"Are these two... really human?"
Andrew couldn't help but swallow nervously as he watched the mana waves radiating from Owen, matched only by Tina's formidable power.
Owen was strong—this was a well-established fact, something that everyone, whether they liked him or not, had to admit.
But Owen's performance in the Tower had continually shattered their expectations!
Was this terrifying strength really that of a diamond-tier mage?
Andrew felt that Owen, at this moment, was on par with some master-tier mentors, perhaps even surpassing them!
As he gazed at the growing shadow behind Owen, Andrew felt a sudden sense of reverence. So sacred, so majestic!
[God-Emperor's Curse]
Boom!
A beam of light shot into the sky, instantly engulfing Tina. The violent surge of mana tore through everything around it, shredding the surroundings to pieces!
Even Kris, who was just a little too close, saw his armor dissolve at an alarming rate!
It was hard to imagine how Tina could possibly survive such an onslaught!
At this moment, everyone on the field believed Owen had won, and even Tina's teammates were looking increasingly grim.
But Owen's expression remained far from optimistic!
He could feel a stubborn force within the light beam, fiercely resisting, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't extinguish it completely!
"Impressive..."
This was a forbidden-tier spell, and though Owen had cast it with the power of a diamond-tier mage, reducing its potency, it was still far more powerful than any master-tier spell. For Tina to withstand such an attack showed that this "peanut" had some real strength.
"This is so frustrating!"
The light beam began to dim, and Tina's voice echoed from the platform. Hearing this, the Ascended Dimension team brightened with hope.
Even they hadn't expected Tina to survive such an attack!
"You've had your turn, now it's mine! Stand still and let me hit you if you dare!"
"I'm not stupid. Why wouldn't I resist? Peanut, I suggest you surrender now. You may have survived once, but can you do it again?"
"Spit! I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"
Tina stomped her foot angrily and used a quick levitation spell to lift herself into the air. The crystal at the tip of her staff began to glow brightly, emitting a terrifying aura that even made Owen feel a bit uneasy.
But just then!
Behind the Ascended Dimension team, a portal suddenly appeared, like a vortex, pulling everyone toward it with tremendous force!
Seeing this, Tina's face darkened. She swung her staff toward Owen, but even her strength was no match for the portal's pull. She was uncontrollably drawn backward!
"Owen, I'll remember you! I won't let you off the next time we meet!"
It wasn't until Tina's figure disappeared completely into the portal that Andrew and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
"What... just happened?"
The sudden appearance and disappearance of the Ascended Dimension team left everyone puzzled—who won the match?
"Tina has left the field. Winner: Owen!"
The floating light orb announced the result.
Though the victory seemed a bit dubious, Owen's win still brought relief to everyone.
Indeed, Owen was as strong as ever—a force to be reckoned with.
But this raised a new question: who exactly was this Tina?
From her earlier performance, it was clear she was on par with Owen in terms of power.
Could there be many such geniuses in the Ascended Dimension who could rival Owen?
As these thoughts swirled in their minds, they noticed Owen stepping down from the platform, his face pale, and his steps unsteady.
It made sense—after such a massive mana expenditure, he was bound to feel exhausted. Elaine and Emily rushed to his side simultaneously, each supporting him from one side, speaking in unison, "Owen, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just need a bit of time to recover. But more importantly, where's my reward?"
Owen looked up at the floating light orb. After a brief silence, a glowing point descended from the orb, landing softly in Owen's palm. Crushing the light, a ring appeared before Owen's eyes.
Though the process had been different, the reward was similar to what was described in the original plot—a piece of fire-element mage equipment called [Scorching Fury of Sanks the Fire Dragon].
Not only could it cast the dragon's breath spell engraved within, but it also boosted the power of fire-element magic by nearly fifty percent.
It was unquestionably another powerful weapon, of master-tier quality.
Oddly enough, even though the ring was now in Owen's hand, no one dared step forward to claim it.
They couldn't help it—Owen's performance had been so extraordinary that it left everyone in awe. Those who had harbored resentment toward Owen now felt nothing but deep admiration.
After all, except for Farms, no one else had won a single match, while Owen had faced nine opponents alone, crushing them all.
This level of power spoke volumes.
Moreover, a master-tier piece of equipment wasn't something Owen planned to give away easily. Even though he wasn't short on master-tier gear, who wouldn't want more treasures?
Especially for someone like Owen, who could wield any element with far greater effect than most.
As for Emily?
To be honest, Owen was reluctant to give it to her.
She was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment. Owen had no intention of being caught up in that blast.
With this in mind, Owen decided to have a little fun.
'Should I give it to Emily? After all, she is a fire-element mage. But giving it to her in front of everyone might not be appropriate, especially considering what happened before. Plus, it's a ring—rumors could start. No, I'll wait until we're back.'
Owen's thoughts echoed in his mind, and Emily couldn't help but pause, feeling a pang of sorrow.
So, Owen had become distant because of everything that had happened.
Emily wanted to apologize to Owen, badly.
But she also knew that some things couldn't be fixed with just an apology.
Owen had spent a year accumulating disappointment, finally choosing to leave.
If a simple apology could erase a year of disappointment, the world wouldn't have so many conflicts.
With a sigh, Emily's eyes filled with complex emotions.
When the truth came out, Emily realized that she didn't dislike Owen. But realizing this now felt a little too late.
"Anyway, the Ascended Dimension team has disappeared. The passage to the fifth floor should be opening soon. Get ready."
...
Meanwhile, at Crossbridge Academy.
Catalina descended from the sky, landing steadily in the academy. But even before she could catch her breath, her face paled further.
The earlier fight with CartSandra and Leonard had left Catalina injured. To avoid detection, she had used a trick to hide her injuries perfectly, or else those two would have made things even more complicated!
"I wonder how Owen is doing now."
The passage connecting the two dimensions had opened briefly, but Catalina had sensed the mana waves entering the Tower.
However, given her level, if she forced her way into the Tower, it might cause the internal space to collapse.
So, she could only pin her hopes on Owen.
If Owen could deal with the Ascended Dimension people, that would be fine.
But if not, she'd have to figure out how to make this public and deal with the consequences.
Catalina knew she couldn't keep this under wraps forever.
All she could do was minimize the damage when the truth came out.
With a sigh, Catalina pressed the rune stone on her desk.
In the next moment, her voice echoed in the ears of all the mentors in the academy.
"Summon all mentors and branch deans for an emergency meeting in the Headmaster's office. No one is to be absent!"