The twinkling stars in the sky disappeared from view as the night passed and the morning sun shone its brilliant light upon the entirety of Terra Palace.
At its courtyard, two figures could be seen sitting unmoving in lotus position.
A scene of destruction surrounded the two of them, numerous craters as well as leveled ground were all around them.
There were also remnants of what appeared to be a broken formation, which clearly pictured the story of a fierce fight happening through the night.
Emery and Zach had just gone through a spar against each other that lasted hours and after a relentless fight, the two of them decided to spend the last hours resting and comprehending what they had gained from the spar.
As for Emery, he also took advantage of this moment to finally clear up all the mist created from the energy he had devoured in the last match.
Now that all of the mist had been refined, he could feel the previously slow flow of spirit energy in his body returning to normal.
[Spirit force increased]
[Spirit force: 1812 (1818)]
Emery felt a wave of refreshing sensation wash over his body as both of his cores finally freed from any burden.
He was about to dive into cultivation again when the person in front of him opened his eyes.
Zach stared at him wordlessly for a moment, before finally saying something unexpected.
"I appreciate your efforts in the last match."
A look of confusion appeared on Emery's face for a moment before he understood what Zach meant.
"Well I actually didn't do it for you and it wasn't on purpose either."
The Dragon Prince plainly answer, "I see... don't bother then"
It was an awkward short conversation, Emery wasn't quite sure whether the proud Zach was actually feeling grateful or not as the words he spoke and the tone he used were simply mismatched.
Zach then proceeded to remind him again about how important their matches were for the half-bloods and expect nothing else than a win from Emery.
A moment after, the two of them noticed someone approaching. Both of them turned their heads and saw who it was.
"We should leave soon"
Magus Shena came to tell them it was almost time to leave. Because of the current situation revolving around the half-bloods, it was determined it would be safer for them if they were to reach the Academy ahead of schedule.
Knowing it was time, Emery and Zach stood up. They quickly prepared what they needed before departing to the academy.
It was at this time Lord Izta summoned Emery's group to his study room. Apparently, the combat magus wanted to have a small private discussion with them before they leave.
"I regret I can't join you all to the arena today."
Although everyone wishes for their seniors to attend the tournament, such a thing wouldn't be possible due to his new status as the Battle Commander.
The man had to stay put with the Dreadnought and the ship had no permission to enter the inner sector where the Magus Academy was and was forced to remain on standby above Terra Palace until further command by the Magus Alliance.
"Don't look so down!" Lord Izta said cheerfully, when he saw the look on the group's faces, patting Emery on the shoulder. "We will of course watch the tournament from the ship! I look forward to being entertained!"
He then gave the group a long-distance communication device that could send direct messages to his warship in case of trouble. Then once again, he livened and cheered the group on.
"As long as the mighty Gilgamesh is here, you have nothing to worry about!"
Afterward, the topic of conversation moved to the next.
With the graduation coming just days after the tournament, Lord Izta told the group he expected them to get together one more time before they all returned to Earth.
"This time it was going to be the best farewell party, you'll see! Hahahaha!"
Realizing the limited time they had left together, a heartfelt moment emerged.
Seeing this the Eastern Sage said, "Old man, do you always have to be so dramatic!?"
"Hahahah Always! Now off you go!"
With that, the group finally departed the Terra castle and headed to the Magus Academy.
Klea, Julian, Thrax, Chumo, and the Eastern Sage came along with Emery as they walked through the portal. Just right behind them were Zach and his entourage, making their way into the Magus Academy.
The moment their feet stepped on the other side and their figures appeared, the group were welcomed by thousands of pairs of eyes. Mingling amidst this crowd was both haters and fans. That said, the group quickly readied themselves for the incoming trouble.
"The two of them have arrived! They're both here!"
"Aaa how I wish to be as strong as them!"
"Kyaaa, Zach take me as your wife!"
"Go back home, you half-bloods! Nobody wants you here!"
"Shut up! don't make a mess in here!!"
To be honest, Emery was a little taken aback by the surrounding scene. Despite the heat and increasing tension, the tournament was as lively as the first day. Even more so, with thousands of people flooding through the gates, into the Great Hall where the tournament was to take place.
"Make way!" Thrax shouted loudly as he stepped forward, paving the way for the group to walk.
Fortunately, he didn't have to do this for long as soon a group of academy guards came and became their escort.
When he saw the Grand Hall filled to the brim with people, it finally dawned on Emery that the seventh and last day of the Magus Tournament had arrived.
Recent happenings and the fact that today was arguably the main and most important day of the Magus Tournament caused security to be tightened several times over.
There were multiple checkpoints, where the guards scan people's identities before letting them enter the Grand Hall.
Passing the checkpoints, Emery turned his head around and noticed that Zach was looking at him. They exchanged a short gaze, before the two groups separated and headed out onto their respective private terrace.
When the group arrived at their private terrace, Emery was surprised to see familiar faces waiting for him. There, right in front of the place, stood Gerri the Violet flame, Sigurd the Titan's bloodline, and the half-machine acolyte Atlas.
"We have heard about the potential threat, so we are here ready to help," Gerri replied when asked why they were there.
Although their arrival was highly appreciated, it also once again reminded Emery of the threat.
Noticing Emery's line of thought on his face, Klea grabbed his arm, "Just focus on the match, Emery. Show that Olivier what you got."
Not long after, the momentous day finally began as the charming Magus Serena entered the arena once more. She did her usual action of warming up the audience with the upcoming event.
"Are you all ready?!"
The crowd shouted wildly in response, their thunderous voice reverberating through the Grand Hall as it clearly displayed their anticipation.
"Then let us see who among them will win third place! Let's call the two people to the arena!"
Emery saw dozens of drones descending from the sky, their lenses focused on his figure as he walked onto the arena. At the same time, close-up images of him appeared on screens all over the arena.
The same thing basically happened when the Sword Saint's name was called out and a few moments later, the two of them finally faced each other.
"Are you ready?" His opponent's calm voice resounded in the air as a dazzling light sword came out pointing at him. In response, Emery took out his Savage Sword ready for a fight.
"I am."