A man in his fifties, tall and well-built, with neatly combed hair and glasses perched on his nose, was seated at his desk.

He was Thalior, the head of the Astralis Academy.

Engrossed in his work, Thalior barely looked up when his assistant, a young woman named Mira, entered his office in a hurry.

“Mr. Thalior!” she called urgently.

Raising his eyes, Thalior frowned in confusion. “Mira, why are you in such a rush? Has something happened?”

“Mr. Thalior, you need to come outside right now and see what’s happening,” she stammered.

Recognizing the urgency in her voice, Thalior wasted no time. He stood from his chair and quickly exited the room, Mira following close behind.

When he stepped outside, Thalior froze in disbelief. His jaw dropped at the sight before him.

A beast—a black cat—had transformed, cloaked in both shadow and fire.

What stunned him even more was the figure standing next to the beast: Kyro.

Kyro, the student who had consistently ranked at the bottom of the academy, the one Thalior had all but given up on.

But today… Today was different.

Thalior observed the dark and flame aura enveloping Kyro, channeled directly from his beast.

“Mr. Thalior, what should we do? Should we stop them?”

She hesitated before continuing, “I’m worried about the possibility of one of the beasts being killed.”

Thalior shook his head. “No, I want to see this. Let’s observe what kind of power Kyro’s beast truly possesses.”

There was a reason Thalior appeared so composed, even in the face of a potential clash that could result in one of the beasts dying.

Before that could happen, either side would have the option to surrender early, preserving their beast and avoiding total loss.

However, if they insisted on pushing to the very end, one of the beasts could be lost permanently.

If a beast were to die, its bonded tamer would lose that slot.

While it would open the opportunity to seek another beast in the forests, the process was anything but simple—it was time-consuming and required a great deal of luck.

For now, Thalior stood back, fully intent on watching the events unfold.

Kyro and Noctis were cloaked in a mix of black shadows and fiery flames.

The spectators whispered among themselves.

“We don’t even know what grade that cat is. I’m betting Robert will win.”

“Yeah, Robert’s crow’s Sonic Screech is no joke. It’s deadly enough to kill its opponents outright.”

“I think Kyro’s being way too naive. He’s overconfident right from the start.”

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Robert glanced at Kyro with a smug smirk. “Don’t even think for a second that you can beat me.”

Without hesitation, he issued his command. “Now’s the time. Destroy them!”

Robert’s crow soared high into the sky, its jet-black wings flapping with a force that seemed to darken the air around it.

From above, the crow unleashed its Sonic Screech—a deafening, piercing cry that reverberated, shaking the very ground and rippling through the entire area with devastating intensity.

The spectators immediately clutched their ears, wincing in pain from the lingering effects of the sound waves, even though the primary target was Kyro’s beast.

Although Robert could direct the attack’s full force at a specific target, its residual effects were still agonizing for everyone else nearby.

Kyro stood his ground.

“Now, Noctis!” Kyro commanded,.

Noctis, the black cat with ember-like eyes, let out a low growl.

From its sleek body, a dark aura began to radiate, blending seamlessly with bright orange flames that sparked and danced across its form.

The ground beneath Noctis seemed to dissolve into pure darkness, as if the earth itself had been swallowed by an eternal shadow.

From the depths of the shadow surrounding Noctis, a powerful energy began to gather in its mouth—a swirling combination of fire and darkness, forming the skill known as Phantom Blaze.

[Phantom Blaze: A devastating attack that combines fire and darkness into a powerful, swirling energy.]

Details of the skill appeared on Kyro’s display. While Noctis’s primary element was Dusk Inferno, it could manipulate that power to create various sub-skills, including this one.

One by one, fiery orbs materialized around Noctis, each one shrouded in a flickering, shadowy veil that seemed alive.

With a swift motion, Noctis hurled the blazing orbs into the air, their fiery trails slicing through the sky.

Robert’s crow, sensing the danger, flapped its wings furiously, dodging the orbs with impressive agility.

It soared higher, twisting and diving to evade the relentless barrage.

But it wasn’t enough. One of the flaming orbs struck the tip of its wing.

The orb detonated on impact, erupting into a burst of flames interwoven with shadowy mist.

The dark mist clung to the crow, hindering its movements and dragging it down.

“What happened?!”

Robert shouted in panic as his crow flailed in the air, its movements uncontrolled due to the flames and shadowy mist clinging to it.

The crow attempted to counter with another screech, but Noctis was already prepared for the next move.

More blazing orbs launched into the sky, exploding in rapid succession, shaking the air with each impact.

“This power…” murmured the spectator. “That’s not normal. Where did Kyro even get a beast like that?”

“The intensity of those fireballs… And the crow’s screeches don’t seem to affect Kyro at all. Look, the cat’s shielding him from the sound waves! I’m not sure if Robert’s crow can hold out much longer.”

“This is getting exciting! I never expected such incredible power from that cute little kitten.”

The awe wasn’t limited to the spectators.

Erynn, standing not far from Kyro, watched with admiration.

But not everyone was convinced. Skepticism lingered in some of the murmurs.

"This is only the start. Don’t forget, Robert has a second beast—a water-element defense-type. That one might be a much better match against this fire-shadow cat."

As the crow struggled more and more to control its movements, Noctis continued its assault with deadly precision.

Each fiery orb Noctis launched didn’t just deal destruction—it also carried shadowy illusions, making it nearly impossible for the crow to distinguish real attacks from fakes.

“Robert,” Kyro said, “I don’t think your crow can hold out much longer.”

Robert clenched his teeth in frustration, his pride stinging as he watched his beast falter.

“Don’t get cocky yet! This is only the beginning. You’ll see what I’m capable of next!”

The crow, now severely wounded, flapped its wings sluggishly, unable to dodge the relentless onslaught of fire and shadow.

The residual effects of the blazing orbs left it disoriented and burned.

Realizing his beast couldn’t take any more, Robert gritted his teeth and reluctantly called it back.

The crow descended unsteadily, landing near Robert as it let out a weak caw.

Robert lifted a blue crystal and threw it into the air.

"Aquarion, take form!"