"Why does that kid feel... different?" murmured the Silver Eagle captain, William Vangeance, narrowing his sharp eyes.
"His presence," said Jack the Ripper, captain of the Green Mantis, licking his blade-shaped tongue, "It's odd. Not noble-born, yet not entirely common either."
"Hehe, eccentric ones like him are just my style," grinned Yami Sukehiro, captain of the Black Bulls, his arms crossed lazily as he leaned back. "Wouldn't mind recruiting a wild card like that."
"You'd pick a walking mystery with no known mana signature?" quipped Jack, with a snort.
"Cut the bug talk, Jack," Yami grunted, clearly irritated. "You creepin' again."
Meanwhile, on the ground floor, Hao Fan, the silver-haired youth, was once again clashing words with another candidate.
"You got eliminated in the first test! What right do you have to mock others?!" a boy snapped.
"With your pea-sized brain, even calling you a monkey is generous," Hao Fan said coolly. "Also—who said I was eliminated?"
"What?! Isn't it obvious? You didn't even cast a spell in any round!"
"Then maybe you should listen better," Hao Fan smirked, pushing his silver bangs aside. "The captain of the Golden Dawn said we'll undergo multiple rounds, and then be judged. If this was just about passing a level, they wouldn't bother observing us as a whole."
A buzz rippled through the candidates.
"That… makes sense."
"Yeah! Maybe it's not about passing every single test, but about showing your unique strengths…"
"Tch. Even so, his magic control is abysmal. A real Magic Knight must excel in the basics," said Nozel Silva, the Silver Eagles' captain, his voice cutting through the noise. His dismissive tone was clearly a public rejection of Hao Fan.
"Didn't we once scoff at the boy who inherited the four-leaf grimoire too?" murmured Kaiser Granvorka, the Purple Orca captain.
"Not the same," Nozel responded icily. "A four-leaf clover grimoire changes everything."
As Nozel left his post, he walked briskly toward a stone corridor, where a silver-haired girl—identical in hair and eye color to him—waited, clearly watching the exam from the shadows.
"That's her!" Hao Fan's eyes lit up. "The most beautiful girl in the arena!"
She vanished quietly, escorted away by Nozel.
"Figures. Even a divine lady like that gets pulled away before I can say hello."
****
The crowd settled down as Julius Novachrono, the Magic Emperor himself, spoke from above.
"Next round: Magic Power Test. Candidates, show us your strongest spell—strike the wall before you!"
Each hopeful launched their magic: fire, wind, water, stone. Hao Fan? He stood still, arms folded, eyes closed.
"He's doing nothing again?"
"Maybe he really has no magic?"
Yuno, standing tall and silent nearby, remained focused. Meanwhile, the captains looked on.
"Next: Magic Control Test! Hit the bullseye on the floating paper using precise mana control."
Again, Hao Fan stood still. The paper drifted untouched in front of him.
"He's just... standing there like a scarecrow."
The Green Mantis captain chuckled. "Guess the mystery ends here."
Yami rubbed his chin. "Still not convinced. Something's... off."
"The third test: Create a New Spell."
Hao Fan's frown deepened.
"The fourth: Evolve your Magic—take an existing spell and upgrade it."
Hao Fan's brow twitched. "These damn tests just keep coming…"
Yami lit a cigarette, exhaling slowly. "This guy better do something soon, or I'll start to think I'm crazy for watching him so long."
"The final test: Combat Exam!"
The captains stirred as Fuegoleon Vermillion of the Crimson Lions stepped forward.
"Nothing burns brighter than true combat! Form pairs. When one surrenders or can't continue, the match ends!"
Candidates hesitated. This wasn't a lottery draw—it was self-selection. Pick the wrong opponent, and you'd be publicly humiliated.
"That guy has too much mana!"
"Let's stay away from nobles!"
Amid the chaos, one candidate—Sai Kai—grinned slyly. He had been observing magic-sensing birds all day. The birds had been avoiding only one person—Hao Fan.
"That means he's got no mana!"
Sai Kai strutted over, placing a condescending hand on Hao Fan's shoulder.
"You must be too scared to pick someone. Fine, I'll let you fight me."
Hao Fan stared coldly. "Remove your hand, bronze-level white lotus."
"What?! I'm being generous!"
"You've mocked me no fewer than 35 times today, each more obvious than the last."
"You bastard!"
Sai Kai summoned his Bronze Curse Magic: Copper Mud Lizard, trying to intimidate him.
But Hao Fan's eyes slowly turned crimson, a single tomoe swirling within. His Sharingan gleamed.
"You're lucky I don't feel like ending your miserable arc yet."
Sai Kai flinched. "W-what are those eyes…?"
He turned and fled without another word.
****
Now alone, Hao Fan scanned the crowd. This battle was his only chance to stand out.
"If I challenge someone weak, they'll think I'm worthless. But if I challenge someone too strong... they might reject me."
And so—he looked at Yuno.
At that exact moment, Yuno turned toward Hao Fan, their eyes meeting across the room.
"I can only fight him," Yuno thought.
They stepped forward at the same time.
Just then, a haughty noble named Shalim, from the House Hapshias, blocked Yuno's path.
"You must be struggling to find an opponent. Let me—"
"Step aside," Yuno said, eyes icy.
"I'm not good enough?! I'm a noble!"
Yuno didn't blink. "You're nothing compared to him."
The room went dead silent.
Even Shalim—a top-tier noble—was snubbed.
All eyes followed Yuno, who now approached Hao Fan.
"They're… gonna fight?"
"No way! Yuno was incredible in every round…"
"And Hao Fan didn't do anything!"
Yuno stopped before him.
"Let's end this here, Asta."
Hao Fan's lips curled. "Gladly, Yuno."
They stepped into the ring, gazes locked.
"He chose him? That's the opponent he considers worthy?!"
Even Yami sat up straighter. "Heh. This might get good."
Fuegoleon's fist clenched with excitement. "Strongest versus weakest? More like two comets about to collide."
The battle everyone had been waiting for was about to begin.
The moment Hao Fan and Yuno entered the ring, the atmosphere shifted. The captains leaned forward, Magic Knights hushed their murmurs, and the crowd collectively held its breath. It wasn't just anticipation—it was reverence, the kind reserved for rare moments where fate reveals its chosen.
To many, this match was absurd. A boy who had seemingly done nothing, standing against the top candidate of the entire exam? Yet the tension crackling in the air told a different story. Hao Fan's silence, his unreadable expression, and those crimson, spinning eyes—it all hinted at something deeper. Something dangerous.
Yuno, ever composed, didn't underestimate him. He felt it too—that quiet pressure radiating from Hao Fan's still form, like the calm before a raging storm.
Above them, even Julius Novachrono smiled faintly.
This is what the future looks like.
As the signal to begin echoed across the arena, two destinies clashed—one forged in raw power, the other wrapped in mystery and defiance.
In the next few moments, the entire world would learn:
Strength isn't always loud.
And sometimes…
The quietest contenders roar the loudest when it matters most.