At this moment, the arena's defensive barrier had been fully activated—
Leaving only two openings leading into the battle stage.
From the contestant waiting area, Kaiser stepped forward, walking down the designated passage.
By now, the ranking battles had been underway for quite some time.
Several duels had already taken place, and the audience was fully immersed in the intense atmosphere, their discussions lively and animated.
And as Kaiser and his opponent entered the stage—
The crowd erupted into cheers.
But if one paid close attention—
They would notice that this particular match was drawing even greater excitement than the previous ones.
The Audience's Reactions
"Arkadi Fankenn is entering the stage!"
"The strongest fighter below Page One!"
"Finally! A real heavyweight!"
The spectators were buzzing with anticipation.
Rank 13.
The highest rank beneath Page One.
The first name recorded on the second page of the Named Charts.
Only one step away from the absolute top twelve.
Among all the previous duels, no one from Page One had entered the battlefield yet.
And in this ranking battle, there were only two fights involving a Page One member—
A Rank 12 student being challenged by another ranked duelist.
A Rank 10 Page One member challenging Rank 1—a fight between Page One students.
Aside from these two, the most significant duel of the event was this one.
A challenge against Rank 13, the strongest below Page One.
So naturally—
The audience was thrilled.
However…
"Wait a minute… his opponent seems like a complete nobody?"
"Let me check… huh? He's not even ranked?"
"You're kidding. Some random unranked student is challenging Rank 13?!"
"Well, that's disappointing. This fight is already over."
Many spectators checked Kaiser's name in the academy's database—
Only to find nothing.
A complete unknown.
Someone outside the Named Charts.
A third-tier challenger going directly against the strongest second-tier fighter?
Ridiculous.
Hopeless.
Or at least—
That's what they thought.
Until—
"Wait, hold on!"
"This guy is an Orga Lux wielder!"
The Shock of Ser-Veresta
An Orga Lux wielder.
The moment those words were spoken—
The entire arena fell into a stunned silence.
And then—
Spectators rushed to check the new information.
Their eyes widened in shock.
"He's the eighth Orga Lux wielder in Seidoukan?!"
"Ser-Veresta?"
"I've heard of that weapon! Isn't it legendary?"
"Of course it's famous! It's one of the Four-Colored Magic Swords!"
"Wait… he's the wielder of a Four-Colored Magic Sword?!"
"Now that's a different story!"
Half in disbelief, half in excitement—
The entire audience's energy shifted.
An Orga Lux user wasn't just any duelist.
Prior to Kaiser, Seidoukan Academy had only seven known Orga Lux wielders—
Four of whom were Page One students.
In other words—
More than half of Seidoukan's Orga Lux wielders were among the top twelve.
Which meant—
Orga Lux wielders were never weak.
And now, someone had appeared with Ser-Veresta, a weapon with an infamous reputation.
A sword rumored to burn through anything.
A sword that could turn the battlefield into a furnace.
This changed everything.
Perhaps…
This was the rise of another Page One fighter.
The Competitors' Reactions
The shift in atmosphere didn't just affect the audience.
Among the ranked students in the stands, many gazes turned serious.
Even Julis, sitting in the VIP seats, narrowed her eyes.
Beside her—
Claudia remained calm—but her smile widened.
"Finally, it's his turn."
Julis turned sharply toward her.
"He's the one you were watching?"
Claudia didn't deny it.
"I personally handled his Orga Lux request," she admitted, still smiling.
"I'm very interested to see just how far he can take Ser-Veresta."
Hearing this, Julis turned her gaze back to the battlefield, her expression more serious than before.
Ser-Veresta.
Even she had heard the rumors about the Four-Colored Magic Swords.
These weapons were notoriously difficult to control.
Each had been born from the same laboratory—yet their temperaments were wildly unpredictable.
And among them—
Ser-Veresta was one of the most infamous.
A blade that could burn through all things.
A blade that, once planted into the ground, could turn the entire battlefield into a furnace.
Such a weapon—
In the hands of an unknown fighter.
This was worth watching.
And it seemed—
Many in the audience felt the same.
The cheering grew even louder.
The Duelists Enter the Stage
Finally—
Both Kaiser and Arkadi Fankenn arrived at the center of the stage, facing each other.
Kaiser took a moment to observe his opponent.
Arkadi Fankenn.
A second-year university student.
Twenty years old.
Current Rank 13 in Seidoukan Academy.
Two years ago, during his high school days, he had been a Page One fighter—Rank 11 at the time.
He had participated in the Phoenix Festa, alongside a then-Rank 8 duelist.
The two had reached the top sixteen before being eliminated.
Since then, he had dropped to Rank 13, falling just outside Page One.
Still—
His past status as a former Page One fighter meant he was no pushover.
"A fitting opponent for my first ranked duel."
Kaiser smirked.
Meanwhile—
Arkadi stood with cautious confidence.
As soon as he had received Kaiser's challenge, he had immediately investigated his opponent.
Unlike the audience, he had known from the start—
Kaiser was an Orga Lux wielder.
Even so—
"Challenging Rank 13 the moment you obtain an Orga Lux?"
Arkadi shook his head.
"You're too impatient, kid."
His voice carried a hint of mockery, but also genuine concern.
"Even among Orga Lux wielders, not everyone reaches Page One."
That was true.
Out of Seidoukan's seven known Orga Lux users, three had failed to enter Page One.
Owning an Orga Lux wasn't enough.
If the wielder couldn't fully utilize it, they would still be mediocre.
And in Arkadi's eyes—
Kaiser had only just obtained Ser-Veresta.
No matter how well he synchronized with it—
His strength shouldn't be developed enough to be a real threat.
He had fought plenty of Orga Lux users before.
This was nothing new.
So, despite a bit of caution—
He had no doubt that he could crush this new challenger.
Unfortunately—
He had no idea.
The person standing before him could not be measured by common sense.
"Are you worried about me, senpai?"
Kaiser smiled.
"If so… then let me experience the true power of a high-ranking duelist."
With that—
He raised his hand.
A black activator appeared in his grip.
"Zing!"
A brilliant crimson glow erupted from Ser-Veresta's Urm-Manadyte core—
Illuminating the entire stage.