(When was it?)

A cloud filled with light particles swirled around Thomas. The sky was covered with several constellations, offering a dreamlike view to spectators.

(When was the last time...)

The cloud spread across the arena, covering the ground. Dora looked around curiously and his attention shifted to the young man in front of him.

Thomas' aura ignited, in a dazzling blue light.

(... That I wanted to defeat my opponent so much?.... Nebula!)

The cloud exploded in blue light, and at Thomas's feet, a galaxy formed.

Dora instinctively jumped back.

"What is this?"

"Libra"

A constellation formed on the star vault and lights emerged from each star before converging on Dora and falling on him like a gigantic lightning bolt.

A green explosion followed, illuminating the scene and throwing debris into the air.

The spectators' eyes widened at this situation. For some of them, it was the first time they witnessed Thomas' full potential.

The latter maintained an offensive pose, staring attentively at the crater he had formed.

"Of course."

Dora emerged from the debris, patting the dust from her chest and rubbing her shoulder.

"It should be enough to knock out even a D-rank student, but I was sure it would need more to take you down."

Dora's aura freed himself in turn, he gave a slightly annoyed look to Thomas and spread his arms.

"Nothing to say? Good, it means at least that you felt it."

The galaxy reappeared under Thomas, while Dora's aura exploded again.

Everyone held their breath, and a shudder ran through the audience, preparing for the upcoming cataclysm. Eryl's eyes shone in a bright orange.

"From now on, I'll need you all to stay silent. I must understand his abilities."

For a moment, the world seemed to stop. No voice, no breath, only the raging wind of two calamities, and the next second, both vanished.

A tremendous explosion of light occurred and a devastating shock wave ran through the stadium.

The ground was covered in a swirl of smoke and white particles, the air was torn with flashes and explosions, sprays of fire, rocks of ice, and the vault formed of constellations shot rays of light.

Everything was going at crazy speed, the blinding flashes prevented us from seeing clearly what was happening, but they were a testimony of the presence of Dora and Thomas.

In front of this festival, Hope fell on his behind. He stammered, unable to form a word. Next to him, Cid was shaking.

Both were blind to the fight, but their case wasn't a generality. A few C-ranks, of very high level, were able to catch up with the fighters. Eryl, Iris, Freya, Mercy, and the two heirs also managed to follow, and the teachers and the Dean closed this list.

Their only commonality was the shock visible on their faces.

“Aquarius”

Rays converged into a huge blue laser and hit Dora head-on, however, the latter emerged, three orbs spinning around each arm and fired a multitude of lasers of various colors at Thomas.

(When was... The last time I hated my opponent this much... Magnetic Field!)

A succession of multicolored waves formed around Thomas and Dora's attacks slid over it, without affecting their target.

“Scorpio”

A new constellation formed and converged into a black aura in Thomas's hands, Dora, until then impassive, stopped in mid-flight and changed direction.

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“Every move you're making is a testimony of your anxiety, you won't run away!”

He fired several thin red beams at Dora, who managed to dodge them and charged a fire attack.

(That's it... I must confirm it...)

He turned around and fired a huge jet of flame, but just then, a red ray pierced his back.

“Argh!!... What?!”

He looked behind him in disbelief, only to see five other rays emerge from the clouds onto the ground and pierce him.

"Urgh... H-how?... Is this the same attack?"

He looked above, and once again, the fire had slipped around Thomas, he took a new pose, and a constellation lit up in the vault.

"You're strong, I give you that, but maybe you just have a high magic resistance? Let's figure it out, Nebula."

He glowed blue again.

“Meteor Shower”

Several stars lit up and shot meteorites onto the ground.

“Darn it…”

Dora flew through the meteorites and shot lightning bolts at the ones he couldn't avoid, all the while looking up at the stars.

"I see... All his attacks come from there, and he can repel mine... Could it be the sam- Oh shit!"

He narrowly dodged a ray coming from the ground, followed by another meteor shower.

“From the ground too?!”

He zigzagged at high speed and dodged each object, thinking.

"I understand... It must be it... The stars launches the attacks... The cloud sends back the attack that I dodge... Urgh... what a pain... but what's about his shield?"

He managed to regain his balance and glanced at his opponent when a large yellow ray engulfed him.

“Wha…”

“Lio”

The beam hit the ground in a stunning explosion. A thick cloud of smoke rose into the air.

The spectators watched with visible anxiety. But as the cloud cleared, smiles of deliverance appeared.

In the air, Thomas was coming down slowly, without the slightest scratch, and on the ground, Dora was lying on his stomach, his clothes partially torn.

"He... He is doing it... Thomas is winning!"

There followed howls of joy and tears, everyone cheerfully encouraged the Vice Council President.

The council members were in shock.

Freya gritted her teeth and glanced at Zuri who was shaking.

"Congratulations, I hope you're satisfied."

A thunder of applause and encouragement fell on Thomas, the concerned stood in front of Dora, slightly intrigued.

"You've received a total of 18 techniques, 6 with Nebula's buff, but you're still conscious... What a waste."

Zuri held the fence in front of her, wide-eyed and trembling, helplessly watching her knight's demise.

"If you were a little wiser you would have forbidden him to fight Thomas. Thinking about it, Dora always seemed to manipulate you as he wished, maybe this is why he chose you?"

Freya stared at Dora struggling on the ground and sighed.

"There's only one way out now, you will put dirt on his name and use your veto to forbid him to leave the academy... or Moonra could force Thomas to give up on his wish."

“Eh?...Why me?”

She sighed out loud and pointed toward the ground, with an exasperated facial expression.

"Are you all stupid and blind? You've been in this academy all this time but apparently none of you have noticed his potential. Look at this fight, what he did, what it took to defeat him! Are you going to let him go just because of some stupid quarrel? Are you forgetting your role in the kingdom?"

She turned toward the battlefield again, biting a nail.

"What a mistake... I shouldn't have renounced... I should have done everything to get him... This girl would be nothing to stop me... I was too prideful..."

She talked to herself, yet everyone behind her could hear her. They remained silent for a moment before a raging voice alarmed them.

"Fuck? What are you saying?!" Cid shouted angrily. "What did you mean? Should I understand something?"

He advanced towards her angrily, so threatening that Hope and Maxim had to hold him back.

"Urgh... Let me go! Hey! Look at me! What do you mean? Who would be your knight? Aren't you the one who chose me? Aren't you the one who made me go over this stupid rift where I lost a leg? Say something, idiot!!!"

"C-Cid! Don't talk to her like that! She's... We're..."

“Stay out of this, you bastard! You can't even satisfy your girl so shut up!"

Hope flinched a little but tried to stay calm. He never wanted to admit it but it was true that Mercy often complained about him and began to ignore his advice.

But his feet and stitches were tied, he had managed to convince her in the worst way possible for him, he couldn't afford to be rejected.

Faced with such a scene, Solaria burst out laughing.

"Well... To be honest, you're just unlucky. You're not that bad, I grant you, but you're unlucky enough to be entering the same year as Dora. The comparison is just too unfair for you. Can any of you claim to be on the same level after seeing this fight?"

She crossed her arms and walked towards Zuri.

"I agree with Freya, maybe he just chose you because you look... are weak? Someone that interesting wouldn't like being ordered around... But it's okay, cheer up! Now that he has lost, he will be expelled, but as the Princess, I have the highest authority here, even in front of the Dean. Dora will stay but at a condition..."

“Curious, didn’t you lick that girl’s boots earlier to please her?”

Freya and Solaria looked at each other grimly. The council members were a little uncomfortable and some were watching Hope and Cid's reaction.

Both were shaking, with different emotions, Hope looked at Mercy, wishing she showed some support, but the girl kept her eyes fixed on the battlefield.

"M...My lad-"

“Dora!” Zuri exclaimed.

On the ground, Dora slowly got up, his rage-injected eyes sparkling a bright yellow.

His aura exploded again, casting a chill over the spectators. The cheers stopped and terror returned to everyone's faces.

"Damn! Damn! Damn! Stay quiet!!!"

He placed a hand on his face, and little by little black smoke mixed with his yellow aura.

"I said I will defeat him, it's a contest of magic power! Don't interfere!!!"

- Don't be stupid, G! You're getting recked! He's immune to your magic, let's switch!

“And you think you’d do better?!”

- At least I won't be hit!

Thomas watched more and more intrigued, from his point of view, Dora was talking nonsense, was he going crazy with defeat? He couldn't put a word on it.

Dora's aura exploded, like a volcano. His face expressed every shade of anger.

"I'll crush you, even if I have to break every bone in this body, Polymerization!"