A year ago, Lawrence and Owen had faced each other in the Starlight Duel Tournament during the quarterfinals.
Unsurprisingly, Lawrence had been thoroughly beaten by Owen, not even getting the chance to fight back before being knocked out in three strikes.
Now, seeing his old rival again, Lawrence's anger flared.
"And Claire, you're here too."
As Owen's gaze shifted to her, the smile on Claire's face from Fenrir Academy slowly faded.
Ever since Owen joined Crossbridge Academy six years ago, her academy hadn't won a single Starlight Duel Tournament during those six years.
The titles of the strongest academy and the strongest genius had never gone to anyone else. Winning second place was a matter of luck—if you weren't placed in the same group as Owen, you might have a shot at second place.
After all, this guy was like a monster in terms of strength. Every top student here had been beaten by Owen at some point, some even without the chance to say a word.
"When we enter the Tower, I hope we can all look out for each other. According to our intel, besides the treasures, there are several unidentified mana fluctuations inside the Tower."
"Of course," Claire and Lawrence both waved their hands dismissively, but the same thought crossed their minds simultaneously:
As soon as the Tower opens, we'll take out Crossbridge Academy first!
Forget about mana fluctuations—anything that happens inside the Tower won't be bound by the outside world. Let's see how long they can last in there!
"Speaking of which, the Tower should be opening soon. Which academy hasn't arrived yet?"
"They're here! They've arrived!"
A charming voice called out from behind, and everyone turned to see Elaine leading five beautiful girls, skipping toward the group.
"Oops, I overslept before leaving, sorry, everyone! Owen! We finally meet!"
Elaine's eyes lit up as soon as she spotted Owen, waving excitedly.
If it weren't for the fact that she had to fulfill her duties as the top student, she would've already thrown herself into Owen's arms to savor the scent that haunted her dreams.
"Elaine, long time no see."
Owen smiled warmly at the silver-haired succubus, a smile that made Elaine's heart race, her eyes filled with affection.
Seeing this, Emily's brows furrowed.
Who is this woman? Does she have a close relationship with Owen?
With the sharp intuition of a woman, Emily realized that this woman's identity was anything but ordinary, and her gaze toward Elaine became increasingly hostile.
"With that, everyone should be here."
Although the Tower never officially restricted participation to top-tier academies, most second-tier academies didn't bother sending anyone to join the fray.
After all, they didn't need their top students—any random student from these academies could easily wipe out their entire six-member team. So why bother showing up just to be cannon fodder?
As a result, there weren't many academies participating in this Tower event.
Three top-tier academies and twelve first-tier academies, making a total of fifteen. With six members per academy, that added up to exactly ninety participants.
Soon, the Tower opened, but strangely enough, not a single academy made a move to enter first. Everyone just stood there, staring at each other.
It wasn't hard to understand why—whoever went in first might face an ambush from the others. After all, inside the Tower, killing wasn't forbidden, and no one wanted to be the first target.
However...
"Since everyone is being so polite, I won't stand on ceremony. Crossbridge Academy, we're going in."
"Yes!"
Andrew laughed heartily and led the way, with Farms and Glena following closely behind. John and Emily took positions in the middle, and naturally, Owen brought up the rear.
As they approached the Tower's entrance, Owen turned around, surveying the crowd with a cold smile. "Well, what are you all waiting for?"
"Tch, a bunch of cowards. Fox Academy, follow me. We'll enter the Tower with Crossbridge Academy!"
Elaine shot a disdainful glance at the other top-tier academies, Fenrir Academy and Frostbane Academy, before swaggering up to stand behind Owen, leading her team into the Tower.
Seeing that Owen had finally entered the Tower, the other academies breathed a collective sigh of relief and began to enter in an orderly fashion.
There was no helping it—no one wanted to go in while knowing that a ridiculously strong figure like Owen was still lurking outside, waiting to pounce.
Moreover, entering the Tower first wouldn't grant any significant advantage, as everyone had to complete their respective trials before the passage to the second level could be unlocked.
Meanwhile, inside the Tower!
Elaine could barely contain her excitement any longer. She wanted to rush into Owen's arms like a swallow returning to its nest, greedily breathe in his scent, and maybe even sneak a feel of his abs.
But when she turned around, she was dumbfounded.
Where was Owen? Why was he nowhere to be seen?
Among the Crossbridge Academy team, Owen was nowhere in sight. The one leading the group was now Andrew.
Strangely, the members of Crossbridge Academy didn't seem surprised by this, as if they had expected it all along.
Soon, the other academies began entering the Tower one after another, and chaos erupted almost immediately.
The top students from Fenrir Academy and Frostbane Academy simultaneously locked onto Crossbridge Academy and launched a coordinated assault!
A barrage of multicolored magic rained down from above, and Andrew's face darkened.
In truth, they had no special plan; Owen had only instructed them at the last minute to remain calm no matter what happened after entering the Tower.
Despite their attempts to stay composed, they were all internally panicking.
Their leader had suddenly disappeared, and John was nearly scared out of his wits!
"Gentlemen, joining forces to target Crossbridge Academy the moment we enter the Tower—where's the sportsmanship in that?"
"What's wrong? You all lose your cool the moment I'm not around?"
Using Absolute Stealth to stay hidden, Owen had anticipated this situation. He suddenly appeared in front of Andrew and the others, shielding them.
"[Divine Veil!]"
Owen uttered an arcane phrase, and in the next moment, a radiant barrier descended from the sky, intercepting all the incoming attacks.
The magic that could have shattered mountains didn't even cause a ripple on the barrier!
Seeing this, Lawrence and Claire's expressions changed dramatically.
Owen had grown even stronger—it seemed he might have already stepped halfway into master-tier. What kind of monster was this?
"You've had your turn. Now it's mine. I must say, your methods are quite impressive… [Malice Rebound]."
Owen pointed a finger, and a blue portal materialized in front of him. In the next moment, the various spells that had been absorbed by [Divine Veil] were unleashed from the portal, returning in full force to their original casters!
The students from Fenrir Academy and Frostbane Academy had to use all their strength to barely fend off their own attacks.
Seeing this, Emily and Elaine's eyes sparkled with admiration.
He's so cool!
To stand against twelve top students from two academies and still remain in control—what incredible confidence, what a remarkable genius!
"Don't say I didn't warn you: if anyone makes another move against Crossbridge Academy, you'll face the consequences. As for the rest of you, fight each other all you want—it's no concern of mine. That's all. You may continue."
As Owen finished speaking, his figure gradually became transparent until he vanished completely before their eyes.
No matter what methods they used, they couldn't detect any trace of Owen's presence, as if he had simply disappeared into thin air!
"He's just too amazing…"
Elaine clutched her chest, feeling her heart race as she stared in the direction where Owen had disappeared, her cheeks flushed.
Seeing her expression, Emily felt even more irritated.
Does this woman have a few screws loose or something?
Despite her thoughts, Andrew, not wanting to get involved in the ongoing battle, led the team away from the center of the conflict.
After witnessing Owen's unmatched power, the others had given up on the idea of teaming up against him and instead turned their focus on each other.
Inside the Tower, the mana fluctuations grew more intense, signaling that a bloody battle was about to erupt!
Meanwhile, Owen had found the perfect vantage point to observe the chaos below, watching coldly.
"But this Tower… it really is something else…"