Hakith was looking at Z with fiery eyes. Everyone could see that he was itching to fight Z since they could not do so earlier. "Are you too afraid to start with me?" Hakith taunted.
Z looked at him and smiled softly before saying, "I was just wondering if your strength would be enough so when I defeat you, no one from that side would challenge me."
Hakith's anger continued to rage, but he still tried his best to calm down and ignore Z's provocations. He was well aware that any reckless action in front of the professors would only work against his favor.
"I guess you will do, though."
"Great!" Hakit exclaimed as he leaped to the center of the arena where Z was. The dwarf waved her hand, creating a rectangular cube that caged the two before saying, "Begin!"
"I will show you the might of the L. Dux--"
"Shut up," Z interrupted as he pulled out the black feather from his suit.
"Tsk!" Hakith sneered before chanting [Oh, Great Deity of Disorder and Violence, heed the call of this young one and bless me with thy power! Assimilate!]
{Mythology: Seth}
A constellation of stars appeared behind Hakith which revealed the image of Seth. Large amounts of Arcane gathered toward Hakith as he positioned his sword for battle.
"What a fitting Celestial," Z mocked as he channeled Arcane toward the feather.
Nightmare|
After Z activated his spell, the area around Hakith turned dark as he fell under the illusion of the feather. From the observer's perspective, he was just randomly swinging his sword, but from Hakith's, he was fighting a great battle.
"Oh? This kid has a Stelle Beast as his Celestial, how rare," the man with the blade said.
"It is quite a powerful Stelle Beast as well. Nightmare Ravens are very precious Stelle Beasts due to that ability, specifically," the dwarf added while observing the battle as if waiting for Hakith to do something, and shortly enough, he broke through the illusion and bared his fangs at Z. Meanwhile, the elf was looking at the sky which turned dark, casting a shadow over the entire arena.
"Do you think that kind of lowly illusion will win you this fight!?" Hakith roared before leaping toward Z. The two engaged in a bloody battle as Z created black feathers from Arcane which he used to attack Hakith, but the latter was unaffected by them. "This is the supremacy of our lineage! This is something peasants like you could only dream of!" Hakith said.
Lea was gripping her fist as she watched Z lose the trade. 'Why is he losing? I am sure he is more powerful than this, but why do I feel like this is the extent of his skill,' she thought.
Z continued to lose the trade, causing Hakith's smile to go wider and wider. Finally, after 30 minutes of continuous exchange, he brought Z to his limits. Hakith was still sweatless, but Z was clearly exhausted after the exchange.
"Hahaha, peasants like you can never compare against the nobility!" Hakith said before cutting Z's arm, dealing the final blow of the fight. The crowd cheers at his win, but Lea felt something amiss. A confused look appeared on Hakith's face as well after seeing the professors not declare him the winner, then he saw the uncomfortable faces of the other 9 applicants from Violet Lane which made him feel wary. However, before he could decipher what was happening, his right arm was already detached from his body.
As he screamed in pain, he found the beaten-up body of Z to be missing. To his horror, he saw Z behind him with a cold smile. Only then did he stitch things together, 'I was under an illusion the whole time!' Hakith thought.
"If peasants cannot compare to nobilities, then that must mean you are nothing but a peasant as well," Z mocked as he watched Hakith who was kneeling before him, holding his severed arm.
Shevel and the other four applicants from the ship four days ago, could not help but look at each other. "Isn't this the very scene that happened last time?" she asked while looking at the dark sky. The other four beside her had wary expressions on their faces as they knew just how powerful the Stelle Beast back then was.
"What a clever kid, trapping Hakith in a simple illusion he would surely break to put his guard down," the man with the blade commented.
"He was clearly going easy on him," the elf said.
"That is true. He had enough power to summon a Nightmare Raven. He could have as easily commanded it to physically destroy Hakith, but he chose to humiliate the latter, how mischievous," the dwarf added.
"He is powerful, indeed, but it is not something we have not seen before from past Violet Lane applicants. Now, I see why that kid from the L. Dux Empire did not come here as a Representative, he was lacking in many ways," the man with the blade said. "Congratulations, Applicant Z. Now, let us proceed to the proper trial," he continued.
"That was unreal. I fell into your illusion as well," Lea said with a curious smile.
"It was not perfect, though, since you had an idea that it was an illusion," Z said.
'Just how terrifying would it be if that illusion was directed at me?' Lea thought before turning her head. 'I swear with these geniuses.'
The challenges went smoothly. Those from Blue Lane continuously challenged the 10 who were wielding the ten spots, but none of them succeeded so far. When there were only 9 applicants left who had not issued a challenge, Shevel stepped forward and challenged Lea.
"Are you certain? You are aware that you can only challenge once, right?" the elf professor asked. Out of all Violet Lane applicants, only Lea and Z remained unchallenged until now. The combat prowess Z showed earlier was enough to put fear in the hearts of the other applicants so they avoided him. On the other hand, despite Lea not having fought yet, the reputation she built up over the years deterred others.
"Yes, sir," Shevel said with conviction in her eyes.
"Applicant Lea, step forward. Begin!"