Chapter 31: Chapter 29 – Challenge

When Lorin's countdown ended, everyone present quickly raised their hands, casting their own spells. They were battling each other for control of the rotating sphere of water, drawing out long, swirling tendrils toward their piers. The thickest of these watery 'tornadoes' were Koadriana's and Heliett's.

A battle of wills was raging inside the sphere between the ten participants. Everyone was trying to manipulate it to 'grab' onto it and siphon it to themselves. At first, it looked easy, they just had to be quicker than the rest, but as soon as their connection was solidified, they realized the more they took, the stronger the resistance became within it. It was quickly evident that the disk, spinning deep inside, was proving another challenge as the anchor, keeping the water in the air which was bound to it.

It didn't take long before one of the competitors tried to be more forceful and rob a big chunk of the 'disk.' The force he sent in rebounded instantly, like hitting a firm wall. It traveled back to the body of the 3rd-year student, ravaging his mind, making him cough up blood and sever his connection. Falling to one knee, he already knew, he was out. Few others quickly followed suit, making the same mistake, letting the others gobble up their portions redrawn to their source.

"Victory will be mine…." Heliett thought, seeing the others' connections through her mind's eye. As she gathered water, a tunnel was made out of cold, light-blue ice, reflecting most of the interference from the others' wills and the spinning disc deep inside.

She was unsatisfied with securing her part; she let her mind slowly expand but was careful enough to not touch the others' minds. That would be too obvious… but she couldn't be blamed if the cold emanating from her will influenced the water around… their part of the connection. Another unlucky student was suddenly rejected, and her link to the water sphere was cut abruptly. She didn't even know why. She just felt a shiver run down her spine, disturbing her concentration enough to make her connection fail and break away. All that water she managed to collect was quickly redrawn and lost. Looking around, she couldn't help but sigh, seeing five others standing still standing. It meant she failed to reach a position where she would get some rewards.

She suspected something was wrong, but the judges did not interfere and just sat there, watching the remaining students. Lorin quickly noticed what happened, but he remained silent, only glancing at the others without notice, knowing they also did… and probably were bribed too, ignoring Heliett's intentional interference. He was getting excited. He wanted to see how she would fare against someone from House Amarin. Even though Heliett was taught a modified version of House Berison's technique, her only advantage could only be her powers being at the 4th Tier. As the competition was getting thinner, Heliett started to focus her will on Koadriana's. She already recognized hers and intentionally crawled closer, trying to influence it with the chill emanating from hers. It always worked whenever she tried to do something like this, expecting the same results.

"Hmf." Koadriana snorted a little, quickly adapting to her influence. The cold never bothered her, especially not if it was about 'swimming' in it. "Amateur." She thought, letting the chill invade her side, almost as if she was drinking it in.

"...?" Heliett flinched, realizing that the moment their minds brushed past each other, Koadriana's speed in gathering water to her side greatly intensified. It was even using her coldness to follow its trace back to her side and start interfering with her connection. Tiny, thinner-than-hair-sized cracks already appear on the ice tunnel that she formed. "Strong…" She thought, reinforcing her will and determination, fixing the damage, and redoubling her efforts.

The two's back and forth soon expelled the rest. Their wills were falling prey to the interference caused by their 'clashes' that disturbed the sphere of water. It became so intense it was providing clues for people watching from the outside. Multiple ripples appeared on its surface as if something was swimming inside of it, hitting walls, trying to navigate its way to the surface. In the end, only two wills remained inside, quickly enveloping two halves of the sphere. None of them were content in simply splitting it, giving the first place up to fate, and seeing which of them had more water under their control by the end. Each of them wanted to win resoundingly and expel the other, long forgetting about the rules. Not that it mattered because none of the judges were about to interfere.

"Your cold is amateurish." Koadriana's voice echoed in Heliett's mind.

"Yeah? Then why haven't you pushed me out yet?"

"Because I want to steal all of your portions." She replied, pushing against her, and the frozen surface of Heliett's side quickly melted, rejoining Aurora's side.

"Sure," Heliett replied, doing the same, freezing portions of Aurora's chunk, breaking it off, and drawing it to her side. "If you want to feel true coldness, I can show it to you."

"Sorry. I'm too excited!" Koa answered, smiling in the real world, "My fire has been burning since the start of this competition~ I can feel the eyes watching my body; it fills me with excitement! Hahaha~ I love this!"

"Exhibitionist whore."

"Precisely~"

Koadriana wasn't lying. The eyes watching her body in her swimsuit were precisely what she wanted. If not for Lia, she would stand there completely naked. This was her way to compromise and wear something flashy that barely covered her private parts. It filled her with pleasure and happiness, making her imagination run wild, and her mana was flowing freely. It was empowering her in a literal sense. Heliett quickly found herself on a backfoot, being pressured by Koa's will. It was encroaching on her, and even though she was a tier stronger, she couldn't fight back. If she pushed on harder, she would have to make moves in reality, and that type of interference would be blatant cheating. Undeniable before such a big crowd.

"Ugh…" Koa suddenly groaned, and Heliett imimdietly felt that something had happened. Koa's pressure was lessening and withdrawing at a rapid pace. Even though her opponent's side was starting to sharply raise in temperature, almost as if someone had turned on a stove and started boiling water. "Now…? Really?" Koa took in a sharp breath, realizing what was happening. Right at the worst possible moment. Her face showed pain on the outside, too, as she felt her stomach cramp up, like being punched in the gut.

"What is happening?" Keily asked, flinching, standing up at the exact moment when Koadriana's body jerked, her muscles tightening.

"Something's not right," Raufon said, noticing the weirdness while Aurora stood up, too, ready to intervene.

"Oh…" Lia blinked her mismatched eyes, turning towards Ceiline, who seemingly came to the same conclusion, nodding.

"She is advancing," Sion said, realizing it too after a brief moment of thinking.

"She held back since coming here…" Lia murmured, thinking, biting into her thumb, "Now, after letting her true feelings and passion flow… it turned her mana into a raging, flooding river."

"She is being pushed into the 4th Tier… and experiencing the first tribulation a mage has to face." Ceiline nodded.

Now, Koadriana, even though she was trying her best, could barely concentrate on controlling water and keeping up her spell. Her body was burning up from the inside. The heat she felt from the many gazes was now unbearably intense, as if she was thrown into a boiling pot. Same as her shrinking side of the sphere. It bubbled and released steam, burning the water and turning it into vapor. By now, the judges also realized what was happening. They all went through the same experience, and just looking at Koa's glossy, glowing body was enough to know it.

"Failure of a whore." Heliett thought, flashing a grin and attacking with full force.

Her ice started to spread quickly, tearing away big chunks from Koa, pushing her will backward with ease until she sent a concentrated attack toward Koa's mind. It was subtle, but it was like being pricked by a sharp ice needle right in the brain. Koa finally let out a painful groan, opening her eyes and abandoning the fight for control. She grabbed at her head, falling to her knees, moaning and writhing in agony.

"Hmph!" Heliett opened her eyes, proud, looking directly at Koa, who was now barely conscious, fighting with her body and the fiery tribulation ravaging it. "Serves-" She said condescendingly but couldn't finish her words.

Her senses warned her mind to dodge left… no. That was a trap. Defend! She barely raised her hands, forming an icy shield before her, letting the tiny feet land on it and push her body back off the wooden pier. Her feet blew it apart as she slid backward, turning the planks into ice and splintering them into dozens of pieces. Looking ahead, she saw Lia's figure floating above the water with her feet coated in flames, letting her hover there. Next to Heliett's retreating figure, a black sword passed by, cutting the air. She would have been cut if she had dodged where her instincts first told her. Maybe... even killed? She felt the dangerous intent behind the blade, held in Aurora's hand, looking at her calmly, landing on a platform made out of her own shadow.

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"What is the meaning of this?" Heliett asked, raising her voice. She was calm, calmer than ever before. This was perfect. Their rashness was what she needed to push them down before they could rise up as a group.

"I don't like you," Lia said calmly, her eyes darting up and down on Heliett, reflecting the flames surrounding her body. "Not a bit."

While Lia was speaking, there were multiple reactions from the crowd. Some were excited; this ought to be interesting. What is better than a fight between mages? A spectacle like that is always entertaining. On the other hand, those who were in Heliett's camp were outraged, hurrying forward to stand with her against this sudden attack. Sion just sighed the moment Lia and Aurora disappeared.

"Come, let's collect Koadriana!" He stood up, looking at Keily and Raufon.

"But… I wanted to join in…" Raufon said, clearly frustrated… he wanted to go and fight. A brawl was the best way to entertain one's muscles.

"There won't be a fight," Ceiline said, standing up.

"There won't?" Keily breathed out loudly, feeling relieved. He couldn't cast a spell yet. He would surely be the first to be pummeled into the ground.

"Probably not." Sion nodded. "Let's go!"

While the group hurried to where Koa was, groaning and suffering, unable to move her body as her muscles constantly spasmed, driving her into a painful state fueled by a very high fever, Lia and Aurora were facing Heliett and her arriving group.

"You are interfering with the competition!" Heliett said, looking towards the judges, who were also surprised.

"No," Lia answered, floating forward, landing on the remaining chunks on the pier, and balancing on a lonely pole. Aurora simply followed her, standing behind her, on her shadow, ready to kill if she said so. Right now, she was a soldier of the Amarins and the bodyguard of Lia… not a student. "The competition was over," Lia said, not blinking her eyes, just watching Heliett. "You won first place."

"What are you-" Heliett opened her mouth, but Lia simply continued.

"You won this competition. And now, I challenge your organization to face my alliance. Three months from now. All of you against all of us in an open battle."

"And why should we accept?" The one who asked this was not Heliett but Yanura. She knew that their leader was in a heightened mood, maybe easily tricked into accepting it. She fought against Lia, and she knew… she was weird. Something was not right. Since coming here and watching her face, then gazing at Lauron and Solren, a thought formed in her head. A scary and frightening idea. If she was right, she did not want to fight against them. Not again.

"Because if not, you are nothing more than little, itsy-bitsy-tiny chickens. Not the peacocks you think you are." Lia answered, forming a grin that was growing wider and wider as she spoke.

“Ahaha… cocks…” Koadriana's laugh traveled there as she was helped up, propped up by Sion and Ceiline. She could barely speak, and Ceiline was using her water element to somewhat cool down her body. It was searing hot, so much so that it hurt to touch her. "They indeed in need… of cocks…."

"At least she is fine." Aurora wrote, looking at her, watching Koa with a gentle look in her eyes before turning back towards the group.

"This-" One of the judges stood up, his voice angry, and Lorin was about to step in and help out Lia when a laugh silenced everyone.

"Why not? This sounds fun!"

The owner of the voice stunned everyone, especially Heliett's group. Turning back, they saw Solren and Lauron approaching, wearing kind and excited smiles. Solren nodded at Aurora and Lia before turning towards his brother.

"I'll escort her back. You deal with the two troublemakers." Solren said, glancing at them again, and while Aurora lowered her head, Lia just pouted, acting like she was greatly wronged.

By the next moment, Solren was already at the other side of the lake, standing between the group of Lia. A beam of bright light descended from the sky, enveloping Koadriana, who slowly fell asleep, separating her from the outside world. Her body was lifted by an appearing, ethereal figure of an angel floating behind Solren's body.

"Show me where your base is. She needs peace to deal with her tribulation." Solren said with a kind voice, awing everyone who watched him.

"This way!" Keily said, first to regain his wits, seeing the similarities between him and Razael, getting excited beyond belief.

"Now!" Lauron clapped, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "To settle this dispute, the two sides will have a rematch on the last day of the Month of Winter, right before Victory Day! The loser will say sorry to the winner! There is no other price! But then, both groups will be forbidden to provoke the other party anymore! We encourage building rivalries! But not animosity! Do you understand?" Lauron said, his voice strict, and both groups' bracelets pinged, recording the mandatory duel he would oversee. "If any of you provoke the other side before the duel…." He looked over them. "All of you are expelled. All. Of. You." He repeated, also looking into his little sister's eyes, who finally lowered her head. "Now!" He clapped again, "You two are coming with me!" He waved his hand, enveloping the sisters in a creamy light, and flashed away, leaving a stunned crowd behind. The only calm person here was probably Lorin himself.

"They got off freely…." Watching the Disciplinary members, he couldn't help but smirk. They were stopped in their places amongst the crowd, wanting to interfere and punish Lia's side, but her brother stepped in first, foiling any other plans anyone may have. Now they could do nothing but swallow their thoughts. "Heh… Good to have an older brother to rely on~ I'm getting a bit jealous…." He chuckled, scratching his throat and commencing the competition's closure as if nothing had happened at all.

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