Just like during the talent assessment, the preliminary selection began once time ran out.

Compared to lighting stars with innate gifts and bloodlines, the freshman battles were far less spectacular.

Unlike seniors who’d trained for years and wielded dazzling, powerful combat techniques, these newcomers were visibly raw.

Even when terrifying potential surfaced mid-fight, only the barrier system’s judges and Hall Masters could detect it.

Still, some matches held promise—

Like Prince Salros the Eighth’s. And Luyi’s.

Their brilliance outshone every freshman, including Louise.

High-tier seats now held professors, Hall Masters, even several Throne Sages.

A scale unseen in past combat trials.

Their expectations were obvious.

As the referee-professor entered, the battles commenced.

"First match—begin!"

A clash of weaklings. The stronger weakling won.

The Hall Master’s verdict: "Scatter rice in the arena, and Stellar Abyss Academy’s chickens would outmaneuver them."

...

"Fifth match—begin!"

Slightly more interesting. Professors nodded approval; a few Hall Masters took notice.

...

"Thirty-fifth match: Louise versus Paselb!"

Hearing her name, Louise let out a slight smile.

*Finally my turn?*

Hall Masters perked up. After tedious bouts, the third-ranked talent drew their full attention.

The petite silver-haired girl stepped calmly into the arena. Her opponent: an overweight, bespectacled man with unnaturally mature features.

"That’s Louise?"

"Third in the talent assessment?"

"She looks so tiny—nothing like her age..."

Murmurs spread. Many saw her for the first time since assessments were batched.

Her fragile frame against Paselb’s bulk sparked worry.

Records showed Louise was a commoner from a remote slum. Paselb hailed from a major noble house, ranked forty-something in talents.

"So you’re my opponent?" Paselb sneered down at her. "You look frail. Even with strong talent, your body can’t keep up—"

He was confident. His gift favored combat; he’d rank higher in comprehensive evaluations. Defeating third-ranked Louise would boost his score.

"Little sister Louise, I won’t hold back." He saw no threat in her. "With that weak body, I suggest surrendering now."

"Or big brother here will show you what real combat feels like."

His taunts poured out.

Louise only answered with a colder sneer and a trace of contempt. "Done talking, old man?"

Paselb’s smile froze.

The crowd gasped. They’d expected her to shrink under insults.

"Did I hear that right?"

"Her tone’s even more arrogant than Paselb’s!"

"And she called Lord Paselb ‘old man’?"

"You—" Paselb started.

Louise cut him off.

"Calling yourself ‘bro’ when you look so rushed to grow up, old man—you really are confident~"

"Chatting this much with your opponent... old man, do you even have friends in real life?"

Each word struck like a hammer.

Paselb’s face darkened visibly. His teeth ground against the brat’s audacity.

*Damn brat...*

"Wait—is Paselb the one losing his cool, not Louise?"

"Doesn’t she know what happens when Paselb gets angry?"

"She’ll get crushed..."

Spectators held their breath for her.

"Hey now, old man—why the scary face? Did I hit a nerve?" Louise’s eyes curved like crescent moons, utterly fearless of the storm she’d stirred. "Guys like you won’t get any girls, you know~"

Her final pre-battle jab ignited him.

Hardened.

His fists hardened.

Eyes bloodshot, Paselb glared at the tiny girl, itching to smash her skull.

"Match—begin!"

"Shut up, damn brat!"

At the referee’s call, Paselb lunged.

Source of Magic and Demon Race power erupted. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he blurred toward her!

"I’ll shatter you! Shatter you to bits!!!"

He roared, already picturing his fist crushing her head.

Spectators winced, bracing for gore.

Louise’s sneer deepened.

*Perfect.*

*The brainless noble brat unleashed his strongest attack.*

*Time for the protagonist’s show.*

She sidestepped—just a few subtle shifts.

Paselb’s strike whiffed completely.

Battle aura merely ruffled her silver hair, leaving no mark.

"!"

Paselb’s heart lurched.

Beyond the arena, Hall Masters and Throne Sages stared in shock.

"Exquisite body control!"

"A commoner with such combat insight..."

"Her footwork rivals senior students."

"Too slow. Too slow!" Louise called out—holding back half her strength.

"Grr—!" Paselb whirled to attack again.

Too late.

Louise’s hand aimed at his waist.

A magic circle flared to life in two seconds.

Ice spikes shot through it, piercing his undefended side.

"Aaah—!"

Agony ripped through him. Frost force slammed him sideways. He crashed to the ground, blood pooling fast.

"D-damn..." Paselb gritted his teeth, struggling up—

Only to feel Louise’s foot stomp his neck.

Humiliation burned hotter than pain.

"Old man, surrender now, or I’ll thrust deeper." Her voice drifted down.

Paselb’s eyes flew open.

Ice spikes hovered mere centimeters from his eyeballs.

"!"

He jerked back, nearly impaling himself.

"Surrender! I surrender!"

He yielded instantly.

"Thirty-fifth match winner... Miss Louise!"

The referee announced it dazedly—the reversal was that swift.

"Cheap footwork. Low-tier techniques. Trash is trash, after all—"

Louise tossed the words over her shoulder and strode off.

Silence hung over the crowd.

Well...

Louise, a commoner, had crushed the arrogant Paselb. But her words left them uneasy.

*Weren’t they also "trash" in her eyes?*

And somehow... Miss Louise seemed even more arrogant than Paselb?

...

Louise didn’t care. She glanced upward at the Hall Masters and Throne Sages deep in discussion.

*They’re talking about me.*

*A nobody who crushed a noble in seconds.*

*Right now, my combat rating might even surpass Luyi’s.*

"But this isn’t my limit..." she murmured.

At full power, she could cast battle techniques instantly—a feat most students, let alone freshmen, couldn’t match.

She’d saved that for Prince Salros or Luyi.

*Hope those two minnows aren’t too weak. I’d be terribly disappointed—*

...

High above, a Throne Sage delivered the final verdict:

"Inferior to Luluie."

"Her combat instincts surpassed seniors in seconds. But against Luluie? No comparison."

"You’ve heard the rumors too?" Another Throne Sage smiled. "At the Night of Stellar Abyss, Luluie instantly killed the Heir of Soulfall Shield and made the Fourth Prince of the Soulfall Royal Family lose composure."

"My student sent me footage," a Hall Master sighed. "The Lost Bloodline’s ancestral revival grants terrifying combat potential—utterly overwhelming."

"Setting aside the princes: Louise is undeniably a true genius."

"But Luluie... is a genius beyond geniuses."