Time marched on as Skyler and the others he knew fought their way through the Gala, each advancing steadily toward the finals.
Isaac was caught up in the potion-making competition. Riruru faced her own battles. Charles had his hands full as well. At last, the final day of the week-long Gala arrived.
Whether by chance or sheer coincidence, Skyler found himself unpaired against any of the main cast after Zack all this time.
He cheered as Elena was defeated by a powerful student from the second-ranked academy on the Human Continent. In the end, 40 students advanced to the finals—eleven of them from Starlight Academy.
Skyler ruffled Charles's hair.
"How did you make it to the finals?"
Only to get a speechless look in return.
Isaac chimed in from behind.
"Willpower. He told me he wouldn't let me lose the many Star Coins I bet on him—and he kept his word. Over 10 million Star Coins were transferred to my account the instant his name made it to the finals."
Skyler's eyes flew wide open as he spun around, shock plastered across his face.
"You two placed bets on each other? Why didn't anyone tell me that there were bets going on here? What about me?"
His shocked expression shifted, eyes sparkling with sudden, bright hope.
"Did you guys bet on my victory too?"
He rubbed his hands.
"If you won, I get at least 90%, right?"
Isaac and Charles exchanged bewildered looks, baffled by the gleam in Skyler's eyes.
He hadn't contributed a single coin to the bets they both placed on him—yet here he was, demanding 90%? No way. Why would they willingly take such a ridiculous loss?
A silent understanding passed between them as Charles let out a dramatic sigh.
"You were absent for so long. We didn't place any bets on you… unfortunately."
Skyler's smile fell immediately.
"What? Not even 1,000 Star Coins?"
Two identical answers came at once.
"No."
Skyler's eyes narrowed as he noticed the solemn expressions on both their faces.
Something was definitely fishy.
Still, he didn't get the chance to press them further, as the host's voice echoed through the arena, calling the finalists to the center.
All Skyler could do was mutter under his breath, grumbling in clear frustration.
"Such a huge loss!"
He lowered his body, letting Riruru settle into the chair next to Isaac's, then hurried after Charles, who had already leapt down from the stands toward the many arenas.
The 40 finalists gathered inside one of the arenas, and the crowd erupted into cheers.
Yet, the spotlight wasn't on Skyler alone.
Yes, despite all his relentless efforts!
It also shone on Max and the student who had effortlessly defeated Elena—Yuris Yu.
Both were seen as top contenders for this year's Gala championship, just like Skyler.
Not to mention, a large number of people had placed their bets on Max, so they were hoping for his victory—even if they secretly believed Skyler was the stronger fighter.
The host raised his hand to silence the crowd, his voice charged with restrained excitement as he declared loudly.
"The day has finally arrived! The day when we discover who will stand upon the golden stage and earn the prestigious title of 'Star of the Generation' until next year's Gala!"
Ohm paused for a moment, letting the anticipation build before continuing.
"For the first round of the final battles, the 40 finalists will be divided into eight groups of five. Each group will battle on a separate stage, and from each, only one student will advance ahead—the one who proves to be the strongest, fastest, and most resilient!"
He raised his voice.
"Let the final battles begin!"
The crowd roared in response, fired up.
Despite the days spent watching countless battles and the constant travel to and from the academy, they didn't look fatigued at all.
Perhaps it was because new spectators arrived at the Gala each day while others departed, keeping the energy fresh.
Skyler checked his student ID and headed toward his assigned arena. His eyes met the referee's—a rather familiar, older face.
It was Vice Principal Doris.
The VP gave him a small nod as Skyler greeted her and climbed onto the stage.
But his brow twitched the instant he saw Charles walking toward the same arena.
"This is definitely rigged!"
Skyler spun toward the Vice Principal, but the old woman just shrugged in response.
It wasn't rigged—not even close.
In fact, Charles Mahson was lucky to have ended up in Skyler's arena. Among the forty finalists, he was the weakest. The others—except Max Hales—were downright brutal.
If he had ended up on any other stage, he would've definitely left on a stretcher.
"Only one of you can advance."
The VP reminded Skyler calmly.
She waited patiently as all five students assigned to the arena under her stepped forward and took their positions.
Charles's eyebrow twitched, mirroring Skyler's earlier reaction just as their eyes met. So... they had to fight each other?
They turned their attention to the other three students—two males and a striking female, each from a different academy.
Before Skyler could greet the three new faces, the students, clad in uniforms of different colors, edged toward Charles.
The girl gave him a nod.
"How about we four team up for now and eliminate the ash-brown-haired guy first?"
Skyler was speechless.
He was literally standing right there!
Within earshot! Breathing the same air!
And they were seriously trying to recruit his own friend to gang up on him? What kind of twisted logic was that?! From which corner of the universe did that even make sense?!
He was absolutely certain Charles would shut them down and walk straight over to him. Skyler had full confidence in his bro.
Unshakable, unwavering trust.
But the longer Charles stayed silent… the more that confidence began to falter. Was he seriously taking this long to answer?
Skyler stared at Charles, waiting—nearly vibrating with intensity. Maybe it was the pressure of that intense gaze, but at last, Charles shook his head at the girl.
"No. I'm on his side. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure he'll make me suffer the most later."
The girl was stunned. Did those two know each other? Her expression turned solemn—this battle wasn't going to be easy. Now, with Charles siding with Skyler, things had become even more complicated for them.
They needed a plan to take down Skyler Thorne first, or defeat would be inevitable.
Skyler grinned and approached Charles.
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
Charles shivered. Good thing he hadn't sided with the others—who knew what this crazy friend of his might've done under the excuse of 'punishing a friend for betrayal'?
The VP signaled for them to prepare.
"Alright, listen up! For this fight, you are allowed to drink potions to recover. It's a special rule for the finals. We want a real battle, not a match that ends in just a few measly seconds. So hold nothing back!"
Her voice rang with authority as the five students moved into position—three lining up on one side, eyes sharp and tense, while Skyler and Charles stood on the other side, a storm of anticipation crackling between the two groups. The crowd sighed at the sight, aware of who would claim victory.
Many in the crowd grimaced as one of the male students was flung out of the arena the instant the battle began—all thanks to Skyler's lightning-fast teleportation skill.
He hadn't even given the poor guy time to breathe. Sighs echoed through the stands, followed by a wave of shaking heads. The remaining two opponents instantly shifted their strategy, rushing toward Charles—who had assumed he would just be a spectator.
Skyler appeared in front of him in a flash, a scowl on his face, and tsked at the others.
"Seriously? I thought you guys wanted to take me out from the arena first?"
Despite his power, the crowd couldn't help but notice that, aside from Zack—who had taken quite a heavy beating from Skyler for reasons unknown—none of his opponents ever sustained serious injuries. Skyler was ruthless, yes—especially in how swiftly he defeated his opponents. But the precision with which he restrained the power of his spells and skills, fighting with surgical control, was nothing short of remarkable.
He was extremely fast, but not brutal. In a way, his opponents were lucky—they didn't have to leave the stage with broken bones.
Skyler easily intercepted the attacks aimed at Charles. Within mere moments, the last two opponents were sent flying out of the arena, both shouting curses in frustration.
He flashed them a smile.
"My pleasure!"
With that, he stretched his arms.
"Alright, now it's time for a proper, drawn-out battle with my dear friend. We'll go at it until everyone else is done with their matches—"
His words trailed off mid-sentence as he turned toward Charles—only to find him already standing outside the arena.
"....."
Skyler rubbed his forehead.
"Why did you step down?"
Charles gave him a flat look.
"Because I know what's good for me."
Vice Principal Doris chuckled at Skyler's crestfallen expression. He had genuinely seemed eager to face Charles in a proper fight, but his friend clearly had other plans. She cleared her throat and announced.
"The winner of this match—Skyler!"