Meanwhile...

While Gray faced Maelis alone at the center, his teammates were scattered around the other half of the field, locked in battle with her group.

"Why the hell is he fighting her alone!?" Ronan shouted, smashing his metal gauntlets together as flames exploded nearby.

Clang!

His voice barely cut through the thunder of clashing weapons.

"Don't ask me!" Lyra yelled back, lightning flickering around her body.

Her light brown hair danced wildly as a flash of electricity burst from her sword, slicing through the air toward the silver-haired dagger user.

"You know how Gray is!"

The wind mage spun her daggers and twisted sideways, her feet barely touching the ground as she dodged the lightning strike.

A rush of wind pushed her forward, and she slashed at Lyra's side.

SHINK!

Sparks flew as the blades met. Lyra gritted her teeth, swinging her sword with one hand while channeling more lightning into her other.

CRACK!

A bolt of golden energy shot from her palm, forcing the wind mage to leap back.

"Fast little rat…" Lyra muttered under her breath, her sword glowing even brighter.

The static in the air buzzed against her skin, raising goosebumps along her arm.

Meanwhile, not far from her, Selene and Lira stood back to back, their armor scratched and covered in dust.

"You good?" Lira asked, panting as she blocked a wide swing from the halberd user.

"Barely," Selene answered, forcing a faint grin. Her aura sword gleamed faintly blue as she parried another blow.

"He hits harder than he looks."

"Yeah, and I'm getting tired of blocking flames all day," Lira muttered, tightening her grip on her sword.

The tall man roared, swinging his halberd in a wide arc. Fire erupted from the weapon, creating a short wall of heat that forced the girls to jump back.

BOOOM!

Flames erupted around them, scattering debris across the field. Lira raised her sword in front of her face, bracing for impact.

THRUUUM!

Then a stream of water cut through the fire like a blade.

Selina stepped forward, one hand stretched out, her eyes glowing a calm, icy blue.

"Try not to stand too close next time," she said dryly.

"Good timing," Lira exhaled, lowering her sword.

FWISSSP!

The fire user growled, stomping forward as his halberd flared again.

"You're nothing but ants to me!"

Ronan cracked his neck from behind him, his gauntlets sparking faintly with red aura.

"Ants, huh?"

The tall man turned and got a punch straight to the jaw.

CRACK!

The impact sent him flying backward, rolling across the cracked ground. Ronan's gauntlets hissed faintly with heat as he shook out his hand.

"Ants can bite too," he muttered, grinning widely.

"Show-off." Selina raised an eyebrow but smiled faintly.

Behind them, the curse user moved quietly, her body covered in dark marks that pulsed faintly.

She whispered something under her breath, and the ground under the group darkened.

Selene noticed too late.

"Move!" she shouted.

SHAAA!

Dark spikes enveloped with a disgusting green liquid shot from the ground, slicing through the air. Lyra barely rolled aside as one missed her face by an inch.

Selina threw out her hands, forming a wall of spinning water around them. The black spikes hissed and melted as they hit the barrier.

"Annoying..." the curse-user girl groaned.

"Right back at you," Selina smirked faintly.

The curse user's hand moved again, and a shadow tendril lashed forward. But before it could reach her, Lyra appeared behind her in a flash of golden light.

ZAP—SHING!

Her sword struck as lightning, cracking through the air. The curse user screamed as electricity surged through her body, collapsing onto her knees.

"That's one down," Lyra said, breathing heavily.

"Two more!" Ronan shouted, charging the fire user again.

The halberd swung up, flames bursting from its blade, but this time, Ronan ducked under and punched the man in the gut.

BAM!

The air exploded.

The fire user coughed, his weapon falling from his hands as he stumbled back.

Then Lira came from the side, her sword flashing silver as she twisted the blade, cutting through the man's chest armor.

He screamed, falling to one knee.

Selene followed up instantly, slamming her sword down from above.

CLANG!

The halberd cracked in half under the blow.

Ronan stepped back, grinning as the man fell to the ground, groaning.

"Now that's teamwork."

Selene gave him a quick nod, brushing the dust off her shoulder.

"Two down."

But before they could rest, the wind mage appeared behind them like a blur. Her daggers moved so fast they left afterimages.

SWISH!

Fwip!

She darted between them, cutting at their sides and necks.

Selena barely blocked one strike, but another caught her arm, leaving a shallow line of blood.

"Damn it—!" she hissed.

Lira turned sharply, swinging her sword sideways, but the wind user spun midair, twisting away from the blade.

Her feet barely touched the ground as she landed lightly and grinned.

"You're all too slow."

"Then let's make it even," Lyra's voice came from behind her.

BOOOOOOM!

A golden flash exploded across the arena. The lightning user appeared out of nowhere, her sword coated in thick electric light.

The wind mage's eyes widened.

CRACK—ZAP!

The collision of wind and lightning shook the air. Sparks and air currents swirled violently, throwing dust everywhere.

Lyra pushed harder, her eyes glowing gold.

The wind user gritted her teeth, trying to push back, but Lyra's sword overpowered her. The electricity burst out in a violent explosion.

KRAAACK!

The silver-haired girl was sent flying, crashing into the cracked ground near the arena wall.

Silence followed for a few seconds, broken only by the soft crackling of lightning.

"They're down… all of them," Ronan looked around before dropping on the ground, and taking deep breaths.

"Barely…" Selina let out a deep breath, her hands shaking slightly from exhaustion.

"...I can't believe we only won because of the number advantage... gosh," Selene sheathed her sword, watching the fallen enemies.

Crackle...

Lyra's golden lightning faded slowly, her shoulders rising and falling with every heavy breath.

"...What about Gray?" she murmured, turning her eyes toward the center of the arena where Gray and Maelis were probably fighting.

But as she did so, her eyes widened as she saw Maelis's on the ground, and Gray casually looking down on her with his rapier resting on his shoulder.

The others followed her gaze, their faces showing the same mix of shock and awe.

"…He's done already...?" Lira said quietly.

"That's Gray for you," Ronan frowned.

Without thinking twice, Lyra started walking toward him, her boots crunching against the broken stone.

The rest followed close behind.

Maelis's group was unconscious or groaning on the floor, and the only one still standing in the arena besides them was Cassandra.

"Gray!" Lyra called softly, her voice still sweet even in exhaustion.

Gray turned his head slightly, giving her a short nod before turning back to Maelis.

He was still considering torturing Maelis, but then he sighed lightly.

He had better things to do. So, he stepped closer and leaned down, causing the half-conscious Maelis to blink in confusion.

"Wha… what are you doing?" she asked weakly, her voice trembling a little.

Gray didn't answer as he simply reached down, one arm wrapping around her waist. Her face reddened in surprise for a split second, and then he lifted her into a princess carry.

"H-Huh!?"

But before she could say anything else...

THUD!

He tossed her straight out of the arena like a sack of potatoes.

"Ahhh—! You bastard, be more gentle!" Maelis yelped as she landed on her buttocks outside the arena, clutching her stomach in pain.

Gray didn't even bother to glance her way.

He turned back to his teammates, sliding his rapier back into its sheath.

The group gathered together again, their attention now turning toward Cassandra, the last one still standing in the arena.

Crack...

Ronan cracked his knuckles, a grin spreading across his face. "Well… looks like it's six against one now. Should be doable, right?"

"She's strong, but she can't handle all of us," Lira nodded lightly.

But then Gray's calm, cold voice cut through the brief moment of confidence.

"No… It's not."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Ronan blinked, lowering his fists in surprise.

Gray's head tilted slightly.

"Exactly what I said."

Before anyone could react...

SWOOSH!

Gray vanished from his spot.

Ronan barely had time to widen his eyes before Gray appeared right in front of him, faster than anyone could track.

"Wha—"

THUD!

Gray's fist buried deep into Ronan's stomach, the sound echoing across the arena.

"Guh—!!" Ronan's breath exploded out of him as his body doubled over, his eyes bulging in pain.

The others froze, their expressions twisting from confusion to shock.

"G-Gray!?" Selene shouted.

But Gray just stood there, his fist still pressed into Ronan's gut, his face calm and completely emotionless.

He slowly straightened, pulling his hand back and letting Ronan collapse to his knees, clutching his stomach and gasping for air.

"...What are you doing?" Lyra asked quietly, her eyes searching his for an answer.

Gray didn't answer right away. His eyes moved slowly across his teammates, one by one, before finally landing on Cassandra.

"...Now there's no more need for a group," he said coldly, unsheathing his rapier before pointing it forward.

"So... you four should advocate for your grade if you have the ability to do so."

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