Cecilia gave everyone individual feedback—even the second years.
Of course, most of the first years had lost without being able to show much.
But even then, Cecilia had something to offer, whether it was a better stance or advice on choosing more effective opening abilities.
Everyone listened closely, even when she was talking to someone else. She was one of the highest-level mages in Ostines, after all.
Her words were as good as gold.
When it was Hei's turn, she made it clear that she knew he had held back. She told him to treat every opponent as a chance to learn—even the weaker ones.
The second prince, Antoine, got an earful for acting too hastily. If his opponent's spirits had been explosive types, he could've ended up injured too.
Of course, the academy didn't encourage summoners to sacrifice their spirits—but ultimately, that decision was theirs.
Even so, she told him he should have at least checked for other options. What he did wasn't wrong, but in a real battle, wasting more energy than necessary was dangerous.
If the enemy had suddenly gotten backup, he would've been at a disadvantage.
Instead of rushing to kill the spirits, he could've tested the situation first.
Last came Seila.
Her advice was simple. "You need to increase your mana reserves. But you stayed calm under pressure. That was good."
That alone was the greatest gift Seila could've asked for.
Her hero had praised her. And more than that, Cecilia's feedback wasn't even about her tactics.
It was about Seila herself—about her future training.
Which meant she had fought well.
"Now, please line up for the final match of the day."
Everyone held their breath. This was the moment they had been waiting for—the match between her and Colt.
With a flick of her wrist, Cecilia restored the arena floor that had been ruined during Seila's fight. Then, she stepped up with Colt.
"This match isn't for show," she said. "It's for me to give you pointers. I'm not here to bully you.
So don't worry about injuries—come at me with everything you've got. I'll even give you two advantages.
First, you win if you manage to land a direct hit on me. And second, I won't use a staff."
That last part was a massive handicap.
For a mage, a staff was one of the most essential tools in battle.
In Arte, mana couldn't be used directly. The world's magic systems weren't developed enough for that. Staves existed to bridge that gap.
As mages grew stronger, their ability to control mana improved—but even the headmaster still needed a staff to cast effectively.
Even the best staves only allowed a mage to channel about half their true power.
What no one knew was that this had nothing to do with the level.
Colt had achieved full mana control—Mana Manipulation—before he even reached level 250.
Granted, that was in the future. But even then, barely anyone in Arte had reached that stage.
He didn't need a staff at all. He only carried one for show, to keep others from realizing what he truly was.
Now, Colt stepped into the arena.
And the match began.
Colt opened with a simple light spell. It was a strong choice for an opening move, and it caught everyone off guard.
Few people had ever had an element outside the standard attributes. Even Cecilia hadn't expected it.
For a moment, Colt succeeded in his plan. The flash of light caught her unprepared. She was blinded.
But of course, it wouldn't be that easy.
Cecilia cast the same detection spell Seila had tried earlier, but hers was instant.
Even without her sight, she could still sense everything around her.
Since Cecilia was the stronger one, she didn't attack right away. Instead, she gave Colt more chances to act.
Colt took them.
He began casting fireballs and waterballs—basic spells that could be cast instantly. Nothing fancy, but that was the point.
He could throw them in rapid succession.
Using stronger spells wasn't part of the plan. His goal wasn't to win. It was to get confirmation from Cecilia.
If he tried to drag the match into a war of endurance, his level 66 mana reserves would never last against someone at level 199.
There was another reason he chose this approach.
By sending so many projectiles—fire and water from different directions—Cecilia's brain had to register them all.
It was a serious cognitive load.
Of course, at her level, that wasn't enough to put her in real danger.
But it was still smart thinking, or it would seem like one in Cecilia's mind.
Cecilia didn't even bother countering them with spells. She simply used her bare hands.
And every time one of Colt's spells touched her, it disintegrated on contact.
Seeing that, Colt moved on to his next "trump card."
It wasn't truly advanced for him—but it would seem like a powerful gambit to everyone else.
He cast a Spear of Light.
The spell was hidden among the barrage of fire and waterballs. It would look like he was trying to slip one through unnoticed.
This time, Cecilia didn't meet the spell with her bare hands.
Instead, a black orb formed in her palm, dense and fluid.
It absorbed the spear of light entirely.
The audience was already stunned just by the Spear of Light. Light and darkness were notoriously hard to shape into solid forms.
Creating a weapon from light was a high-level feat in itself.
But what shocked them more was Cecilia's response.
Light normally held the advantage over darkness.
Yet her dark spell had consumed it—completely and effortlessly.
Colt wasn't surprised.
He already knew she had the dark attribute. That was exactly why he chose light in the first place.
But he still hadn't helped her. Not yet.
While thinking it over, an idea sparked.
He began casting a three-second spell. He knew Cecilia would allow it—and she did. By now, her blindness had already faded.
After three seconds, flames erupted across the arena, cloaking the space in a blaze that blocked her sight once again.
Not that it mattered. Her other senses were still sharp.
Colt, in the meantime, seemed to close the distance. At least, that's what it looked like.
After all, he'd fought up close against Kael. So to the audience, it made perfect sense—Colt was a different kind of battle mage.
Of course, they were wrong. This was just easier for Colt now.
He charged straight toward her, full speed.
In less than a second, he was standing right in front of her.
Did he really think the blaze would keep me from sensing him? Cecilia narrowed her focus.
She could clearly feel his presence coming head-on.
So instead of casting a spell, she threw a punch.
At her level—199—a direct hit would overwhelm any 66-level mage, no matter how strengthened the punch was.
This would be the end of the match.
Her fist landed—except, it didn't.
The Colt in front of her dissolved. Not into blood or bone, but into flame.
It had never been him. Just fire, shaped like him.
Then she felt it.
An ominous flicker behind her.
Her senses snapped to it—Colt, his hands glowing with light magic, was right behind her, ready to strike.
She reacted instantly, cloaking her back in darkness just as the hit landed.
"Agh!"