The day's battles continued, with very few, if any, of the top ten students making a significant impression. Two dozen competitors have entered the arena, but less than ten have even been accepted by any of the second years.
"This is a waste of time." Isaac said as he slumped in his chair. "Not a single person showing anything worth paying attention to.
Raven and Freya may've hated Isaac, but they had to agree. There wasn't anything happening in the slightest; there were a few solid, average candidates, but nobody really shined above the rest.
The announcer then walked into the area. "Now we have a unique matchup, to say the least. First up is the second son of the Reed barony, Malcolm Reed!"
In came a fairly well-built boy with black hair cut down to a buzzcut and brown eyes. He waved his hands around with red flames surrounding his arms.
"Basic fire magic...how original." Isaac said as he scoffed. "More wasted time."
Malcolm took to the corner on the left side as he awaited his opponent.
The announcer spoke up again. "Next up is one mysterious individual. Someone's who's face nobody as seen amongst the staff. The man who single-handedly took out his entire first round group single-handedly and was an A-Rank member of the mercenary guild..."
"A A-Rank?" Isaac said in shock. "How old is he?"
"A-Rank takes mercenaries years to earn...that's not possible." Freya said as she finally started paying serious attention.
"This mercenary is quite renowned in the southern regions of the nation; may I introduce to you all...GHOST!"
A man dressed in all black clothes with a black cloak overtop him and a black mask covering the lower portion of his walked out; he didn't gloat, he didn't wave, or anything. He simply walked over to his side of the stadium. Everyone could see he had black hair, but one thing was odd: his eyes were closed shut.
"Why are his eyes closed?" Raven asked.
"He's not even taking a position; he's just standing still." Isaac commented.
"Hmm..." Freya continued to stare at the masked man, almost as if she were being drawn into the mystery.
"Competitors...BEGIN!" the announcer yelled.
Malcolm launched a large amount of fire immediately at the masked man to kick off the match, but the man didn't dodge. Instead, he simply raised his hand and completely blocked the attack. Malcolm didn't let that distract him as he ran directly towards the masked man to make it a close combat fight, hoping his physical strength could overwhelm his opponent. He was wrong.
As soon as Malcolm got close enough, the masked man unsheathed his sword and slashed a large amount of purple flames directly at him, which sent Malcolm flying to the side. He had managed to avoid a major hit, but his left arm and some of his left leg suffered burns.
"You bastard..." Malcolm said as he grinded his teeth.
Meanwhile, Freya, Isaac, and Raven watched in shock.
"Purple fire?" Isaac said in shock. "He's high-ranking nobility?"
Though one thing about the masked man had changed, his eyes were now open, eyes shining a bright purple.
"T-There's no way..." Raven said as her face changed to one of shock."
"Hmm?" Freya said, observing the masked man's movements.
Malcolm once again charged the masked man; this time, however, the man kicked Malcolm right into his side, which sent him flying into a side wall, causing him to spit out blood.
The masked man then pointed the tip of his sword in Malcolm's direction, and to the shock of everyone, purple lighting began forming.
"He has two types of magic?!" A student called out.
"There's no way...that has to be a magic enchanted sword, right?" another student said.
"No, he used the sword to use fire magic before...two magic enchantments aren't even possible." another student commented.
Freya looked more interested than ever watching the fight, as Raven, on the other hand, felt anxious. The day she had been waiting for had arrived, the day that she dreamt of night after night.
The man released an unrelenting lightning strike at Malcolm right in his chest, causing him to scream out in pain until he eventually passed out, making the masked man the winner. The man turned around and looked right at the top ten before taking off his mask, revealing his true face.
Raven's heart felt like it was beating a thousand times a minute and simultaneously felt as if it had stopped entirely.
Her brother had made his long-awaited return; she was not the only one in shock, however. Another first-year recruit was standing among the newbies in shock. She fell to her knees, and a tear fell down her cheek.
"A-Alex?"
Then two more women, both sitting amongst the teachers, looked down in shock.
"A-Alex..."
"Sis... is it really him?"
"It is...my son has come home."
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