"Finalists, please come to the stage! Eliana von Ethelgard versus Lina Erlande!"

The host's voice echoed throughout the arena. I slowly walked onto the competition stage, where Lina was already waiting on the opposite side. Her face remained pale, but her eyes burned with unprecedented fighting spirit.


The black bracelet on her wrist emitted an ominous glow, as if urging her to quickly use the power contained within. I could feel that distorted magical energy wandering through the air, enveloping the entire stage in an unsettling atmosphere.

"Eliana……" Lina looked at me, her voice trembling slightly, "Today, I will prove it to everyone!"

"Prove what?" I asked calmly, "That you can rely on external power to achieve a false victory?"


"It's not false!" she retorted passionately, "Power is power! No matter where it comes from!"

I shook my head without saying anything more. Some people only understand what true power is after paying the price.


In the VIP seats, Prince Theo was staring at us intently. His expression was full of anticipation, as if he had already foreseen my miserable defeat. Beside him, His Majesty the King was also carefully observing this confrontation, after all, both contestants had demonstrated strength far beyond their peers.

"Let the match begin!"

As soon as the host's announcement fell, Lina immediately activated the power of her bracelet.

Black energy surged forth from the bracelet, instantly enveloping her entire body. Her eyes turned blood-red once again, and her hair began to dance under the influence of magic power. More importantly, her magical power level climbed to a terrifying degree in just a matter of seconds.

"Shadow Arrow Rain!"

With a wave of her hand, Lina summoned countless arrows of pure black energy from the void behind her. There were hundreds of these arrows, each containing power equivalent to that of a high-level archmage. If faced by an ordinary student, this attack would leave absolutely no chance of survival.

But I am no ordinary student.

"Stardust Weaving: Fourth Form—Meteor Shower."

I raised my right hand, and countless orbs of light bright as stars gathered in my palm, then shot out like raindrops toward those shadow arrows. Starlight and shadow collided in midair, erupting in brilliant radiance that illuminated the entire arena as bright as day.

Waves of gasps rose and fell from the audience. This level of magical duel was difficult to perform even for seasoned archmages.

"Impossible... how can he be this strong..." Lina watched as I effortlessly neutralized her attack, a flash of panic crossing her eyes.

But the power of the bracelet quickly suppressed her rationality, driving her to become more frenzied.

"In that case... try this! Earth Shatter!"

She stomped her foot, and massive magical power surged into the ground. The entire arena began to shake violently, countless stone spikes erupted from the ground, forming a dangerous forest of stone. Meanwhile, her figure darted through the stone forest like a specter, seeking an opportunity to attack me.

"Interesting tactic," I nodded, then casually remarked, "But running away doesn't solve the problem."

"Stardust Weave: Sixth Form—Purification Light."

Pure white light radiated from my body, and wherever it reached, all the rock spikes were broken down into the most basic elemental particles, then dissipated into the air. Lina lost her cover and was once again exposed in my line of sight.

「This... what kind of magic is this...」She looked at the surrounding scene in terror.

Even the magic instructors in the audience showed expressions of shock. Magic that could instantaneously decompose matter over such a wide area was approaching legendary levels of power.

「No... I won't lose! I absolutely won't lose!」

Lina seemed to have fallen into some kind of hysterical state. She gripped her bracelet tightly and began to recite an incantation I had never heard before. As she chanted, the light from the bracelet grew increasingly intense, even beginning to erode her skin.

I frowned. Judging from the incantation she was reciting, this seemed to be some kind of advanced forbidden spell beyond her capabilities. With her current level of mental energy, forcibly casting this kind of magic would only lead to...

"Lina! Stop!" I warned loudly, "You can't control that level of magical power!"

But she was already beyond listening to any advice. The side effects of the forbidden artifact were gradually eroding her rationality, making her increasingly deranged.

"Ultimate Shadow—Sphere of Nothingness That Devours All!"

As she completed her incantation, a massive shadow Energy Sphere began to form above her head. This Energy Sphere was only the size of a fist at first, but quickly expanded to the volume of a basketball, and continued to grow.

What's worse, I could feel that this Energy Sphere was completely out of control. It was no longer controlled by Lina's will, but was growing according to some chaotic pattern. The destructive power contained within had far exceeded what the arena could withstand.

「This... what's happening?」Nobles in the VIP seats began to whisper in panic.

The enormous dark Energy Sphere continued to expand, already reaching the size of a house. The terrifying magical power emanating from it made the entire arena tremble. More frightening was that this unstable energy could explode at any moment, with enough power to reduce everyone present to ashes.

「Lina... Lina she...」Lina herself had been struck by magical backlash, kneeling on the ground and coughing blood. She looked at the Energy Sphere above her head in horror, finally realizing the severity of the situation.

「Save... save me...」She pleaded to me in a weak voice.

Chaos erupted in the arena. Spectators rose from their seats in terror, attempting to flee this dangerous place. But the pressure released by the massive shadow Energy Sphere left most people unable to move, forcing them to helplessly watch as death approached.

"Where are the guardian knights! Quickly establish protective barriers!" shouted a nobleman.

Several royal guardian knights immediately rushed forward, trying to contain the out-of-control Energy Sphere with magical barriers. But their power was simply insufficient to counter magic of this magnitude, and their barriers were easily shattered the instant they made contact with the Energy Sphere.

"Your Majesty! Please leave this place immediately!" the captain of the guards shouted to the king.

But even the king was immobilized by this terrifying magical force, unable to move an inch. Everyone could only watch helplessly as death descended upon them.

In the VIP seats, Prince Theo's face turned paper white. He never imagined that his plan to humiliate me would develop into such a disaster. He now finally understood what a foolish decision it was to give Lina that forbidden artifact.

The Shadow Energy Sphere continued to expand, now reaching the size of a small mountain. Cracks began to appear on its surface, meaning an explosion could happen at any moment. Once this Energy Sphere exploded, the entire arena, no, the entire Royal Academy of Magic would be reduced to rubble.

In this desperate situation, everyone turned their gaze toward me—the girl who had displayed astonishing power. If anyone could stop this catastrophe now, it would only be me.

Looking at the chaotic scene before me, I let out a gentle sigh.

Although I deeply despise Lina's use of forbidden artifacts, and although I don't care about the fate of those nobles who coldly watched me being slandered, I cannot stand by and watch innocent people lose their lives because of this. More importantly, there are worthy opponents like Karen here.

The tragic history of my previous life cannot be repeated, even in this form.

"So be it." I whispered to myself, then spread my arms.

In an instant, the air throughout the entire arena stood still. Everyone stopped screaming and fleeing, staring at me intently.

I began to chant the spell, a highest-level protection magic that even I rarely used:

"In the name of the stars, by the power of the void..."

As I chanted, countless brilliant stars began to appear around me. They slowly rotated, emitting a gentle yet powerful light. These stars were not sharp and dangerous like the attack magic I had used before, but were filled with the power of protection and embrace.

"Heed my call, weave the protective celestial dome..."

The stars began to spread in all directions, forming a massive hemispherical barrier above the entire arena. This barrier was completely transparent, but within it flowed starlights as beautiful as the Milky Way.

"Stardust Weave·Ultimate Protection——Guardian Celestial Dome!"

As I completed my incantation, the stardust barrier took its final form. The entire arena was surrounded by this beautiful yet powerful barrier, like a miniature universe.

Just as the barrier was completed, the shadow Energy Sphere above Lina's head finally reached its limit.

BOOM——!

A deafening explosion echoed through the skies, as the massive shadow energy expanded in all directions with enough force to destroy everything. Without my barrier's protection, this energy would have been enough to reduce everything within several kilometers to ashes.

But my stardust barrier blocked it all.

All shadow energy was transformed into gentle starlight the moment it touched the barrier, then slowly dissipated into the air. The explosion's shockwave, heat waves, magical aftershocks—all destructive forces were perfectly absorbed and transformed.

Everyone in the arena remained unharmed.

When the light of the explosion faded, only I and the unconscious Lina remained on the competition platform. The black bracelet on her wrist had completely shattered, reduced to a pile of worthless fragments.

I slowly lowered my arms, and the stardust barrier dissipated along with them. From the moment I began the incantation until now, the entire process took no more than ten seconds, but the magical power I had just released was enough to astound anyone.

A deathly silence fell over the entire venue.

Everyone was looking at me with an almost worshipful gaze. If I hadn't intervened in time just now, every person present would have perished in that explosion. I had demonstrated not only overwhelming power but also noble character.

"The outcome is decided..." the host announced with a trembling voice, "Eliana von Ethelgard is victorious! She is our new—Kingdom's First Mage!"

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted. This was not merely congratulations for the victor, but gratitude toward a lifesaver.

In the VIP seats, His Majesty the King slowly stood up. He looked at me, his eyes filled with appreciation and respect: "Truly astounding magic... and admirable character."

I performed a standard noble curtsy toward the VIP seats, then walked toward the unconscious Lina.

Her current state was miserable, not only was her body devastated by magical backlash to the point of being unrecognizable, but her mind had also suffered severe trauma. The price of using forbidden artifacts was far heavier than she had imagined.

I reached out my hand, lightly touching her forehead, and infused some healing magic. Although it couldn't completely heal her injuries, it would at least ensure she wasn't in mortal danger.

This wasn't because I had forgiven her, but because I didn't want to see anyone die before me. Even enemies deserve a chance to reform themselves.

As I straightened up, the entire arena once again erupted in thunderous applause. This time, there was no political undertone in the applause, only genuine admiration and gratitude.

I looked toward Prince Theo in the VIP box. His face remained pale, his eyes filled with shock and fear. Clearly, today's outcome was completely beyond his expectations.

He originally planned to use Lina to humiliate me, but instead almost got everyone killed, including himself. Meanwhile, I not only demonstrated overwhelming power, but also saved everyone's lives at the critical moment.

Such a contrast made his scheme appear incredibly childish and malicious.

I gave him a contemptuous glance, then turned and left the arena.

Today's match was over, but the real confrontation had just begun.