The Return of Godkin

Chapter 209: The Eighth Trial (Part-5)

Raziel laughed bitterly.

"My clones burn too much soul power. Without them, I couldn't handle his ranged attacks. In an arena this small, I never had a chance. If it were larger, maybe I could've dragged it out."

Ray's brows knit together.

"You're wrong. Yes, your clones consume soul power, but don't forget this. He was using his thousand-year soul skill too. How could his consumption be lower than yours? You have twin martial souls and the Mysterious Heaven Method. Endurance should have been your advantage. Why couldn't you last ten minutes?"

His voice sharpened.

"There's no way his attacks could cover the entire arena. You had three clones. If you'd spread them out, he couldn't have suppressed all of you. You only needed to control distance and fight a battle of attrition. Instead, you rushed in and got crushed. Do you have anything to say?"

Raziel froze, then slapped his thigh hard.

"You're right! I completely forgot he was burning a thousand-year soul skill too. I've been fighting soul beasts for too long. I treated him like one!"

His voice carried across the arena.

Student number two, who had just finished adjusting his clothes, stiffened slightly. He raised his head and shot Raziel a sharp glare.

Raziel met his gaze without backing down, chin lifted arrogantly, as if declaring that next time would be different.

Ray couldn't help but laugh quietly. His criticism hadn't been meant to scold, but to reignite Raziel's fighting spirit.

This guy really does bounce back fast.

By the time they finished speaking, Lily had already stepped into the arena. She glanced once toward student number two, a strange light flickering in her eyes, before turning her attention forward.

Her opponent entered from the opposite side.

Student number one.

He looked utterly ordinary, the kind of person who would disappear into a crowd without a second glance. Calm and unremarkable, he walked to his position and stopped in front of Lily.

"Begin!"

With Giselle's declaration, the third match commenced.

This battle was critical for Lily. If she scored poorly here, her chances of passing the exam would plummet. Victory was no longer optional.

Soul rings rose beneath both combatants.

And in the very next instant, the arena erupted in shock.

Student number one's three soul rings were all purple.

Three thousand-year soul rings.

Student number two had already been frightening with just one thousand-year ring. Faced with this opponent, Lily could only imagine how terrifying his strength truly was.

From the moment the match began, it was clear that this would not be close combat.

This would be a ranged battle.

And the moment the first attack was launched, that fact became undeniable.

Student number one moved first. A glint flashed through his eyes as his first soul ring lit up, and he lifted a hand toward the air. A hazy sphere of light condensed near his palm, threads of blue, green, and white energy weaving around his fingers like living ribbons.

He murmured a few sharp, rhythmic syllables.

The sphere bulged, then split.

Something clawed its way out of the glowing shell and dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. Light rippled outward as the form solidified into a massive illusory hound, its body wreathed in roaring flames.

The more the fire surged, the more its silhouette shifted, gradually resembling a lion. Though smaller than most true lion-type soul beasts, it radiated a domineering, violent presence.

"A lion mastiff?"

Ray stared, astonished. Was this a soul skill, or a spirit soul? The beast looked far too real and far too powerful to be something a mere Soul Elder should be able to summon.

The fiery hound threw its head back and roared, the sound shaking the air like thunder. Its burning eyes locked onto Lily, killing intent pouring out as though it had found its prey.

"Materialize!" student number one snapped, stabbing a finger toward the beast. Rays of light shot into the lion mastiff, and in an instant, its outline became sharper, more solid, more dangerous.

"Little Lion, go!"

The mastiff launched itself forward in a blur of flame and heat, charging straight at Lily.

Ray's mind raced. With three purple soul rings, this guy could only have one spirit soul. If that summoned beast had a name, then it had to be his spirit soul, not a simple construct.

He had never seen someone fight primarily through their spirit soul before. But then again, this was Central Academy. Normal rules tended to break here.

Lily, however, had not been idle during her opponent's display. Her hands moved in smooth, controlled arcs, her three soul rings revolving around her like planets. Then her rhythm shifted. All three rings lit up together, trembling faintly in resonance.

Which soul skill was she even using?

A flash of pale blue light bloomed in her palm as a sphere of ice, half a meter across, took shape. She struck it again and again with her palm, causing the frozen orb to vibrate and hum.

The lion mastiff closed the distance, its blazing fur flaring like a comet's tail.

Yet Lily's expression remained calm to the point of indifference, as though none of this concerned her. When the beast came close, she flicked her wrist and sent the ice sphere flying.

Then, to everyone's disbelief, she turned her back on the charging lion mastiff and began walking calmly toward Ray.

What is she doing?

Before anyone could process that absurd sight, the lion mastiff opened its jaws and spat a golden-red fireball, scorching heat rippling outward.

Fire met ice.

The ice sphere exploded into a storm of icicles, each one streaking toward the lion mastiff like a rain of spears.

Halfway through the air, their blue glow shifted into a deep emerald as wind energy wrapped around them. At the same time, a third of the icicles vanished in a flash of silver light, only to reappear right in front of student number one.

They formed a deadly dome around him and struck.

"Not good!"

Student number one's face drained of color. He had poured everything into his spirit soul's offense, leaving himself dangerously exposed. Some of the green wind icicles melted under the heat of his defenses, but several slipped through. Others curved away, guided by gusts of wind, and slammed back into the lion mastiff.

The beast howled in pain as its flames weakened, its form turning translucent. A heartbeat later, it dispersed into glowing motes and vanished entirely.

The battle was over.

Before the icicles could impale student number one, Giselle stepped in and blocked them. Had she been even a fraction slower, he would have been riddled with holes.

Giselle had never expected student number one to win in the first place. Lily's elemental control was simply too overwhelming. Still, she hadn't thought the fight would end this quickly.

When everything settled, Lily was already back at Ray's side, her expression as calm as ever. Since night had already fallen, she had clearly decided not to waste time.

Ten points. Full score.

That brought Lily's total to forty-eight, giving her a strong chance of entering the outer court with only two trials left.

Now, only Violetta remained.

Before she stepped forward, Ray leaned close and whispered a few words into her ear.

Her eyes widened. "Really? Like that?"

Ray nodded with a small, knowing smile. "Just try it. It's your turn."

"Okay." She took a deep breath and nodded.

Among the four, Violetta was unquestionably the weakest in direct combat. In team battles, her control and support were invaluable, but one-on-one fights were her greatest weakness.

To compensate, she had always trained to push her strengths as far as possible, even more so than her brother.

That was exactly why Ray's cultivation plan for her focused entirely on amplifying what she already excelled at.

Whether it was day or night, this trial was unfavorable for her anyway.

Still, once she stepped into the arena, her nerves settled. Years of fighting alongside her teammates had taught her how to steady her emotions. Beneath her gentle exterior, she carried a surprisingly sly streak that matched her captain's.

Her opponent was the muscular student number six.

"Begin," Giselle announced.

Two yellow soul rings rose around Violetta, making her look fragile and outmatched. She wobbled slightly as something appeared in her hands.

Student number six released his own soul rings, but when he saw her almost lose her balance, he hesitated.

The sight of the small, delicate girl facing him was disarming.

Violetta held her ice staff in one hand, but in the other was a jet-black hammer. From a distance, it was hard to see clearly, but its sheer weight was obvious, forcing her to lean on her staff for support.

What is that? A soul device? But those are forbidden.

Giselle narrowed her eyes but said nothing. There was no trace of soul fluctuations coming from the hammer. It was not a soul device.

Violetta's first soul ring lit up, and a large ice wheel formed in front of her, nearly half a meter wide. With clumsy-looking movements, she strapped the heavy hammer onto it.

The ice wheel floated up, swaying dangerously under the added weight.

Like a kitten struggling with a massive toy, Violetta raised her staff and aimed the bizarre contraption at her opponent.

The crowd stared in stunned silence.

What… is this supposed to be?

The wheel drifted forward like a drunken snail, wobbling so badly it looked ready to fall at any moment.

She's attacking with that?

The Central Academy students exchanged baffled looks. They had seen many strange fighting styles, but nothing quite like this.

Violetta ignored their reactions. Her second soul ring lit up, and a sharp spear of ice formed in front of her.

And only then did her real plan begin to take shape.