At the start of the battle royale, many of the weaker students formed alliances to challenge the stronger contenders. While this might seem like a risky strategy, the evaluation and ranking of participants were based not solely on the order of elimination but on overall performance.

The school's AI, the professors, and monitoring devices meticulously analyzed every move, ensuring that each student's ranking reflected their skill, tactics, and tenacity rather than just their survival time.

This understanding led many to target the elite Class 1-A students. After all, challenging the best could elevate their own ranking, provided they demonstrated enough prowess in the process.

Class 1-A students were the epitome of talent and training, their power levels far exceeding those of their peers. This superiority was partly due to their advanced mana ranks, and partly because they had been granted Grade 5 arts by Mythos Academy. Many even possessed Grade 6 arts inherited from their powerful families.

Arthur Nightingale was an anomaly within this elite group, holding the Rank 2 position—an unprecedented feat considering the pedigree of his classmates, many of whom were heirs to the world's most influential families.

He had risen dramatically from Rank 8 to 2 during the mid-year assessments, earning the title of the dark horse of Class 1-A. Yet, despite this achievement, Arthur remained underestimated by many.

There were two key reasons for this. First, unlike his peers, Arthur did not possess a Grade 6 art, a distinction that marked the pinnacle of martial prowess. His lack of a powerful family meant he had no such advantage. Second, his well-known loss to Ren Kagu in a sparring match had tarnished his reputation, leaving some to question whether his ascent was truly sustainable.

Arthur didn't concern himself with the whispers and doubts. All that mattered was proving himself when it counted most.

And claiming the title of Sovereign.

"Why are you here?" Lucifer demanded, his sword embedded in the frozen ground. His entire left side, along with the earth beneath him, was encased in ice.

Arthur tilted his head slightly, a calm expression on his face. "Why do you think?"

With a smooth motion, he raised his sword, its tip leveled at Lucifer.

"Show me what you've got, Rank 1."

On another part of the field, Ren exhaled as the fallen students around him were swiftly cleared away by the Academy's spell system. Leaving unconscious competitors on the battlefield was too dangerous, after all.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a shift in the shadows. Ren's brows furrowed as he drew more mana from his white core, enhancing the power of his God's Eyes.

The world around him sharpened, revealing layers of detail he hadn't seen before.

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"Come out already," he muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

Jin stepped out from the shadows, his twin obsidian blades gleaming as he approached.

"Seriously?" Ren asked, his voice laced with boredom as he sized up Jin, barely considering him a threat.

Jin's expression remained unreadable, unfazed by Ren's dismissive attitude.

Suddenly, a chill of danger crept down Ren's spine. He whipped his head around, his eyes widening as he spotted an arrow of light magic streaking toward him.

In an instant, he thrust his hands forward, warping the space before him to halt the arrow in its tracks.

"Rachel," he muttered, his gaze narrowing on the blonde-haired girl who simply winked at him in response.

"Not afraid of being eliminated?" Ren asked, his voice laced with confidence.

"This is just one win, don't be such a bore," Rachel replied, flipping her golden hair behind her with a casual grace.

Ren's eyes narrowed as she summoned three more light arrows, each one aimed directly at him.

On the other side, Jin enveloped himself and his twin swords in dark magic, shadows swirling around him like a living aura.

"Light and dark magic working together—how poetic," Ren remarked with a smirk. He ignited his core to its full power, a surge of mana radiating from him. "Show me what you've got."

"How arrogant," Rachel muttered, clicking her tongue as light shimmered around her, bending the very photons to her will.

In an instant, three arrows of pure light magic materialized in front of her, each one a product of her four-circle magic.

Ren's eyes gleamed as he observed the mana flow in Rachel's movements. His mind raced, calculating the trajectories and every other detail necessary to counter her attack. At the same time, his heightened vision allowed him to keep track of Jin, analyzing his every movement.

God's Eyes had one limitation—it couldn't fully decipher the intricacies of a Grade 6 art. Such techniques transcended the norm, making it impossible for Ren to completely predict and counter Jin if he decided to unleash his Grade 6 art, Soulweaver's Sorrow.

But Ren wasn't concerned.

After all, he had a Grade 6 art of his own.

Even though Ren was up against Rank 5 and Rank 4 of the first-years, he felt no fear. With his powerful Gift and his advancement to -rank, there was little reason to worry. Both of his opponents were still stuck at -rank, putting them leagues behind him.

-rank was peculiar. Unlike other mana ranks, where differences in quality and quantity of mana could be stark, all -ranks shared an almost uniform level of power. This made it fundamentally different from other ranks.

Additionally, the leap between -rank and -rank was immense, far greater than any previous jump in power. Even someone at the pinnacle of -rank would find themselves dwarfed by someone who had just reached -rank.

Ren's confidence wasn't misplaced. As he prepared to face them, his God's Eyes allowed him to analyze every move, every fluctuation of mana, calculating his next steps with precision.

"Let's see what you two can do," Ren muttered, his voice laced with a mix of boredom and anticipation.

Before either of them could make a move, a sudden announcement echoed through the earbuds of every student, cutting through the tension.

"92 students have been eliminated. The battle royale is now over!"

The declaration hung in the air, the abrupt end to the chaos catching everyone off guard. Ren lowered his hands, the tension in his body dissipating as quickly as it had built up. Jin and Rachel both relaxed their stances, the flicker of competition in their eyes dimming.

Ren smirked, letting out a quiet breath. "Looks like we'll have to finish this some other time."

Rachel sighed, her light arrows fading into nothingness, while Jin sheathed his twin swords with a small nod. The battlefield, once teeming with intensity, now felt oddly calm.

Ren glanced at the large screens floating above, displaying the names of those who had made it through, his own at the top as he eliminated the most students and mana beasts. His smirk grew wider.

"We're just getting started."