The dueling arena at Emberglow Academy was buzzing.
Hundreds of students filled the stands, whispers rising like smoke as the school's most anticipated match of the semester was announced.
"SSS-rank Flameheart versus the Elite Circle's top duelists?!"
"This isn't a match—it's an ambush!"
"Why would she even agree to this?"
In truth, Aira hadn't.
She'd been baited.
A lunch tray mysteriously flipped onto her lap. An anonymous flame bolt scorched her dorm door. Then came the open challenge—delivered with smug smiles by a pack of second-years in enchanted gear.
She ignored all of it.
Until they insulted Mira.
"Trash surrounds trash," said Vayne Darros, Earth talent, the ringleader of the elite second-years. "A healer with no spine and a fire talent with a god complex. You don't belong here."
That was enough.
Now she stood in the center of the arena, the runes beneath her boots glowing faintly. The morning sun blazed overhead, but it was nothing compared to the heat radiating from Aira's presence.
Across from her stood three opponents—handpicked from the Elite Circle:
Vayne Darros (Earth – A-rank Talent: Stone Reign)
Sella Myrr (Wind – B-rank Talent: Razor Cyclone)
Tarn Vel (Illusion – A-rank Talent: Mirage Caster)
They stood tall, confident. Smirking.
Aira didn't speak.
She let the announcer's voice fade, let the silence build like pressure before a volcanic eruption.
Phoenix Heart: Active
Flame Sovereign's Blessing: Passive Bonus Applied
Current Mana: 100%
Enemies Detected: 3
System Alert: Battle Efficiency Boosted in Multi-Opponent Conditions
The horn blew.
Sella moved first—wind blades shot at Aira like invisible knives. Tarn vanished in a flicker of illusion. Vayne slammed his fist into the ground, causing jagged stone pillars to erupt.
Aira closed her eyes.
Then stepped forward.
BOOM.
A ring of fire exploded outward as she activated Scorchstep, her new mobility technique. She vanished from sight in a flash of heat, reappearing behind Sella with a fist wreathed in flame.
CRACK.
The wind-user flew across the arena and landed in a smoking heap. Crowd: stunned.
Tarn's illusions surrounded her—dozens of fake Arias circling like vultures.
She lit her aura.
Flames erupted, tracing runes in the air.
New Skill Activated: Infernal Sight
Effect: Burns away false mana signatures within radius.
The mirages burned to ash instantly.
Tarn had just enough time to gasp before a Flame Lash wrapped around his leg and hurled him out of the ring.
Vayne cursed. "Enough games!"
He summoned a stone titan, a ten-foot golem of iron-packed earth, and launched it toward her.
Aira didn't dodge.
She walked straight into the golem's charge.
And ignited.
The flames around her roared—the heat so intense, the air rippled. The golem slammed into her—
—only to melt halfway through the impact.
The stone bubbled, cracked, and exploded outward in a burst of steam and magma as Phoenix Heart surged.
Vayne's shield shattered under the force of her retaliatory wave of fire.
She stood alone in the arena, surrounded by scorched earth and three unconscious opponents.
Winner: Aira Flameheart
The crowd didn't cheer. They stared.
Not out of fear—but reverence.
She hadn't just won.
She'd dominated.
---
Later, alone in the training fields, Aira received a system message:
Phoenix Resonance: 40%
Talent Evolution Trigger Unlocked: "Phoenix Heart (Dormant) ➤ Phoenix Heart (Awakening)"
Warning: Talent evolution will attract divine attention.
She closed her eyes and smiled.
Let them watch.
She wasn't here to burn quietly.
She was here to rise.