Everyone was stunned.Their eyes were glued to the spot where Leon's body had just fallen—except now, there was nothing. Not a single trace of him.
Even the crocodile beast stood frozen, confused and alert.
Suddenly, a strange purple aura began to swirl around the beast, wrapping it like a storm. Its reptilian eyes widened in alarm. It turned its head—and there stood Leon, right behind it, smiling calmly.
"What, you thought you could kill me that easily?" Leon said, his voice cool and steady.
In the stands, Finn, Isla, Fanny, and the other students stared in disbelief.
"We all saw him get pierced by that crystal… but he looks completely fine!" Finn gasped.
"That's impossible," Fanny added, eyes narrowing.
Isla, too, stood speechless—but then something clicked in her mind. Her eyes widened in realization."It wasn't him back then…" she whispered.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Finn turned to her quickly.
"It was a clone," Isla said firmly.
"A clone?!" Finn's voice cracked. "Since when can Leon make clones?!"
"I don't know… maybe during the fight, he unlocked something," Isla replied, her expression shifting to awe. "Some people do awaken new powers when their life's on the line."
"So that whole thing was a trick…" Fanny muttered.
Isla nodded, a small smile forming on her lips as she watched Leon standing tall.He's okay… he's really okay.
Back on the battlefield, Leon raised a hand. The air around the crocodile warped, and before it could react, an invisible force lifted it into the sky. The beast flailed, trying to move—but its body was paralyzed, caught in Leon's telekinetic grip.
"Now it's my turn," Leon said coldly.
With a sharp motion, he slammed the beast into the ground. A thunderous BOOM echoed across the arena. Dust and smoke erupted into the air like a mini explosion.
Everyone leaned forward, eyes wide.
As the dust began to settle… the massive crocodile was lying unconscious in a crater, completely still.
Finn let out a breath and collapsed onto the ground with a relieved smile.
Selena Ma'am stood and raised her hand."Leon wins! And with that, this training session comes to an end!"
Finn and Isla both jumped in excitement. Isla immediately dashed toward Leon with open arms, ready to hug him. But just as she was about to reach him—
WHAM!Finn flew in faster and wrapped his arms around Leon, nearly knocking him over.
"Bro!! I was so scared! I thought I lost my best friend!" Finn cried, hugging him tightly."Also… how the heck did you even cast that illusion?!"
Isla skidded to a stop, completely caught off guard."Did he just… steal my hug?" she muttered, pouting slightly.
"Finn! Let go!" Leon groaned. "I can't breathe!"
"Oops! Sorry bro," Finn quickly let go, rubbing the back of his head.
Isla stepped forward, crossing her arms with a soft smile."You did amazing. That fight… you were incredible."
"Yeah!" Fanny chimed in. "I still can't believe that illusion—you totally got that beast!"
Leon scratched his head, a bit sheepish."I don't know. I was desperate… just trying to figure out how far my powers could go. And suddenly… I saw it. The illusion, the clone… it just came to me."
Finn grinned and threw his arms around Leon again."I'm just glad you're safe!"
Leon sighed and used his power to gently push Finn away.
Later, in the Teachers' Cabin…
Leon, Isla, Finn, Fanny, and the twin brothers stood inside the teacher's chamber. Seated before them were all the instructors: Edric Sir, Darius Sir, Selena Ma'am, and Magnus Sir.
Magnus Sir stood up, smiling."First of all, congratulations. I didn't expect all six of you to pass the training. Your future looks bright."
But then his face grew serious."As you know, only four students can represent our school in the upcoming tournament."
All six students straightened up, tension settling in the room.
"Leon and Isla," Magnus continued, "step forward."
They did, exchanging confused glances.
"You two are selected to participate," he announced.
Leon and Isla blinked in shock."Why us?" Leon asked.
"Because not only did you both complete the training, but you also topped the written exams. You're ready."
Everyone turned to look at Finn, Fanny, and the twins.
"You three did well in the practical," Magnus added, "but your written results were… disappointing."
Finn lowered his head.
"However," Magnus said, "we still need two more students. So here's what will happen—Finn, Fanny, and the twins will form two teams. The team that wins the battle will join Leon and Isla in the tournament."
Finn's jaw dropped."No way. I can't even breathe properly near a girl—how am I supposed to fight with one?"
Fanny smacked him on the head."You idiot! I don't want to be on your team either—but don't forget what those twin jerks did to Isla."
Finn's eyes lit up."Oh yeah… I didn't think about that."
"Of course you didn't. Your brain is in your legs," Fanny rolled her eyes.
"Shut up!" Finn snapped. "But yeah, fine. I'm in."
They turned to Magnus."We agree," they both said.
Magnus nodded, then turned to the twins.
The twin brothers stood, both grinning with smug, evil smiles.
"We'd love to crush those weaklings," one of them said.
"Yeah. Let's see if they can handle us this time," the other added.
Magnus gave a nod."Good. You'll have time to rest. I'll inform you of the match date soon. Dismissed."
All of them nodded silently, the weight of the upcoming battle settling on their shoulders.