Instead of firing more long-range attacks, Henry suddenly shot forward. Flames coiled around his clenched fist as he lunged like a bullet and swung.

Leo didn't retreat, didn't dodge.... he simply waved his hand. A tiny rift tore open in the air. Henry's flaming fist vanished into it, and another rift snapped open beside Henry..... his own fist shot out and smashed into his face.

Thud!

Henry was thrown away by his own attack. His cheek scorched, smoke rising.

Leo didn't move. He simply watched, giving Henry the chance to stand.

The arena fell dead silent.

Henry wasn't weak, far from it. Among his peers, he was considered a genius. He may have lost to Derek, but no one dared underestimate him.

Yet Leo's spatial magic made it impossible for Henry to even touch him.

'He's good. Really good,' Derek thought from the balcony. 'He hasn't reached F-class yet, but his control over spatial magic is sharp. Those rifts might not be large enough to move a person, but in a duel like this, they're an impenetrable defense.'

Even though Derek disliked Leo's personality, he had to acknowledge the boy's combat efficiency.

Henry pushed himself up, dusted off his uniform, and charged again, refusing to back down. Muscles coiled, jaw clenched, he shot forward like a cannonball.

He drew his arm back for a punch. As soon as he closed the distance, he thrust his fist forward.

Leo waved again, a rift forming to swallow the blow.... but right then, Henry slammed his left foot into the ground, abruptly stopping his charge. He pulled his right fist back and launched an uppercut with his left instead.

Bam!

Leo was lifted off the ground, sent flying.

Henry didn't stop. Fireballs erupted from his hands one after another, chasing Leo mid-air.

Leo reacted instantly, summoning rifts again but he didn't have enough time. Most fireballs vanished, but three blazing orbs slipped through and hit him cleanly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Leo's body hit the ground and slid nearly ten meters before coming to a stop.

Henry remained where he stood, giving Leo the chance to stand back up just like he had done earlier.

For a heartbeat, no one spoke.

Then the balcony exploded with cheers.

They had come to see the drama unfold. After all, it wasn't every day that people would get the chance to see the heirs from legacy families fight each other. But they got to witness a breathtaking duel instead. Everyone was thrilled they didn't miss this fight.

Even Derek let out a light laugh. "Well, even if he loses, taking Henry down won't be easy."

"Huh?! What lose? Henry's totally winning!" Art shot back immediately.

Derek sighed. "You didn't notice? Leo has only been using spatial magic. He hasn't even touched his second attribute.... lightning."

Art's eyes widened. "Shit… I hadn't noticed it at all."

"Don't worry," Derek said, eyes locked on the arena. "Henry's at a disadvantage, yes. But the fight isn't over yet."

Back at the arena....

Gritting his teeth, Leo stood back up. He raised his hand and hurled lightning bolts toward Henry.

"So he's finally going all out." Henry muttered under his breath as he responded with a fireball of his own.

The two attacks collided and neutralized each other, leaving behind a faint trail of sparks — fire and lightning intertwined.

Leo launched another volley, this time several lightning bolts at once. Henry did the same, throwing multiple fireballs to meet them.

But just before the two sets of attacks could collide, Leo waved his hand. Two rifts opened, swallowing his own lightning bolts — and a moment later, two more rifts appeared behind Henry, releasing those same bolts straight at him.

Henry managed to dodge one, but the other struck his body. He felt a jolt of pain as his body went numb, sending him skidding backward.

'These damn spatial rifts! Curse them!' Henry gritted his teeth and charged toward Leo again.

Leo fired more lightning bolts, but this time Henry didn't counter with fireballs. Instead, he weaved between the attacks with effort, steadily closing the distance.

Unlike Derek, he hadn't even reached F-class yet — let alone E-class. So his speed wasn't exceptional. Still, he successfully dodged nearly all the strikes and closed in. Then, he suddenly hurled multiple fireballs, but instead of aiming at Leo, he targeted the ground around him. Explosions erupted, kicking up thick dust.

"What's he doing?!" Leo muttered, puzzled by Henry's seemingly clumsy move. But before he could react — as the dust cloud blurred his vision — Henry's fiery fist smashed into his stomach.

Bam!

Thud!

Leo's body was flung backward several meters before crashing hard onto the ground.

"Oh!" Derek was surprised by Henry's move. "Though he's a mage, he's clearly using different techniques and strategies to fight back. Maybe our last fight inspired him a lot. I don't know how much more he can improve, but I should really ask him to learn some martial arts moves," Derek thought.

Meanwhile, Nicholas fumed behind the window. "How the hell did that Yami bastard get so lucky this year to have both of them?" he cursed under his breath. "I must find a way to get both of them transferred to my house. But which one of them was there that day? They're both from legacy families. Neither should have dared behave so rudely toward me… Maybe it's Leo. His family has always been cautious about keeping their strength hidden," Nicholas murmured. "And though they're in a stalemate, Leo seems to be slightly ahead. On the other hand, Henry's already out of breath. He won't be able to hold his ground for long."

And that's exactly what happened.

In the arena, as the clash raged on, Henry began losing his footing. Exhaustion slowed him down, and he started taking more hits.

Leo, meanwhile, was conserving his stamina. His dual attributes alone were enough to gradually overwhelm Henry, even if not instantly.

Finally, after a brutal strike, Henry couldn't get back up. A large bolt of lightning had struck him squarely from behind.

He pressed his palms against the ground, trying to stand, but his body refused to move.

"Hmph!" Leo sneered, walking slowly toward him. "Is that all you've got? Pathetic. Next time, remember this moment before you dare to mock me again."

With that, he turned and began climbing back to the balcony. Before stepping out, he cast a cold glare toward Derek.

'You're next.'

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