The bell’s distant echo faded into the wind, but no one moved as they were watching the match between Edwin and Lena.

Lena stood at the center of the field, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Sweat dripped down her face, glistening under the afternoon sun.

Despite her exhaustion, her eyes still blazed with pride and anger.

Edwin, on the other hand, stood calmly across from her.

"Anyway," Lena said between gasps, "we are not done yet."

Nathan sighed from outside the fence. "Lena, just stop already."

"Shut up, Nathan!" she snapped, glaring at him before turning back to Edwin.

Then she turned to Edwin, "Didn’t your mother teach you to have manners?"

Her words came out heavy, half from anger, half from exhaustion.

Edwin didn’t reply.

His expression didn’t change.

He just stood there—silent, motionless.

The way his gaze fixed on her made a few students in the crowd murmur uneasily.

Lena’s lip curled in frustration. "Don’t ignore me!"

She lunged forward, twisting her body with all the remaining strength in her legs.

"Death Kick!" she shouted, raising her foot high above her head and swinging down with brutal force.

The ground erupted.

BOOOM!

A violent gust exploded outward, throwing up a thick cloud of dust that swallowed both fighters from view.

The arena trembled as the shockwave rolled across the garden fences.

Students watching from behind the railings shielded their faces.

"Whoa!" one shouted, backing up.

"That was her signature move!"

Another smirked. "He’s done for. A first-year can’t take that hit."

"Yeah, these juniors really don’t know their place," someone muttered.

Nathan leaned forward slightly. "Did she defeat him?" he asked quietly.

His colleague shrugged. "No way he’s still standing after that."

Inside the haze, Lena stood panting, lowering her leg.

Her eyes glinted with cold satisfaction. "Hhuh... very arrogant," she said, brushing dust off her sleeve.

"This is what you deserve."

But then—something strange happened.

The dust began to thin, carried away by the breeze.

And through the fading gray, a shape slowly became visible.

A lone figure stood unmoving amidst the wrecked earth.

When the air cleared completely, everyone saw him.

Edwin.

He hadn’t fallen.

He hadn’t even flinched.

His body stood upright, completely unhurt.

His clothes fluttered gently in the wind, his eyes still calm—unchanged, unwavering.

Lena’s jaw slackened. "What..." she whispered.

The entire third-year crowd gasped.

"He’s... still standing?"

"Impossible! That was her strongest kick!"

Nathan’s lips twitched into a faint smirk. "Well... looks like the kid isn’t just some ordinary first-year after all."

Lena gritted her teeth. "You think you’re mocking me, huh?"

Without hesitation, she kicked off the ground again—faster this time, fury overtaking reason.

She leapt into the air, spinning her body for a high-velocity strike aimed straight at Edwin’s face.

Her heel cut through the air with a sharp hiss—

But smack!

It stopped.

Just like that.

Edwin had caught her leg mid-kick with one hand.

His palm barely trembled. His stance didn’t shift. His expression didn’t even change.

Lena’s eyes widened. "What—?"

He stared at her coldly, speaking in a voice barely above a whisper—quiet enough for only her to hear.

"Do you really have to bring my mother into this?"

The weight behind his tone made her flinch involuntarily.

His calmness wasn’t peace—it was anger buried deep beneath control.

"What?!" Lena shouted, trying to yank her leg free. "Fucking shut up!"

She pulled back, flipping in the air and landing a few steps away.

Then she charged again, this time aiming a spinning kick at his stomach.

But Edwin didn’t move.

He caught her leg again— effortlessly.

The impact sent dust scattering around his shoes, but his feet didn’t budge an inch.

Lena’s frustration boiled over. "Let go of me!"

He released her with a flick of his wrist, sending her stumbling back a few steps.

She glared at him, panting. "You think you’re strong, huh!? You think staying silent makes you better than me!?"

Edwin said nothing. His anger simmered behind his stoic eyes, visible only in the faint tightening of his jaw.

"Why won’t you fight back!?" she shouted again.

Edwin’s gaze lowered slightly. "Because fighting you won’t prove anything. But i am gonna teach you something"

Lena clenched her fists. "Stop talking like you’re above me!"

Ignoring his words, she spun once more, leaping high into the air.

Flames flickered around her boots—her aura burning bright red again as she descended.

"Crimson Heel!"

The students around the fence gasped.

"She’s using a technique!"

"She’s crazy! That’s not for dueling—she could break his ribs!"

The air distorted as her leg came down.

But then—

A low boom echoed before she even made contact.

A visible wave of pressure rippled from Edwin’s hand as he raised it.

The ground cracked beneath his feet, his aura—faint but dense—surged upward.

WHAAAM!!

The shockwave hit Lena mid-air, throwing her backward like a rag doll.

She landed hard on the ground, rolling across the dirt until she came to a stop several meters away.

Gasps rippled through the watching students.

"What just happened!?"

"Did he... counter her with air pressure?"

"He didn’t even hit her directly!"

Nathan’s expression turned serious now. "That wasn’t mana control... that was raw power."

Lena groaned, pushing herself up on shaky arms. Her body trembled—not from pain, but disbelief.

"You... you didn’t even move..." she muttered.

Edwin lowered his hand slowly. "I told you, this fight means nothing."

"Shut up!" she screamed, charging again.

But her legs were sluggish. Her aura, once bright, now flickered weakly.

Her steps faltered halfway, her breathing erratic.

Edwin didn’t attack.

"Why are you holding back!?" she asked.

He turned slightly. "Because I know how it feels to lose control."

Her eyes widened—just for a second. Something in his tone pierced through her anger.

Before she could respond, Nathan waved his hand.

"That’s enough! Lena!"

Lena ignored him, still trying to catch her breath. "Don’t... interfere!"

Nathan frowned. "You’re going to get suspended again. You can’t keep doing this every time someone bumps into me!"

The crowd around them began whispering again.

"Suspended? Again?"

"She’s done this before?"

"Yeah, she’s infamous for picking fights over nothing."

Edwin looked down, his eyes shadowed. The name "mother" still lingered in his mind, replaying in silence.

He clenched his fists slightly.

Lena straightened, brushing dirt from her cheek.

"Don’t think you’ve won," she said.

"I never wanted to win," Edwin replied.

"Then what do you want?" she asked.

Edwin wasn’t focused on it anymore.

Lena wiped a trace of blood from the corner of her lip and raised her head.

"What now? You think you’ve won because I tripped once?"

"I want to teach you some lessons."

That line made several students gasp.

Even Nathan looked surprised. "Kid... don’t push it."

But Edwin wasn’t bluffing.

Lena let out a short laugh, a cruel, dismissive chuckle. "Hahaha... you? Teach me? You barely even fought back earlier."

BOOOM.

A shockwave rippled outward.

Edwin took a single step forward.

Just one.

Yet the ground beneath his feet cracked slightly, and the air pressure swirled violently around him, distorting the light for a brief moment.

The murmurs in the crowd stopped entirely. All eyes locked on the first-year boy who suddenly didn’t look so ordinary anymore.

Lena’s smirk faltered for half a second before she forced it back. "Here comes the hero," she said mockingly, brushing her hair back.

"Show me what you’ve got, junior."

"Do you really have to bring my mother into this matter?" Edwin asked again.

she saw the faint, crimson shimmer beginning to gather around Edwin’s right hand.

His aura, calm moments ago, now surged with fierce intent.

From behind the fence, Nathan frowned deeply. "Wait... what’s that aura?"

Edwin reached to his side and pulled out his sword.

"Ruin Form," he whispered.

The moment he said it, the air itself changed. The temperature dropped, and a dense current of energy burst outward.

Students shielded their faces as dust and leaves flew wildly.

The wind roared through the training grounds like an approaching storm.

"Whoa—what’s happening!?" a student yelled.

"That’s... not a first-year skill!" another shouted in disbelief.

Edwin raised his sword, his aura spiraling upward like a vortex.

"Ruin Form... Blazing Spiral!" he shouted.

The ground beneath him shattered as he leapt high into the air.

Lena’s eyes widened. "He’s... flying?"

No—not flying. The sheer force of the energy coiled beneath his feet had launched him upward like a rocket.

The spiraling energy around his body grew wider, forming a massive circular current and crimson light—air and fire merging into a deadly storm.

"Impossible..." Lena muttered, stepping back instinctively. "That kind of energy—he can’t control that!"

Nathan shouted from below, "Kid! Stop, you’ll destroy the arena!"

But Edwin’s eyes were locked on Lena.

He didn’t hear anything else.

The storm reached its peak, glowing with a terrifying brilliance. His sword pulsed once—then he swung it downward with all his strength.

"Blazing Spiral—Release!"

The entire arena exploded in light and sound.

BOOOOOOMMMM!!!

A colossal vortex of spiraling energy shot downward, colliding with the ground like a meteor strike.

The impact wave tore through the training field, uprooting dirt, shattering fences, and sending a shockwave across the garden.