They continued watching the matches, with the rest of Hannah's team joining them after apparently making their own snack run.
That was when Harper nudged Jace. "I meant to thank you, by the way."
He turned toward her, mid-sip from his drink. "For what? I don't think I did anything special."
She laughed. "Well, during our training match, I happened to get a little hint toward a new spell."
"Oh?" He perked up. "That sounds promising."
"It is," she said with a grin. "I'm trying to take the idea behind your ice storm and apply it to my own magic."
"I'm still figuring it out myself," he admitted with a chuckle. "I don't even know what it's actually called, but I've been referring to it as Terrain Magic, since it affects the entire arena."
"Makes sense," she nodded. "I've been working on a formula for my own version."
Jace paused, then leaned slightly toward Aurora to whisper, "Hey, Captain… I know we said we're allies for now, but when it comes to spells and stuff, are we sharing freely? Or just sticking to hints and sparring?"
Aurora considered it for a moment before replying quietly, "I don't mind either way. The more we help each other, the more we all grow. So… I trust your judgment."
"Alright, sick." Jace leaned back and turned to Harper again. "We've got a couple guesses about how Terrain Magic works. Ethan's been getting the same feeling from his lightning that I did from my ice, right before I unlocked my Ice Terrain."
"So you're saying… it is possible for others to learn it," Harper said, her voice thoughtful now.
"Correct. We think it has something to do with your affinity for the element," Jace said, clearly growing excited with the discussion. "Ice is my strongest, and Ethan has an insane affinity for lightning."
"Interesting," Harper leaned back, thinking it over. "That makes sense. I wasn't making progress with Wind, but with Fire? It felt different."
"Yeah, from our match, I'd say your fire definitely felt stronger than your wind," Jace nodded, thinking back. Even with his Ice Terrain, and whatever enhanced ice he'd tapped into during that fight, her flames had still been blisteringly hot.
"So, basically, ignore every element I don't have a strong affinity for," Harper said, rubbing her forehead. "That'll speed things up a lot. Thanks."
"You're welcome," he said, grinning. "If you figure it out, let me know."
"Of course." Harper bumped her fist against his.
Finally, another match hit the arena—one that everyone, not just Jace's group, had been waiting for. The entire crowd had been buzzing with anticipation. This was the showdown between Team Christian, now Rank 6, and Team Ian, currently sitting at Rank 2.
After a dominant win in the second contest, Christian had been promoted back up to Rank 6, with most of his team rising to at least Rank 8.
Ian's team, on the other hand, had started the year at Rank 4 and clawed their way up to Rank 2 after two hard fought, close victories.
So naturally, expectations were sky high.
And for once, the match delivered.
The first round was a brutal back-and-forth, with neither side giving an inch. Spells clashed, tactics shifted on the fly, and both duelists pushed themselves to their limits.
In the end, the round didn't come down to a flashy finisher or an overwhelming blow, but to endurance. Team Ian's participant finally ran out of mana with the score tied 1-1, resulting in a forced surrender and a 3–1 victory for Team Christian.
The second round was another brawl, though of a different kind. Where the first had become a grueling endurance match, the second was an all out slugfest.
All four contestants held nothing back, unleashing large scale spells in rapid succession. The scoreboard lit up as points flew back and forth, each side trading blows with reckless precision.
It finally ended when one of Team Ian's duelists unleashed a massive spell that struck both opponents simultaneously, flipping a 3–4 deficit into a 5–4 victory. The crowd erupted as the match was tied 1–1.
The Target Challenge was far too close to call. Both teams destroyed an identical number of targets heading into the lightning round, and even then, the results were razor thin, so close that no one in the audience could confidently say who had won Round Three.
Round Four, however, wasn't nearly as close.
Team Christian's pair seized the early momentum, with both the chaser and the runner using their roles to full effect. They played off each other cleanly, pressing their advantage from the start and never letting go. The round ended decisively, giving Team Christian a confirmed 2–1 lead in the match.
Then came the final round.
Both captains stepped into the arena.
The battle itself unfolded slowly, methodically. Neither captain was willing to make a misstep that could cost them the entire match.
But it was a sudden burst of aggression that changed everything.
Christian, realizing that playing safe wouldn't give him the edge, made a bold decision. He threw himself into a full force assault, landing the first point.
And just like in the Tag match, once he found momentum, he never let go.
Ian managed to land a point of his own—but only because Christian allowed it, baiting a trade he was already prepared to answer.
With Ian forced onto the defensive, desperate to even the score, Christian exploited that drive. He gave just enough room for Ian to tie it, then struck again the moment he did.
The final score landed at 3–2 in Christian's favor, sealing both the round and the match.