Chapter 111: Levels
One after another, Rodova Military Academy kept winning their matches, as the home team proved why they were ranked 2nd strongest in the entire circuit rankings.
—---
Match 2: Minerva vs. Sylva
Rodova's second fighter, Minerva, took the stage against Nature Academy's Sylva, a Dryad specializing in terrain manipulation.
At first, Sylva's abilities seemed troublesome—her power allowed her to control the arena's floor, creating vine traps and wooden barriers that restricted Minerva's movement.
However, Minerva countered this flawlessly, using her Thunder-Step
Technique to zip past Sylva's entanglements, shattering her defenses before she could even react, via a flurry of precise arrows.
*Kaboom*
*Kaboom*
The first couple arrows that she used were of the lightning nature, which while did not cause much damage to the dryad, stunned her enough to immobilize her for a couple seconds, which gave Minerva the opening to launch a couple of blast arrows, that ended the match after exploding right in front of Sylva's face.
—---
Match 3: Orion vs. Lume
Next came Orion, a battle-mage specializing in wide-range elemental attacks, against Lume, a fairy with mastery over aerial combat.
This match was a complete showcase of power versus agility.
Lume darted across the battlefield with blinding speed, launching razor-sharp wind slashes, but Orion was an immovable juggernaut—his Firestorm Barrier negated all incoming attacks, while his Meteor Crash Spell bombarded Lume with overwhelming force.
The moment Lume hesitated mid-air, Orion launched a chain lightning spell, striking him down instantly, securing Rodova's third consecutive win.
—---
Match 4: Harlan vs. Viridia
The fourth match pitted Harlan, a brute-force warrior wielding a massive war axe, against Viridia, a deadly elven archer known for her unerring precision.
At first, Viridia seemed to have the upper hand—her arrows moved like shadows, curving through the air unpredictably.
But Harlan had an iron will and an even harder body.
Instead of dodging, he charged straight through the onslaught, his Mana Armor reducing the damage to negligible levels.
As one leap, one swing and one devastating impact was all it took for him to win, as his axe cleaved through Viridia's bow, breaking her spirit along with her weapon.
As Rodova's fourth victory was secured in convincing fashion.
—------------
Seated in the stands, Leo's mind churned, as he analyzed everything he had witnessed so far.
Rodova's combatants weren't just skilled—they were monsters in their own right.
Each fighter possessed a different set of strengths, but what struck Leo the most was how far ahead they were from him in different areas.
In Pure Strength → Harlan stood unmatched, a walking fortress who could take hits without flinching and end fights in a single blow.
In Speed → Minerva was terrifying, her movements faster than even Leo's trained eyes could fully follow, as this was twice now that he had seen her in battle where even his eyes could not follow her quick motion.
In Magic Capacity → Orion overwhelmed everyone. His mana output alone was leagues beyond Leo's, capable of sustaining high-level spells with seemingly no effort.
While in Technique & Skill Usage → Ethan's strategic adaptability was something else. He won not by overpowering his enemy, but by controlling the battlefield itself.
'They're all above me in some area or the other.' Leo realized, as he clenched his fists slightly, feeling the gap between him and these fighters like an ocean between two continents.
'I'm strong, but not strong enough to dominate every aspect of the Circuits.
I can maybe take one of them at a time, if I have prepared enough, but I can't take all four of them back to back' Leo realized, as he understood that while there were aspects about his own fighting that may be superior to current circuit team members, he wasn't a complete fighter yet that could dominate everyone.
He needed to grow a lot stronger, if he wanted to be a force to be reckoned with at the circuits and just as that realization was settling in—
The final fighter of Nature Military Academy stepped forward, their captain and strongest fighter, Jahong.
Draped in sleek green and gold armor, his presence was striking. Unlike the previous fighters, who carried various weapons, he wielded only a single elven sword, its silver edge humming faintly with embedded mana runes.
His movements were poised. Disciplined. Deadly.
Jahong was not an ordinary fighter.
He was a master duelist.
But the crowd wasn't afraid.
Because stepping up to face him—
Was Yu Shen, and as he walked out, the arena exploded into deafening chants of—
YU SHEN! YU SHEN! YU SHEN!
Thousands of voices roared, shaking the coliseum as Rodova's captain strode onto the battlefield, exuding nothing but pure confidence.
Unlike his opponent, Yu Shen wasn't draped in elaborate armor.
He wasn't towering or monstrous.
He carried no overwhelming aura of destruction.
Yet—the moment he stepped into the ring, everything changed.
Leo could feel it.
The way the energy in the air shifted.
The way his opponent's confident stance faltered—even if just for a second.
Because Yu Shen wasn't just strong.
He was the strongest fighter in the entire academy.
And it showed.
—-------
The moment the referee dropped his hand, the elven captain moved.
A flash of silver—
Jahong's elven sword cut through the air, slicing toward Yu Shen's neck with impossible speed.
SHING!
A blur—then the clash of steel.
Yu Shen had blocked it.
Not dodged. Blocked.
His twin swords crossed in an effortless parry, intercepting the strike with surgical precision, as the elf's eyes narrowed.
He immediately pivoted, twisting his blade into a seamless follow-up—his movements fluid as—
SHING!
CLANG!
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Blades flashed at speeds incomprehensible to the naked eye, sparks flying with every exchange.
But Yu Shen wasn't just keeping up—he was dictating the fight.
Leo watched in awe.
Unlike Minerva's pure speed, or Orion's overwhelming magic, Yu Shen's strength lay in something else entirely—
Absolute control.
Every strike was met before it could even reach full extension.
Every counter was delivered at the perfect angle to disrupt the elf's footing.
The Nature Academy captain was no ordinary swordsman—his technique was polished, his mana-infused footwork impeccable.
Yet somehow—
Yu Shen made him look slow.
SHING!
A sudden flick of Yu Shen's blade sent the elf's sword reeling to the side—
An opening.
But Yu Shen didn't take it.
Instead, he let the elf recover.
Leo's brow furrowed.
'He's… testing him?'
The crowd held its breath as Jahong steadied himself, his grip tightening around his sword.
And then—he lunged again.
This time, his attacks were wildly unpredictable, his swordplay turning erratic.
A last-ditch attempt to overwhelm Yu Shen with sheer ferocity.
Leo tensed.
Would it work?
But then—
Yu Shen dropped his swords.
Leo's breath caught.
For a moment, it seemed like an opening—like Yu Shen had made a mistake—
But then Yu Shen stepped forward, his bare hands moving in an instant—
PAH!
His palm struck the elf's sword mid-swing, knocking the silver blade off-course.
PAH!
His elbow collided with the elf's ribs, forcing air from his lungs.
Then—
BOOM!
A single spinning kick SENT THE ELF FLYING across the arena—CRASHING into the opposite wall.
Silence.
Then—
DEAFENING CHEERS.
Yu Shen hadn't just won.
He had dominated.
The elf tried to rise—his fingers clawing at the ground—but his body refused to move.
It was over.
Rodova had secured a clean sweep—5-0.
—-------------
Sitting in the stands, Leo watched as Yu Shen picked up his swords again, completely unbothered, completely untouchable.
And in that moment, Leo realized something:
'This isn't just about strength, speed, or magic.'
Yu Shen was none of those things in excess.
He wasn't the strongest.
He wasn't the fastest.
He wasn't the most magically gifted.
But—
He was the most complete fighter.
And that—was the level Leo needed to reach.
For the first time since entering Rodova—
Leo finally understood what true dominance in the Circuits looked like.