The arena for the Selection Rites was nothing like Kaelen expected.
It wasn't polished marble or grandstands packed with nobles.
It was a battlefield.
A vast, open field surrounded by jagged stone pillars and broken ruins. Craters from old battles pocked the landscape.
Winds howled across the open plains, carrying the scent of dust, blood, and ambition.
At the far end, massive iron gates loomed — the entry to the dungeons waiting for the next phase.
But first, they had to survive this.
Over five hundred students from Valewind Institute gathered.
Each one armed. Each one desperate.
Each one told the same rule:
"Only the Top Twenty survive today."
"Fight as you must. Alone, or with others. But know this — there are no friends in the Rite. Only rivals."
Commander Ardyn stood atop a crumbling tower overlooking the field, his voice booming:
"Begin!"
A blast of energy shook the stones.
The battle for survival started instantly.
Chaos.
Kaelen moved the moment the horn sounded.
A group of six students immediately charged toward him — recognizing his face from the rumors, seeing him as a threat to eliminate early.
"Get him first!"
"That's the Amateur!"
"He's just lucky — he can't fight us all!"
Kaelen didn't blink.
He breathed in, feeling the mana flood his muscles, sharpening his senses.
Arcane Step.
He vanished from their path, reappearing behind the nearest boy.
One strike — fast, surgical.
The student collapsed, unconscious before he hit the ground.
The others faltered, panic creeping into their eyes.
Adapt. Evolve. Dominate.
Kaelen thought of the Trial of Forgotten Kings.
He thought of the assassins he had slain.
He thought of the way the nobles looked at him like dirt.
He would not lose.
He would not fall.
The System chimed in:
[Multiple Opponents Detected: Activating Tactical Override.]
[Skill Merge Suggested: Arcane Step + Arcane Lance = "Blink Shot."]
Kaelen smiled.
Perfect.
The next student lunged — a thickset fighter wielding a hammer.
Kaelen blurred forward — but instead of striking, he snapped his fingers.
A blast of pure mana — Blink Shot — exploded from his hand mid-step, hammering into the student's chest and launching him backward twenty feet.
The boy hit a rock pillar with a sickening crunch and stayed down.
Two down.
Four remained.
They circled Kaelen cautiously now, trying to box him in.
He let them.
At the last second, Kaelen unleashed Arcane Breaker — a sweeping, spinning slash that tore through the ground itself.
Dust and stone exploded upward, blinding them.
Kaelen moved like a shadow through the chaos.
Precision.
Speed.
Power.
Three more students fell in rapid succession, groaning and stunned.
Only one remained — a thin girl with twin daggers who stared at Kaelen in raw terror.
She dropped her weapons.
"I surrender!" she shrieked, falling to her knees.
Kaelen lowered his sword slightly, nodding once.
No point wasting effort.
Around the battlefield, similar scenes played out.
Students clashed in brutal duels, some forming fragile alliances that crumbled within minutes under betrayal.
Eren Voss fought like a living storm, his massive axe cleaving a path through lesser opponents.
Selina Heartgrove moved gracefully, weaving shields of light and binding spells to neutralize threats without killing.
They were winning.
But the real threat hadn't shown itself yet.
System Alert:
[Warning: Unknown hostile forces entering battlefield.]
Kaelen's eyes snapped up.
From the far side of the ruins, a group of students clad in matching black cloaks marched forward.
Their movements were too precise.
Too professional.
Assassins.
Kaelen recognized the style instantly.
The Black Moon Guild had infiltrated the Selection Rites.
And they weren't here to compete.
They were here to kill.
Meanwhile — At Astralis Academy
High above the city, on a balcony bathed in golden light, Aria Valcrest watched the sun set over Elyndor.
Her new mentor stood beside her — silent, grim.
"The world moves, child," the old sorceress murmured.
"Bloodlines and banners will burn. New stars will rise."
Aria tightened her fists.
Kaelen… wherever you are… fight. Survive.
We will meet again.
Back at the Battlefield
Kaelen turned to Eren and Selina as the black-cloaked assassins spread out like wolves among sheep.
"Stay close," he said.
"This just became a real war."
Selina swallowed hard but nodded.
Eren cracked his knuckles.
"About time it got interesting."
Kaelen smiled grimly.
He raised his blade.
The wind howled around him, carrying the scent of blood and destiny.
"Come then," he whispered to the shadows.
"Let's see who truly walks the path of Sovereigns."