Sero, much like the other waiting Ascendants, kept himself busy by watching the matches on the TV screens. The first four Ascendants were called up and had entered the arena.

On the screen, Sero could see the entirety of what the stadium and arena looked like. The bare dirt arena itself was sectioned into semi-circles by a shimmering wall of what looked like opaque white mana, a sight that made Sero wonder how it was constructed. The stadium seats were filled with spectators, but Sero could only focus on the arena itself. The four Ascendants were paired off and placed in either of the semi-circles, cleverly enabling two matches to occur side by side.

The first match was between an A-rank Warrior named Lukas and a B-rank Mage named Lily. Lukas had a calm, composed air about him, while Lily looked nervous and twitchy. As the referee announced the start of the match, both combatants took a deep breath and stepped forward. They exchanged glances for a moment before charging at each other. The crowd erupted into cheers as their fists and spells clashed in the center of the arena.

On the other side was a fight between an A-rank Vanguard named Coen and an A-rank Guardian named Braddock. From the site Sero referenced to, he learned both of their classes were advanced hybrids; the Vanguard a mix of a Warrior and Brawler whereas the Guardian was a mix of a Brawler and Healer. The two combatants had already engaged in a brief clash, with both sides seemingly evenly matched. The crowd cheered on as they fought, their skills on full display.

Sero clicked his tongue in vexation, his Perfect Analysis and Copy unable to work through the screens. It would've been perfect if he was able to copy the skills from both matches, or least use his analysis.

"Why can't I use my skills in front of a screen?"

"Oh, perhaps it's because your abilities require you to absorb mana through your sight?" Aphiel popped in his thoughts.

"Absorb mana through my sight? I thought my abilities didn't use mana."

"Well, yes and no. Hecate discovered that your abilities do not use mana, but does require it in order to add that information to your database, so to speak."

Sero had to process her words for a moment.

"So, like... it's if I wanted to copy a painting, but I need the exact colors to replicate it?"

"That's- Well, I presume if you want to think of it like that then, yes." Aphiel collected her thoughts. "For example, Ma'at's champion. You were able to copy his skills because you saw the raw mana he used to perform them, resulting in you being able to memorize the formula used to cast it."

"That makes sense," Sero begrudgingly admitted. "Guess the Scholar isn't as broken as I thought it was."

"To be honest, champion, you are the very first Scholar in existence. There is little to no information about your class even within the Records of Divinity."

Sero was about to ask about Aphiel's words when a thundering cheer boomed from one of the televisions, its distant origin muted from above. One of the matches had ended, and Sero couldn't help but shift his attention to the screen. The victor was the B-rank Mage Lily, who'd defeated the A-rank Warrior Lukas in a surprising twist.

"Amazing," Raul said in astonishment. "That Mage was able to play to her strengths and fight him at a distance. I was betting on the Warrior to win, but I'll gladly take this loss."

On screen, the crowd cheered as Lily stepped forward, her face flushed from exertion. The referee placed a hand on her shoulder in congratulations before turning to face the other side of the arena. The A-rank Vanguard Coen and the A-rank Guardian Braddock were still locked in combat, their fighting styles a sight to behold.

Sero turned his attention back to Raul, who seemed to be deep in thought. "So, who do you think will win in the other match, then?" he asked.

"Both are advanced hybrids of the Brawler class, but the Vanguard has a slight edge due to his Warrior mix," Raul murmured sagely. "I believe that the Vanguard will win."

The crowd cheered as Braddock the Guardian was able to withstand Coen's broadsword slash with his shield and countered with a mana-empowered shield bash straight to his face, knocking him away. Braddock immediately followed up by leaping up into the air and bringing down another mana shield bash down onto Coen, ending the match.

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"Ah," Raul nodded as the referee announced Braddock as the victor. "It seems I was wrong again."

Sero questioned how Raul managed to advance to an S-rank.

The match participants were then escorted to the infirmary, with the victors in better shape than their opponents. Shortly after, the winners returned to the waiting area where the remaining Ascendants congratulated them.

For the next few hours, Sero waited nervously as he watched each match on the screen. His own upcoming match was the last of the day, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Even though Enzo hadn't exactly held back during their training, Sero spiraled in his thoughts, wondering if he would slip up and make any mistakes.

"Champion... trust yourself and your abilities." Aphiel seemed to sense his anxiety.

"Right. Thanks, Aphiel." Sero could feel himself calming down already. Whether it was due to his Rationality or Aphiel herself, Sero was thankful for the reassurance.

"Raul Delgato. Please, come forward and enter." One of the officials called out.

"Finally!" Raul got up and grinned at Sero. "I've been itching to fight."

"Hayes Earl. Enter the door next to Raul."

"Good luck." Sero nodded to Raul.

After the pair entered, the officials turned back to the Ascendants again.

"Kanna Yu. Come up and enter."

"Wishing you the absolute best of luck. I know you'll win." Sero dropped his voice a few octaves. Kanna smiled awkwardly and quickly walked up to the doors, her opponent already heading towards their arena.

Sero watched the screens as Raul faced off against the A-rank Savageblade Hayes, whereas Kanna stood before the A-rank Disruptor Sarah Leen. A quick search on his phone explained the Savageblade was a pure-line advancement of the Warrior class and the Disruptor was a hybrid advancement of the Archer and Thief classes. Interestingly, Kanna's Deadshot was also a hybrid of the Thief and Archer classes and Raul's Rage Fist was a pure-line advancement of the Brawler class.

The match between Raul and Hayes was intense, with both fighters exchanging blows at a ferocious pace. It seemed that Raul had the upper hand with his Rage Fist's close combat, preventing Hayes from swinging his giant serrated sword properly. Raul, however, underestimated Hayes's agility, and a well-timed spinning kick sent Raul flying across the arena, leaving him momentarily stunned. The crowd gasped as they saw their chance and cheered on the Savageblade.

Meanwhile, the gunfight between Kanna and Sarah was just as exciting, with both girls moving at lightning speed, their guns blazing. Kanna's dual pistols fired off rapid mana railguns, but Sarah was able to avoid the shots using yellow mana smoke bombs, retaliating with shots from her assault rifle. The crowd cheered as Kanna managed to dodge several of Sarah's shots, but the woman in the black kevlar was quickly running out of mana for her defense.

The match between Raul and Hayes intensified further, with both fighters now battling it out in close combat. Raul's rage-fueled attacks were relentless, but Hayes's agility and knowledge of the blade allowed him to parry and riposte with deadly precision. The crowd roared as they witnessed a clash of titans, each fighter pushing the other to their limits.

Slowly, but surely, Raul's skills overtook Hayes's defenses, the Rage Fist's orange colored mana swirling around his body as it enhanced every strike. The Savageblade's movements became more and more desperate, but it was clear that Raul was in control of the match. The crowd began to chant his name, urging him on.

In the other arena, Kanna and Sarah's gunfight continued unabated. Kanna was now out of mana for defense, and her movements were becoming more and more reckless as she tried to close the distance between her and Sarah. Sarah, seeing an opportunity, switched to her pistols and began to fire at Kanna at point-blank range. Kanna dodged and weaved, her agility and training as a Deadshot proving invaluable.

Sero watched in amazement as Kanna threw both her pistols at Sarah with deadly precision. The Disruptor was caught off guard by the sudden action, as was everyone else in the arena. Sarah managed to shoot the pistols away, but by then, Kanna was already in front of her.

Holding out a palm, Kanna fired a point-blank mana nuke with the last of her reserves, blasting Sarah away into the wall of mana. The Disruptor smacked against the barrier, hard, and slumped on the ground, unconscious. The shockwave caught Kanna as well, launching her away from the center of the explosion, but she quickly pivoted into a backflip and landed in a crouching position.

"Huh, maybe I should remember to do that next time I fire a point-blank nuke..." Sero muttered to himself as the crowd clamored in an uproar. As Kanna's match ended, Raul's fight was reaching a climax. The Rage Fist had Hayes backed up against a wall, relentlessly battering him with powerful blows. The Savageblade's sword lay on the ground, useless, as he struggled to defend against Raul's onslaught. The crowd chanted Raul's name, urging him to finish the match.

Suddenly, Hayes managed to summon a small amount of mana and launched a desperate counterattack, calling his serrated blade to him. Raul was caught off guard, and the blade of the Savageblade sliced through his defenses, opening a deep gash in his chest. Raul stumbled back, surprised and hurt, but not defeated. The crowd held its breath as Raul gathered mana for one final attack. It seemed like Hayes had the win as he swung his sword down faster than Raul could block.

If it hadn't been for Enzo's training, Sero would've never been able to catch it.

In a split second, Raul managed to lean back slightly, taking another slash as he simultaneously fired an empowered punch. The blow connected with Hayes's chest, sending him flying across the arena. As the crowd gasped, Raul recovered from the impact and dashed towards his opponent. With a roar, he leapt into the air, concentrating a dense amount of orange mana around his fist before bringing it crashing down on Hayes. The resulting impact produced a giant expanding ring of mana as a resounding boom echoed across the crescent arena.

When the dust settled, Raul stood over Hayes, his fist still cocked back, ready to deliver another blow. But to his surprise, the Savageblade wasn't moving. He had won. The crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers and applause as Raul raised his head in triumph.

"Am I even on the same level as them?" Sero wondered, slightly worried for his turn.