The Golem Mage

"Why would you choose that line-up? Are you trying to hand them the match? If you won't fight yourself, at least let Beatrice step in," the dean snapped.

Alec only shook his head.

"Not necessary, adding Beatrice would be bullying, especially with Pale, Brandon, and Lucas already on the team." He glanced at the two women nearby.

"No offense, ladies—you're stars. I just didn't pick you to win this for me; think of it as an experience match." He leaned back against the bench as the two ladies shrugged.

"You expect me to stand by while you throw away our victory?" the Dean pressed.

Alec shrugged, turning his blindfolded gaze toward him.

"I'm the captain, and I believe no one knows this team's strength better than I do, even if they've improved since our last spar, I can still gauge their limits. Trust Lucas—he's practically like my second vice-captain." With that, Alec ended this discussion.

He had chosen the roster he wanted against the Royal Mage Academy, now the dean had to decide either to back his captain or tear up the plan and show he had no faith in him.

The dilemma set the dean's teeth on edge, as he cursed being the only spatial mage available which lead to him bringing them, as a wrong choice from him now could alter the academy's fate, yet the team's synergy felt solid; they all looked like the match could still be won regardless of the line up Alec had just chosen.

Those who hadn't been selected didn't watch the chosen ones with envy, their gazes lingered with a mix of admiration and longing. This puzzled the dean—why did they all seem to have such blind faith in Alec? Still, with time ticking away, that question didn't matter. He had no choice but to accept Alec's decision.

—

However unlike the War God Mage Academy, where the dean had wrestled with Alec's unconventional line-up, the Royal Mage Academy side had no such dilemma.

Every member selected was from their main team—even if they were all only at Low Tier 6, except for Liam.

They weren't about to waste a single slot letting reserve members gain experience, they were taking this battle as seriously as possible, in stark contrast to Alec, who looked as if he might fall asleep any moment.

Five minutes soon passed, prompting the central judge mage to speak.

"Well, time's up. I assume both sides have chosen their representatives. You have thirty seconds to send in your first fighter."

The Royal Mage Academy members didn't act immediately, instead, they watched the War God side closely, hoping to glimpse who would go first before making their own move, they wanted to be absolutely certain their chosen starter could crush whoever came from The War God Mage Academy side.

That's how unwilling they were to give even the slightest advantage away.

But their cautious strategy faltered the moment Katie calmly stood and made her way to the battle ring.

Confused glances passed between the Royal Mage team members, they struggled to recognize her.

Katie hadn't done much during the last inter-academy competition, and Alec's brilliance had overshadowed nearly everyone else on his team, as only a few faces had truly stood out, and hers wasn't one of them.

"Asher, you'll handle this one," Liam said after a moment of thought, finally picking Asher Blaze.

When he saw Katie step onto the stage, a dozen theories raced through his mind—why would Alec send an unfamiliar girl into the critical opening match, where momentum mattered most?

Still, even though he didn't believe Alec was underestimating them, Liam felt confident that Asher would be more than enough to deal with her, he assumed Alec was simply testing the waters and hadn't started with any real threat.

This was, in Liam's eyes, a free first win—and he was glad to take it.

And so, both representatives ascended the stage, facing each other calmly, while Liam's patience thinned.

He finally noticed something that irked him: Alec appeared to be sleeping, that made Liam wonder if Alec was even the one calling the shots.

The thought settled in his mind—Alec was just a peak Tier 5 mage now, maybe he wasn't the team leader anymore, it made sense to him, or at least that's what he convinced himself of. After all, he knew Alec—or so he believed.

With both chosen fighters now squared off in a tense standoff, silence reigned until the judge mage's voice rang out from beyond the stage's perimeter.

"Begin!"

The moment the order came, both mages sprang into action.

Flames erupted around Asher's hands as he hurled them forward, sending massive blue fireballs streaking through the air at Katie, one after the other.

But Katie was unfazed, as with an effortless precision, she darted to the sides, side-stepping and weaving through the blazing projectiles.

[> Mid-Tier Spell – Exploding Fireballs <]

Frustrated by how easily his first attack had been evaded, Asher's mana escalated.

As his flames grew fiercer, and this time he launched more than ten fireballs, each one soaring with unnatural speed and guided intensity, like magical homing missiles fired straight at Katie.

But eventually, Katie's superior speed proved too much, she consistently evaded the fireballs with split-second movements, often ducking or sidestepping just before they could make contact.

At one point, two of the flaming projectiles even collided mid-air due to a sharp turn she made.

Despite Asher's relentless efforts, he simply couldn't land a hit.

The fireballs chased her like guided missiles, yet she danced effortlessly around the ring, weaving through the attacks with graceful precision.

"Is that all you've got? Because if it is, I'm sorry to disappoint you—you're not winning this." Katie called out, her voice calm and laced with confidence.

Asher was visibly strained, sweat beaded on his forehead, not from heat, but from mental exhaustion.

He had been using his mental energy to guide each fireball's path, trying to predict her movements, and none of it was working.