Chapter 491: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: A Flower of Burn and the Young Lord of Ash

As Selena’s hand came down with the open fan, the large wind flower brightened.

The emerald-green light that had been gathered within the Wind Alchemy suddenly became much stronger, spreading through the petals of the blooming wind formation until the entire fight platform was illuminated by its glow.

For a moment, the yellow light of Stella’s Mass Alchemy and the emerald-green light of Selena’s Wind Alchemy covered the battlefield together.

Then the balance changed.

Stella could feel the sudden force pushing against the large light blade she was controlling.

Her hand was almost forced backward.

The pressure traveled through her arm and into her shoulder, making her entire body tense as she tried to keep the Light Alchemy under control.

Her boots scraped against the stone.

She was pushed slightly backward.

Stella’s eyes widened.

She immediately fed more Cognis into her body, trying to resist the force coming from the large wind flower.

But the pressure didn’t decrease.

Instead, it continued building.

The large wind flower trembled.

The petals made from compressed wind began to shake around Stella’s light blade.

Then...

BOOM!!!

The wind flower burst.

A massive gust of violent wind exploded outward from the broken formation.

The sound struck the entire Arena at once.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Stella screamed as the sudden force slammed into her.

Her right hand was thrown backward.

Her body followed.

Her feet lost their firm position against the stone as the violent wind pushed only toward her side, sending her away from the battlefield.

The large light blade she had been controlling was ripped from her control.

It flew away from the stage.

The enormous yellow blade struck the force field surrounding the fight platform.

BOOM!

The force field shook slightly.

Ripples spread across its surface where the attack collided with it.

But nothing else happened.

The barrier held.

It had been built to protect the spectators from exactly this kind of attack, and even Stella’s Mass Alchemy couldn’t damage it from the inside.

On the platform, however, the situation was very different.

Almost half of the fight platform disappeared beneath a violent gust of wind.

Snow that had gathered around the Arena was lifted from the ground and thrown through the air.

Broken pieces of stone spun through the wind, moving alongside the snow as the remains of the damaged platform were carried away from the center.

The battlefield became difficult to see.

The crowd could only make out vague shapes through the white snow and emerald-green light.

Selena stood on the remaining section of the platform.

She calmly raised the fan toward her mouth, hiding the lower part of her face.

Her breathing was heavier than before.

She had pushed herself as well.

The fight had already consumed a large amount of her Cognis, and maintaining several layers of Wind Alchemy while fighting Stella had placed a heavy burden on her body.

But even while panting, Selena kept her elegant expression.

Her emerald eyes remained fixed on the area where her Wind Alchemy had exploded.

She didn’t celebrate.

She didn’t lower her guard.

She simply waited.

Everyone else did the same.

The crowd became strangely quiet.

Even the people who had been shouting only moments earlier stopped talking as they tried to see through the wind and snow.

Patrick stood from his position while still holding the table microphone.

His eyes remained fixed on the fight platform.

Anticipation was clear in his expression.

Nobody knew what had happened to Stella.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Stella’s coughing echoed through the battlefield.

The sound immediately caused many of her fans to look toward the ruined half of the platform.

Hope returned to their faces.

"She’s still fine!"

"I heard Princess Stella!"

"She’s still fighting!"

Several voices rose from the stands.

But when the wind finally began to clear, that hope slowly disappeared.

The snow settled.

The loose stones dropped.

The emerald-green glow faded.

The battlefield became visible again.

And the reason for the silence became clear.

Half of the stage had been completely destroyed.

Large pieces of stone had been broken apart and scattered across the remaining platform.

The ground was covered with cracks.

But that wasn’t the only thing that made Stella’s supporters lose hope.

Stella stood up.

She calmly dusted her training clothes, brushing away the pieces of stone and snow that had landed on her.

A thin line of blood had escaped from the corner of her mouth.

Another trace of blood ran from her nose.

She wiped both away with the back of her hand.

Her expression remained controlled.

Then she looked down.

Her golden eyes slowly widened.

She was no longer standing on the fight platform.

Her boots were planted on the ground outside the designated battlefield.

"Tsk."

Stella tightened her hands.

Her fingers curled into fists.

She stared at the broken stage for several seconds.

She understood what had happened.

She hadn’t been defeated because her Cognis had run out.

She hadn’t been knocked unconscious.

She had simply been blown beyond the boundary.

And in the Combat Festival, that was enough.

In the audience stands, people began pointing toward Stella.

"Princess Stella is out of the fight platform."

A Royal Academy First-year student who is a close fan of Selena pointed toward her.

"That’s true."

"Oh, my scholars, she’s really out of the platform."

"Wait, what does that mean?"

More voices rose from the Arena.

People who hadn’t immediately understood began looking toward those around them.

"It means the Princess loses."

"That means Lady Selena Galehart wins."

"Lady Selena Galehart!!!"

The name spread through the Arena.

Then more people joined.

"LADY SELENA GALEHART!"

"LADY SELENA!"

"THE FLOWER OF GALEHART!"

The cheers grew louder with every second.

Patrick also saw Stella standing outside the fight platform.

There was no doubt about it.

She wasn’t even standing on the part of the platform that had been broken.

She had been sent completely outside the designated battlefield.

The sudden burst of Selena’s Wind Alchemy had thrown her that far.

Patrick raised the table microphone.

"Winner!!"

His voice echoed loudly through the Arena.

"Lady Selena Galehart!!"

The announcement immediately triggered another wave of cheers.

The people seated in the Galehart section stood and celebrated.

Some waved Galehart banners.

Others clapped above their heads.

Several younger students shouted Selena’s name repeatedly, while some of the older Nobles simply smiled and nodded at the result.

In the High-Power seating section of Britannia...

The Duchess of Galehart, Selena’s mother, calmly clapped her hands.

A pleased smile appeared on her face.

She didn’t need to say anything.

Her daughter had won.

Back on the fight platform...

Selena gave the crowd a graceful wave while still covering the lower part of her face with her hand-fan.

She was still hiding her heavy breathing.

Her steps were controlled as she began walking away from the battlefield.

The moment she left the stage, the medic staff and Craft-Based Academy staff moved in.

The medics separated into groups.

Some immediately went toward Stella.

The Princess still looked faintly devastated by the way she had lost.

She had fought with the intention of proving that she deserved to stand among the Flowers.

Instead, she had lost because of the very battlefield she had been trying to control.

Other medics moved toward Selena.

They checked her condition while escorting her away from the stage, examining the internal strain and external injuries she had suffered from pushing herself this far.

Selena continued walking calmly while they worked.

Her posture remained elegant even though her body was already feeling the effects of the battle.

The match had ended.

But Stella was still thinking about what had happened.

She looked toward the ruined platform.

Her mind returned to the large wind lance she had believed Selena created.

Only now did she understand the mistake.

Selena had made Stella believe that her Mass Alchemy was a Wind Lance.

But it had never been a simple lance.

The Mass Alchemy was actually a closed wind flower.

Its petals had been compressed together in such a way that, from Stella’s position, the entire formation appeared to be a large lance.

Stella had only been able to see its attacking side.

She hadn’t considered what existed behind that apparent weapon.

Now she understood.

That was why the Wind Alchemy attack had only looked like a weapon from the front.

Why did I assume it was a Wind Lance?

Stella asked herself silently.

Her teeth pressed together slightly.

Because of that mistake in her assumption, she had allowed herself to be dragged into a direct standoff.

She had believed her Light Alchemy was clashing against Selena’s Wind Lance.

She had expected the stronger attack to eventually break through.

Instead, Selena had been waiting.

The moment Stella had fully committed herself to the clash, Selena had changed the execution of her Mass Alchemy.

And that second execution had been stronger than Stella expected.

The wind had not only broken apart the platform.

It had struck Stella’s body with enough force to send her outside the boundary.

Stella had managed to protect herself by passing the remaining Cognis through her body and hardening her skin.

That was all she could do.

The force was simply too great.

She had still been thrown from the platform.

Stella left the area with the medics, her expression still frustrated by the loss.

She had wanted to prove something.

Instead, she had given Selena another victory.

The repair of the stage took longer than usual.

Selena had destroyed nearly half of the platform, leaving the Craft-Based Academy staff with much more work than they normally had between matches.

Workers moved across the battlefield carrying tools and materials.

Some replaced broken stone sections.

Others checked the damaged parts of the platform while the force field remained active.

As they worked, the Holographic Screens displayed some of the best moments from Selena’s fight against Stella.

The footage was slowed down.

The audience could finally see what had happened during the attacks that had moved too quickly for many of them to understand.

The formation of the wind flower.

The moment the light blade entered it.

The opening of the compressed wind.

And the explosion that sent Stella away.

The crowd continued discussing the fight while watching the replay.

Some argued that Stella had made a mistake.

Others praised Selena’s control.

A few students were still trying to understand how Selena had hidden the true shape of her Mass Alchemy until the final moment.

Long minutes passed before the stage was repaired and returned to a condition suitable for another battle.

Patrick eventually returned to his position.

He raised his table microphone.

"Welcoming the next fighters!!"

His voice echoed across the Arena.

"The Young Lord of Ashenlocke!!!"

The moment Patrick called Veda’s name, the audience erupted.

"YOUNG LORD OF ASH!"

"My Idol!!"

"The Young Lord of Ash!!"

"You got this, Young Lord of Ashenlocke!!"

The cheers continued from different sections of the Arena.

Veda walked out calmly.

He raised one hand and waved toward the audience while wearing a warm smile.

His pace was steady as he made his way toward the stage.

He didn’t appear nervous.

If anything, he looked pleased that it was his turn to fight.

Patrick waited until Veda reached the battlefield.

Then he raised his voice again.

"Vs. Lady Sasha Burnwick!!!"

The response was loud as expected.

"Lady Sasha Burnwick!!!"

"Beat him!!!!"

"You can do it!!"

"Lady Sasha Burnwick!!"

The voices supporting Sasha slightly stood above those cheering for Veda.

Sasha appeared from the other side.

She waved to the crowd before calmly walking toward the stage.

The cheers followed her all the way.

When the two finally stood facing each other, Veda looked at Sasha for a moment.

"I didn’t think a day would come where I would get to fight you, Sasha."

Veda spoke calmly.

Sasha looked at him.

Her expression didn’t change.

"I didn’t even think you could make it into the Royal Academy, not even talk of becoming the Young Lord of Ash."

Her words were direct.

Then a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

"Honestly, how did you do it?"

"Do what?"

Veda tilted his head slightly.

He genuinely looked confused.

Sasha stared at him for another moment.

"Like how you beat that monster sister of yours."

She leaned closer and lowered her voice so that only Veda could hear her.

"I mean, you were just..."

Sasha straightened her back.

Her eyes moved over Veda.

She remembered what he had looked like the last time she had seen him before he went to train with his master and went through the Trial of Steel.

Back then, Veda had been scrawny looking.

His body hadn’t yet developed into the strong frame he possessed now.

But the person standing in front of her had changed.

The Young Lord of Ashenlocke now looked more mature and stronger in appearance.

Especially...

Sasha looked away from Veda’s face.

How can someone get handsome from just growing some muscles?

She thought to herself.

There was a faint warmth on her face.

Veda scratched the back of his head.

He looked confused about why Sasha had suddenly turned her face away from him.

Before he could ask, Patrick’s voice echoed across the Arena.

"Let the Countdown begin!!"

The four Holographic Screens displayed the countdown.

The numbers appeared above the stage where every spectator could see them.

The crowd began shouting together.

"THREE!!!"

Sasha cleared her throat.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

She tried to calm down the faint embarrassment she had felt only moments earlier.

Then she closed one eye and left the other open while pointing toward Veda.

"Don’t you dare hold back, because I’m a Flower and beautiful as your sister. Go all out, or else I will bite your ear off."

She said it in an ordering tone.

Veda looked at her calmly.

"I will obey."

He placed one hand against his chest.

A warm smile remained on his face.

"Good."

Sasha smiled, clearly pleased with his answer.

"TWO!!"

The crowd shouted the second number even louder.

The atmosphere in the Arena changed.

The casual conversation between Veda and Sasha disappeared.

Both of them took their fighting stances.

Sasha lowered her body slightly while keeping her eyes on Veda.

Veda adjusted his footing.

His expression remained warm, but his attention was now completely focused on the person standing before him.

Neither moved first.

The crowd grew louder.

"One more!"

"Come on!"

"YOUNG LORD OF ASH!"

"LADY SASHA BURNWICK!"

"ONE!!"

The entire Arena shouted the final countdown number.

The four Holographic Screens displayed the same word.

BEGIN.

For a brief moment, the two fighters remained still.

Then...

"BEGIN!!!"

The crowd shouted the words together, commencing the fight.