"Lead, is that legal?" one of Rayn's squad members asked.

"I think so. As long as it’s not mentioned otherwise, it’s legal—like a weapon with infused roots," Rayn replied. "Looks like he's in trouble; he’d better surrender."

As the battle intensified, Kyren found himself in a dire position. Despite his earlier successes, the renewed power from Calir’s drug had turned the tide drastically. Calir’s attacks were now a relentless storm of fire and lightning, each strike landing with devastating force.

Kyren, already exhausted from the prolonged fight, struggled to keep up. His breaths came in ragged gasps, and his movements were growing slower. He was visibly sweating and bruised, his stamina draining rapidly.

"This is so bad," Kyren gasped between heavy breaths, his voice tinged with desperation. He barely managed to evade a powerful strike from Calir, the force of which left him reeling.

Calir, with a renewed aura of confidence and power, advanced on Kyren with a sinister smile. “You thought you could outlast me? I’m just getting started. This is where you fall.” he launched an fire ball Kyren barely dodge it, but before he could even land his feet, Calir charged in punching Kyren's body this made him knock down.

"Vice President, would you allow me to go this far—even to kill—so I can unlock my full potential and entertain you more?" Calir asked, his voice dripping with a dangerous edge.

The Vice President’s lips curled into a twisted smile as he stood, his eyes gleaming with dark anticipation. "Permission granted, Show me what true power looks like."

As Calir towards Kyren slowly walking, Kyren grabbed a hand of sand, throw it to his face, then flee with a couple of distance.

Calir chuckled darkly, clearly enjoying the display of Kyren’s struggle. “You’re out of your depth, Kyren. Your tricks couldn’t save you then, and it certainly won’t now. I’m going to enjoy watching you crumble.”

"But let's end this now." Calir prepared his final strike, a fierce, glowing fireball infused with crackling electricity formed in his hand. The sphere pulsed with deadly energy, and the air around it shimmered with heat and static. The students watching exchanged worried glances and whispered among themselves.

“He really going to kill him?” one student asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"Yeah, it's really thrilling to watch." one student replied.

“That guy would die if he takes that strike,” another student speculated, their eyes wide with apprehension.

Calir, with a menacing grin, hurled the massive fireball toward Kyren. The projectile surged through the air, leaving a trail of searing heat and crackling lightning in its wake. Kyren, in a last-ditch effort, barely managed to evade the full force of the attack. He rolled to the side just in time, but the fireball exploded upon impact with the ground, creating a colossal blast and enveloping the area in a thick cloud of smoke and debris.

The battlefield was engulfed in a choking haze. The crowd held their breath, eyes straining to see through the swirling smoke. The speculation was heavy in the air—would Kyren have survived such a devastating blow, or was he doomed to defeat?

...

Calir catching his breath and his left eyes closed, all sign of exhaustion

Suddenly, a gleaming dagger shot out from the midst of the smoke, hurtling directly toward Calir. The unexpected projectile shocked Calir, forcing him to react instinctively. He parried the dagger with a swift motion, but in doing so, he failed to notice Kyren’s true intent.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

From within the smoke, Kyren emerged, his figure silhouetted against the remnants of the explosion. With a sudden burst of speed, he lunged at Calir, slashing his arm with the infused lightning roots from Zeeha’s ring. The lightning crackled violently as it made contact, detaching Calir's arm, sending a surge of electrical energy through his body.

Calir staggered back, clutching his injured shoulder, his face contorted in pain and disbelief. The powerful lightning attack left him reeling, struggling to maintain his composure.

Rayn, observing from the crowd, had been closely watching the unfolding events. Her eyes widened in realization. “First, he grabbed those gloves and used them as defensive equipment, making them a distraction for his main plan, that ring emitting lightning roots,” Rayn murmured, clearly impressed by Kyren’s ingenuity.

"I like this human. " Aolomon said with an evil smile.

...

"I barely survived that blast..." Kyren thought, breathing heavily with visible bruises from the impact. "Luckily I perfectly mimicked what Alaine does."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Calir shouted in agony, losing blood.

"Enough, Calir. Surrender already before that arm can't be reattached by the healers." Kyren said.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Calir rushed to Hiro's unconscious body, desperately taking him hostage. "Surrender, or I'll blast your friend."

Kyren looked at Calir's condition and assumed he couldn't even cast a single spell. He wouldn't last more than a few seconds because he was bleeding to death.

"You want to make this rough, Calir? I'm not as evil as you are..." Kyren walked slowly. "But I'm also not that good-hearted either." He picked up his dagger from the ground.

"ARE YOU NOT CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR FRIEND? I SAID SURRENDER AND DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! DON'T TEST ME," Calir shouted, pointing at Hiro.

But Kyren didn't care.

"I see you are a fake one too," Calir said, starting to cast a mini fire on his fingers.

"Can he still cast spells?" Kyren stopped for a moment, unsure if he had miscalculated something.

After a moment, Calir collapsed, the drug he took taking its highest toll on him, His body gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, fainting from the sheer exhaustion and pain. The battlefield fell silent, the tension dissipating as the realization set in: Kyren had won.

...

The students were in shock after seeing a mere human defeat a much stronger opponent.

"Well, that's a better way to close this exam. Congratulations, now state your wishes," the Vice President said, his tone indifferent. Even with what Kyren had shown, the Vice President was still not impressed, thinking he was just lucky.

Kyren looked at Hiro and Zeeha. "My first wish is... I want this man not to be eliminated from this exam."

"Granted," the Vice President said, waiting for the second wish.

"The second wish is... I want me, this man, and the former two GA to be in section 11." He was referring to Hiro, Zeeha, and Beatrix moving to section 11 alongside the 11th GA, Vilon, who is a friend of Zeeha and Beatrix.

Kyren paused, taking a deep breath, as the weight of the moment settled in. "And for my third wish, like the new GA's wish, I want a decent dorm."

"Alright, wish granted." The Vice President walked back to the stage, his footsteps echoing in the stunned silence, and announced, "We will have a short break, and then we will move to the indoor event hall. The announcement will be made after the short break."

The Vice President left.

Kyren, still trembling from the adrenaline, began to wake up Hiro and Zeeha. After they woke up, Zeeha's face looked sad. "I'm sorry..." she said, tears welling up in her eyes, assuming that Kyren and Hiro would be eliminated.

Meanwhile, Hiro had accepted their fate, his expression one of resignation.

But they were interrupted.

"You did it, Kyren!" Beatrix said, rushing towards them with Vilon, her eyes shining with pride and relief.

"Congratulations on your victory," Vilon said, clasping Kyren's shoulder firmly.

Zeeha was confused. "Wait, what happened?"

"Don't worry about that. Let's talk about it later, and we have some good news, Zeeha," Beatrix cheered up, her excitement infectious.

"We are in the same section as Vilon, as Kyren wished," Beatrix added, her smile widening.

"Wait... but how?" Zeeha still didn't get it, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Meanwhile, Kyren looked at Calir's body on the ground, where healers were frantically working to save him. The sight triggered his nightmare again.

"You... killed that..." a voice echoed in his mind, dark and accusatory.

Kyren was confused, knowing Calir could be saved. His vision blurred, and he stumbled back.

"I didn't... He's not dead..." he muttered, trying to convince himself as much as anyone else.

"Look at him..." The sight of Calir, pale and lifeless, overwhelmed him. He began to collapse, the confusion and exhaustion finally taking their toll, he breathes heavily.

"KYREN!" Hiro shouted, catching him just in time. Hiro's eyes were wide with panic as he held Kyren, who was now barely conscious.

Beatrix and Vilon rushed over, their expressions a mix of concern and determination. "Get him to the healers, now!" Vilon commanded, his voice cutting through the attention of everyone.

As Kyren was carried away, his vision darkened.