Cissel didn’t offer a dramatic speech or a display of bravado. She simply reached into her storage device and took out her two daggers.

She gave a single, curt nod. She didn’t say a word, didn’t try to buy any extra moment for psychological warfare, looking as if she had a suicidal wish to stand in the path of a siege war weapon with nothing but short blades.

"Start!"

The teacher gave the signal, and the opposing student instantly activated his cannon. It wasn’t the type of cannons John and his friends had used back at the pocket trial; it was a rapid-fire model, essentially a heavy machine gun with a significantly larger, reinforced barrel.

The barrage of attacks came like a relentless rain of deadly bullets hitting the exact spot Cissel had occupied. A cloud of dust and pulverised stage stone erupted, masking the vision of everyone in the audience.

The student didn’t let up; his face was twisted in a manic grin as he emptied the entire clip over her head, the thudding fire of the cannon shaking the very foundations of the tent.

"Hahaha! You said they were strong? She’s dead! Crushed under the weight of real power!"

The student laughed in mockery, his chest heaving with excitement. He didn’t even bother to examine the aftermath or wait for the dust to settle before turning toward Elena. He pointed a finger at her and began to jeer.

"Look behind you."

The voice wasn’t a scream; it was a cold, melodic whisper. The student’s laughter died in his throat as he saw Elena’s moving lips, her finger pointing toward a spot at his rear.

Just as he spun around to see what could have possibly survived his onslaught, all he saw was the flashing, strobing lights of Cissel’s dancing daggers. She had moved through the dust and the barrage with a speed that defied human perception.

"I won’t kill you today," Cissel said, her voice devoid of emotion as she hovered just behind his shoulder. "Yet for your attitude, let me take one arm off."

Cissel wasn’t the type to tolerate someone mocking her or belittling her strength. Even if she hadn’t initially intended to do much harm to a mere student, his arrogance had shifted her internal scales.

She hardly controlled her killing intent, settling instead for a brutal strike that ripped the arm away from the shoulder joint.

The student issued a heart-curdling scream that echoed through the silent tent before falling off the stage entirely. The force of the barrage of attacks Cissel unleashed, even at a fraction of her power, hurled his body through the air. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

She hadn’t even touched her second ability or used half of her attributes, yet the end result was a blood-soaked victory that left the crowd paralysed.

"Medic! Hurry!" The judging teacher instantly dropped the protective metallic net, his hands shaking slightly. He watched the gap in the reinforced netting where the student’s body had been forced through by the sheer momentum of Cissel’s strike.

It wasn’t because of the student’s strength; it was the lingering explosive power of Cissel’s barrage. The teacher looked at the girl, then back at the heavy cannon lying abandoned on the stage, and couldn’t help but run a terrifying comparison in his mind.

Cissel proved to be far deadlier than a real cannon! This wasn’t just the thought of the judge; it was the chilling realisation of every single one of the audience.

Even if this fight had ended as abruptly as the previous ones, the excitement it brought was unparalleled. The entire audience exploded in earth-shattering cheers, a roar of approval for the amazing display of dominance.

Cissel descended leisurely from the stage, her daggers already vanished into her storage device. She didn’t spare a single glance for the defeated student being carried away on a hovering medical stretcher.

"Hahaha! He thought taking out a cannon would secure him the match! Hahaha!" Elena was laughing wholeheartedly, jumping to hug Cissel in celebration. Ricky simply raised a thumb toward her, a sign of genuine respect.

"He must be affiliated with the Paragons," Cissel said calmly as she wiped a small smudge of dust from her cheek. "Having a cannon while being a student in the academy? That’s an extravagant privilege."

"Is that why you cut an arm off? Because he’s a Paragon lapdog?" Luke asked, his face beaming with a weird, satisfied smile. As the winner of the last bet, he was in high spirits.

"It’s way better than killing him, right? It sends a message without starting a blood feud," Cissel shrugged.

"This cannon is now considered a trophy for student Cissel!" The commentator’s voice suddenly boomed, breaking through the chatter of the friends. He had finally regained his composure. "According to the general rules of any engagement, this weapon now belongs to her. She is free to claim it."

The commentator assumed Cissel’s indifference was a lack of knowledge regarding the spoils of war. He didn’t realise that to her, that piece of war weapon looked like a child’s toy.

"That kind of trash? No thanks," her voice boomed from the ground level, reaching every corner of the arena. "Let others take it. I’m not interested in junk."

As her denial seeped into the ears of the audience, the arena fell into a stunned silence for several seconds. Then, a louder, more frantic wave of cheers and roars erupted.

To the crowd, it was the ultimate display of a true powerhouse attitude, someone so strong that they viewed such deadly military gear as worthless. Cissel simply turned her back on the noise and looked toward Ricky.

"It’s your turn," she said with a faint smile. "Make sure not to kill someone. We’ve already sent three to the infirmary; the Headmaster might get annoyed if we start a funeral service."

"No promises here," Ricky snorted. He pulled his black-and-red mask over his face, the crimson patterns catching the light.

He began to head toward the stage with a slow, deliberate stride. "If they annoy me as that bastard did with you, I might just finish the job."