Void Evolution System

Gianna put up a good fight.

She was, in fact, a Holy Clan genius. Nothing August's group did could take that away from her.

Over half an hour passed with this constant bombardment. The walls changed over and over again, assuring that she couldn't memorize any sort of structure or pattern within them.

Juno was usually someone who liked to fight in close combat, but Yuna was far more suited for the role than he was at times like these, so he stayed far away and used his lava to put pressure on the enemy.

The killing blow belonged to none other than Yuna.

It felt like she was using blades. When she wasn't standing still, nobody could catch a glimpse of her body. They could only see the reflection of light coming from the sharp object in her hand.

But rather than being something she carried, that metal was a part of her body.

Yuna was a metal dragon, a variation of a common Earth Dragon. Like Melania, her abilities were mainly focused on her physique.

However, metal was a complex element when it wanted to be and could absolutely grow more powerful. As a hunter from the wilds, Yuna mainly focused on how to enhance her body with the element, but just like others, she also had the ability to use it at range.

For the majority of the battle, Yuna led her opponent to believe that she had to be in close proximity to cause any damage. That built an expectation in Gianna's head.

So, when that defining moment came, when Gianna was delirious from the chaotic battlefield and relatively low on mana, she changed everything.

There was a constant barrier of darkness around the genius from the Noct Clan. She never let it diminish, because it was her main lifeline.

Her eyes darted from side to side as she followed her awareness and picked up on any small movement in the surroundings.

She was also playing the long game.

Since she was depleted far more than her enemies, they would likely believe that she was on the verge of giving up.

However, it was far from that. Even now, Gianna was waiting for her chance to turn the tides.

Yuna's next approach would be the moment.

When that woman arrived again, she would fall, and the rest would follow her to their elimination.

All she needed to do was wait for the proper moment.

That was all she needed to do if Yuna truly was as she'd characterized herself to be.

Unfortunately, she was not.

The ground beneath Gianna began to change. Because the maze had taken on metallic properties beforehand, she barely noticed before it was too late.

BANG!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Spikes made of metals that many humans would do anything to take hold of erupted with the intent to impale Gianna.

She jumped into the air to avoid them, but it was already too late.

Now that they'd appeared, Gianna's chance to escape was gone.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The spikes chased her everywhere she went.

Gianna was forced to withdraw her large barrier and create several smaller ones to defend against every individual cluster.

BOOOOOM!

A wave of lava appeared around the corner and split into several tens of snakes that moved with sentience.

They wrapped around each other and occupied the entire corridor on both sides of Gianna.

She glanced around, still in the air, and frowned deeply.

She had to choose.

Either she defended against the lava or the spikes. There wasn't a way to do both.

In that split second, forced to make a choice, Gianna grumbled to herself.

"Well, this is just unfair."

Status and power no longer mattered.

There was one thing that this battle proved to the entire world.

From the moment the heir wars began, the gap had been getting smaller and smaller.

And by the end of the third stage, it probably wouldn't be noticeable anymore.

Now that everyone else had access to great resources, teachers, and techniques…

…it was going to be hard for Holy Clan geniuses to reign supreme just because of their origins.

BOOOOOOM!

In the end, Gianna chose to defend against the lava.

As she fell to the floor, the spikes rose to meet her, and under Yuna's precise control, they morphed into formless blades that cocooned Gianna's body.

The rest wasn't visible through the chrome exterior of that structure, but the sound was enough to confirm the suspicions of those watching.

Blades piercing through skin.

The screams of a defeated genius.

In that moment, facing an onslaught of people not far from her level, Gianna Noct was defeated.

She was the first person to be eliminated from the third stage.

And despite the violent nature of her departure…

…not a single soul realized that she was gone.

***

The barrier came down to show a clean terrain to all outside viewers.

All of the lava, metal, and earth that had transformed that few-

kilometer-wide area disappeared, leaving only the six geniuses inside.

"Raul, how is it?" August immediately asked.

"The barrier never lost functionality. All fluctuations of her elimination were dispersed before it was taken down," Raul responded simply.

"Nice!" Juno joined in with a grin.

"It should take two days at most for them to realize that she's gone.:"

The certified hunter in their group knew it best.

They had been able to hide it for now, but the other side would get suspicious after too much time passed without contact.

"These two days are our opportunity," August said.

During this time when their information was steadily flowing in and the other side was stuck in the darkness, they had the opportunity to take control of this battle's momentum.

August glanced at Iridia.

"Have you understood a few things?" he asked.

She nodded with a complicated expression.

"You could say that."

August nodded. It was sufficient enough to show Iridia that her arrogance was misplaced. The way she interacted with his people would change from here on, and perhaps she could even become someone he called a friend.

But that was a story for the future.

For now, it was time for war.

"Someone call Raphael," August said with a grin.

"I'm sure he's been dying to go wild, and now that we're done here…"

"...he can finally get his chance."

Iridia felt a little bad for her fellow Ignis Clan genius.

He was definitely going to get a chance to shine. It didn't seem like August had anything nefarious planned either.

Just, with the way he spoke about him, it felt like August considered Raphael a child.

'He is a mysterious guy.'

He was like an open book that allowed everyone to read him, but that forthcoming exterior was nothing more than a facade.

The August that brought her here and showed her a scene like that was a schemer beyond schemers. That kind of person was the tactician controlling their armies from the shadows, and though that was definitely a good thing for them…

…Iridia had the feeling that every Holy Clan genius on his team would become nothing more than a pawn in his schemes.

That, for them, was the most humiliating outcome possible.

But, unfortunately, it was already starting to look like indisputable fact.