"What… is that?"

Cerdyne's brows furrowed as he observed the transparent dome in front of him. The spell he casted was by no means a weak one as could be inferred by the destruction it caused. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that the force it generated was advanced-level, but the ball of ice which protected his opponent didn't even show any signs of damage or melting. 

"Is that all you're capable of?"

Monzo's voice reverberated from within the ice. The mocking tone in his voice coupled with the sneer he had, made Cerdyne annoyed. No, he was infuriated. That spell should've ended everything then and there. But that dome of ice enabled Monzo to escape being charred. Allowing him to look down on Cerdyne. As he began ruminating over what he should do next, the sphere of ice grew larger, inching ever so closer to Cerdyne. As he prepared to jump away, the ice made a creaking sound as it started to move. The ice writhed loudly as the dome started to come apart, exposing the hidden Monzo out in the open. Though he was currently susceptible to all kinds of attack, Cerdyne stayed his hand as there was no telling how the ice surrounding Monzo would move. 

"At the very least, I'll admit it. Your flames are potent enough to push me to this point. But, I guess that's all there is to you."

Though reluctant, Monzo acknowledged his foe's abilities to be worthy of some degree of respect. Be that as it may, it seems that the infernal pit of anger that burned inside him was even stronger than the flames his foe demonstrated. Seeing his brother's enemy frozen, literally and metaphorically, was the only thing that could appease his fiery lust for revenge. In time, the writhing ice finally completed itself. A towering caricature of a serpent, made purely from ice, eyed its master's prey.

"Your foolish life ends here." 

With a flick of his wrist, the serpent charged from above, attempting to swallow its target whole. 

"Tch!"

Cerdyne narrowly avoided the giant slithering mass of ice that broke both the stage and itself due to the force of its own impact. As the serpent began to re-form itself, Cerdyne glared at the hulking monster that would pursue him again in but a few seconds. 

"You really want to die huh..? Fine then."

**

Inside the barrier, the four professors stood beside one another, observing the ongoing construction of Monzo’s ice serpent. 

“Well, color me surprised. It seems his competitor was far stronger than he anticipated, hm?”

One of the professors; a bespectacled young man, spoke. He brought one of his hands from behind to his face, shifting his wire-framed eyeglasses upwards.

“What makes you say that, Professor Enfrel?”

Beside him, Sillia turned her sharp gaze towards the young professor. Seeing him smile as they watched two students fight to the death irked her. 

“As Class A’s advisor, it is only natural that I know all of my students, especially their capabilities. That, right there, is one of his most powerful spells.”

Enfrel’s voice was tinged with pride as he spoke. However, now wasn’t the time to be admiring his student’s progress. 

“Now that the serpent has come to play, I do believe it’s about time we conclude this match. After all, I don't believe light magic can heal traumas.”

“I see. Then I shall trust professor Enfrel’s judgment as he seems to know his students best.”

Professor Harklaive gripped his staff as he slowly advanced towards the students with the other professors following closely behind. 

“Oh, we have to hurry!”

Professor Enfrel broke into a run upon noticing that a curious phenomenon had occurred. The ice serpent roared and grew larger than ever.  Monzo seemed to have caught sight of them as he frantically waved the faint blue magic circles on his hands. In accordance to his will, the ice serpent charged at an even faster speed from before, despite having visibly grown bigger. 

“I HAVE YOU NOW!!!”

Perhaps due to its newfound speed, Cerdyne finally fell prey to the relentless ice serpent. The serpent coiled upon itself as it sought to entrap its victim in an icy tomb. By the time the professors had arrived, the serpent had completely coiled on itself. The ice was far too dense that even if one tried, they could never see what lay inside.

“Cease this at once, Abnus!”

“He deserves this! You can’t st--”

“It wasn’t a request, boy.”

A myriad of vines extended from Professor Harklaive’s staff, restraining Monzo’s hands first, and then his entire body. Immediately, Professors Sillia and Ageius approached the gigantic coil to locate the student and determine his condition.

“We can’t see anything. Help me destroy this!”

“No!”

With his remaining strength, Monzo managed to summon a small spell circle on his left hand, sending three shards of ice towards Sillia. However, Sillia noticed his desperate stunt and broke all three with one swing of her metal staff. In response, the vines on his body tightened even further, constricting his blood vessels and robbing him of motion.

So close. He was so close to avenging his brother. If it weren’t for these meddling professors, he would’ve been able to kill the bastard who inflicted such hideous burns on his brother’s body. Monzo’s mind drowned in anger and despair. Why? Why couldn’t they understand? He wasn’t the villain here. That bastard was the one who hurt people. He was the one who nearly burnt down a building. And yet, why is everyone protecting him? His grief over justice being taken from him at the very last second was expressed by the stream of tears which ran down his cheeks and by how hard he was gritting his teeth.

“What a terrible expression…”

Professor Harklaive couldn’t help but utter such words as he restrained the rampaging youth. In his life, he had seen many men make such faces before, but never one as young as the boy in front of him. To be so consumed by rage at an early age inevitably alarmed the old man. 

Beside them, the two professors had finished constructing their respective spell circles and were about to unleash them, when something suddenly appeared inside the ice. At first it was small, like a pinpoint of light. Then it gradually grew bigger and brighter. Brighter and brighter. 

*shunk!*

A bright, orange object resembling the tip of a sword, burst from atop the coil. In one swift motion, the fiery manifestation swung down towards Monzo’s direction. Professor Harklaive immediately pulled his staff over to the side, along with the boy. The strange orange light cleaved not only the stage, but also the ground. From inside the melting coil, a figure emerged, holding the aforementioned light.

“Is that all?”

Cerdyne took small steps as he eyed everyone below. As if to mock all of Monzo’s efforts, he didn't even show any signs of damage or hypothermia, even though he was trapped in an absurd amount of ice seconds ago. Upon closer inspection, his hand wasn’t touching the blade. It merely hovered near him as his hand acted as a guide towards which direction he wished to point the flaming sword at. Cerdyne slowly moved towards the professors, towards Monzo, aiming to finish him off.

“Enough.”

Professor Sillia calmly blocked his way. 

“You’ve both done enough damage as it is. Any more and we will be forced to bring you down.”

Beside her, Professor Ageius’ hands emitted a faint silver light. If any of his movements seemed dangerous, it would trigger an assault of epic proportions raining down on him. Even with such a threat looming just a few feet ahead, Cerdyne simply frowned in displeasure.

“Don’t make me laugh. He started this. I’m just finishing it.”

“We understand what you’re saying. But the one to decide what happens now is not you. Let us handle this. Return to the waiting room, now.”

Sillia glared at Cerdyne, but he refused to budge. The other professors cautiously observed the two, ready to jump in if things go awry. The standstill lasted no more than a few seconds in time. But to those involved, it felt much longer than it did. Contrary to their expectations, however, the flaming sword gradually weakened and vanished like a puff of smoke. Cerdyne reluctantly turned back and started walking to the waiting room. Sillia then nodded at her colleagues as they brought Monzo with them, quietly exiting the stage as if nothing happened.