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Emeric's instincts kicked in, and he deftly sidestepped, allowing the arrow to pass harmlessly by. He smirked at Hardin, feeling a rush of satisfaction. "Is that the best you can do, Hardin? You'll need more than that to—"

His words trailed off as he noticed Hardin's smirk widening. A sense of unease crept over Emeric, and he glanced back just in time to see the arrow hit its true target.

The mage behind them, a boy named Luca, let out a gasp of pain as the arrow struck his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Emeric's heart sank. He realized that he had been played—Hardin had used him as a decoy to hit Luca.

"Damn it." Emeric reluctantly turned back, and his rage started to rise as he looked at Hardin.

'Ironheart Family's Seven Serpent Spearmanship: Three Serpent Strikes!'

Emeric's grip tightened around his spear, his mind focusing on the technique his family was renowned for. The Seven Serpent Spearmanship was a style known for its speed and precision, mimicking the deadly strikes of serpents.

With a burst of speed, Emeric darted towards Hardin, his spear moving in a blur. Hardin's eyes widened in surprise, and he barely managed to dodge the first strike. Emeric's spear, however, was relentless. The second strike followed immediately, catching Hardin off guard and grazing his side. The third strike was aimed directly at Hardin's chest.

"Swoosh-!"

"Clang-!"

The spear hit the chest of a figure who threw himself between Emeric and the figure staggered back, his breath coming in short gasps as he struggled to keep up with Emeric's final strike.

"Protect me, you three!" Harden who already retreated into a safe distance shouted to his three teammates while releasing an arrow aimed at Emeric's group's backline. His three teammates quickly positioned themselves forming a shield in front of Hardin.

"You bastard escaped." Emeric cursed aloud, his mind racing as he realized the gravity of the situation. With Luca injured and Hardin's team forming a solid defense centered around Hardin, they were at a significant disadvantage. He needed to think fast.

"Gavin, heal Luca quickly!" Emeric barked, his eyes not leaving Hardin's team.

Gavin, the group's healer nodded, already started casting the spell on Luca, and the tank, Mark, stood in front of them, deflecting the arrows Hardin was constantly hiring.

While giving orders, Emeric mercilessly thrust his spear at the opponent who had taken his last attack. He also paid attention to Hardin and the other three opponents, in case they intervened to save their comrade.

But to his surprise, they did nothing.

With a powerful sweep of his spear, the opponent was blasted away, even dropping out of the arena, meaning he was officially out of the match.

"Good." Emeric grinned at his accomplishment and prepared to continue with his attacks.

"Fool." He heard Hardin's cold voice and an arrow flew right beside his ears.

Emeric turned just in time to see the arrow strike his teammate, the archer named Elia, in the back. She had been about to fire her own arrow but collapsed from the sudden blow, her bow clattering to the ground.

"!" Realization hit Emeric like a ton of bricks. Hardin had used him again to take down another member of his team. Emeric cursed under his breath, his anger boiling over. Hardin's strategy was clear now—he was systematically weakening Emeric's team by exploiting Emeric's aggressive tactics.

Not to mention, Hardin would've hit him if he wanted just now.

"Fall back!" Emeric shouted, retreating to regroup with Mark and Gavin. They needed to protect their healer and wounded mage if they were going to stand a chance.

Hardin smirked, another arrow already nocked and ready. "You're out of tricks, Ironheart. You're done."

Emeric gritted his teeth in frustration, trying his best not to fall Hardin's taunts.

He would've probably fallen for it if he was the him a month ago. But now, he had improved, thanks to his hard work, and maybe certain two professors' actions, namely Instructor Darius and Doome. Moreover, he didn't want to look bad in front of his brother whom he respected, and the girl who he liked.

'But... What do we do now?' He asked himself inwardly.

If both teams were going to fight in a defensive format, it would be hard to find the winner. And if the time ended and the decision was to be left to the judges, his team was more likely to lose. Their archer was basically out, and the mage who could attack from a distance was being healed as well.

While the opponents had a well-protected archer and three defenders still capable of fighting.

Emeric glanced at Luca, who was struggling to stand despite Gavin's efforts. They were running out of options and time. He needed to make a decisive move.

He kept thinking while deflecting and parrying Hardin's arrows. While Hardin didn't stop bombarding them with both his arrows and taunts.

The fight kept going on like this for another three minutes.

Luca was finally healed but Elia was taken out of the arena.

The fight was now in a stalemate.

However, with Luca back on his feet, their team's dynamic shifted. He immediately began casting spells, sending waves of fire and wind toward Hardin's team. The three defenders struggled to maintain their formation under the barrage.

"Push forward!" Emeric shouted, seizing the opportunity. With Mark leading the charge and Luca providing magical support, they started to gain ground. Hardin's arrows were becoming less frequent as he focused on dodging Luca's spells.

For a moment, it seemed like they might turn the tide. Emeric's spear danced through the air, forcing Hardin's team to retreat step by step. But just as victory seemed within reach, one of the defenders, a girl named Sara, dropped her shield and began casting spells.

"She's a mage too?" Emeric muttered in surprise. Sara's spells added a new layer of complexity to the battle. Her defensive spells fortified their line, while her offensive spells targeted them, disrupting his attacks.