“Everyone, please welcome the Elites of each Manor!” Professor Rinehart shouted, and everyone gave the candidates a round of applause.
“So, how are you feeling?” Noah asked Ethan with a smile. “Feeling nervous?”
The handsome teenager with short, silver hair was the candidate chosen to represent the Dud Manor in the Second Year battle.
If today was a full moon, the one who would be fighting would certainly be Luna. Unfortunately, this was not one of those days, so Noah was the one chosen by Henry to fight in her stead.
“Very,” Ethan replied. “How can I possibly not be nervous at a time like this?”
Noah grinned because he could totally understand Ethan’s feeling.
This was also his first time fighting for the Dud Manor because last year, it was Luna who fought for the First Year Division.
“There’s no pressure guys,” Henry said as he rested his hands over Ethan’s and Noah’s shoulders. “No one expects us to win anyway, so just do your best, and I will handle the rest.”
“You’re so cool, Head Prefect!” Noah said in a teasing tone. “If I was a girl, I’d definitely fall for you.”
“Hahaha!” Henry laughed before glancing at his best friend, George, who would be representing the Third Year Division of Dud Manor. “Ready to fight, old friend?”
“I was born ready.” George said with a confident smile on his face. “Who knows, maybe we can surprise everyone this year, eh?”
George gave Ethan a wink, which made the blue-haired boy nod his head in understanding.
“I will do my best, George,” Ethan replied with a solemn tone. “I will not let you down.”
Everyone in the Dud Manor knew how serious Ethan was with this event because he had trained almost everyday for it.
Because of this, they also felt that they should do their best in the tournament in order to not let their junior down.
“The lineup sure is pretty sweet this year,” Noah glanced at the representatives of the other four factions, who were also wearing the coat of arms of their respective Manors.
“Aye.” Henry nodded. “This year is going to be bloody.”
All the Pillars, with the exception of Nicole, were going to represent the First Years in the tournament.
Langston Kerr represented Schwartz Manor.
Lily Langley would be fighting for the Jaeger Manor.
Kurt Hale who exuded a silent confidence that made the members of Terra Manor feel that he could make them proud.
Alice Quinn, who took over Nicole’s spot to fight for the Eques Manor.
And last, but not the least, was the one that everyone considered to be the Dark Horse in the tournament, Ethan Gremory of the Dud Manor.
Ethan glanced at his rivals, and noticed that they were also looking at him. 𝑜𝗏𝐋xt.𝑐𝗈𝔪
Truth be told, the other Pillars felt that Ethan was the greatest threat in the tournament. Just because he had used Partial Resonance was enough for them to take him seriously.
The only question that was on everyone’s mind was, could he do it again? Or was the first time just a fluke?
No one knew the answer to this question. Even the special guests that had come all the way to Brynhildr Academy to witness this annual clash between the Manors, were looking forward to his performance.
Among them was Langston’s father, Zack Kerr, a Duke of the Magical World, and one of the highest ranking nobles in attendance.
The audience noticed that the participants were already sizing up their opponents for the duel, which made them quite excited about how the matchs would start.
At that exact moment, Professor Rinehart’s voice once again caught everyone’s attention, making everyone look in his direction.
“Just like what we did with the previous tournaments, all Head Prefects need to get a ball from this wooden box,” Professor Rinehart explained. “Since there are Five Manors, one of them will get a free pass to the next round. The four other Manors will have an elimination match, and the two winners will advance in the Semifinal Round.”
“In the Semifinal Round, a round robin battle will take place between the three Manors. The one who wins twice will become this year’s Champions. Not only that, they will also get priority picks for the Continental Inter-Academy Battles that will happen at the end of the year, and they will represent Brynhildr Academy!”
Another round of applause erupted in the surroundings, making Ethan subconsciously clench his fist.
He didn’t know that the Clash of Manors was just a prelude to something bigger. However, before he could participate in that tournament, he would have to defeat the other Pillars, whose magical powers surpassed his own by leaps and bounds.
“Head Prefects, please step forward!” Professor Rinehart shouted.
“Head Prefect, please pick the golden ball!” Noah shouted as Henry walked towards the podium. “We need that free pass no matter what!”
Henry nodded and gave Noah a thumbs up. “Leave it to me. Lady Luck kissed me before this match, so I’m feeling very lucky.”
With a face filled with confidence, Henry walked towards the podium with a smile on his face.
The other Head Prefects had also gotten up on the stage and gave each other a nod of greeting.
All of them were in the same circle, so aside from being rivals, all of them were also very good friends.
The first one that took the initiative to pick a ball from the wooden box was a blonde-beauty with blue eyes.
She was the Head Prefect of the Terra Manor, and she specialized in Nature Magic.
To everyone’s surprise, she got the golden ball right off the bat, making the other Head Prefects shake their heads helplessly.
On the other hand, the members of the Terra Manor all cheered because their beautiful Head Prefect had allowed them to get a free pass to the Semi-Finals without a fight.
The next one to pick was the Head Prefect of Schwartz Manor.
The one he got was a red ball with the number one on it.
The third one to pick was the Head Prefect of Eques Manor, Arthur, and he got a blue ball with the number two in it.
Henry was the fourth one to pick, and the one he got was an orange ball with the number one in it.
Since there was only one more ball to pick, the Head Prefect of the Jaeger Manor pulled it out of the box and showed everyone a blue ball with a number two in it.
“The First Match will be between the Schwartz Manor and the Dud Manor,” Professor Rinehart announced. “The Second Match will be between the Eques Manor and Jaeger Manor.”
As if waiting for that cue, Langston and Ethan stared at each other.
The two of them had dueled once, and both thought of each other as an annoyance.
Langston looked down on Ethan because he was a Dud, and Ethan was annoyed at Langston for involving Chloe in his hate for him.
One could even say that among the battles that everyone was looking forward to the most, it was a battle between these two people.
One had lost his title as a Pillar, and the other became a double Pillar Holder.
Now that they were going to have a rematch, everyone wanted to see if Langston would be able to win against the Dud, who had taken his Pillar title from him.