As Ian surrendered, the tension that had gripped the crowd finally eased. The audience let out a collective exhale, having witnessed a battle that, while not closely contested, was captivating nonetheless.

Though the fight hadn't been balanced, there was something magnetic about it. Ian, realizing the futility of pushing further after seeing Arthur effortlessly dismantle his Nether Cage, chose the wiser path. He understood that unleashing more power would be pointless if Arthur could simply counter with his Gift. Continuing the fight would have been a waste, and Ian, as the prince of the South, had no need to prove himself to the guilds observing the tournament.

He had tested his strength against Arthur and found his answer. By stepping down, he preserved his dignity and avoided showing his full hand when it served no purpose. His decision to surrender wasn't an act of weakness but one of tactical foresight.

Now, the stage was set for what many considered the most evenly matched battle of the first round: Jin Ashbluff versus Rachel Creighton.

The contrast between the two couldn't have been starker. Rachel, the princess of the North, wielded the Gift of Saintess, her mastery of light magic renowned throughout the academy. As she ascended the stage, her golden hair cascaded down like liquid sunlight, her blue eyes filled with fierce determination.

Opposite her stood Jin Ashbluff, the stoic prince of the West. His Gift of Necromancy gave him dominion over dark magic, and the contrast between his cold, onyx eyes and Rachel's brightness couldn't have been more pronounced. His expression betrayed no emotion, but the tight grip on his twin shortswords showed he was ready for what was to come.

Light versus dark.

"Begin!"

Valerie's words barely had time to settle before the battle erupted into action.

Rachel's light magic materialized instantly, forming a series of radiant arrows suspended in the air. With a subtle wink, she unleashed them at Jin, each arrow streaking toward him like a beam of pure energy.

Light magic—revered as the supreme element. It was unparalleled in its versatility, capable of countering any magic, including space, time, and gravity. It had no natural weakness, making it the rarest and most formidable magic in existence.

Jin, however, was unfazed. He calmly exhaled before swinging his twin shortswords, sending a wave of darkness to meet Rachel's arrows. The collision of four-circle spells sparked and crackled, the opposing energies neutralizing each other in a burst of light and shadow.

Wasting no time, Jin activated his four-circle spell, Shadow Armor. Instead of summoning his necromantic minions, which would have been mere fodder for Rachel's light, he opted to enhance his own strength. His dark energy wrapped around him, fortifying his body and amplifying his agility.

With a powerful push from his foot, Jin launched himself toward Rachel like a missile, his twin blades glowing faintly with a frosty cyan hue as he prepared to execute his Grade 6 art: Soulweaver's Sorrow.

The blades shimmered with dark frost, cutting through the air with deadly intent as he closed in on her.

But Rachel remained composed. With a simple clap of her hands, she unleashed a brilliant flash of light—a flashbang spell designed to blind her opponent.

Jin, momentarily disoriented by the searing brightness, stumbled as his vision was overwhelmed by the light.

As soon as the flash subsided and Rachel's arrows of light bombarded Jin, she stood back, maintaining her distance. Unlike a warrior, Rachel didn't wield a sword to meet her opponent head-on—she was a mage, through and through, and her combat style reflected that.

Her royal blue eyes focused intently on Jin, tracking his movements as he deflected her light arrows with swift, precise motions. His twin swords flashed as they intercepted each incoming spell, dark energy crackling with each strike.

Rachel lifted her hand once more, summoning another barrage, but this time she shifted the flow of her mana. Instead of firing directly, she used her Gift of Saintess to amplify her control over the elements, causing the arrows to split mid-air and rain down from multiple angles. Each beam was sharper, faster, and imbued with a divine light.

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Jin's face remained stoic as he activated Shadow Warp, a movement spell that allowed him to melt into the shadows and reappear behind Rachel in an instant. He raised his sword, but Rachel was quick to react, her instincts honed by years of training.

Without turning, she snapped her fingers, and a dome of pure light erupted around her in a protective barrier. The force of Jin's attack slammed against the barrier, but the impact sent him staggering back.

Rachel's eyes narrowed as she concentrated, her voice low and calm. "Divine Ray."

A massive column of light shot up from her position, the spell expanding outward in a radiant explosion. Jin barely had time to react, throwing himself to the side as the divine magic scorched the ground where he had been standing.

He grimaced, realizing he couldn't approach her recklessly. Rachel's control over light magic made it almost impossible to close the gap without getting hit. But he had to press on.

Jin raised his swords, channeling his dark mana through them. His Necromancer's Gift surged to life as he summoned a swarm of shadowy figures—spectral warriors armed with ancient weapons. They charged forward, their ghostly forms moving to surround Rachel, cutting off her line of sight and keeping her from casting another spell.

Rachel's lips pressed into a thin line as the ethereal soldiers closed in. She wasn't going to be overrun so easily. She raised her arms, summoning beams of light that tore through the shadowy figures like paper.

But that's when Jin struck.

While Rachel was distracted, Jin used the momentary lapse to dive into her blind spot. His twin swords gleamed with dark energy as he brought them down in a sweeping arc, aiming to end the fight in one swift motion.

"Light Ward!" Rachel shouted, reacting just in time.

A barrier of light snapped into place, stopping Jin's blades a mere inch from her body. The strain of blocking his attack was visible on Rachel's face, but she pushed back, pouring more mana into her shield as Jin tried to break through.

"You're good, Rachel," Jin muttered, his onyx eyes narrowing. "But you're going to have to do better than that."

Without missing a beat, Rachel unleashed her counterattack—Celestial Burst, a four-circle spell that created a burst of radiant energy from her body, sending Jin flying backward.

He skidded to a halt, wiping sweat from his brow as he stared at her. The gap between their abilities was closing, and Jin knew he needed to finish this fast.

Rachel, however, wasn't slowing down. She clasped her hands together and began chanting the incantation for her final move, her body glowing with divine light as the mana around her surged.

"Judgment Rain," Rachel intoned, her voice filled with power.

The sky above the arena darkened as brilliant beams of light descended, each one aimed directly at Jin. He cursed under his breath, knowing he had only seconds to react.

This was it—the final push.

Jin closed his eyes, gathering every ounce of dark mana he had left. His body pulsed with energy as he activated the second phase of his Gift, Shadow Dominion. His form became shrouded in darkness, and the spectral warriors he had summoned earlier fused into his shadow, bolstering his strength.

As the beams of light rained down upon him, Jin moved with fluid precision, dodging the strikes while closing the distance between him and Rachel. He was a blur of shadows, slipping past each divine strike with ease.

But Rachel wasn't going to give him the upper hand. She raised her hand one last time, her mana flaring as she summoned a wall of radiant light, blocking Jin's approach.

Their final clash was imminent.

Jin's eyes flickered with intensity as he assessed the situation. Rachel's barrier of radiant light blocked his approach, and her divine magic left little room for error. But Jin was a necromancer, a master of deception and strategy, and he had one last trick up his sleeve.

As he moved to the side, his form flickering with shadow, he summoned a single spectral warrior—just one, a figure cloaked in darkness and wielding a jagged sword. The lone soldier materialized behind Rachel, silent and almost unnoticeable amidst the chaos of battle.

Rachel, focused on maintaining her barrier and preparing her next spell, didn't immediately sense the threat. Jin, seizing the opportunity, allowed the soldier to creep forward slowly, its presence subtle and unnoticed beneath the din of combat.

As Rachel continued her incantation, preparing another powerful light spell to strike Jin, the lone shadow soldier lunged. Its blade swung silently toward her from behind.

At the last second, Rachel sensed the movement. Her head snapped toward the soldier, her hands quickly summoning a beam of light to destroy it. But it was too late. The distraction had worked.

In that split second when her attention wavered, Jin moved. Like a blur of darkness, he slipped past her radiant wall, his body weaving through the cracks in her defenses. He was already upon her by the time she destroyed the shadow soldier.

Jin's twin blades flashed as he swung them in unison, dark energy crackling around them. Rachel's eyes widened in shock as she tried to raise another barrier, but Jin's blades cut through it like paper.

He stopped his strike just short of her throat, the tip of his blade hovering an inch from her skin. Rachel froze, her body stiffening as she realized she had been outplayed.

"I win," Jin said quietly, his voice steady, devoid of arrogance.

Rachel's light magic fizzled out, the glow around her dimming as she exhaled, lowering her hands in defeat. She glanced at Jin, a mix of surprise and frustration in her eyes, but there was also respect.

The audience, stunned into silence, erupted in cheers.

Valerie's voice rang out. "The winner of this match is Jin Ashbluff!"