Extra Of The Magus Academy

"Whoa!"

"Did you see that? It's amazing!"

"I didn't know that was even possible with Spirit Arts…"

The voices amidst the crowd served as a reflection of the intense battle that was occurring on stage between the two Alumni. Their attack patterns were incomparable to that of students, revealing the true nature of fully-fledged Mages.

Not only would this ignite the flames within the hearts of all participants, it would also improve the prestige of the Akashic Magus Academy in the eyes of sponsors or high dignitaries who would most likely send their children to their Academy based on the impressive sight they witnessed.

In essence, the Magus Academy was advertising itself, and it was working.

The danger of this exhibition was that it would raise such a high bar for the audience, and once it was time for the students to fight, their battles would look boring in comparison. However, the benefits of this short presentation far outweighed its disadvantages.

"That is all from our two Mages here… and I hope you enjoyed the show."

Once the match ended, a thunderous round of applause burst out from the audience. Grown men and women could not help but acknowledge the skill and sheer power that were displayed before them. The students—especially those belonging to the Akashic Magus Academy—were particularly energetic as well.

This fight had just shown them what to look forward to in the years to come.

"Now that you've all had the appetizer, it's time to kickstart today's main event." Beatrice Lampshade smiled at the endeared audience.

A lot of them were shifting impatiently in their seats at this moment, hungry for more.

How could she disappoint?

"Today kickstarts the Exchange, and we will begin with the Preliminary Round of the Apprentice Stage students." Her voice echoed in the room. "All Apprentice Stage students, please come to the stage."
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Instantly, the concerned participants rose from their designated seats and walked to the massive stage before them. Many had serious and determined expressions, but there were a few with rather peculiar faces.

Kellion, for one, displayed sheer anger as he glared at a particular student in the crowd. Fey, one of the twins of the Orion Sage Academy, kept up the emotionless mask that was her face.

Quite a few Nirvana Gate Academy students had pompous faces as well.

In the end, it was a mix of varying energies and expressions as all forty Apprentice Stage students gathered on the stage.

"The rules are simple." Beatrice began as she faced the students. "This Preliminary Round will take the form of a battle royale, and the last 16 people on the stage will qualify for the Main Tournament that will be held two days from now."

In essence, 24 students—over half of the people standing on stage—would be booted before the real deal began.

It was a brutal method for thinning the herd, but no one was surprised.

'The first three days of the Academy Exchange are like this… just Prelims after Prelims.' Ash thought to himself as he glanced around him. 'Tomorrow will be for the Intermediate Stage, and the day after that will be for the Expert Stage.'

The rest of the day involved a lot of advertisements from the Akashic Magus Academy, including a tour for all the important guests, as well as several variety shows that served to entertain those who attended.

'It isn't until the fourth day that the Main Tournament begins in full throttle.'

However, that didn't mean any of the students could slack off during Preliminary rounds either.

'Only 16 of us will pass, and since it's a battle royale… things will get really messy.' He sighed, his wandering eyes finding their way to Seth, who just happened to be looking at him at that exact moment.

Once they locked eyes, Seth quickly looked away.

He had a complicated expression on his face, one that Ash quickly deciphered with a single glance.

'Seth probably feels guilty for saying all those mean things to his twin brother, Ashfelt, but at the same time he still wants him to quit.' A smirk played on his face. 'I wonder what expression he'll have after this round.'

Ash's smirk quickly vanished as his eyes met someone else.

'Kellion…' He noticed the burning gaze that the Asura Spirit Academy student gave him.

It wasn't good.

'He's definitely going to make me his prime target as his form of revenge.'

A sigh escaped his lips.

This was why he didn't want his identity to be revealed.

'Seth can handle this kind of pressure, but that's too much to ask of me.' He quickly took his eyes off Kellion and observed the rest of the contestants.

If he wanted to win, he somehow had to outlast 24 people; all without revealing the most important cards in his sleeve.

'And I have to do all of this while dealing with Kellion's wrath.'

It was a chore.

'Normally, I'd rely on Seth to help me mitigate the level of danger I'll be facing, but he practically wants me out of the Exchange as quickly as possible, so I most likely won't be getting any help from him.'

Ash was on his own, and he had to accept that.

'Plus, what's he doing here?' A big sigh escaped his lips as he noticed a man in a pitch black coat take his seat in a rather inconspicuous corner.

It was Raven Nightshade.

'He's watching me keenly… I wonder how much he knows now.'

There was a lot of pressure mounted on him from all directions, but all Ash could do was inhale deeply and march forward regardless of the several challenges that came his way.

"Okay, students… the battle royale begins in 10 seconds."

And so, the countdown began.

"Ten…"

Beatrice exited the stage, leaving the forty students making battle stances as they opted to create distance between themselves and their competitors.

"... Five…"

Everybody's eyes glowed a certain color and the air crackled with climbing energy waiting to be unleashed.

"... Three…"

Ash found a perfect spot for him to stay, finally removing both hands from his pockets as he slightly crouched and revealed a confident grin.

It was time for his public debut.

"... One!"