After Kenneth said that a boy who was telling Arthur and Riley to stay low key turned and point his eyes and then point to Arthur and Riley he was meaning ``I will watch you''.
As the match began, Group A, Arthur's group, was not working as a team at all. Each member acted on their own, while the opponents worked well together, positioning themselves strategically to cover their weaknesses. The enemy mages took up positions behind their damage dealer, with one mage further back, chanting a large-scale spell.
Arthur quickly assessed the situation. He identified the biggest threat—the mage preparing the large spell. His wrist started glowing red, and he commanded, "[Nullify]." The mage, suddenly cut off from her mana source, was unable to complete her spell. She glanced around, bewildered, and saw Arthur extending his arm.
"Yo... you, what did you do?" the mage demanded, astonished. She was a 4th-circle mage and hadn't sensed any mana from Arthur.
"You don't have all day," Arthur snorted. "Riley, take care of her!" he shouted, giving a sign to a bewildered Riley. She snapped out of her shock and followed his order, casting a 4th-circle spell, "[Scorching Ray]." Multiple rays of intense heat shot towards the enemy mage, who couldn't stabilize her mana in time to evade. The spell hit her, and she fainted, though she didn't suffer any major injuries.
The crowd, including the faction presidents, was astonished. "Who is that boy?" Thaddeus sneered, clearly interested.
"He's Arthur Carter. We don't have much information on him," his assistant responded.
"Is he the one who topped the preliminary?" Thaddeus asked.
"Yeah, that's him."
"I wasn't expecting to find someone good from these groups. Look into him," Thaddeus ordered.
Genevieve, showing a pleased smile, caught Thaddeus's attention. "It seems there are people who know who he is," he sneered, watching her.
Everyone in the stadium tried to figure out what Arthur had done but concluded it was a high-ranking nullifying spell, typically used by 9th-circle mages. Arthur's ability intrigued many.
Back on the field, Riley, executing Arthur's orders, cast another spell to create an earth barrier, blocking the enemy's attacks and protecting their teammate. The crowd was surprised once more. "She's a dual-element mage!" they exclaimed.
"It seems I'll get two new members this time," Genevieve laughed, pleased by the display from the first-year normal class students.
Meanwhile, Arthur marched toward the opponent's swordsman. Many thought he was foolish to charge at a swordsman, thinking he was only a mage. But when a magnificent sword appeared in his hand, the audience gasped. Where did that sword come from?
"You're a swordsman? I didn't expect that, but you're still no match for me," the enemy swordsman taunted, his sword enveloped in a green aura, indicating he was a 4th-star aura user.
Arthur grinned, a dark blue aura emanating from him, showing he was about to break through to a 4th-star aura user. "Now let's begin the real thing."
The two clashed swords again, but this time Arthur was pushed back. He marched forward, clashing swords repeatedly. His opponent grew irritated, thinking he could take Arthur down easily, but Arthur held his ground.
"Let's wrap this up," the opponent shouted, raising his sword. Arthur held his sword vertically and closed his eyes. The opponent's instincts screamed danger and sudden whole coliseum was dead silence despite having many audience cheering, this was caused by Arthur skill that he was about to use.
[Nova Strike], Arthur's voice echoed, and a brilliant light shot from his sword, imitating the fall of a star. An explosion followed, leaving the audience in stunned silence.
"What was that?" Damon, the student council president, thought.
"Eahh, what happened? Is it over?" the audience murmured, confused.
As the dust cleared, the opponent lay on the floor, defeated. "He... he won!" the crowd cheered, amazed at Arthur's victory.
Arthur turned to Riley, who was keeping the two mages at bay. "Riley, let's wrap things up," he said.
"We surrender," the remaining opponents declared, surprising everyone.
The stadium erupted in cheers for the victorious rookies. Kenneth's voice boomed, "[The winner has been decided! Group A is the winner!]"
The crowd cheered louder. "[But as per the event protocols, only four members were meant to proceed. The faction presidents will decide.]"
The faction presidents conferred. "Arthur..." Riley called, and Arthur turned to see her standing behind him. "You did well out there, Riley. Thank you for your support," he said.
"No, I didn't do much. You're the one who did all the hard work," Riley responded, touched by his gratitude.
"No, without your help, I couldn't have taken them out so easily. You're part of this achievement," Arthur said, patting her head, making Riley blush.
Kenneth's voice interrupted, "[Thanks for your patience, everyone. The decision has been made. Although Group A won the match...]"
"[We decide that Group B will be eliminated. No member from them will proceed to the next round despite their great teamwork. They failed and surrendered cowardly.]"
"What a lame reason," Arthur thought.
"[As for Group A, we have decided to take only two members to the next quarterfinals. Arthur Carter and Riley Powell will move through to the next stage. Congratulations!]"
The crowd cheered again, excited by the lively match from the rookies. Arthur and Riley had gained new fans, and their names were now known throughout the academy.