The entire hall was plunged into silence.
The eyes of everyone—both spectators and examinees—converged in a single direction.
Their eyes could not believe what they saw. It manifested as a single burst of power, but the massive surge it created sent a shockwave pulsing through the large hall.
A lone boy stood in the center, and around him, a crater was formed. The resurgent dark flames licked the floor, a thousand flaming tongues, leaving a trail of ash and destruction in its wake. Nothing was safe from the flame's destructive path.
"T-that's… the floor was constructed with a reinforced alloy, right?"
"It's also strengthened by Magia, right?"
"To think... a single boy…"
"How amazing."
In just one move, the impression of the audience changed. They had all assumed he was worthless—weak even, refusing to believe Rose's earlier praise of his status as a Challenger.
But now? After seeing all of this, their doubts vanished into thin air.
"Number 07. What more do you have for us?"
*
*
*
Rose was so excited, she looked manic. She stared proudly at her opponent, grinning madly. There was only one cause for that.
"How exciting! Those flames of yours, they're exciting!" She chuckled.
She then resumed her stern expression, realizing she had to control herself. As an examiner, she had to abide by the rules and ensure she didn't cross the threshold of what would be considered acceptable.
Still, Rose could barely conceal her amazement !
"I'm curious. Why didn't you use this power earli—"
"That doesn't matter now." Matt stated, cutting her short.
His head hung low on his shoulders, and he was facing the floor. Something about the low undertone of his speech and his eerie stillness, made Rose feel a jitter course through her.
The dark flames slowly died out, and the damaged floor automatically restored itself.
"Well, I suppose not. Very well, then. Let us continue the exam, shall we?"
>VWUUUUUUSSSSHHHHH!!!<
Clasping both her hands together to form a massive ball of flames, Rose sent the flaming ball of death hurtling toward Matt. Her eyes were gleaming with delight, as she wondered with anticipation what move the boy would make to get out of the situation alive.
'This is as far as I can go, but—!' She waited with bated breath to see if he would rise to the challenge.
And then, just as the flames were about to hit him…
"Hmmph!"
The boy smirked confidently.
>WHUUUUUMMMMM!!!<
In a flash, black flames erupted right in front of him, consuming the natural flames that sped towards him with ferocity. The dark embers burned intensely as they engulfed their brightly colored counterparts.
It was evident to all, there was no contest. Rose's flames stood no chance.
All it took were a few seconds, and everything was enveloped in darkness. And, standing triumphantly at the epicenter of the roaring dark flames, was none other than the previously frightened boy.
"Oh? Not bad…" Rose commented, observing the boy more carefully. "So this is your Imagi!"
Rose wasn't the only one who was amazed.
Violet, who sat awkwardly among the other competitors, keenly watched Matt with inspiration and genuine relief.
'You're finally using that power of yours. Show them, Matt! Show all of them what you can do!' She was extremely proud of him, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up.
Violet felt a rush of anticipation rise from within her. After all, she understood one thing—something the audience was now realizing as they saw Matt in action.
'If anyone deserves to pass this exam, it's him!'
*
*
*
Matt stood calmly amid the dying flames.
His hands were in his pockets, and he was silent the whole time. Rose couldn't keep her gaze off him, as she analyzed him.
'He's changed. Suddenly, he's more confident. I can also sense his Magia. It's fluctuating, always changing. But back then, when those flames engulfed mine, I could tell how high he was going.
'He has over a thousand Magia Points already? That's insane!'
Of course it was only an estimation, Rose didn't know the exact figure. However, Matt's current Magia levels were already plummeting. The points hovered around a hundred, almost as though he was dormant.
Suddenly, Matt moved, and Rose's gaze became serious and she narrowed her eyes. With his face now raised, she could clearly see his expression.
One of his eyes was closed, and he gave a crooked smile while maintaining his pose. His dark hair was lightly tousled, and his previously blue eyes had turned purple.
"My turn." He said, slowly lifting his right hand, while staring intensely at Rose.
"Be swallowed by darkness, Dark Flames of Perdition."
>VWUUUUSSSHHHH!!!<
Instantly, purple and black energy warped around Matt, and the entire area around him became distorted. Once again, his Magia Points skyrocketed, and the dark flames began to manifest—this time, tinged in the purple hue that coated them.
Just as her flames danced around her fingertips, so did his. Both of them stared at each other, smiling menacingly as they readied their aim.
"Begone."
In one simple thrust, Rose threw her fireball, while Matt shot his. Both fireballs collided at the center, creating a shockwave that devastated everything around them.
>BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!<
This time, the crimson flames put up a fight, and that was simply due to the large amount of Magia Rose burned through in order to make it. Despite that, the dark purple flames did not get pushed back. They roared ferociously, slowly engulfing the flames she had sent.
"Oh, my. No way… is this…"
Just as she suspected, the dark flames enveloped hers, and the newly formed flames of perdition resumed their rapid approach.
"Hahahahaha! How exciting!" Rose took a step forward and stretched out her hands.
She could easily dodge the flames, and coming into contact with it could end up being dangerous, but Rose was completely enthralled by the incoming danger.
A massive wall of flame manifested in front of her, right before the dark flames reached their target, and another massive explosion surged through the hall.
Embers flew around, and sparks danced in the air. However, just as she predicted, the flames were eating through the walls as well.
'Oh? Even with Magia this dense?!'
The process was slow, but given enough time, they would prevail.
Rose could feel her blood surging in excitement. The sheer amazement she felt was so overwhelming that she finally lost control of her restraint.
"Let's see if you can handle this!"
>VWUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<
This time, a different kind of flame erupted in Rose's hands. The bright yellowish flame turned crimson, and a sizzling heat filled the air
Within a second, all of her flames took on this new color, and they raged with a vengeance.
The dark flames suddenly encountered resistance, and Rose was happy to see it.
Her crimson flames versus his dark flames; which one was superior?!
"What will you do now? Show me!"