In the afternoon's team battles, the Lightning Class faced off against Water Class 2, while the Fire Class went up against the Earth Class. The Ice Class got a bye, advancing directly to the next round.
Pretty much everyone already knew how this would play out.
Unless the two strongest magic classes fought each other, no other class stood a chance against them.
Maybe still salty from her loss to Francis earlier, Sisi went absolutely berserk—single-handedly blasting the first two Water Class 2 members off the stage.
The third opponent stepped up, exasperated. "Seriously, sis, what's your beef with the Water Class? Last time, you solo'd all three from Water Class 1. Now you're doing it again?"
"My choice. Got a problem?" Sisi smirked, as arrogant as ever.
And just like that, she pulled off another one-woman sweep, annihilating Water Class 2. The Lightning Class advanced without breaking a sweat.
It wasn't that the Water Class was weak—water magic just lacked offensive punch at this level. As beginner mages, the gap between them and Sisi was huge. At higher tiers, that difference would shrink.
The Fire Class also won their match, leaving the final team slot to be fought over by Water Class 1, Ice Class, and Earth Class.
Since none of these classes had participants in the solo tournament, the headmaster decided to have them compete simultaneously with the next day's solo matches—avoiding any scheduling conflicts.
The next day's solo battles, however, turned out to be… *anticlimactic.*
Thunder vs. Sisi. Francis vs. Kaili. Two internal duels.
The crowd had been hyped to see Thunder put the cocky little beauty in her place—but then, shockingly, Sisi forfeited. Moments later, Kaili did the same.
After training together for so long, they all knew each other's limits. Just like Sisi knew she couldn't beat Thunder, Kaili was well aware he stood no chance against Francis.
Why waste energy on a pointless fight? Better to just bow out.
With that, Thunder and Francis now had two points each—guaranteeing them the top two spots. Meanwhile, Kaili and Sisi sat at zero, meaning third place would be decided between them.
After the forfeits, Headmaster Laurent whispered something to the referee, who immediately called all four back.
"Since you didn't fight, your mana should still be full. The headmaster has ordered the third round to begin *now.*"
*Now?* The four exchanged glances but didn't object.
This was it—the final showdown. Not just for the championship, but for that coveted spatial pouch.
Thunder vs. Francis. Sisi vs. Kaili.
Francis's eyes burned with fighting spirit. He didn't know if he could win, but there was only one way to find out.
Meanwhile, Sisi looked smug while Kaili slumped like a deflated balloon.
*Can I just forfeit again?* Kaili thought miserably. But that'd be *too* embarrassing.
Thunder studied Francis, who was desperately trying to stay calm—reminding himself that Thunder's previous antics were just mind games.
Then Thunder winked.
Francis's face twisted in horror.
"Dude. *Stop.*" The pretty boy shuddered.
"Relax, just messing with you." Thunder grinned at Francis's suffering.
The referee stepped in, casting protective shields on both before asking if they were ready. Then—
"BEGIN!"
Thanks to Thunder's sudden rise, what was supposed to be a Sisi vs. Francis final had taken a wild turn. The crowd buzzed with excitement, eager to see if Thunder could topple the Fire Class's golden boy.
Everyone loves an underdog story.
The moment the match started, Francis began chanting. Thunder, meanwhile, casually pulled out a scroll—*ripping* it open.
**CRACK!**
A bolt of lightning shot straight at Francis.
Sisi and Eric had warned Thunder: *"Crush Francis so hard he never recovers—or face our wrath."*
And when the invincible little beauty gave an order? Thunder had no choice.
The lightning struck Francis's shield, making it flicker violently. His half-formed spell fizzled out.
If not for beginner-level backlash being mild, that one hit could've ended the fight. Even so, Francis's mana churned wildly before finally stabilizing.
No way was he standing still now. After watching Thunder fight Kaili, Francis had assumed he was running low on scrolls.
*Guess not.*
Dodging and weaving, Francis tried to counter with a fireball—only for Thunder to pull out *another* scroll.
A second, *stronger* bolt crashed down.
Francis barely avoided it this time, but the sheer *wastefulness* of spamming scrolls like this nearly made him faceplant.
He managed to fling one fireball back before scrambling away again.
**CRACK! CRACK!**
Two more lightning strikes—no pause, no mercy.
Francis's heart nearly stopped. *How many scrolls does this guy HAVE?!*
The audience watched in disbelief as the Fire Class's top talent spent the entire match sprinting for his life, only managing *one* counterattack.
Was this really the same prodigal apprentice? The same unbeatable Francis?
Francis was suffering. He couldn't stop moving—couldn't even *think* about casting. Thunder's assault was relentless, scroll after scroll torn open without hesitation.
The sheer *expense* of this strategy was mind-boggling. No mage in history had ever burned through scrolls like this. Thunder was rewriting the rulebook in real time.
Finally—*silence.*
Francis gasped in relief. *Out of scrolls at last!*
Now it was *his* turn. He spun, ready to unleash hell—
Only to see Thunder grinning like a demon, holding a *stack* of scrolls, fingers poised to rip.
**"Oh, COME ON!"**
**Will Thunder's endless scroll barrage secure his victory—or does Francis have a last-ditch trick up his sleeve?**