The morning sun cast long shadows across the arena as the second day of the four schools' joint examination began. In the elevated stands reserved for faculty, the atmosphere was thick with tension and barely concealed emotions.
Principal Halbert glanced at Principal Kang's dejected expression and couldn't resist a gentle jab: "Come on, Mr. Kang. Enough with the long face. You and I have been bringing up the rear in these competitions for years. You should celebrate making it to the second round—it's an achievement."
Principal Kev, seated nearby, nodded in agreement, trying to hide his obvious satisfaction. "There's no shame in losing to Levi. The kid's a prodigy who crafted a gold-quality card on his first try. That's practically unheard of."
Privately, Principal Kev felt a surge of relief. Thank goodness Velkairos University had Levi this year. Without him, Silverbrook High School might have actually pulled off their underdog victory.
Down in the arena, Yurek's expression was grim as he addressed Azrael. "Brother Azrael, Sister Jiang, and I will take the lead.
Even if they couldn't defeat Levi's Yaksha, his reasoning was sound; they could at least wear it down, creating an opening for Azrael's decisive blow.
Azrael understood the strategy immediately. After a moment's consideration, he nodded his approval. It was wise to keep their trump card hidden until it was absolutely necessary. In exhibition matches like these, Kaneki's presence wasn't essential.
However, if the situation demanded it, Azrael wouldn't hesitate to unleash everything. The secret realm access that came with victory was too valuable for someone without connections or backing to pass up.
As Yurek stepped onto the battlefield, Levi's eyes gleamed with understanding. "Planning to exhaust my Yaksha through attrition battles?" He let out a quiet chuckle. "Clever, but ultimately pointless."
Levi might enjoy showing off, but he was far from stupid. The opposing team's strategy was transparent to him.
The referee's whistle pierced the air, and both summoned creatures materialized simultaneously: the hulking, bull-headed monster facing off against the ethereal Yaksha.
Yurek wasted no time on bravado. He knew the vast gulf between his abilities and Levi's. With a sharp command, his bull-headed monster charged forward, hooves thundering against the arena floor.
The outcome was brutally swift. While the monster had struggled against the purple-quality Jiguo Yoriichi the day before, it stood no chance against a gold-quality opponent. The Yaksha's trident pierced the monster's chest with surgical precision and sent it dissolving back into Yurek's consciousness.
Yurek's face darkened with frustration. "I didn't even manage to give Brother Azrael the slightest advantage."
Gabi approached him, her voice soft but determined. "Let me handle the next round. Go rest."
The three-tailed fox materialized, its armor gleaming under the arena lights. As expected, it immediately began weaving illusions, bending and shifting reality around the Yaksha.
But illusions meant little when facing a superior opponent. The Yaksha's mental fortitude, enhanced by its gold-tier status, easily overcame the fox's attempts at misdirection.
Gabi sighed inwardly. She knew her summon's limitations all too well: devastating against weaker opponents but helpless when the quality gap was too wide. Still, retreat wasn't an option. She had to create whatever advantage she could for Azrael.
The fox launched itself forward, claws extended and gleaming with lethal intent. For a moment, it seemed the attack might connect.
Then, streams of water erupted around the Yaksha's form and crystallized into azure armor that deflected the claws effortlessly.
"There it is!" Gabi's eyes widened in recognition. This was the water manipulation ability she and Azrael had theorized about.
The fox's claws scraped harmlessly against the liquid armor. In return, the Yaksha's trident found its mark, piercing her summon with devastating efficiency.
Walking off the stage, Gabi managed a rueful smile. "Sorry, Azrael. Yurek and I barely scratched him."
For a moment, depression threatened to overwhelm her. Back home, she was Gustav's precious daughter, protected and cherished and treated like fragile porcelain. But since entering Silverbrook High School's elite class, she had faced nothing but humbling defeats.
Lost in self-doubt, she almost missed Azrael's response.
"It doesn't matter." His voice cut through her brooding with quiet confidence. "Because I am the strongest."
The noon sun blazed overhead, casting Azrael in a golden light that made Gabi squint. The sight stirred a familiar memory from their ranking matches:
"Azrael, you're completely insane."
Taking his position at the battle station, Azrael summoned Jiguo Yoriichi without ceremony.
Levi's eyebrows rose slightly. "So the warm-up acts are finished. They were just clearing the path for you."
He had watched Azrael's previous match and recognized the threat. This opponent was different from the others—genuinely dangerous. Unfortunately for Azrael, he was still facing Levi.
Before the referee's whistle had even finished echoing, Jiguo Yoriichi activated his Demon Slayer Mark and vanished from sight.
But Levi had studied yesterday's footage carefully. He knew about Yoriichi's burst technique, which could temporarily match gold-quality performance.
Without waiting for commands, the Yaksha surrounded itself with high-speed, rotating water currents to create a defensive barrier.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Jiguo Yoriichi appeared beside the Yaksha, but his Three Sacred Treasures instantly shattered under the concentrated water barrage.
Levi had accidentally discovered the perfect counter to the Treasures' defense: overwhelming them with rapid, repeated strikes.
The razor-sharp streams of water sliced through Yoriichi's clothing and carved bloody lines across his skin. However, the legendary swordsman ignored the pain entirely and raised his blade to perform his ultimate technique.
Brilliant flames erupted along the sword's edge as he brought it down in a devastating arc.
Hissssss!
The sound of fire meeting water filled the arena as steam billowed upward. Despite his disadvantage in attributes and quality, Yoriichi's attack connected, leaving a charred gash across the Yaksha's torso.
The Yaksha retaliated immediately, its trident punching through Yoriichi's defenses before hurling him across the arena with bone-crushing force.
Yoriichi hit the ground hard, blood spattering from his lips as he struggled to rise.
Levi's expression grew serious, and he spoke with genuine respect. "You should be proud. Reaching this level is remarkable."
His Yaksha had never known defeat or injury since its creation. The fact that this opponent could actually wound it was a testament to Azrael's abilities.
The Yaksha raised its trident, and a massive column of dark blue water gathered, aimed directly at the fallen Yoriichi.
BOOM!
The impact sent debris flying and filled the arena with choking dust and smoke.
In the stands, Principal Kev could barely contain his glee. He clapped Principal Kang on the shoulder with mock sympathy. "Good effort from your student, Mr. Kang, but running into Levi was just bad luck. Hahaha!"
Principal Kang's face turned thunderous, but he ignored Wu's gloating.
Principal Halbert shot him a genuinely sympathetic look. Mr. Kang really had gotten unlucky; Azrael's performance would have easily won in previous years.
What a shame.
"That's odd," said Lian, president of the Nirvale District Cardian Master Association. He frowned in confusion. "Why hasn't the referee called the match?"
Down in the arena, Levi had already raised his hands in victory, waiting for the official announcement. But something about Azrael's calm demeanor nagged at Levi, setting off alarm bells in his mind.
As the smoke gradually cleared, the space where Jiguo Yoriichi had fallen was empty.
In his place stood a white-haired young man with a single scarlet eye that seemed to burn with inner fire. However, what drew every gaze were the centipede-like kagune extending from his back and the four sharp, tail-like appendages emerging from his lower spine.
Azrael's cold, emotionless voice carried across the suddenly silent arena, accompanied by the crisp sound of the white-haired figure snapping his fingers.
"Now we begin round two."