Magus Supremacy

While Jay battled it out with Lyra, the entire coliseum was thrown into a frenzy. Spectators couldn't decide where to look as chaos erupted across the battlefield, a stark contrast to the more organized showdown seen during Team B's match.

High-level spells exploded like fireworks, bodies flickered across the arena with supernatural speed, sharp banter echoed through the air, and unexpected twists unfolded in every corner.

The intensity made it almost impossible for the audience to focus on any single duel.

One of the most unpredictable and ferocious clashes was between Scarlet and Dante.

The fire princess was currently being hounded by Dante's creation magic—menacing killer bots that swarmed her, unleashing a relentless barrage of razor-sharp metal shards.

"Enough with these junkyard toys! Let's fight man to man!" Scarlet shouted, ducking just in time as a shard sliced through the air, narrowly missing her skull.

"You mean man to woman?!" Dante shot back with a laugh, clutching his stomach. "You know why you beat me during that assessment? It wasn't skill—it was that cheap little trick of yours. And don't forget, I was restricted in the amount of power I could use."

"Shut your damn mouth!" Scarlet roared, spinning around with fire coiling up her arms. She hurled twin streams of blazing heat that melted a cluster of incoming shards mid-air. "You lost because you were too dense to see a trick that was right in your face."

"How dare you call me dense?!" Dante snapped. In response, his killer bots surged forward, their firing rate doubling. A shard grazed Scarlet's cheek, carving a thin line that bled crimson.

More shards followed, but Scarlet twisted, ducked, and leapt with fierce determination, her breathing ragged as she continued evading the deadly storm.

"I called you dense because that's exactly what you are," she snarled between pants.

Another torrent of flame surged from her palms, melting a second barrage into molten puddles mid-air. Then, with explosive momentum, she lunged forward at one of the bots.

'Destroying the ammo is useless. I need to take out the source,' she thought.

Her fire-wreathed fist smashed through the bot's metallic shell with a thunderous bang. Without missing a beat, she spun mid-air, her leg blazing as it kicked into another bot, vaporizing its head in an instant.

She landed with a grunt, two remaining bots still locked onto her with unrelenting aggression. Though reduced in number, their coordinated assault was no less lethal.

"You know what?" Dante grinned as he snapped his fingers.

A brief pulse of magic surged through the air—and the remaining metal bots self-destructed with small concussive bursts, shrapnel scattering across the field.

Dave now stood alone, hands casually tucked into his pockets like he hadn't just been orchestrating a storm of death.

Scarlet stood her ground, panting. Flames still danced along her arms from elbow to fingertips, casting an ethereal glow around her.

"It'll be so much more satisfying tearing you apart myself!" Dante roared, launching forward.

A sleek, glimmering metal sword materialized in his hand, catching the light as he swung it with deadly precision.

Scarlet met him head-on, her flaming fist crashing against the blade. The impact rang through the coliseum with a metallic clang, and the ground beneath them cracked, loose pebbles flying from the sheer force.

Their eyes locked in fierce defiance.

"Burn in hell!" Scarlet yelled, conjuring two massive fireballs that streaked toward Dante like twin suns.

Dante leapt backward, raising a towering metal barrier that erupted from the ground just in time. The fireballs slammed into it, exploding with intense heat that scorched the earth around the wall.

Without hesitation, he spun mid-air and kicked the metal slab, propelling it forward like a missile.

Scarlet's eyes widened. She tried to evade, but the wall struck her with bone-crushing force, hurling her across the battlefield like a ragdoll.

Her body slammed into the coliseum's protective barrier with brutal impact. Though the shield remained unbroken, Scarlet dropped to the ground, face-first. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she hit the ground with a painful thud.

In the viewing booth, Lucian's brows furrowed.

"Amir, didn't you teach your son how to treat a woman?"

"You think I didn't?" Amir snapped, fists clenched. "Dave stopped listening to me a long time ago. He's beyond reasoning."

"Because what I just saw… that was damn near brutal. Not how you treat a beauty like that," Lucian chuckled.

"Pervert." Amir scowled. "I just hope he doesn't go too far. The Trevor family won't take it lightly if something bad happens to their only daughter."

"Yeah… dealing with their tantrums would be a nightmare," Lucian muttered, shaking his head.

"Kuh!" Scarlet coughed harshly as she stirred, pain screaming through her limbs. Just as she tried to rise, a cruel hand yanked her back by the hair.

She was lifted off the ground, her vision blurring as her eyes met Dante's twisted smile. His grip tightened, pulling her head back mercilessly.

"Look at you. Pathetic. Weak," he sneered. "What have you even done in this tournament? You didn't scratch me. You got thrashed. And what's worse? Even my useless brother managed to dominate his match."

He leaned in, his voice turning venomous. "You know what I hate more than peasants and weaklings? Useless nobles. Ones like you—overshadowed by the very people you think you're better than."

His voice boomed, and the coliseum fell silent, the crowd watching with bated breath.

"Before this even started, I knew all of you would lose. None of you are worth my time. The only person here who is... isn't even fighting. But I hope he's watching."

With a flick of his wrist, a gleaming metal sword appeared in his free hand, its tip now resting at Scarlet's throat.

'Let's see what he does now...' Dante thought darkly. 'The last time, he jumped in to save you. Will he show up again?'

In the booth, Amir's heart pounded.

"What are you doing, Dave?" he whispered, eyes filled with dread as he gripped the armrest tightly.

But then…

"Do you think I need saving?" Scarlet asked, her lips curling into a bloodied but defiant smile. "I'm not some damsel in distress. I'm a mage. A powerful one. From the House of Trevor."

She leaned forward, eyes burning with pride.

"And… I'm sorry to say this—but you've fallen for my trick. Again."

Dante's expression twisted as he turned—

—and was greeted by the sight of a blazing fire dragon soaring toward him.

Before he could react, a stream of searing flame erupted from the beast's mouth, racing toward him like divine retribution.

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{A/N}

I hope you all are enjoying the book so far? Please let me hear your thoughts so I will know what is working and what isn't even though I have basically written the tournament arc already 😅