Chapter 59: The Final (4)

…Lost?
Although they had witnessed the entire match, neither Jiang Zhe nor Allen could believe that Scott had lost…
It was utterly unexpected…
“What the hell are you doing, you bastard?!” Despite claiming he would be overjoyed if Scott and Jiang Zhe lost, Allen immediately began berating Scott as soon as he saw him. His angry expression made it seem as though it wasn’t Scott who had lost, but him.
Glancing at the silent Scott, Jiang Zhe patted Allen’s shoulder and said softly, “Allen, calm down a bit!”
Ravia and Lelira also interjected, “Allen, even if Scott hadn’t made any mistakes, it would have been hard for him to defeat his opponent. That guy, Gert Danzi, is clearly of the same type as Scott, and he could even estimate the timing of Scott’s curses…”
“Yes, Allen… And he also has a magic wand…”
“No!” Scott interrupted Lelira, shaking his head. “He didn’t rely on that wand. He took it out just to show me that even if I hadn’t made any mistakes, he could still win! The difference is that one won with magical equipment, while the other won because of my mistakes… But he is indeed a very strong opponent. He’s better at assessing his opponents’ strengths than I am… I lost, completely lost…”
“You!” Allen glared angrily at Scott, too furious to speak for a moment.
“Allen, Allen…” Lisa gently pulled at Allen’s sleeve and shook her head slightly.
“Tch!” Fuming, Allen glanced at Scott, then scanned the students around the arena, seemingly searching for Gert Danzi, Scott’s opponent.
“The twelfth match of the first round of the finals—our school…” The referee professor continued reading out the list of students for the next match. Meanwhile, Jiang Zhe glanced at Scott beside him and said softly, “You’re… very different today!”
“Is that so?” Scott sighed slightly and shook his head. “There’s nothing different. It’s just…”
“What is it?” Jiang Zhe turned to look at Scott and spoke in a very quiet voice, “Is it because of that letter? If you don’t mind, could you tell me about it?”
Scott remained silent. After a long while, he sighed softly and forced a smile. “Sos, you should get ready for the next match now, right? The next match will be between you and Ravia…”
“Can’t you tell me?”

“…” Jiang Zhe looked up at Scott. Scott fell silent for a moment before sighing slightly and saying, “Alright! That letter was sent by me… by that guy. It’s about Galic. The letter says that the Jacensbu rebellion has spread to neighboring areas, and even Galic has been greatly affected…”
“Your father?”
A hint of hatred flashed in his eyes. Scott pushed up his glasses and said in a low voice, “Although I really don’t want to admit it, I do carry that man’s blood—that’s a fact… That man was in Sassen and knew many nobles… boring nobles! He wrote that this Jacensbu rebellion isn’t just a simple peasant uprising but a conspiracy, with someone behind the scenes manipulating things. He didn’t mention the purpose, but by the time he wrote the letter, one lord had already been assassinated—the Count of Jacensbu, Jonny Adolphus. Moreover, many nobles in that region who held authority there have also been killed one after another. The military council believes this is a rebellion targeting the nobility, especially the local lords who are actually in charge. If that’s the case, then the lords bordering Jacensbu are all at risk of being assassinated, especially Galic… Galic is a military stronghold in the northeast. If Galic falls into chaos, the entire northeast of the empire will be in turmoil…”
“Galic?” Jiang Zhe murmured the name, puzzled. “What does that have to do with you?”
Scott shook his head and sighed secretly. Looking up at Jiang Zhe, he said in surprise, “Don’t you know? The lord of the Galic region, Count Everly O’Gill, is my grandfather!”
“…” Jiang Zhe stared at Scott in shock. Annoyed, he said, “Hey, what’s that tone? You never mentioned it before!”
“Ah, sorry, sorry. I guess I didn’t mention it.” He forced a smile, but worry soon covered his face again.
“That man said that if this is a rebellion against the empire and against the nobility, then as my grandfather, the lord of Galic, I’m more likely to be assassinated than any other lord… My grandfather is my only family member…”
“The only one?” Jiang Zhe glanced at Scott in astonishment. Rational as ever, he didn’t argue. After thinking for a moment, he asked softly, “So, you’re worried that your grandfather might also be assassinated like the lord of Jacensbu?”

“Ugh!” Scott nodded and sighed, saying, “My grandfather was a very upright nobleman, as well as a true knight who admired chivalry and rejected magic. That’s why there were no magicians in his castle—this is what worries me the most… Thor, you know, just a few guards or knights simply can’t protect my grandfather’s safety, but…”
“Did your grandfather exclude magicians?”
“Not exactly exclude them. He just simply despised magic. After all, he was a true knight who had received traditional knightly education since childhood. In his eyes, warhorses, long spears, and well-trained soldiers were far more useful than magicians… To be blunt, my grandfather was very stubborn. As a true knight, he watched helplessly as knights were gradually replaced by magicians, which naturally made him uncomfortable… When I applied to the Riox Academy, I begged my grandfather for a long time before he reluctantly agreed…”
“Oh… So what do you plan to do?”
Scott lowered his head and thought for a moment before whispering, “I’m sorry, Thor. I think I need to return to Galkic!”
“You’re going back?” Jiang Zhe turned to look at Scott in surprise and asked softly, “When?”
“Tomorrow, or the day after… Ugh… Maybe today. I’ll leave right away.”
“So soon? Then… when will you return?”
“I really can’t bear to leave my grandfather alone. That man wrote in his letter that the rebels from Jacosenbu have reached the borders of Galkic…” Scott shook his head and said softly, “As for returning… I’ll wait until the rebellion in Jacosenbu is quelled, or until I can ensure my grandfather’s safety…”
“This…”
Glancing at Allen, who was still upset not far away, Scott whispered, “Tell Allen about this later. If I tell him now, he might get even angrier. Hehe…”
Following Scott’s gaze, Jiang Zhe looked at Allen, who was still searching around the arena for Gert Danzi, and shook his head helplessly, saying, “Yeah… You’re leaving right away?”
“Yes,” Scott said with a smile as he glanced at Jiang Zhe, adding with a hint of mockery, “I’ll leave after watching your match against Ravia. I think there’s enough time before sunset for me to request special leave and arrange a carriage… I was hesitating before, but now that I’ve lost, I’ll go back for a while. You’ll have to help me catch up on the missed lessons later…”

“I’ll make it up to you? It’s more like the other way around…” Jiang Zhe shook his head with a bitter smile, then glanced at Scott and said, with a hint of mockery and regret, “After losing the match, do you plan to run away with your tail between your legs?”
“Heh, I think that should come from Allen instead…”
The two had originally planned to talk a bit more, but time didn’t seem to allow it.
On the competition field, the referee professor raised his right hand to signal silence to everyone, then looked at the match list and read aloud, “I sincerely thank the two students from the Mil Academy for bringing us such an exciting match! Well, uh… the next match, the first round of the finals, match number thirteen: our second-year student Sos against our second-year student Ravia Fahuaria. Please, the two named students, come to the field immediately! Let me repeat…”
Glancing at the referee professor on the field, Scott patted Jiang Zhe’s shoulder and said softly, “It’s your turn, Sos!” With a rare look of schadenfreude on his face, he added in a mocking tone, “Good luck!”
Instinctively glancing at the person beside him, Jiang Zhe clearly saw Ravia giving him a expressionless glance. With a bitter smile, he shook his head and said softly, “Although it sounds like sarcasm, I’ll still say… thank you!”
As he walked toward the stairs, Ravia deliberately slowed down. After Jiang Zhe caught up, she said softly, “Is it something important? I saw you talking with Scott for a long time…”
“No, uh, it’s not really important,” Jiang Zhe shook his head and said softly, “He just told me…”
“You don’t have to tell me!” Ravia cut him off firmly. She stopped, turned to face him, and said seriously, “Trust me, I have no interest in knowing what you talked about. I’m just reminding you once again—that getting to fight against you properly once more is what matters most to me right now! I hope you’ll take it seriously too!”
“Avi…”
“As soon as we step onto the field, I’ll be your enemy, and vice versa! Just as we agreed—a full-scale, genuine fight!”
“Avi?”
“Tell me, can you, or can’t you?”
Looking into Ravia’s fiery red eyes and her determined expression, Jiang Zhe sighed, nodded, and said slowly, “Without holding back!”
“Good!” With that, Ravia turned and stepped onto the field.

It must be said that this girl, who resembled a flame, won the admiration of most students at Rex Academy thanks to her outstanding appearance and performance. As soon as she stepped onto the competition field, countless students supported her in their own ways. On the contrary, Jiang Zhe wasn’t so lucky—even the ordinary students who had cheered for him in the previous match mostly turned to support Ravia. Even Allen, in an attempt to please Lisa, disloyally “rebelled” as well. Glancing around the noisy competition area, Scott pushed up his glasses and gave a faint smile. “The match… begins!” Today, Ravia was truly imposing. As soon as the referee finished speaking, she waved her right hand, and sparks appeared on the ground beneath her feet. Those sparks formed a circle centered around her, and then, with a whoosh, fierce flames erupted within that circle. Eight waves of fire rose into the air like fire snakes, staring intently at their prey like venomous snakes. “Wow,” said Geller, looking at the field and nudging Gert beside him with his shoulder, jokingly, “That girl seems pretty strong! Hey, Gert, who do you think will win?” Gert glanced briefly at the field and said expressionlessly, “Who wins or loses doesn’t matter at all!” “Hey! Are you saying you can defeat one of them? Just like you bullied that second-year rookie last time?” “No,” Gert ignored Geller’s provocation and said calmly, holding up his monocle, “I’m just saying I have no interest in them. That’s all!” “No interest? Hey, are you interested in that kid named Scott? Tch! Hey, Gert, if I were in the match, would that pique your interest?” Gert mechanically glanced up at Geller and said, “No!” “Hey, what the hell do you mean?” “Enough, Geller!” Eddie grabbed Geller’s hand and frowned, saying, “You know, Gert is only interested in those who defeat their opponents with wisdom!” “So you’re saying I’m one of those who rely on brute force?” Geller snapped free from Eddie’s grip and whispered, “Eddie, you’d better remember that your appointment as captain was made by the mentor. We haven’t recognized it… at least I haven’t! So, you’d better stop trying to give me orders!” “I didn’t mean to give you orders…”

“It’s best if not. Gayer only listens to the strong—even orders. And you, Eddie, you’re not fully confident you can beat me!”
“Stop arguing, Gayer, Senior Eddie…” Katerina looked at the two of them with a troubled expression.
Eddie gently patted Katerina’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Indeed, I’m not. Alright, I just want you to be quiet. You’ve already drawn a lot of attention… Please!”
“Hmph!” Gayer snorted, leaning against a tree trunk with his arms crossed, and said mockingly, “Don’t show me that annoying smile. I have no intention of understanding such a meaningless smile—at least not before graduation!”
“Alright!” Eddie shook his head helplessly and turned his attention back to the match.
A duel between mages of the same school?
Interesting… It should be a fascinating match!
“Won’t you attack, Thors?” Using his right hand, he directed eight waves of fire at Jiang Zhe. Ravia’s sharp gaze fixed on him as she spoke in a low tone, “Sometimes I really hate your arrogance… really hate it! Remember, Thors, for a mage, composure shouldn’t show before battle—it should appear only when you’re absolutely certain you’ve defeated your opponent! I don’t want to guess what you’re thinking right now. I give you three seconds! One, two…”
Looking into Ravia’s eyes, Jiang Zhe faintly saw flames of anger in them.
“Alright,” Jiang Zhe took a deep breath, his gaze turning fierce as he said firmly, “Without holding back!” As soon as the words left his mouth, four fiery red vortices appeared in front of him as his right hand rose, with a large amount of fire elements rapidly gathering.
When Jiang Zhe pointed at Ravia with his right hand, the four fireballs already formed traced incredible arcs before rushing at her from all directions.
“Three!” The moment Ravia said this number, the four waves of fire stretched out like whips, destroying each of the fireballs as if snakes chasing prey.
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”
“Wow, what precise control!”
“See? She didn’t use her eyes to find the targets… She’s also learned to sense them!”
“This is getting interesting. Go, Ravia!”
The students watching cheered for Ravia’s precise control, but she herself showed no sign of joy.

“Four fireballs means no holding back at all?” Feeling deceived, Ravia was surprisingly angry. But suddenly, a fireball shot through the smoke from the explosion, skimming just past her beautiful face. The fireball was incredibly fast—the wind it created even messed up her hair. Though unharmed, Ravia still felt as though her cheeks had been burned. Subconsciously touching her cheeks, she stared blankly at the boy across from her. A fist-sized fireball hovered in the direction of his right palm. With a look of resignation, sincerity, and certainty, he said, “Indeed… no holding back at all!” While the students watching nearby criticized Jiang Zhe, Ravia wore a knowing smile, filled with an inexplicable joy. She said softly, “Very good!” Then, her expression changed. The flames beneath her feet surged higher, and under her control, eight waves of fire, like vipers hissing, rushed toward Jiang Zhe. At the same time, dozens of fiery red vortices in the space beside Jiang Zhe quickly formed dozens of fireballs, all attacking Ravia along various trajectories. In an instant, the battlefield was filled with roaring sounds, scattered flames, and thick black smoke. Countless fireballs and the eight waves of fire occupied half of the field, locked in a fierce standoff. “Hey, that girl is really amazing…” Watching Ravia precisely use just eight waves of fire to intercept countless fireballs from her opponent, Galle stood up straight and said with interest, “That kid named Sosse seems to not know how to treat girls well… More fireballs this time than last, right? Hey, that girl isn’t like Giant Rock at all…” “But that girl, Ravia, is indeed very strong…” Holding a magic book in her hands, Katerina was shocked by what she saw. She stroked her messy hair and murmured, “That’s… Wave of Fire magic, right? A third-level fire magic. A third-level spell with such power… And her control—so many fireballs, not a single one could escape her Wave of Fire magic… She must have practiced this spell diligently for a long time…”

“Why don’t you talk about that girl’s opponent?” Gayer glanced at Katerina jokingly and said mockingly, “That brat used fireballs and fire bombs—what are those spells anyway? I think I can find them on the first three pages of the introductory guide to fire magic. Yet it was just those two low-level spells that completely destroyed the giant rock statue…”
“So that girl is really amazing, huh…”
“Okay, okay, I won’t argue with you,” Gayer shook his head irritably before suddenly showing a teasing smile. He stepped beside Katerina and chuckled, “So, who do you think will win? Hmm… or rather, who do you hope will win?”
“I hope?” Katerina looked at Gayer in confusion. It seemed she thought of something as she shook her head repeatedly and said softly, “It doesn’t matter who wins…”
“Hey, come on, don’t be like this. We’re not in that annoying academy anymore,” Gayer said, lowering his head with a teasing expression. “Actually, I’ve been curious these past two days. You seem to be very interested in that brat’s match. Do you… like him?”
Katerina looked up at Gayer in shock and exclaimed, “How… how could you say that?”
Seeing Katerina’s panicked expression, Gayer chuckled, “See? That’s why you’re so flustered, right?”
“No, it’s not like that,” Katerina said, clutching tightly to the book with a golden cross on its cover. “I just think that child is special. It’s not what you think, Gayer! You know, I…”
“Oh, heavens!” Gayer shook his head in exasperation and snatched the book from Katerina’s hands, shouting, “Do you still have that stupid idea in your head? Serving gods? That’s ridiculous! Believe me, you’ll regret this! Damn it…”
“No! Gayer, stop saying those blasphemous things… Give me back the book!”
“What do you do with this thing every day? Gods? Where were they when we needed help?”
“The priests of the Church found us. That’s God’s will…”
“Will? Hey!”
“Shut up, Gayer!” Eddie, who had been watching the arena the whole time, grabbed Gayer’s arm and ordered in an unyielding tone, “Give it back to her!”
“Eddie, what right do you have to order me around…” Gayer’s words stopped abruptly as he saw Katerina’s tightly pressed lips and tears in her eyes.

“Look at the mess you’ve made!” Edi snatched the book from Geller’s hands and handed it to Katerina. Katerina lowered her head, clutching the book tightly to her chest. Geller scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and mumbled, “I just… just played a joke.” “Then don’t play such jokes anymore!” Edi frowned at Geller, turned to Katerina, who resembled a frightened rabbit, and patted her gently, saying softly, “You know Geller is impulsive, but I believe—and you believe too—that he has no ill intentions. Neither I, nor Geller, nor Gert will harm you… because we’re the only ones left alive in this town! God has indeed helped us a lot, but more often, we still have to rely on ourselves, don’t we?” “Hey! I can’t believe these words are coming from you,” Geller said jokingly, looking at Edi in surprise. “I bet those priests in the academy would be furious if they heard this… But then again, this has changed my opinion of you, Edi. It seems those dogmatic, foolish teachings haven’t completely influenced you!” “Mind your own business! Being competitive and overly impulsive won’t bring you anything—on the contrary, you’ll lose even more! We… can’t afford to lose any more!” Geller gave Edi a deep look, scratched his hair, and said nonchalantly, “Stop giving me orders… I know!” “Haven’t you forgotten that matter yet?” Gert asked expressionlessly, his eyes fixed on the competition field. Edi patted Katerina’s shoulder, took a deep breath, and frowned, saying, “How could I forget? Have you forgotten?” He glanced at Geller and said with a hint of sarcasm, “Magical exchanges between the two academies? Winning the competition and bringing back a trophy?” With a disdainful smirk, Geller dismissed it, while Gert adjusted the monocle on his nose and said calmly, “It was six or seven years ago. Even Father Shudon couldn’t find any clues—how could we possibly find them?” “No clues? No, there must be at least one!” “Argus BartClarfield? That dark mage?” Gert shook his head after glancing at Edi and said calmly, “We’ve all seen his portrait—it’s not at all like the guy in our memories…” “But it’s still possible he’s the one, isn’t it? Even if not him, at least their ways of gaining power are similar, right? Both are dark mages—maybe that Argus knows that guy!”

“Hey!” Gayer said mockingly, looking at Eddie with a smirk, “You mean to go and ask that pagan in person to see if he knows the bastard from our memories? Come on! We don’t even know that bastard’s name or what he looks like! And even if we did, do you really think that highly wanted criminal would be kind enough to tell us? Are you going to say to that pagan, ‘Excuse me, do you know that bastard… please?’ Hey, that’s ridiculous! Eddie, that disgusting smile doesn’t work on everyone!”
“Gayer, besides tolerance and kindness, God has also given us the power to punish evil!”
“Hey, that’s the second sensible thing I’ve heard from you today. But that guy, Argus, isn’t someone we little guys can deal with. We’re too weak…” As he spoke, a fierce glint flashed in Gayer’s eyes before disappearing quickly. Then, with a self-mocking laugh, he said, “Just go and face your Holy Knight exam honestly. Um, it’s best to pray to the supreme god, praying that bastard is still alive and doing well until we gain strength… But I’m afraid that supreme god is too busy to pay attention to our prayers…”
“Gayer, stop speaking blasphemously!” Katrina reproached, still with tears in her eyes from earlier.
“Yes, yes, miss!”
“Anyway,” Eddie said in a low voice after glancing at Katrina, “let’s focus on this competition first. There are only ten spots as the top students from theMil Academy to study in Riox! Although it might not let us learn much that year, it’s at least a chance. Though we’re not qualified to talk to Argus directly yet, but… Gayer, as you said, the difference between the weak and the strong is that the weak can become strong through their own efforts, while the strong… can at most maintain their status. We have a chance! And until then… at least make it into the top ten!”
“Top ten?” Gayer glanced at Eddie, scratched his head, and said carelessly, “As you said, if we don’t bring back a winning trophy, how can we justify coming here all this way? Hey… see you in the finals, Eddie!”
“See you in the finals, if I can still run into you…”
“How could we not run into each other… What do you mean, Eddie? Ugh, you still annoy me…”

“Hah, is that so!”
“Stop arguing…” With a hint of fear, she glanced at Geller. Katerina clutched the book in her arms tightly. Suddenly, a fierce wave of heat spread from the center of the arena outward, making it impossible for everyone to keep their eyes open.
Frowning at the arena, Eddie asked in surprise, “What’s going on, Gert?”
Gert turned to look at Eddie and said doubtfully, “Didn’t you see it just now?”
Glancing indifferently at Geller, who seemed uninvolved, Eddie shook his head in frustration.
“As you can see now,” Gert said expressionlessly, raising his right hand to point at the arena, “if that’s the standard strength of second-year students from Riox, I don’t think many people could represent their academy here as outstanding students!”
Eddie frowned and looked at the arena. The area, about a hundred yards wide, resembled a sea of fire. The blazing flames made hissing sounds, indicating such high temperatures that they even ignited the air.
Gradually, the area around the arena became quiet.
Although this was related to the exceptional skills of the two contestants, it was more because they felt a sense of suffocation. They had to keep their mouths shut, as in this place with such dense fire elements, they couldn’t be sure whether what they inhaled was residual air or scorching fire elements. No one wanted to swallow a ball of fire.
Hot… It’s too hot…
Not only were the stone bricks in the arena red-hot, but there were also flames in the air about ten yards above it.
The entire arena was on fire…
The only two places without flames were where Jiang Zhe and Lavia stood.
“Huh…” Feeling some soreness in her arm, Lavia shook her right arm and said with joy and pride, “I can’t believe I actually managed to block all those fireballs…”
Smiling bitterly, Jiang Zhe said approvingly, “I have to say, your control is excellent. Well done, truly amazing! Ah… Lavia…”
“I don’t like the tone of your words just now, but I forgive you,” Lavia said playfully for once, casually adjusting her flame-like hair before adding wistfully, “You’re really strong, Sos. So strong that even when I relax a little, I don’t deserve the right to just watch your back… But now, I think I do. It makes me feel that all my efforts have been worthwhile!”

“You’re indeed very hardworking. I thought your magic power would have run out by now…”
“Giggle. Didn’t I say it? You’re an arrogant guy! Sometimes you should look back and take a proper look at the person who’s always been following you, seeing you as a rival, right?”
“Hey, I never meant to underestimate you…”
“Hmph, is that so? I’ve always thought you’re an arrogant guy! Giggle…”
“Hey, I didn’t… At least not this time. Completely, right?”
“Yes!” Like an ordinary girl, Ravia smiled sweetly. Then, she took a deep breath, suppressed her smile, and said in a serious tone, “Alright, Thors. I think using that fight just now as a warm-up is enough to wake up you lazy guy, right?”
“Warm-up?”
“Did you hear that? She said warm-up? That match just now—was that really just a warm-up?”
“That’s ridiculous…”
As the students in the arena argued over the so-called warm-up, Ravia giggled and said, “It’s starting!” With that, she quickly made several hand gestures in front of her chest. Immediately, a large amount of fire elements gathered from all directions, turning the entire arena a strange red.
As Ravia chanted long spells, countless fire-red runes of various sizes began to appear in the surrounding space.
These runes shifted between dark red and light red, floating eerily above the arena.
“Oh, no!” Jiang Zhe helplessly covered his forehead. The moment he saw those runes, he realized the most troublesome thing had arrived…
[Barrier: World of Fire]
“Didn’t expect that, did you?” Ravia smiled mischievously at Jiang Zhe. A sly glint appeared in her fire-red eyes as she teased, “You should have expected it. If I want to defeat you, I must rely on this magic… In terms of the cohesion of fire elements, I’m far inferior to you. So… well, let me make use of the fire elements you just gathered, hehe!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the flames beneath Ravia’s feet surged dramatically. Those eight waves of fire even exploded to more than twice their size, swirling in the sky above the arena like a fire dragon.
The arena could no longer be described as merely hot—every student watching felt as though what they were breathing wasn’t air at all, but scorching flames.
“Great job, Ravia! Hahaha! Man, you’re in big trouble!” Clearly, the gloating cheers coming from outside the arena were from Allen.

Indeed, even Jiang Zhe found it extremely tricky. Jiang Zhe was well aware that Ravia possessed this game-changing trick—in fact, he had experienced it himself a year ago. This kind of barrier that strengthened one’s own side while weakening the opponent’s was simply a nightmare for someone like Jiang Zhe. Looking at the waves of fire that had only been as big as snakes moments ago, now they appeared like writhing fire dragons, their bodies even thicker than the pillars in the courtyard, leaving Jiang Zhe speechless. What was this? Those were originally fire elements he had gathered himself… With a hint of triumph from having carried out her “scheme” successfully, Ravia giggled and said, “Feeling headaches already? Arrogant bastard!” Jiang Zhe smiled bitterly, shook his head weakly, and said, “I thought you wouldn’t need it?” “How could I not? This is the only magic that can defeat you,” Ravia said proudly, controlling a wave of fire to swirl around her. “Do you want to know why I didn’t use it at first? Giggles… If I had used this magic from the start, I would have had far fewer fire elements under control… I’m far inferior to you when it comes to gathering fire elements…” “Alright!” Jiang Zhe shrugged helplessly, then gathered a circle of flames in his right hand and said, “If you’re scared enough to admit defeat just like this, I doubt you’d agree… Don’t be careless, Ravia. I can still control fire elements to cast five fireballs at once. Five fireballs and fifty fireballs mean little difference to me…” “I know,” Ravia nodded, then shook her head again, looking at Jiang Zhe seriously and saying, “I’m glad you finally didn’t brush me off this time, but this is still what I want… Use Flare Flash, Thors!” “What?” As if not hearing clearly, Jiang Zhe stared at Ravia in shock. “Didn’t hear me?” Ravia, controlling most of the flames in the area and trying not to let them spill out, said seriously, “Use Flare Flash, Thors!” “Flare Flash?” “What’s that?” “Is it a magic?” The students watching the fight stepped back in confusion. After staring at Ravia deeply, Jiang Zhe slowly shook his head. Ravia’s gaze sharpened, and she shouted, “Thors, you promised me—without reservation!” “But without reservation doesn’t include Flare Flash…” “That’s what you think!” Frowning at Jiang Zhe, Ravia pointed at the surging flames in the area and said intently, “As you can see, I’ve used all my strength—this is what I mean by without reservation!”

“Flame Flash…” Jiang Zhe murmured, then shook his head firmly and said, “No! Absolutely not!”
“Huh.” Ravia let out a long sigh, calming her heaving chest from excitement. Then, she glanced at Jiang Zhe, gritted her teeth, and softly recited a spell.
As soon as the spell was finished, a giant fire fox, six or seven yards tall, burst out of the flames. It looked down at Jiang Zhe from above and then spat out a fireball about half a yard in diameter, which crashed not far in front of Jiang Zhe. The scorching fireball instantly melted the rocks, turning them into a pool of red-glowing magma.
“Transformation?”
“No, it must be enchanted transformation!”
“But still, that fire fox is way too exaggerated, isn’t it?”
“It’s probably because the fire elements here are too dense. Enough, just talking makes me feel like I’ve swallowed flames…”
Amid the sparse chatter of the watching students, Ravia pointed at Jiang Zhe and shouted excitedly, “Use Flame Flash! Sos!”
Jiang Zhe didn’t say anything. He just shook his head again.
Seeing Jiang Zhe’s stubborn gaze, Ravia seemed to lose all her strength. With a bitter smile, she said to herself, “Sos, you bastard! Don’t you understand how hard it is to chase you from behind? Yes, you won’t understand!”
“Ai… Ravia…”
“Shut up!” Glaring angrily at Jiang Zhe, Ravia sighed slightly and said angrily, “You bastard always shirk responsibility, always! You should know how long I’ve been waiting for this day! Sos, you bastard—you’ve made a year’s worth of my efforts meaningless! Worthless! Do you understand?”
“Ravia…”
“Don’t call my name!” With disappointment on her face, Ravia shook her head and said, “Even if I’m behind you, I just want to know exactly how many steps away you are—Is it one, or a hundred?” Then, she raised her head, stared at Jiang Zhe, and said softly, “As per our agreement, just this once… just this once, I want to find out!”
“Ra…”
“Use Flame Flash, Sos!” Looking at Jiang Zhe calmly, Ravia said expressionlessly, “Don’t make me hate you… I mean it!”
Seeing the strange emotion hidden beneath Ravia’s calm gaze, Jiang Zhe hesitated for a long time. Then, he let out a long sigh, shook his head, and said, “If you get hurt… don’t blame me!”

Delighted, Ravia was momentarily stunned, then a satisfied smile returned to her face. She giggled, with a hint of surprising tenderness, and said softly, “Of course, as long as you can do it… Bastard!”