Marcus laughed, his voice echoing through the trees. "Come on, Amon Vale! Show me what you got! And here you can't surrender. You need to fight me."

He jumped high and hurled his spear down, flames trailing behind it like a comet.

Amon crossed his sword over his chest, summoning the last of his strength.

[Shadow Clutch!]

Dark tendrils shot up from the ground, coiling around the incoming spear, barely slowing it. The flaming weapon tore through them, sending shadows scattering like smoke. But the delay was enough. Amon leapt backward, dodging just in time.

Boom!

The spear hit the ground, creating a fiery explosion that threw dirt and sparks into the air.

Marcus landed smoothly, snapping his fingers, holding his spear tightly again.

Amon gritted his teeth. 'He's stronger than before. Or at the time of spar... he might be going easier on me.'

Marcus pointed his weapon forward, flames licking along the tip. "Tired already? I thought you had become a little stronger, but it seems only your way of talking has become better."

Amon glared at him. "Keep talking. Maybe it'll distract me from how much I want to punch that smug face of yours."

Marcus chuckled. "Oh, I'll give you that chance. If you survive this."

He swung his spear in a wide arc, sending a blazing crescent of fire racing toward Amon. The heat was intense, enough to make the nearby trees crackle.

Amon braced himself and thrust his hand forward.

[Gloom Orb!]

The dark sphere collided with the fire wave.

Boom!

A violent explosion of light and shadow erupted, smoke engulfing the area.

For a moment, both vanished from sight.

Then, a shadow moved inside the smoke.

Marcus's voice echoed coldly. "You think you can hide from me in that?"

He stomped the ground. Flames burst outward in all directions, clearing the smoke.

Amon's eyes widened as Marcus appeared before him, thrusting his spear straight toward his chest.

He barely twisted aside, the spear grazed his shoulder, blood spraying into the air.

"Gah—!"

Marcus smirked. "Too slow."

Amon staggered backward, clutching his shoulder. His vision blurred slightly, and his breath came heavy.

But he still smiled weakly. "Now, you wanted a real fight, don't you? Okay, I will give it to you."

Amon kicked off the ground beneath him, it left a small crack on it. Amon's shadowy sword swung in a diagonal slash at Marcus.

Marcus smirked widely, his spear tip that was covered with fire moved fast.

Cling!

They clashed, exchanging one move after another. Marcus was tasting Amon's strength, clearly not wanting to end the battle early.

Meanwhile, Amon was fighting to survive. Each of his attacks was filled with all his strength. He was giving his all.

Amon stopped using two hands to hold his sword, his left hand releasing the grip from the sword hilt. Mana surged toward the tip of his finger.

Cling!

Spear met sword again. Marcus noticed his left hand. A compressed small sphere of mana was forming. Marcus frowned. He pushed Amon back with his spear and jumped away from him.

But it was late.

[Mana Bullet]

The blue mana bullet rushed at Marcus with full speed. Marcus twisted his body mid-jump, trying to change his position so he could avoid the bullet.

Splash.

But he was not able to dodge it completely. The bullet passed through, touching his left arm on the bicep. It left an injury on it. Blood spilled in the air. It was not a deep one. It was just like a small cut.

Marcus landed on the ground. He inspected the small injury on his left arm with amusement.

"Not bad, you commoner. You were able to injure me. Good." He looked back at Amon.

Amon remained standing some meters away from Marcus.

'There is only one way to get out of this situation,' Amon thought.

He spun on his feet and started to run.

Shadow wrapped around his feet. His brain throbbed because of overuse of his ability. He gritted his teeth and continued to run.

Marcus was surprised at the scene, but he was not going to let Amon go away so easily. He started to follow.

Thud! Thud!

Amon ran. He ran faster than ever. He gazed forward. He was not going to be eliminated here. Not by Marcus's hands. He was full of resolve for it. If he couldn't defeat Marcus head-on, then he just needed to use shameless tricks.

Marcus was just behind Amon. He was faster than Amon. His breathing steady, not like Amon, who very tired. He was closing the distance faster. The smug-looking smirk never left his face.

Amon turned his head back, seeing Marcus was already very close to him.

'Bastard is even enjoying chasing me like a mouse. Fuck!'

But Amon saw a light. The star he was trying to find. Just ahead of him was Arnold, walking calmly.

Amon's lips curled in a sly smile.

'Got you!'

From behind, Marcus raised his spear covered with fire. He lunged at Amon to thrust his spear.

From Amon's front, Arnold, who already sensed someone coming from behind, spun instantly. His sword's blade gleamed in silver starlight.

While Amon, who was in the middle, put all his strength into his feet. He bent his knees and jumped very high into the air.

Clash!

The silver sword of Arnold and the crimson spear of Marcus clashed violently against each other. It left a small shockwave in the surroundings. The trees trembled from the impact. Both Arnold and Marcus's eyes met with each other.

Surprise was written on their faces. The pair of blue eyes stared at the purple ones. They pushed each other back, creating distance between them.

Marcus smiled widely. "This is a surprise. To meet you here, Arnold. I was looking for you from day one." He wanted to fight the young man who took his second place in the first year for being the strongest.

Arnold raised one brow in amusement. "Oh... you wanted to fight me, huh? Well, now I am in front of you. Why are you standing still and talking?"

Marcus got into a fighting stance, his spear pointed at Arnold. Then both of them kicked off the ground and dashed at each other.

Meanwhile, Amon, who had jumped over Arnold and landed behind him... he didn't even glance back and continued to run forward. Yes, he successfully sneaked away.

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