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Zenith Academy's Northern Arena – Midnight
The dueling ground shimmered beneath the moonlight, ancient glyphs glowing like veins across the marble floor. Built before the fall of the Old Empire, it was said this arena once hosted battles between Archmages and Divinebloods. Now, it would witness something far rarer—
A clash between two anomalies.
Harvey stood alone, arms crossed, expression blank. His uniform was pristine, but his eyes told another story—sleepless nights, fractured memories, and an overwhelming surge of restored knowledge. The Archive had given him more than he expected.
Across the arena stood Riven Kaelthorn—top-ranked first-year, recognized prodigy of the Flame Court, wielder of the legendary technique Vermillion Rend.
The academy thought he would win.
They had no idea.
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The Challenge
Hours earlier, word had spread like wildfire: "Harvey challenged Riven to a sanctioned duel."
Most thought it was a joke.
Riven, after all, was a noble's golden son, blessed with rare lineage and trained since childhood. Harvey, meanwhile, was… what? A silent last-born of a fallen house. Invisible. Unwanted. "A background character," as one professor crudely muttered.
But those who had seen the subtle shift in Harvey's aura—who felt the unnatural pressure that now followed him like a second shadow—gathered to watch.
Even Headmistress Evaline arrived, cloaked and hidden, her eyes sharp with curiosity.
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Opening Salvo
The arena buzzed as the barrier activated.
> "You may begin," the referee said.
Riven didn't hesitate. He moved like fire incarnate, a crimson arc of flame spiraling from his blade as he shouted:
> "Vermillion Trail – Second Form!"
The blast shot toward Harvey, the air cracking around it. Students gasped.
But Harvey didn't move.
Not an inch.
At the last second, he lifted his hand.
[Spell Cast: Null Vector]
The flame stopped mid-air, suspended like a painting on glass. Then it collapsed into itself and vanished.
Riven blinked. "What…?"
> "You're too loud," Harvey muttered. "Let me show you silence."
He snapped his fingers.
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The Duel Shifts
From the ground, spectral blades erupted—transparent, silent, swift. Riven dodged one, parried another, but the third sliced across his shoulder. Blood sprayed.
Harvey appeared in front of him in an instant.
> "Did you think this was fair?"
Their blades met—steel against mana.
But Harvey wasn't just casting spells.
His strikes carried memories—echoes from a timeline where he had already mastered ten schools of combat, rewritten spells, and even rewritten pain itself.
To Riven, each attack felt like déjà vu, like he was being dismantled by someone who had fought—and beaten—him a hundred times before.
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Riven's Desperation
Bleeding, panting, Riven took a step back.
> "You—what are you?!"
> "Someone who's already died once," Harvey replied. "Someone who doesn't care about winning anymore."
He raised his hand.
[System Skill: Chrono Snap]
[Effect: Force opponent to relive last 5 seconds in a feedback loop.]
Riven's body froze. The audience saw nothing unusual. But Riven?
He screamed internally, reliving Harvey's last strike—again and again and again—until his grip faltered and his knees buckled.
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Victory
Harvey caught Riven's falling blade midair and drove it into the ground beside him—not to kill, but to end it.
The referee hesitated, stunned, before raising his hand.
> "Victor: Harvey Azrael."
The crowd didn't cheer.
They were too stunned.
A silence hung thickly in the air.
And then came whispers.
> "That wasn't just magic…"
> "He didn't chant a single word…"
> "What kind of system does he have…?"
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Aftermath
As the crowd dispersed, only one figure remained behind.
Aira, leaning against a column, arms folded.
> "So," she said, her eyes narrowed, "you've stopped pretending."
> "No," Harvey replied. "I've just started remembering."
> "What are you planning?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked up at the stars.
> "Everything."
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Far Beyond the Academy
In a distant dimension, the Celestial Arbiter's Eye flickered.
> "Harvey Azrael has exceeded suppression thresholds."
> "Dispatch Executor-Class Enforcer: 'Seraphim IX'."
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