, beautiful chaos.'
Yuna truly acknowledged—
The Club Class was far from ordinary.
Despite their brilliant strategy, despite their impressive coordination, despite lasting longer than any other class before them…
They, too, fell.
The High-Tier Puppet stood still with its usual air of imposingness.
And with a final devastating counterattack, it dispersed the Club Class's formation, breaking through their teamwork, their defense, their final strategies—
Until the last standing members had no choice but to retreat.
As the Club Class regrouped, catching their breath, their Class Rep simply smiled good-naturedly.
"Well, that went better than expected."
His classmates groaned at his nonchalant attitude, some laughing, some complaining, but overall—there was no sense of defeat in their expressions.
They had fought well.
Even if they lost, they had proved something. The club class where there are the most commoners.
Meanwhile, Yuna simply sighed, stretching her arms.
'They tried so hard… kinda inspiring… but still way too much work for me.'
She wasn't the type to put in effort.
But watching others do it?
… That was fun