The Golem Mage

The battle ended that way because the Ember Citadel team was simply more complete than the Battle Mage Academy, after the previous matches, a few Battle Mage Academy fighters still weren’t fit to return.

They had been healed, yes, but they weren’t anywhere near their peak condition yet, so the academy fielded substitutes to cover for their main roster, and as usual, only Vincent and Vladimir were fully available.

They fought hard, but Ember Citadel arrived with their full squad and treated the match like a war from the very first second. What truly pushed Battle Mage Academy into surrender was the moment Vladimir could no longer stomach what he was seeing.

The five mages representing Ember Citadel were Babatunde (captain), Zahara El-Masri (vice captain), Kwame, Makena, and Olumide.

Babatunde held Vincent to a standstill, laughing as they clashed weapon to weapon, clearly enjoying every impact, for a mage who lived for hot-blooded close combat, Vincent was the perfect opponent for him.

Vincent fought with a sword, while Babatunde wielded a flaming greatsword, his blade constantly wreathed in fire, with flame-sigil bracers circling his forearms, reinforcing his endurance which let him trade blow for blow without slowing.

Vladimir, meanwhile, was pinned down by Zahara El-Masri, the vice captain, her Glassfire Scimitar flashed like molten glass, and no matter what Vladimir tried, he couldn’t gain a clean advantage fast enough to break away and support his teammates.

She matched him completely, his every feint, every burst, every shift of tempo, shutting down his chances to end the fight quickly like he desired, and with Vincent locked in a drawn-out clash on the other side, Vladimir’s fight was supposed to be the one that ended first.

But when he glanced toward the rest of his team, all he saw was them getting beaten, again and again, with bones snapping. Bodies folding, and pain piling up.

The Ember Citadel mages had the advantage to simply knock them out of the ring or render them unconscious and end it cleanly, yet they didn’t choose that.

Instead, they kept pressing, breaking them down slowly, like they wanted the suffering to be remembered.

Kwame and Olumide made sure the sick display continued, and watching his teammates trapped in that endless agony, beaten just enough to stay conscious and feel everything, made Vladimir finally snap.

He tried to summon his spirit equipment set, but the moment the activation began, Zahara El-Masri closed the distance and slammed her left palm into his chest, and the summoning collapsed instantly, forcing him back into his normal state, it was the first where he witness a spirit equipment summoning being stopped and he didn’t understand it.

Vladimir stared at her, fury burning in his eyes, but no matter how angry he was, it didn’t change the truth, there was nothing he could do unless he could suppress her too, and he had to admit it: she was clearly superior to him in advantage right now as he wasn’t fighting with his head.

If he wanted to win, it would take time, way too much time, and that meant more screams from the three reserve fighters being brutalized behind him, a sound he didn’t think he could endure for another second.

So he made the only choice he believed would save what was left of the team, he called for surrender.

Vincent turned toward him in shock, while the three reserve teammates on the ring could only sigh in relief, grateful that the torture was finally ending.

The entire stadium went silent—an eerie, heavy silence that swallowed everything.

The Northern stands were stunned that their side had lost the third match, while the fans of the other four kingdoms sat frozen, still processing what Vladimir had just done.

Then, about a minute later, it hit them.

As cheers erupted, loudest though from the Southern Kingdom stands, with the Northern academies already winning the first two matches, the Southern fans had been terrified of getting all their academies wiped out completely.

Ember Citadel was the last Southern academy still standing strong in the competition, their final hope of staying in the tournament, so when that win came, the relief was immediate and explosive.

“Vincent, I’m sorry!” Vladimir said, turning toward Vincent, who had already disengaged from Babatunde, while Babatunde could only click his tongue in irritation because the much desired battle he was enjoying was clearly cut short.

Vladimir apologized because he felt guilty for putting a sudden stop to Vincent’s climb, but Vincent already understood why he did it, and he would never blame him.

He knew Vladimir was the kind of fighter who wouldn’t surrender as long as he could still stand, even their last victory hadn’t come easy either—they’d practically scraped it out with only the two of them carrying the weight.

But that was the difference: last time, they were the ones being pressured, this time though, their weaker teammates had become the breaking point.

“It’s fine,” Vincent said, walking over to help one of the injured reserves back to his feet.

And just like that, the stage was cleared as the officials reset the arena for the next match—Crimson Dawn Academy versus Shinsei Academy.

It was finally a clash between two Eastern Kingdom academies, both of which had shown real promise in the last round.

For once, it felt like the other four kingdoms weren’t united against the North.

Fans from the South, Central, and West cheered the loudest, as they were all eager to see one of the Eastern academy teams fall, all the Eastern academies had been riding high in the competition, and with the School of Silent Night still in the tournament alongside them, it was only natural everyone wanted at least one of the troublesome Eastern academy cut down as soon as possible.

But the Eastern Kingdom teams had their own history, they’d known each other long before this tournament, and they’d been clashing for years, so their rivalry was brutal, even if they were technically part of the same military force.

“Begin.”

The moment the judge gave the signal, the arena exploded, as both academies surged forward, tearing into each other without hesitation, it was bloody, fast, and entertaining and enough to whip the whole stadium into roaring cheers.

But in the end, Shinsei Academy edged out the win, after Raizo couldn’t match Hoshino’s battle power once he merged with Akagami.

In the last battle, Akagami’s image had only hovered slightly above Ren, mirroring his movements, and it looked like Hoshino had merely gained a faint trace of ancient battle prowess.

Because of that, many in the crowd still hadn’t truly understood how terrifying a Tier 7 spirit which had entered the High ranks could be.

But in this fight, after trading blows with Raizo and realizing he couldn’t put him down easily, Hoshino revealed something entirely different—perfect fusion, a complete merge between him and Akagami.