Chapter 180: Queen of Void Blessed Academy

"An artifact?" Professor Selene frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. "What kind? How does it work? Is it illegal?"

"A ring," Lynx said calmly, pointing to his own index finger. "It’s an obsidian ring inlaid with an active Void rune. The moment they enter combat, the ring feeds an external mana stream into their primary circuits, multiplying their raw physical stats, affinity density, and attack output by four times. It’s powered by a fragment of a Void Core. It overclocks their bodies."

He explained it simply so everyone could understand, using his hands to show the flow of mana.

A sudden, sharp intake of breath echoed through the Aether enclosure. Everyone was shocked. Several students looked toward the Void enclosure, trying to see the rings.

"Four times?!" one of the Year 4 Aether student gasped, his face turning pale white. "A four fold stat multiplier?! That’s equivalent to how a Strong Blessed Professor would be. How is that legal under tournament rules? That should be banned. That’s external assistance!"

"It’s disguised as standard ornamental ring," Lynx replied smoothly. "The tournament committee won’t flag it because the mana signature mimics internal soul bound artifacts. It looks like a normal ring that is bonded to their soul, not an external battery. That’s why their Year 4s suddenly seem four times stronger post break. They are not stronger. They are just wearing cheats. And the cheats are slowly destroying their mana channels from the inside."

Julian Frostborne stepped forward, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as he glared at Lynx. He always tried to find fault in Lynx, his jealousy eating him alive. "How can you be so sure about a four fold multiplier? You barely fought her for two minutes. You can’t calculate that so precisely in such a short time. You’re guessing."

Lynx looked at Julian with an expression of mild amusement, smiling thinly. "Julian, just because your perception is too slow to calculate mana and affinity density doesn’t mean mine is. You’ll see for yourself soon enough when you fight one of them. Then tell me if I’m guessing when your ribs are broken."

The insult was calm but sharp. The other students tried not to laugh, covering their mouths. Julian’s face turned red.

Before Julian could fire back, the main arena horn blasted once more, signaling the start of Match Four. The scrying board flickered.

The big floating screen above flickered overhead.

MATCH FOUR: KIMBERLY VANE - VOID BLESSED ACADEMY VS. TRENTON - REID BEACON ACADEMY

"Pay attention to this one," Lynx said quietly to his squad. His tone changed. He became serious, his joking gone. "This one is different. This one is their real monster."

Across the arena floor, stepping out of the Void enclosure, was a girl with long, midnight black hair that fell past her waist, striking grey eyes that looked like polished steel, and a voluptuous, hourglass figure that made even the most disciplined soldiers stare.

Her dark Void uniform strained against a heavy, massive bust, while her pleated skirt accentuated a pair of thick, perfectly curved hips and a stunning lower body. She walked with absolute confidence, her head high, her hips swaying. Every step she took made the stone floor grow colder.

Her name was Kimberly Vane, the undisputed Queen of Void Blessed Academy. The top ranked fighter, the one even the Year 4 boys feared.

[Name: Kimberly Vane

Age: 22

Class: Blessed

Affinities: Lightning S Rank, Fire S Rank, Ice S Rank

HP: 130,000 / 130,000

MP: 170,000 / 170,000

STR: 120,000 x 4

AGI: 150,000 x 4

STA: 110,000 x 4

INT: 110,000 x 4

DEF: 110,000 x 4]

Lynx read her stats, and even he raised an eyebrow slightly. Her base stats without the ring were already almost higher than Selena’s boosted stats. With the four fold artifact ring active on her finger, she was a walking catastrophe.

"That girl..." Ava muttered beside Lynx, her eyes narrowing as she felt the sheer, suffocating pressure radiating from Kimberly’s frame.

Even from fifty yards away, her aura was heavy, pressing down on Ava’s chest like an iron block. "Her Mana and Affinity density is ridiculous. It feels like standing next to an active elemental furnace. I can barely breathe just looking at her."

"Kimberly Vane," Lynx said smoothly, reading her stats effortlessly with his Primordial Vision.

"Master of three S Rank affinities. Lightning, Fire, and Ice. She’s the highest seeded fighter in the Void Blessed Academy. She is their ace, their final boss. They placed her in Match Four on purpose to reclaim the crowd’s momentum after my fight."

"How do you know all these details?" a Year 4 Aether student asked, staring at Lynx in genuine awe. "You know her exact affinities, her rank, everything?"

"Because unlike you idiots, I actually do my research," Lynx lied effortlessly, offering a charming smirk. He wasn’t about to explain the mechanics of his Primordial Vision.

"And my vision sees everything. Pay attention, because this is what a real Void champion looks like."

On the stage, the match was an absolute, terrifying slaughter.

It did not even look like a fight between two Year 4 students. It looked like an execution.

Trenton Reid, a seasoned Year 4 veteran from Beacon Academy wielding a heavy, high tier fire infused warhammer that glowed with roaring orange flames, took his combat stance early.

He was a massive, muscular fighter standing at six foot five, but his presence looked utterly insignificant compared to Kimberly’s suffocating mana signature.

Kimberly didn’t draw a blade. She didn’t take a defensive stance. She simply stepped forward with an unhurried, predatory grace, her dark Void uniform accentuating her lush, incredible curves, heavy bust, and wide hips as her polished boots clicked against the stone stage floor.

"You’re in my way," Kimberly said softly. Her voice wasn’t loud, but her S Rank affinities ignited simultaneously, causing her obsidian ring to pulse with a violent, crimson light.

Trenton roared, pushing his own fire mana to its absolute limit as he charged forward, swinging his massive warhammer downward with enough force to shatter a fortress gate.

"DON’T UNDERESTIMATE BEACON ACADEMY!"

Kimberly didn’t even raise her hands to block.

CRACK-BOOM!

A blinding, tri elemental storm erupted from her body without a single vocal incantation.

First came her Ice Affinity. A wave of zero degree frost surged across the stone floor in a fraction of a second, freezing Trenton’s boots solid to the arena stage and locking his heavy six foot five frame instantly in place mid swing.

Before he could channel his fire to melt the ice, her S Rank Lightning roared to life. A thick pillar of dark purple arc lightning descended from the top of the barrier dome, striking Trenton straight on the head.

The electrical shockwave completely fried his defensive mana shroud, causing his fire infused warhammer to shatter into hundreds of scorching metal fragments.

Trenton let out an agonizing, blood curdling scream as the voltage tore through his body, his muscles convulsing violently while trapped inside the frozen ice pillar.

Kimberly took one more calm step forward, closing the distance until she stood directly in front of him. Her eyes flashed with a lethal crimson glare as her third affinity, S Rank Fire, ignited on her right palm.

She simply pressed her bare hand flat against Trenton’s chest.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The combined thermal explosion of her S Rank Fire reacting against her absolute zero Ice and lingering Lightning detonated at point blank range.

The concussive shockwave was so violent that the translucent protective barrier around the stage bulged outward, sending massive cracks rippling across the surrounding stone floor within a fifty foot radius.

Trenton’s remaining chest armor vaporized into ash. He was hurled backward like a ragdoll, flying seventy feet across the stage before crashing brutally through the outer edge of the barrier ring, rolling violently across the dirt floor outside, completely drenched in blood and scorched black from head to toe.

He didn’t even get the chance to speak a word of surrender. He was out cold before his body even hit the ground.

The entire crowd of fifty thousand spectators went dead silent. The whole fight had taken under two minutes, delivered with a level of raw elemental power that made Lynx’s earlier match look like a quiet warm up.

"MATCH FOUR VICTOR: KIMBERLY VANE FROM VOID BLESSED ACADEMY! MATCH TIME: ONE MINUTE AND FORTY FIVE SECONDS!"

Kimberly didn’t celebrate. She didn’t even look down at Trenton’s unconscious body being loaded onto a stretcher by panicked medics.

Instead, she turned her head slowly, her razor sharp eyes sweeping across the floor before locking directly onto Lynx. She held his gaze for three long, quiet seconds, a silent, arrogant declaration of supreme dominance, before turning her thick hips and walking off the stage.

"Damn..." Kira whispered, her hands clenching into fists, her face pale. "She’s an absolute monster. She didn’t even try. That Beacon guy is a Year 4 too and he looked like a child to her."

"She is," Lynx agreed, his heterochromatic eyes watching Kimberly’s retreating figure with a subtle, predatory gleam. He was not scared. How could he be. But he was interested. Excited, even. "And she’s wearing the exact same four fold multiplier ring. But for her, it’s even worse. Because her base stats are already higher than everyone else’s. Multiply that by four... and you get a disaster for anyone who faces her. Except me."

Professor Selene’s face was completely pale, her hands shaking. "If Void’s top seeds are operating at four times their baseline stats... our remaining fighters are in grave danger. We need to warn them. We need to file another protest right now."

The screen flickered one final time for the day, displaying the names for the fifth and final match.

MATCH FIVE: DIANA LANCE - AETHER BLESSED ACADEMY VS. KAIN DRAVEN VOID BLESSED ACADEMY

Inside the Aether enclosure, the atmosphere instantly shifted from awe to deep, heavy tension. The name on the board changed everything. The mood that had been high after Lynx’s win crashed down into dread.

Diana Lance was a Year 3 student from Aether Blessed Academy, quiet, talented user of Wind and Lightning affinities, and a close personal friend of Raven.

She was not one of the loud, prideful fighters like Julian or the boastful Year 4s. She was gentle, hardworking, and kind. Everyone who knew her in Aether Blessed Academy liked her. She was the kind of student who helped younger students with their homework and brought healing potions to injured classmates.

Standing beside her, Raven wrapped her arms tightly around Diana, pulling her into a brief, fierce hug. Raven’s hands were shaking a little.

She knew Kain Draven by reputation. He was known as the Mad Dog of Void Blessed Academy, a fighter who had sent three opponents to the infirmary last year, in this same tournament when he was a Year 3 student.

"Win this, Diana," Raven whispered, her voice tight with anxiety, trying to sound brave. "Show them what Aether Blessed Academy is made of. You can do this. You’ve trained so hard. Your Wind blades are faster than anyone’s."

Diana offered a faint, nervous smile, nodding her head. She tried to look brave, but her eyes showed fear. Her hands were cold. "I’ll try my best, Raven. I really will. I won’t embarrass Aether. I promise."

Lynx stepped up beside them, his gaze landing on Diana. His heterochromatic eyes held a grave, serious expression that instantly silenced the surrounding students. When Lynx looked serious, everyone listened. Even Raven stopped talking.

"Diana," Lynx said, his voice quiet but commanding. It was not unkind, but it was brutally honest. He would not lie to her to make her feel better. "Don’t just try to win. Try to stay alive. That’s your only job today. Survive."