*How the hell did he dodge that?* Kaili's limbs went numb.
The Explosive Fireball was his strongest spell. The barrage of smaller fireballs earlier had been meant to lull his opponent into complacency. But now, watching the scattered flames fail to land a single hit, Kaili realized he'd underestimated his enemy—and overestimated himself.
His mana was nearly depleted after that last attack. Meanwhile, Thunder was still bouncing around the stage like a damn monkey. A wave of helplessness washed over Kaili.
*This guy's insane.*
Seeing Kaili frozen in place, Thunder dashed forward with nimble footwork, channeling mana into his fist before slamming it straight into Kaili's magic shield.
It was Thunder's first aggressive move in the entire match. The sight of a mage fighting like a warrior sent gasps through the crowd.
Panic flashed across Kaili's face. Getting cornered was a death sentence for any mage—but the fact that his attacker was *another* mage (even if just an apprentice) made it even more absurd.
Kaili had nothing left. By the time Thunder closed in, he was too flustered to even summon a basic fireball.
Thunder hammered at the shield with mana-infused strikes, each hit making it flicker until—
*CRACK.*
The shield shattered.
"Contestant 100 wins!" the referee boomed. The crowd erupted.
Kaili shot Thunder a bitter glare, only to find him grinning back.
"Dude, did you *have* to humiliate me like that?" Kaili grumbled.
"I don't know any spells," Thunder shrugged. "Had to improvise."
Defeated, Kaili could only sigh. After these past few days, everyone knew this so-called "prodigal apprentice" wasn't someone to mess with.
A quick mental tally made Kaili's heart sink. *No chance against Francis. No chance against the invincible Sisi.* The harsh truth hit him—he was the odd man out in the top three.
*Where the hell did this monster even come from?* Kaili sniffled, wallowing in despair.
Just days ago, he'd been confident about securing a top-three spot. Now? Thunder had shoved him aside like yesterday's trash.
As Thunder stepped off the stage, he glanced toward Sisi's match—only to freeze.
The arena was empty. The battle was already over.
*Who won?*
His eyes darted around until he spotted Sisi, Eric, and Francis huddled together. The "invincible" beauty was glaring daggers at Francis, who wore an awkward smile.
"What happened?" Thunder jogged over. Kaili trailed behind, curiosity piqued.
"Got played," Sisi whined, tugging at Thunder's sleeve with puppy-dog eyes. "This sneaky bastard outsmarted me."
"Who won?" Thunder pressed.
"Francis," Eric cut in.
"*Thunderrrr*," Sisi wailed, shaking his arm. "You *have* to avenge me!" Losing to the same guy as her brother? Salt in the wound.
After some digging, Thunder pieced it together: Their duel had been neck-and-neck, but Francis shattered Sisi's shield a split second before she broke his. The referee called it for Francis based on timing.
Sisi's face screamed *unfair*, but the truth was simple—Francis had baited her. Both had been dodging and casting, but at the last moment, Francis stopped, tanked a hit, and fired back. Sisi's counter came a hair too late.
"Congrats," Thunder offered.
"Congrats *my ass*!" Sisi pinched him.
"You fought well," Francis said stiffly.
"Relax," Thunder patted Sisi's shoulder. "Two matches left. Top three's still in reach."
"I don't *want* top three. I want *first place*. I want that *spatial pouch*!"
*Greedy much?* But with one loss, first place was impossible—unless everyone else suddenly forgot how to fight tomorrow.
"*Kaili!*" Sisi's fiery gaze locked onto the other fire-class mage trailing behind Thunder.
"What?" Kaili groaned, still reeling from his own defeat.
"Tomorrow, I'm wiping the floor with you!"
"Why *me*?!" Kaili threw his hands up. "Francis is the one who beat you!"
"You're fire-class too. What your boss did to me? *I'm returning the favor.*"
"*Please* just leave me out of this!" Kaili begged.
**Will Sisi's vengeance turn the tides—or will Kaili become her next victim?**