Chapter 131 – The Academy Tournament

Chapter 131: Chapter 131 – The Academy Tournament

Three days passed without anything unusual happening.

The northern mountains remained under academy surveillance, and the rescued civilians had been relocated to nearby settlements while their circumstances were investigated. Headmaster Orion had made it clear that nobody from the student body was permitted to return to the region, which meant Azrael and Seraphina were finally given something they had rarely experienced since entering the academy.

Time to simply be students.

That morning, however, the academy grounds were far more crowded than usual.

Students gathered around the central plaza while instructors erected several large combat platforms. Banners bearing the academy’s crest had been placed around the training grounds, and the atmosphere was filled with excitement.

Marcus stared at the preparations.

"What is all this?"

Ryan looked equally confused.

"You seriously don’t know?"

"No."

"The academy tournament."

Marcus blinked.

"We have a tournament?"

Ryan sighed. "Apparently."

Sophia approached them with Elena and Lyanna.

"It’s held every year. Students from different classes compete against one another, and the instructors use the results to evaluate combat ability."

Marcus looked toward the platforms.

"So why didn’t anyone tell us?"

"You’ve been away on an expedition."

"That’s fair."

Caelan folded his arms.

"Are you planning to participate?"

Marcus immediately grinned.

"Obviously."

Ryan looked horrified.

"Why?"

"Because winning sounds better than attending lectures."

Lyanna shook her head.

"You do realize there are strong students participating, right?"

"That’s even better."

Seraphina smiled.

"You’re excited."

"Of course I am."

Marcus pointed toward Azrael.

"And he’s definitely participating."

Azrael looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because you’re incapable of refusing a fight."

"I refuse plenty of fights."

"Name three."

Azrael thought about it.

Marcus waited.

Azrael finally looked away.

Seraphina laughed.

"That wasn’t very convincing."

Azrael sighed.

"I’ll participate."

Marcus raised both hands.

"Yes!"

Ryan looked toward the sky.

"We’re doomed."

The announcement came shortly afterward.

A senior instructor stepped onto the central platform and addressed the gathered students.

"This year’s academy tournament will consist of individual and team competitions. Students will be divided according to their current cultivation level, and participants will be evaluated on combat ability, control, adaptability, and teamwork."

The crowd erupted in conversation.

The instructor continued.

"Unlike previous years, the academy will also permit students who participated in recent field expeditions to enter directly into the advanced division."

Several students immediately looked toward Azrael and the others.

Marcus grinned.

"Looks like we’re famous."

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Don’t let it go to your head."

The instructor raised his hand.

"The purpose of this tournament is not simply victory. The academy wishes to determine how well its students can apply what they have learned under pressure."

Azrael listened carefully.

That part interested him.

A battle wasn’t always about defeating an opponent.

Sometimes it revealed what a person understood.

The instructor began explaining the rules, and the students gradually dispersed to register.

Seraphina looked toward Azrael.

"Are you entering both divisions?"

"Individual."

"Not team?"

Azrael glanced at their companions.

"Maybe."

Marcus immediately appeared beside them.

"He’s joining the team."

Azrael looked at him.

"I haven’t agreed."

"You will."

"Why?"

"Because we need someone who can actually think during a fight."

Ryan raised his hand.

"I object to the implication that I don’t think."

Marcus ignored him.

Seraphina smiled.

"You should join."

Azrael looked at her.

"You too?"

"I want to participate."

He nodded.

"Then I’ll join."

Marcus grinned.

"Excellent."

The first round began that afternoon.

The academy’s combat platforms were protected by defensive formations designed to prevent serious injuries. Students entered one at a time, and the instructors monitored every match closely.

The first few battles were relatively straightforward.

Sword against spear.

Mage against martial artist.

Defensive techniques against overwhelming strength.

The students fought seriously, but the atmosphere remained energetic rather than hostile.

Then Marcus’s name was announced.

He walked onto the platform with his spear resting against his shoulder.

His opponent was a tall student carrying a heavy axe.

The crowd immediately became louder.

The instructor raised his hand.

"Begin."

The axe wielder charged.

Marcus waited until the last moment before stepping aside. The axe struck the platform, sending dust into the air.

Marcus spun his spear around and struck the opponent’s side.

The student stumbled but recovered quickly.

"You’re fast."

Marcus grinned.

"You’re slow."

The next exchange was much more intense.

The axe crashed against the spear several times, forcing Marcus backward. Instead of meeting the heavier weapon directly, Marcus began changing his rhythm, attacking from unexpected angles.

Azrael watched from the edge of the arena.

"He learned."

Seraphina looked at him.

"From the expedition?"

"Yes."

Marcus had always relied heavily on straightforward strength and aggression. Now he was using timing and positioning to control the battle.

The opponent swung again.

Marcus stepped inside the attack and struck the man’s wrist.

The axe fell.

The spear stopped against his opponent’s chest.

The instructor raised his hand.

"Winner. Marcus."

The crowd cheered.

Marcus turned toward the others.

"Did you see that?"

Ryan shouted from below.

"We all saw it!"

Marcus laughed.

Seraphina’s match came later.

Her opponent was a young woman specializing in fire-based techniques.

The moment the battle began, flames covered the platform.

Seraphina raised her staff and created a layer of golden light around herself.

The fire struck the barrier but didn’t penetrate.

Her opponent increased the intensity.

Seraphina didn’t retaliate.

Instead, she studied the flames.

Azrael watched closely.

She wasn’t simply defending.

She was learning the rhythm of the attack.

The flames changed direction.

Seraphina moved with them, stepping between the waves rather than resisting them.

Her opponent frowned.

"You can’t keep avoiding forever."

Seraphina smiled.

"I don’t need to."

She touched the ground with her staff.

Golden flowers bloomed across the platform.

The flames began weakening wherever the flowers appeared.

Her opponent stared.

"What did you do?"

"I changed the environment."

The flowers absorbed the excess heat and redirected the energy into the ground.

Seraphina advanced.

Her opponent launched one final attack.

Seraphina raised her hand.

"Genesis Bloom."

A wave of golden energy spread across the platform.

The flames disappeared.

Her opponent’s attack failed completely.

The instructor raised his hand.

"Winner. Seraphina Ashbourne."

The crowd applauded.

Seraphina lowered her staff.

She had won without overwhelming her opponent.

She had understood her opponent’s technique and changed the conditions of the battle.

Azrael smiled faintly.

She was becoming stronger in her own way.

By the end of the afternoon, the advanced division had narrowed considerably.

Azrael’s match was among the final battles of the day.

His opponent was a senior student named Darius, a swordsman known throughout the academy for his aggressive fighting style.

When they entered the platform, Darius studied Astraeus carefully.

"So you’re Azrael."

"Yes."

"I’ve heard quite a few things about you."

Azrael remained calm.

"Most rumors are inaccurate."

Darius smiled.

"Then I’ll find out for myself."

The instructor raised his hand.

"Begin."

Darius moved immediately.

His sword came down with enough force to crack the platform.

Azrael shifted aside.

The second strike came from the opposite direction.

Azrael blocked it.

Steel rang through the arena.

Darius continued attacking without giving him time to breathe.

Azrael didn’t counter.

He watched.

The student’s attacks were powerful, but there was a pattern beneath them.

Three strikes.

Pause.

One feint.

Two strikes.

Repeat.

Azrael waited.

Darius attacked again.

Three strikes.

Azrael blocked each one.

The feint came.

Azrael ignored it.

Then came the final two attacks.

The first passed beside him.

The second never reached its target.

Azrael stepped forward and touched Astraeus against Darius’s shoulder.

The entire exchange had lasted only seconds.

The arena fell quiet.

Darius stared at the blade.

Azrael lowered it.

"You repeat the same sequence."

Darius frowned.

"I do not."

"You do."

Azrael stepped backward.

"Your body changes direction, but your rhythm doesn’t."

Darius looked genuinely surprised.

Then he laughed.

"That’s the first time anyone has told me that."

The instructor raised his hand.

"Winner. Azrael Ashbourne."

The crowd erupted.

Marcus immediately shouted from the side.

"That’s my teammate!"

Ryan covered his face.

"You weren’t even involved."

"I contributed emotionally."

The tournament continued into the following day, but something had changed among the group.

They weren’t simply becoming stronger individually.

They were learning how to fight together.

Caelan’s spear complemented Marcus’s aggressive style. Elena controlled the battlefield with lightning, while Sophia supported the group’s positioning. Lyanna’s movements allowed her to exploit openings created by the others.

Seraphina naturally became the center of their formation, not because she remained behind them, but because she could alter the battlefield whenever the situation changed.

Azrael watched all of them during their first team practice.

They were talented.

But they weren’t coordinated.

"Again," he said.

Marcus groaned.

"We just did it."

"You did it badly."

"We survived."

"That’s not the objective."

Ryan sighed.

"Here we go again."

Azrael pointed toward the training field.

"Marcus, you’re moving too far forward. Elena, you’re attacking before Sophia finishes positioning the formation. Caelan, you’re reacting to Marcus instead of watching the opponent. Lyanna, you’re waiting for openings that aren’t going to appear unless you create them."

Everyone became quiet.

Seraphina looked at him.

"And me?"

Azrael considered her.

"You adapt well."

She smiled.

"That’s all?"

"No."

He looked at the others.

"You’re the one who can connect everyone’s movements."

Seraphina understood immediately.

"I’ll coordinate."

Azrael nodded.

"Good."

The next attempt was noticeably better.

They still made mistakes, but their movements began fitting together instead of competing with one another.

For the first time, they looked less like individual students fighting beside each other and more like a real team.

That evening, the academy grounds were quiet again.

Azrael stood beneath one of the large trees near the training area, watching the last students leave.

Seraphina approached.

"You enjoyed today."

Azrael glanced at her.

"Did I?"

"You did."

He didn’t deny it.

"Watching everyone improve was useful."

"That’s your way of saying you enjoyed it."

Azrael smiled faintly.

Seraphina stood beside him.

"Do you remember what we talked about after the mountain?"

"Choosing our own path."

"Yes."

She looked across the academy grounds.

"I think this is part of it."

Azrael followed her gaze.

"We don’t have to spend every day chasing answers."

"No."

"We can simply live."

Seraphina smiled.

"Exactly."

For a while, they stood quietly together.

Then Azrael felt it again.

The same faint resonance he had sensed several nights earlier.

His expression changed slightly.

Seraphina noticed.

"The disturbance?"

Azrael nodded.

"It returned."

"Is it stronger?"

"No."

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"It’s farther away than before."

Seraphina became thoughtful.

"Can you tell what it is?"

"No."

"Then don’t chase it."

Azrael opened his eyes.

She smiled.

"You already decided to wait."

He looked toward the darkening sky.

"You’re right."

The resonance faded again.

Neither of them pursued it.

Not every mystery needed to be solved the moment it appeared.

For now, the academy had given them something they hadn’t expected.

A place to learn.

A place to grow.

And, perhaps most importantly, a place where they could simply be themselves.

Tomorrow, the tournament would continue.