Earth's Greatest Magus

The Academy maintained a strict stance against personal conflicts among its acolytes, advocating for the resolution of disputes through challenges within designated arenas. However, due to the lack of stringent penalties for engaging in fights, except in cases resulting in severe injury or death, meant that such skirmishes were still a common occurrence among the student body.

The arrival of the silver-haired girl served as an unexpected interruption to the brewing clash between the four Earth acolytes and the group of ten. Sensing the tension in the air, the young girl nonchalantly remarked, "Don't mind me, please continue whatever you're doing," before settling onto a nearby rock. Taking on the role of a spectator, she even produced a purplish fruit, seemingly content to enjoy the unfolding scene.

"Go ahead, you can fight now," she added.

Her unconventional behavior puzzled the burly acolyte momentarily, but upon realizing that the girl was no more than a first-year, likely ranking no higher than rank 7 acolyte, he chose to dismiss her presence and refocus his attention on the impending confrontation.

"Don't mind her, you four... See how good these cockroaches are," the burly acolyte sneered, selecting four of the white-clothed outer hall acolytes to advance towards their opponents. All four of them boasted the rank of 8 acolytes.

Titus, the eldest among the Earth four, wasted no time in unsheathing his Roman weapon, a short gladius sword, and gripping his shield firmly. Arminius swiftly followed suit, readying himself for combat. Despite the quality of their weapons, crafted from the finest Roman metals, they were met with disdainful laughter from their adversaries. "What beggars..." the opponents scoffed, before brandishing their own tier 2 weapons: swords and spears.

"Form up!" Titus barked, and Arminius promptly moved closer, aligning shoulder to shoulder with him. Meanwhile, Kingrig and Ha Ron positioned themselves to guard their rear.

"Hahaha, look at them, being so serious... Let's attack!"

Amidst their laughter, the acolytes charged forward to attack. However, both centurions showcased their skillful techniques, seamlessly blocking and parrying the onslaught from the four adversaries with precision. They moved in unison, defending against attacks from all directions--high, low, left, and right. And as soon as an opening presented itself in their opponents' defense, Ha Ron and Kingrig swiftly launched their counterattacks. Ha Ron, like a shadow, maneuvered to slash his sword from the side, while Kingrig wielded his Mayan brute axes with brute force from the front.

SPLATT!!!

The sound echoed as the attacks landed, resulting in two of the four acolytes receiving moderate wounds, their blood now staining the ground beneath them. These swift and precise maneuvers served as a stark reminder that the four Earth warriors were not to be trifled with.

"Very nice!!!" the young girl cheered, clapping enthusiastically. Even the leader of the group of 10 acolytes couldn't help but smile, acknowledging, "Not bad! Not bad at all."

With a smirk, the leader of the opposing group decided to send all of their outer hall acolytes into the fray, making it a battle of 6 against 4. The odds seemed stacked against the Earthside quartet. All six of the opponents were rank 8 acolytes, while Titus stood at rank 8, Kingrig and Arminius at rank 7, and Ha Ron at rank 6. It was an undeniably unfair matchup, yet the four Earth warriors managed to hold their ground.

Despite hailing from the lower realm, each of the four Earth acolytes was seasoned in combat. In battles within the Earth realm or even the sky realm, where they still primarily utilized low-tier spells, their prowess in physical combat and fighting skills still gave them the main advantage.

Even when the opponents began casting tier 2 and 3 spells, the quartet adeptly countered their attacks, demonstrating their tactical proficiency and resilience.

Titus summoned his ice spell to serve as their shield, while Arminius utilized his wind spell in tandem with Ha Ron's shadow manipulation to disrupt the encircling movements of their opponents using their enhanced mobility. Meanwhile, Kingrig focused his energy, channeling a potent lightning spell into his axe. With a thunderous crack, bolts of dark lightning surged forth, striking several opponents and pushing them back with force.

"Huh! Bunch of useless fools!" their leader sneered, clearly frustrated by his allies' inability to gain the upper hand. Recognizing the need for a change in strategy, the burly leader reluctantly withdrew the ineffective six and called upon three inner hall acolytes to replace them.

"Show them how it's done!" he barked, his voice carrying a mix of authority and frustration. The three new arrivals, clad in gray attire, exuded an air of confidence as they prepared to unleash more powerful spells.

One of them, a master of metal manipulation, enhanced both his arms, easily intercepting Ha Ron's powerful sword strike with his bare hand. With a swift motion, he unleashed his signature move, the [Fist of Metal], blocking Kingrig's axe and sending the Mayan warrior staggering backward, blood trickling from his lips.

Meanwhile, another acolyte unleashed a devastating ice spell known as [Icicle Shards] The potent attack shattered Titus's frozen shield, breaking through their defenses and even tearing up his Roman shields. Seizing the opportunity, the third acolyte cast [Crushing Wave], a powerful water spell that surged from multiple directions, knocking all four of them off balance and sending them crashing hard to the ground.

Earth acolytes refused to yield, their determination unyielding despite facing overwhelming odds. However, it became evident that the rank 9 inner hall acolytes possessed not only superior spells but also battle power and skill level that surpassed the capabilities of the Earth acolytes.

It was akin to facing formidable opponents like Brandt or Octavius, their senior counterparts from Earth. Within seconds, the tide of the battle turned decisively against the Earth acolytes as they found themselves overwhelmed by the relentless assault of their adversaries. It was clear that defeat was imminent.

To compound their predicament, the burly leader of the inner hall acolytes intervened, utilizing a powerful tier 4 nature spell to entangle all four Earth acolytes with thick, thorny vines. Despite their efforts to break free, the vines proved resilient, regrowing as quickly as they were torn apart and cutting into their flesh with sharp thorns, effectively restraining them and leaving them immobilized.

"Ha! Do you understand now who you're dealing with?" the burly leader taunted, his voice dripping with contempt. "Are you ready to admit defeat?"

Despite facing a humiliating defeat and being bound by the formidable nature vines, the four Earth warriors refused to show an ounce of yield. Instead, their fighting spirit burned brighter than ever before, their resolve unbroken even in the face of overwhelming adversity.

"In a few months, you will see who will be laughing," Titus declared confidently, his voice ringing with determination.

The irritated leader scoffed at their defiance. "How could these cockroaches be so arrogant? They need to learn their place," he muttered, his frustration evident. Turning to one of his subordinates, he issued a chilling command. "Cut off their arms—one each will suffice."

His men hesitated, clearly apprehensive about the consequences of such act. "But Farhan, we might face punishment for that," one of them protested.

"It doesn't matter," Farhan replied dismissively, a wicked smile curling on his lips. "I can pay all the fines. Their suffering will be worth it."

Just as they prepared to carry out the brutal order, a loud yawn broke the tension. The silver-haired girl, who had been observing the scene from a distance, finally stood up from her perch on the rock.

"Huh! This is so boring… not fun to watch at all," she remarked disdainfully, her voice filled with boredom. With an air of nonchalance, she approached the bound Earth warriors, casting a critical gaze upon them.

"I was hoping to see something interesting. Apparently, all four of you are just a disappointment,"

Farhan, the burly acolyte, turned to the girl with a mixture of irritation and curiosity. "What are you to them?! Are you going to help them then?" he asked, his tone challenging.

The girl shook her head dismissively. "No, no... I have no reason to help these morons," she replied casually, her eyes glinting with mischief. "But I don't like bullies."

With a chuckle, Farhan smirked arrogantly. "Are you sure you want to fight us? I hate to put a scratch on that pretty face," he taunted.

The girl raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a playful smile. "You think I'm pretty? Oh, thank you," she responded sarcastically and said, "Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can help make all of your faces uglier."

She heaved a sigh and added, "Alright, it's going to be the challenge then!" With that, she began to stretch and warm up her body, preparing for a fight.

Farhan, growing increasingly annoyed, wasted no time in calling one of his outer hall acolytes to attack her. However, the girl casually dodged the attack and delivered a powerful kick from an unexpected angle to the attacker's face.

BAAMM!!!

The force of her blow was so immense that it shattered the acolyte's jaw, sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious and spitting out teeth.

With a smile, she glanced around at the remaining acolytes. "Who's next?"