Mid-terms at Arcane Dominion weren't written tests.
They were televised bloodbaths.
Once every semester, every student was ranked based on combat performance. Not talent. Not house lineage. Just raw outcome.
Victory. Or defeat.
There were no makeup exams.
---
Ash stared at the announcement board.
> "Mandatory Mid-Term: Random Pair Elimination.
One-on-one combat. Observer-sealed arena.
Rankings adjusted live."
He blinked once.
Then smirked.
> "Finally."
---
Kirito stood beside him, arms folded, aura nonexistent.
> "Problem. We're not paired."
Ash nodded. "I saw."
> "They split us on purpose."
Ash tilted his head. "Let them."
---
From above the staircase, Seraphina descended.
She looked different — student council crest stitched into her uniform sleeve now. Rank: C. Officially.
But her eyes?
They were still locked on him.
> "You're fighting me, Ash."
He turned, raising an eyebrow.
> "What?"
> "They paired us. I tried to appeal it."
Kirito raised an eyebrow too.
> "Convenient."
> "Not my call," she snapped.
But Ash could tell — it bothered her.
Not because she thought she'd lose.
But because… she didn't want to win against him.
---
The arena was a steel crucible sunk deep beneath the school.
The moment Ash stepped in, enchantments sealed the air.
The crowd above — nobles, teachers, hidden operatives — all leaned forward.
Cameras rotated. Mana-screens lit up.
The "F-Rank Nobody" was about to fight a Student Council prodigy.
---
Seraphina drew her blade slowly.
> "Ash… we don't have to make this a spectacle."
Ash smiled faintly.
> "Spectacles happen when people watch."
> "I mean it."
He didn't respond.
Instead, he took a single step forward.
No stance.
No glow.
Just… presence.
Seraphina's hand trembled. Her instincts screamed. For a moment, the entire arena felt like it belonged to him.
She blinked hard — pushed through it.
> "Fine. I warned you."
And launched.
---
Blades clashed. Sparks flew. But every time she struck, Ash was already gone.
He didn't teleport.
He moved — like the air shifted for him.
A blade at his throat — dodged by a hair.
A burst of wind magic — redirected by pure footwork.
The crowd murmured.
> "That's not F-rank…"
> "Why isn't he fighting back?"
Because Ash wasn't trying to win.
He was testing her.
---
And she realized it mid-fight.
> "You're not even using spells."
Ash smiled.
> "Didn't want to embarrass a Council member."
> "I can take it."
> "...That's what I'm afraid of."
---
Seraphina's blade finally landed — grazing his shoulder.
Ash flinched, blood trickling down.
And only then — only then — did he draw.
A tiny black dagger.
No glow. No name.
But the moment it hit the light, the enchantments above flickered.
> "What… is that?" someone whispered.
> "That's not regulation…"
---
Seraphina backed up.
> "You've been hiding."
Ash lowered the dagger.
> "We all are."
Then dropped it.
The fight ended.
She blinked.
> "You… forfeit?"
> "I bled first. You win."
> "Ash, this was a chance to climb the ranks."
> "Ranks are numbers."
He stepped past her.
> "Revenge needs more than numbers."
And for the first time — she didn't stop him.
She watched him go.
And realized...
> She hadn't won at all.
---
Meanwhile, Kirito stood in his own arena.
His opponent? A pompous A-rank conjurer with a lightning fox spirit.
> "Let's make this quick," the conjurer sneered. "I've got dinner reservations."
Kirito didn't reply.
He just sighed.
> "Ash got to fight her. I get the chihuahua?"
The conjurer blinked.
Then the floor split beneath him.
No spell. No signal.
Just… gravity bending. The fox vanished mid-yip.
The crowd screamed.
Match over.
---
Back in the dorm that night:
Ash leaned back in his chair, bandage on his arm.
Seraphina stood at his door.
> "You threw that match."
> "Did I?"
> "You let me win."
Ash looked her dead in the eye.
> "Would you rather I didn't?"
She clenched her fists. "Why?"
He didn't answer right away.
Then:
> "Because if I beat you now… the Council might start watching. And I'm not ready to show them everything."
> "Then what are you waiting for?"
He smiled.
> "When the world needs gods — not students."