The next match went by without the top three senior sorcerers noticing, and time came for Xavier's match against Natalie. Xavier got on stage, taking in deep breaths.

  "She called me fledgling, what could she possibly know about me?" Xavier thought to himself. Natalie got on stage just as well, carrying a massive smile across her face.

  "Now my Fledgling Falcon, show me what's hiding behind that calm demeanor," Natalie spoke in soft-tones.

  "She knows?" Astonished, Xavier's eyes grew wide. The referee started the match, and Natalie made multiple clones before Xavier could gather his thoughts.

  "I have a strong feeling you'd be good at a game of hide and go seek, wouldn't you agree?" Natalie said, hiding amongst the clones.

  Xavier cautiously walked through the clones, looking in all directions trying to find her, but couldn't, and so in an attempt to fish her out; began attacking each clone, one by one.

  "Not like that darling," said Natalie, and now each clone forged bolts of lightning, ready to strike down Xavier.

  Xavier noticed and spun, creating a massive tornado with himself in the eye of it.

  All clones got sucked into it, and Xavier ignited the tornado with a spark from his teeth. The tornado caught fire, and delt with all the clones. When the tornado subsided, Natalie was nowhere to be seen.

  Natalie then gave away her location, by making yet another bolt of lightning, and firing it towards Xavier, but Xavier evaded just in the nick of time.

  "Fancy footwork, but that's not what I want," Natalie said, and took to the sky.

  Forging a spear out of her purple aura, Natalie pointed it towards the sky and uttered, "Spirit spear, wrath of the Spartans."

  Throwing the spear in the air, the single spear multiplied, and rained in the thousands, the sheer magnitude covered the entire stage.

  Xavier sent multiple gusts of air in an attempt to deter the spears, but the spears were forged from aura, and the wind had no effect.

  Realizing this, Xavier's right eye awakened, and he swiftly maneuvered his way out; through the spears and landed upon the tip of one of them.

  Natalie began to giggle, which then slowly burst into a crazed laugh, "There it is! There's my fledgling! Now fly! Fly until the skies limit you no longer!" Natalie ignited the spear Xavier was balancing on, and the next one after that he used to take refuge.

  The explosions became evermore frequent until she ignited all of them at once. Xavier took to the sky, and sent multiple of his flame compression slashes towards Natalie, but Natalie saw them coming, and teleported behind Xavier.

  Natalie forged multiple strands out of her aura, then used those stands to grab Xavier, and threw him across stage.

  "You're going to need to try harder than that darling," Natalie said, followed by slight giggles. Natalie then closed her eyes, and put her hands together.

  "Sacred treasure: unlock, might of Hercules," Natalie uttered and dashed towards Xavier at blistering speeds.

  Natalie threw a hook at Xavier that he blocked, but the force was enough to send him flying off stage, but before Xavier could fly out, Natalie erected a wall in front of him, that Xavier went straight through.

  Natalie then suddenly appeared behind Xavier, and delivered a lethal kick that Xavier was fortunate enough to dodge in time.

  Analyzing the course of the fight, Xavier concluded that he had to be way more elusive than he already was, and crafty enough to capitalize off Natalie's onslaught of powerful attacks, because for some reason unknown; the woman's strength could take out a nation.

  Xavier gathered a strip of water from the air, and used it to slice Natalie. Each strike that Natalie delivered, Xavier evaded, and cut her with the strip of water, flowing like a seamless river.

  "That footwork!" Natalie giggled. "Dance fledgling, Dance!" Natalie Exclaimed, and struck the ground, and a piece of the earth that erected, flung Xavier into the air.

  Xavier used the air gained, and sent down a ball of fire from his mouth, but Natalie was too quick for him.

  Natalie teleported behind Xavier, and struck him with a Warhammer that she forged from the earth. Xavier was sent hurling towards the ground, but was able to land swiftly.

  Now down to one knee, Xavier coughed up blood; thinking of a new way to defeat her, because for some odd reason, the cuts she sustained thrilled her.

  Xavier then came up with a plan to use his lack of a presence to his advantage. Xavier struck the ground with much vigor, erecting a maze made out of ice walls.

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  Xavier then made projections that ran through the maze, because he knew that Natalie was watching from the air.

  Natalie smiled, "Smart. Unfortunately for you, I actually love this game."

  Clouds began to form, flashes of lightning became evermore frequent, until Natalie generated massive lightning storms.

  Natalie gathered all the energy from the storms, and in a single attack; struck the entire stage, completely leveling the maze.

  "Nobody could've possibly survived that," said Natalie, but when the dust settled; Xavier was nowhere to be seen.

  Natalie's Puzzlement would abruptly end, as Xavier showed up from behind her, and struck her with a Warhammer made of ice.

  The strike hurled Natalie towards the edge of the stage, and Xavier threw the same Warhammer that he used to hit her with, and was destined to freeze upon impact.

  Natalie stuck her landing, clasped her hands, and destroyed the hammer with a shockwave. "So full of surprises!" Natalie shouted enthusiastically, growing evermore excited, but before she could use her next spell; Xavier released his invisibility spell, and stabbed Natalie from behind with an ice blade and held another blade made out of ice to her throat. "Oh, you sick little backstabbing bastard!"

  "You wanted surprises? The blade within you shall freeze you from the inside, and the blade aimed at your throat, will make a scene if you don't give up." Said Xavier.

  Natalie smiled and chuckled, "What about the other knife?" she said, and held her hands up. "I give up." The referee ended the match, and the clone of Xavier in the sky melted away, and fell as water.

  "O? since when were you able to do that?" Natalie asked.

  "It's like you said, full of surprises," Xavier replied, letting go of the two knives.

  The ice clone Xavier made worried him, seeing as he never did anything as drastic as that before; leaving him feeling cautious about the amount of mana he had left.

  Xavier just hoped he had enough to get him through to the finals; his balance between mana, and nature energy had been good so far, all he had to do now was sit in wait for his next opponent.

  While he was initially trying to avoid a confrontation with Gabriel, a significant part of Xavier was hoping that would be the case.

  "Quite impressive if you ask me," one of the senior teachers said, watching Xavier walk off stage.

  "I agree. Abigail, was that not one of your pupils rumored to have no mana at all?" a female teacher asked.

  "Uhm, yes-"

  "I heard you wanted to force the boy to switch courses?" the same senior teacher said, as he began to play around with his lighter.

  "At the time of making such decisions, Xavier's safety was an area of concern. Now that we know what he's capable of, I'm certain he'll remain in that sorcery class," Principal Jena answered.

  "Good, because that's one fine boy; he's got an iron will, and a burning passion. The way he works around his shortcomings is something to admire, taking care of your, black horse of a prodigy," The man waved his cigar, about to put it in his mouth.

  "You're not wrong mister Fredrick, but taking care of a Scien woman is one thing; taking care of a Euthenian? Now that's a whole different task," One of the teachers said, as Gabriel made his way center stage.

  "The King's brat? Ha! Half the man his brother is, but don't let that stop you from liking a Euthenian, noo; everybody loves their blond hair, blue eyes, and a bitch of a divine light," Fredrick said and lit his cigar.

  Gabriel's match was up next, as a determined sorcerer took to the stage. "Ah, you have quite the look on your face lad, let's just hope this won't be disappointing," Gabriel smilingly said, flipping a coin.

  "Your pride will be your downfall Euthenian," the sorcerer replied.

  Gabriel laughed, as his smile slowly turned into a frown. "Well, come on then! Show me what you got big shot!" Gabriel exclaimed, firmly gripping the coin in his fist.

  The referee started the match, and Gabriel quickly charged at the sorcerer. The sorcerer decided to test him in strength too, and threw a punch of his own.

  The two clashed fists center stage, and sent shockwaves traversing throughout the entire arena.

  Gabriel smiled as his entire body began to flash with the divine light. The sorcerer took caution to close his eyes, but was now on the back foot.

  Gabriel capitalized on the opening, and delivered two strikes to the face that pushed him back, but shockingly didn't knock him off stage.

  The sorcerer recovered, clasped his hands, and sent a shockwave throughout the entire arena that pushed back Gabriel, sending him sliding upon his feet.

  "Quite the power you have, but tell me, do you burn?" Gabriel used divine flames, and exhaled a great ball of fire towards the sorcerer.

  The sorcerer emerged charging from the flames unaffected, and struck the ground Gabriel stood upon, and the impact rippled extra shockwaves throughout the arena.

  Gabriel evaded the attack, but upon his landing; the earthquake after effects that the shockwave created, set him off balance.

  The sorcerer took advantage of the situation, and wasted no time; charging towards Gabriel, he threw a right hook. Gabriel took his right arm across his left forearm in order to block it, turned around and struck the sorcerer with a left elbow to the face.

  Gabriel followed up the strike with a left hook, an uppercut and gathered both hands in the air; Gabriel heated his fists, and struck the sorcerer, planting him in the ground.

  Gabriel left the area, gaining distance as his right forearm began to feel strange; it was as though, the aftermath from the sorcerer's first punch that he blocked earlier, was still in effect. "How's your forearm Euthenian?" the sorcerer smiled, slowly getting up.

  Gabriel got agitated and shook of his arm, "In a much better place than you're going to be I can assure you!" Gabriel lifted his finger, and gathered the divine flames into a ball that closely resembled the sun.

  "Is he really going to engage him in a sorcery standoff?" One of the teachers that were watching said. The other sorcerer gathered all the aura he could in a concentrated ball of his own, and the two fired off their attacks.

  The respective attacks clashed in the center, and caused a huge explosion that left behind a bright flash of light.

  When the light subsided: Gabriel emerged, standing unscathed; while the other sorcerer, got burnt by the divine sun, but insisted on continuing the fight.

  As the sorcerer got to one knee, attempting a recovery; Gabriel quickly capitalized on the situation. Using fists raging with divine flames, Gabriel relentlessly attacked the helpless sorcerer.

  The referee called the match, and Gabriel emerged victorious once again.

  One of the teachers in the VIP stands, who was well in doubt of Xavier's abilities, smiled towards Fredrick's direction, and Fredrick took notice.

  "Is something the matter Nelson?" Fredrick said, puffing smoke.

  "Just thinking sir, I've never seen Xavier engage anyone in a sorcery standoff, and I most certainly think he doesn't have the mana, or caliber of spells to do so," said Nelson.

  Frederick removed his cigar and tilted his head, "Someone get Nelson a lollipop for getting his point across. Looks like someone around here needs to prove to him what true sorcery is all about."