At this moment, the defensive barriers around the stage had already been activated, leaving only two openings—the left and right entrances leading onto the stage.
Exiting from the contestant area and following the corridor would lead directly onto the stage.
By now, the official ranking battles had already been underway for quite some time. Several duels had already taken place, immersing the spectators in the intense atmosphere of battle, sparking heated discussions in the stands.
It was under such circumstances that Aize and the opponent he had designated for this duel entered the arena together, greeted by a round of applause.
A closer look would reveal that the cheers this time were noticeably louder and more enthusiastic than in the previous matches.
This was only natural.
"Rank 13—Yakti Fanken is taking the stage!"
"The top-ranked student just below the First Page Twelve!"
"Finally, a heavyweight contender shows up!"
The audience appeared visibly excited.
Ranked 13th, Yakti Fanken was the strongest individual beneath the elite group known as the First Page Twelve, holding the top position on the second page of the Name of the Ritual Book, just one step away from breaking into the first page.
In the previous duels, although some ranked students had taken part, no one at the level of the First Page Twelve had entered the stage yet.
In fact, individuals of that level stood at the very summit of the academy. Even during the official ranking battles, it was rare for anyone to challenge members of the First Page Twelve—sometimes, such challenges didn't happen at all.
In today's official ranking matches, there were only two duels involving the First Page Twelve. One of them was a ranked student challenging the 12th-ranked member of the group. The other was an internal clash between members of the First Page Twelve, with the 10th-ranked member challenging the one ranked 1st.
Aside from those two duels, the most high-profile match among the remaining ones was this very bout, featuring the top-ranked individual below the First Page Twelve—Rank 13. It could just barely be considered one of the highlights of this round of official ranking battles.
So, it was only natural that the spectators felt a bit excited.
However...
"Isn't the opponent just some no-name guy?"
"Let me take a look... huh? He's not even listed in the Name of the Ritual Book?"
"No way—someone outside the rankings actually came up and directly challenged the top-ranked student below the First Page Twelve?"
"Forget it, looks like this duel is going to be one-sided."
Many in the audience opened their visors to pull up information on the Rank 13 contestant's opponent—and were met with disappointment.
Someone not even ranked in the Name of the Ritual Book, from the third tier of the challenge system, had dared to challenge the strongest person in the second tier?
Was this a joke?
Yet just as many people were feeling let down and assuming this duel would be a waste of time, someone suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Wait! That guy's a user of a Pure Star Armament!"
Pure Star Armament!
The moment that term was mentioned, a wave of subtle shock rippled through the crowd, and they immediately looked deeper into the opponent's profile.
Upon seeing it, the audience was collectively stunned—this opponent turned out to be the eighth user of a Pure Star Armament within the entire Star Guidance Academy!
"Black Furnace Demon Sword?"
"I've heard of that before—it's supposed to be pretty famous, right?"
"Of course it's famous! It's one of the legendary Four-Colored Demon Swords!"
"He's actually a wielder of one of the Four-Colored Demon Swords?"
"No wonder he dared to challenge Rank 13 right off the bat!"
The audience was caught between astonishment and delight.
A Pure Star Armament was no common artifact.
Until now, only seven students within Star Guidance Academy had ever wielded a Pure Star Armament—and out of those seven, four were members of the First Page Twelve.
In other words, more than half of the Pure Star Armament users in Star Guidance Academy had already entered the ranks of the First Page Twelve.
This alone showed just how significant a boost a Pure Star Armament could provide its user.
It could be said that anyone capable of wielding a Pure Star Armament was never weak to begin with—let alone someone who wielded one of the legendary Four-Colored Demon Swords.
Perhaps, this newcomer was another soon-to-be member of the First Page Twelve?
With that thought in mind, the audience's interest in the upcoming duel rose dramatically.
On the other hand, some ranked students—even those in the upper rankings—were looking at Aize, who was slowly walking onto the stage, with expressions that had grown noticeably more serious.
For them, the appearance of a Pure Star Armament user meant a potential new threat.
If this person truly had the strength of someone at the First Page Twelve level, then he was undoubtedly a powerful and formidable rival.
With such thoughts in mind, even Julis, seated in the equivalent of a VIP area, couldn't help but show a trace of seriousness on her face.
In contrast, Claudia still wore her usual cheerful expression, and even commented:
"At last, it's his turn to take the stage."
Upon hearing this, Julis immediately realized something.
"He's the one you've been paying attention to?"
Julis turned to look at Claudia.
Claudia didn't deny it.
"I was the one who helped him process the loan application for his Pure Star Armament," Claudia said with a bright smile. "I wonder how far he can push the Black Furnace Demon Sword? Just imagining it makes me excited."
At that, Julis turned her eyes back toward the stage, staring intently at Aize as he slowly stepped forward.
Even she had heard of the Four-Colored Demon Swords.
They were said to be notoriously difficult to control, a set of four blades rumored to have originated from the same laboratory.
Among them, the Black Furnace Demon Sword was one of the most renowned, with exaggerated legends claiming it could burn through anything—that once stabbed into the earth, it would turn the ground itself into a blazing furnace.
With such a top-tier Pure Star Armament, just how powerful would it be in actual combat? She was eager to find out.
It seemed that the majority of the audience shared the same thought—the cheers were now even more intense than before.
Amid that electric atmosphere, Aize and Yakti finally finished entering the stage, now facing off at a measured distance from each other.
Aize took a moment to size up his opponent.
Yakti Fanken, a second-year student in the university division, is currently twenty years old and ranked 13th in Star Guidance Academy.
Back in his second year of high school, he participated in the Phoenix Festa, then ranked 11th among the First Page Twelve. His partner back then was also a fellow member of the First Page Twelve, ranked 8th. The two of them made it to the Top 16 in that year's Phoenix Festa.
Although he has since slipped to Rank 13 and fallen out of the First Page Twelve, he was once a member, and his strength was undoubtedly not to be underestimated.
"As an opponent for my first official duel, he's qualified enough."
That was what Aize thought.
In contrast, Yakti Fanken appeared somewhat on high alert.
As the one being directly challenged by Aize, Yakti naturally hadn't waited until the duel began, like the rest of the spectators, to look into his opponent.
He had already investigated Aize the moment he received the challenge and knew full well that the opponent was a Pure Star Armament user—not someone outside the rankings to be taken lightly.
However...
"You just got your Pure Star Armament and you're already rushing to challenge Rank 13? Little Junior, aren't you being a bit too hasty?"
Yakti suddenly spoke to Aize.
"Even among Pure Star Armament users, not everyone makes it to the front page of the Name of the Ritual Book or becomes part of the First Page Twelve. That alone proves that having a Pure Star Armament doesn't automatically make you a top-ranked student, does it?"
It was true. Among the seven known Pure Star Armament users in Star Guidance Academy, three of them had not reached the ranks of the First Page Twelve.
After all, not all Pure Star Armaments were equally powerful, and not all users were equally skilled. Even if one obtained a powerful Armament, if they couldn't bring out its true potential, it wouldn't be enough to create a meaningful gap in strength.
In Yakti's eyes, even if Aize was highly compatible with his Pure Star Armament, he had only recently acquired it. Just how much of its power could he possibly unleash?
That was why, while Yakti was wary of the Black Furnace Demon Sword, he didn't believe Aize was truly a threat to him.
As someone who had fought in the Phoenix Festa, Yakti had faced off against Pure Star Armament users before.
Therefore, he didn't think for a second that Aize would be able to rise through the ranks by stepping over him.
Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize—the person standing before him couldn't be measured by common sense.
"Is senior worried about me?"
Aize asked with a light smile as if completely ignoring the deeper implication behind Yakti's words.
"Then please, let me witness the strength of someone at the top of the rankings."
As he spoke, Aize drew out a pitch-black activation core.
Clang!
A crimson glow burst forth from the Universal Crystal Core, illuminating the entire stage.