Leomaris’s POV:

He adjusted the red band holding his hair back and leaned into his seat. This was meant to be an examination, but he wasn’t sure what it was anymore.

People were tuning in more than usual. For a first-year cadets’ examination, they were too keen for his liking.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was the reason they’d all shown up. This was the only time most of them would get to see the so-called Apostle of Death in action, after all.

This went beyond academics. It bordered on something religious, what with the Apostle of Death being tied to the Firstlight Goddess.

But none of that was Leomaris’s concern, not really. He knew he could at least use the Mercy of Death sword arts to give the crowd their money’s worth. That was easy enough.

His eyes moved slowly up toward the opposite stands, settling on the reserved spot for the instructors.

Among them was one of the third-year instructors. Long dark hair across his shoulders, piercing blue eyes, and his attire hanging open just enough to show the tattoos that crept from his chest all the way up to his neckline.

Leomaris sneered.

It’d been more than an hour since the dueling kicked off, and yet this man hadn’t once looked away from Leomaris. Completely devoid of emotion, which somehow only made things worse.

’It is definitely because of my unholy presence or the curse. According to Rosay, he has connections to the Spire Magic Tower. This means his faith in the Goddess is unwavering. Hm... it could even be both.’

He’d heard a fair bit about Instructor Moon, but this was the first time they’d come face to face. He was ruthless and had a habit of chucking his cadets into difficult situations, dead set on the idea that it would help them grow.

’Rosay also has suspicions that he may be behind the attempts to bring her down... perhaps even to kill her. This puts me in a dire situation. If only...’

A few days ago, Leomaris had finished his solution, the Ascension Orb, which would seal his personality synchronization and finally make him a Sorcerer. But before he could absorb it, he’d bottled it.

Consuming it prematurely would turn him into a black mage and eventually kill him, which had made him cautious. As a result, he’d decided to use these few days to make certain his personality was completely in sync with his entity’s and put any remaining doubts to bed.

But the last thing he’d expected was Instructor Moon turning up.

He exhaled.

’He may not be an Archmage, but he is a seasoned Sorcerer. Even with my attempts to conceal the unholy presence, he is strong enough to see through it. The curse from the Goddess is not yet complete, but I believe he can feel it as well.’

He massaged his temples as the thoughts set his head throbbing. If he’d been a Sorcerer, the advancement from the Abyssal Cube he’d consumed would have let him mask the curse and his unholy presence to the point where Instructor Moon couldn’t have sussed it out so easily.

’But I didn’t...’

He leaned back in his seat the moment the duel concluded. The officiator climbed onto the field, adjusting his glasses, grinning like someone who was well and truly enjoying himself.

"With only eight students remaining, we will now proceed to the quarterfinals. Following this, there will be a one-hour break, and we will conclude today’s examination with the semifinals and finally the finals."

Leomaris’s attention was caught between Instructor Moon’s piercing gaze and the creeping anticipation of who his next opponent would be.

"We will now begin the show with a duel between Calamity Warner Black Nova, first-class cadet, and Calamity Leomaris Runerth, first-class cadet."

Warner was seated a few seats away from Leomaris, and with a gentle bow in his direction, he was first up, making his way onto the field without hesitation.

Reluctantly, Leomaris finally joined him, all too aware of Instructor Moon’s gaze bearing down on him. He was hesitant about this duel, he’d been hesitant about the lot of them, if he was being honest.

Many had forfeited, but he couldn’t follow suit. If he performed well, Instructor Moon would more than likely pull him aside as his trainee, which would land him in far more dangerous situations.

Not only would the curse make Instructor Moon loathe him, but if Moon really was the one after his older sister, Leomaris would become a target either way.

Despite knowing his predicament, forfeiting simply wasn’t on the cards. Most people were watching to see what the Apostle of Death was made of, forfeiting would be a right disgrace to his name.

More importantly, he was using these duels to work out how far his personality synchronization had come. Was he mysterious enough?

Once he took his position, he watched Warner summon his fallen beast. It had a single jagged horn and wore armor and looked almost human: the red hair, jagged canines, and faint reddish tint to its skin were the only things that said otherwise.

This was Ravager. Leomaris was well informed about its abilities from the novel, but at his current rank of Magician, Warner couldn’t utilize Ravager’s abilities to their full potential.

’Ravager only has three attacks: gravity, black bullets, and dimensional imprisonment. I doubt Warner will use dimensional imprisonment. I just need one decisive attack on Ravager.’

When the officiator called the duel underway, his eyes narrowed slightly as he focused in on what attack Ravager would open with. Black bullets or gravity?

’Every attack that lands on Ravager is automatically transferred to Warner. I only need to end this with a single strike. I must avoid anything flashy if I don’t want Instructor Moon to notice me.’

—

Far up in the stands was Ace Alicia Silverbird. Long dark hair, violet eyes, and a curvy figure that made itself known even as she sat at ease. She was dressed in a blue gown and wore the confident look of a woman who didn’t rattle easily.

To her left sat a short blonde in her cadet uniform, eyes moving between the fight on the field and the odd interest Alicia was taking in the duel.

"I was expecting you to be a little disappointed. Leomaris isn’t fighting seriously," the blonde lady said.

Alicia shrugged her shoulders. "I’ve realised something important today. Leomaris is a major concern, but he is not the only one I must be wary of."

She gestured down toward the field, specifically toward the relentless black bullets Warner’s fallen beast kept firing Leomaris’s way.

"That boy has only used two attacks throughout this entire time: gravity and those black bullets. Do you know what those black bullets are made of? Darkness. What is more impressive is that, despite the simplicity of his attacks, they are not easy to avoid, and they appear to be endless."

The blonde turned her attention back to the duel. What Alicia was saying wasn’t wrong. She could wield darkness herself, so she knew full well what it was capable of. But Leomaris still wasn’t taking the duel seriously. He was simply avoiding them, as though biding his time.

"I think Leomaris’s is more impressive. If he’s avoiding these attacks while not being serious... wouldn’t that make him the bigger threat?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Leomaris made his move. He charged in as though he couldn’t give two hoots about his own safety.

After evading a few more attacks, he leapt into the air and delivered a powerful kick to the fallen beast’s jaw, sending Warner and the beast crashing to the ground.

Alicia let out a sigh.

"I know Leomaris is the biggest threat among them, but Warner must be considered a threat as well. In fact, the entire five Calamities, including the Raine girl."

Alicia’s attention shifted toward Instructor Moon. "Have you seen Instructor Moon’s creature before? It mirrors Warner’s beast, and ironically, they both wield gravity. If Warner learns to develop the same chemistry with his beast that Instructor Moon has, no first-year cadet will be able to match him."

A smile crossed Alicia’s face as the last word left her. The next duel was between Lucius Cutler and Marie Marven. They watched with the same enthusiasm, focused mainly on who could realistically threaten Alicia’s reputation at the academy.

Even when the quarterfinals wrapped up, they spent the whole hour chatting away and dissecting everything they’d witnessed.

When the officiator stepped up to the stage to begin the semifinal, Alicia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she leaned forward and gave it her full attention.

"The moment you’ve all been waiting for — the semifinals! Four of the most promising first-year cadets remain. Do not forget, this is an examination, not mere entertainment! While you laugh at their failures, remember — they are not only facing humiliation, they are losing grading points!"

The officiator let the words linger for a moment.

"The first round of the semifinals... Raine St. Claire, first-class cadet, versus Calamity Charlotte Greenwood, first-class cadet!"

Alicia giggled.