*Ling*

Carter and I followed Shuai and his blue-haired friend into one of the many rooms in the stadium. This one was pretty big.

"Looking forward to seeing your match," a voice called out. I gasped. Renshu stood in the not far from the door, leaning against one of the seats. Sir Zhuang, Lady Adela, Lei, Nyima, and a few other first years were also here.

"Did you invite him?" I asked, glaring at my cousin.

He chuckled as he stepped forward. "Of course. What is a battle without spectators? It would be like dancing alone!"

"You'll be surprised by how relaxing that can be," Lady Adela said, looking over the rail at us.

Shuai bowed and curtsied. "Ahh, Your Holiness. I am so glad you could make it!"

Lady Adela turned away. "No need to thank me. As second years, we have to look out for you first years."

He gave her a phony smile. "I see. Well, I hope you learn how much my peers have to grow and how strong I've gotten since we last met." My cousin walked toward the ring with confidence.

Adela sighed. "That boy hasn't changed a bit."

"He reminds me of someone," Nyima said. Her gaze shifted downward. Was she referring to the Prince of Flirts, Iah?

"I'm gonna go beat up that flirt!" Carter said, grinning.

"Don't rush!" Lei yelled. He leaned on his seat and sighed. "He didn't hear, did he?"

"Oh, ready to start? Only Li and you are here. Wouldn't it be wise to listen to our seniors and not rush things?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. Acting ever the wise man, huh? He really loved playing the sensible one.

"You don't get along with Shua, do you?" Enkai asked as we stood side by side.

"He irks me with that attitude of his. I can't ever figure out who the real Shuai is."

"He's a complex guy. I don't think it's fair to think of only one part as being the true him. People are more complicated than that."

I sighed. "You sound just like him." But that was to be expected. He was my cousin's best friend after all.

My eyes widened as Carter blocked a kick from Shuai with one of his own.

"Not bad. Maybe you can tango with me after all, Pinky," Shuai said, jumping back.

"Pinky?! I'm Cart!" He formed an arch of flames with his fingers and charged at him.

Idiot! He was being lured into Shuai's trap! My cousin smirked as he shifted his gaze toward me.

I slammed the ground, causing a wall of roots to cover Cart's path.

"Huh?" Carter said, turning to look at me. "I thought we were fighting together." He chuckled. "Although, I wouldn't mind fighting both you cousins."

"I'm protecting you, fool!" I snapped as I got closer. "You should've listened to Lei's warning!"

"What are you scared about?" Carter jumped as something rumbled underground. "What's that?"

"Leap!" I yelled, jumping back.

Carter's eyes widened as three fox tails shot up into the air, bypassing my wall's roots.

"Fox tails? He's a kitsune!"

"Yeah, like Ms. Zettai and Mr. Obi," I said as I landed. "This is a classic attack of the kitsune branch."

"Way to spoil my surprise!" Shuai yelled as the tails retreated back to the ground. He shot up into the air and swung them at my wall of plants, setting them on fire.

I took a deep breath. "Aqua Aquila!" I yelled. Water shot out of my mouth, taking the form of a giant sea eagle.

My cousin pulled his tails closer to his body and formed platforms out of air underneath him.

"He's walking on air?!" Carter exclaimed.

"Why are you surprised?"

He chuckled. "I grew up in a country made up mostly of fire and light mages. From Lei to Au, wind mages really are awesome!"

I couldn't help but smile. Despite being on the defensive, he was still full of wonder.

"We sure are!" Shuai said, grinning as he fell forward.

"Move away!"

Carter smiled back and clapped his hands together.

I stepped back as the heat around him intensified.

Shuai's eyes widened.

"Ignis Leo!" Carter shouted. The flames around him congealed together, forming the shape of a fire lion.

Shuai winced despite being a fire mage himself as the lion struck and went through him like a raging heat wave.

W-when did he become this strong? Were Sir Zhuang and Brother way better tutors than I thought?

"Nice!" Alto yelled, standing up from his seat.

Arima blushed and pulled him back to his seat.

Alto chuckled.

Right. That guy also helped him. Was he the one responsible for this sudden growth?

Shuai pushed the pink flames away from him and gasped for air. His smile was gone.

"Seems you were hiding your true strength. I figured something was off when watching your matches," Shuai said as he threw his tattered green tie to the ground.

Who gave him that info?

"He always had this power. The kid is barely learning how to control it," Kanja said as she and the others joined us.

Carter blushed. "K-kid?"

"Yeah, running off like that!"

"No way," Huo said, watching the still smouldering pink flames around Carter.

"What's wrong?" Lidi asked.

Huo gritted his teeth. "It's nothing."

Shuai smiled. "Anxious to show your magic chops, eh?"

"Don't be rash," I said. "Carter got a hit, but that will only make him more cautious."

"Right you are!" Shuai said, snapping his fingers. Several versions of him appeared and encircled us.

"He has sextuplets?!" Carter exclaimed.

"They're illusions. Like what Aria pulled against Lady Adela," I said.

"Is this light magic then?" Aurelius asked, watching as the Shuais spun around us like specters.

"No, it's kitsune magic. They can cast illusions. If we aren't careful, he might trap us in a series of them."

Mira stepped forward and punched one of the Shuais. My cousin blocked her hit with his palms. The illusions vanished.

"You saw through them, Mira?" Kanja asked.

"Illusions have no effect on me," Mira said, chuckling.

Shuai smiled. "So, you're the one that Enkai took an interest in. I can see why."

"W-what?" Mira said. She would probably be red underneath that helmet if she had a body.

Enkai coughed. "Hurry up, Shuai! We don't have all day!"

Carter snickered. "I'll be the one wrapping things up." He jumped into the air and propelled himself with his flames like a rocket.

Shuai flew back and raised his hand quickly.

Carter gasped. "Where did he go?"

"He's in front of you!" Kanja yelled.

"Ah, there you are!" Carter yelled as he charged at us.

"It's no use. He's fallen for his illusion," Mira said.

"Can't you break it?" Aurelius asked.

"This one is different."

I clicked my tongue. "Here he comes!"

We all moved away as Carter slammed the ground, melting it.

Shuai smiled and he flew down. He held his hand toward me. Thorny vines shot out of his palm.

I gritted my teeth as Carter came after at me from the opposite direction.

"Stop, Cart!" Aurelius yelled as he appeared in front of me, blocking both Carter and Shuai with giant feathers.

"They're sturdier than they look," Shuai said before glancing at Aurelius. He chuckled. "You are interesting one, Vandavalian."

Aurelius cupped his hands.

"What was that?" Carter said as he burnt the feather into ashes. His eyes dilated as he noticed my cousin. "Wait, was I under another illusion just now?"

"Falter!" Shuai said as he flew at him. He slammed his triple fox tails at him, sending him flying into the air.

"Carter!" Kanja yelled.

I sighed. That's what he got for not listening to me about not going it alone.

"Leave him to me!" Mira said as she leapt. She reached out and grasped Carter, careful not to have his head slam into her orichalcum armor.

Shuai sped behind her and slammed his tails against her armor. He winced as he did so.

"Orichalcum, huh? That Tamara really is something to have dented it," Shuai said as he flew back.

Kanja threw several iron balls at him.

Shuai jumped and tapped them lightly, flinging them to the ground. His movements were as graceful as his dances.

"Is this that Xianian magic that Hal's info talked about? The 'gentle push'," Lidia said.

I bit my nail. "Yes, but I didn't think he had learned it."

Shuai scoffed. "So, my informant gave away my own info. Well, guess that's fair." He smirked as he threw the spheres back at Kanja.

Aurelius blew them off course and sent a wave of razor wind at him.

Jude gasped. "T-then B-Big Bro was the one who provided the footage of our matches?"

Kanja chuckled. "Information brokers sure are a shady bunch."  

"I am just a business man doing business," Hal said, shrugging from the stands.

Jude sighed.

Aurelius grunted as my cousin gently tapped his foot against his stomach, sending him crashing into the ground.

"You remember the plan?" Kanja asked.

Jude, Huo, Lidia, and Mira nodded. The lattermost put the still dazed Carter down beside me.

"What plan?" I asked.

"Just follow our lead," Kanja said as she raised her spheres.

I narrowed my eyes at my cousin and slammed my hands against the ground. He winced as the ground constricted his tails. I should've thought of doing this at the start of the match. But Carter would've gotten stuck in an illusion. Get too close to him and he will trap unsuspecting foes using his kitsune eyes. Carter was an easy target because of how laidback and unprepared he was.

Huo, Kanja, Lidia, Jude, and Mira spread out, forming a circle underneath Shuai who remained suspended in the air.

My cousin smiled. "Ignis Angelus!" A crimson flame appeared in front of him and took on the shape of an angel.

Kanja gulped as she stared at it. She was facing the same spell Nat used to beat her.

"Render!"

The angel swung his fiery sword at them.

Huo held his hands forward, slowing down the ejected flames long enough for them to back away.

"Not bad, for a newbie," Shuai said, flying toward Huo. "Think I'll dance with you first!"

"No you don't!" Lidia yelled as she and Kanja unleashed a stream of bubbles and iron balls.

Shuai lightly tapped them with his tails, flinging them back at them. Mira rushed forth, swatting the iron balls with her armored arms and not bothering to deal with the bubbles.

Huo backed away, but my cousin kicked him into Aurelius as he was standing up. The two in turn crashed into where Carter was resting.

"Now, only the blondie and you ladies remain," Shuai said. He vanished from where he was floating and appeared in front of Kanja, Mira and Lidia. With a swing of his tails, he sent Lidia and Kanja barreling to the edge of the ring. Mira managed to stand her ground once again and grasped his tail, swinging up like some oversized turtle dragon villain.

Jude levitated himself over to me. "I-it's only u-us now, Ling, Mira. W-what do we do?"

I took a deep breath. "Back me up, okay?"

"G-got it!" Jude said.

"Understood!" Mira said, clenching her hands into fists.

Shuai smirked as I shot a stream of water at him. Jude struck the raging water with a blast of ice prana, causing it to freeze partially. His smile vanished as he flew back.

I smirked. "Thought you could take it on with you plant magic, huh?"

"Should've take the kid down with the two girls," Shuai said as he flew higher.

I raised the frigid water after him while Mira prepared her darkness angel. Its face reminded me of the actual Angel of Darkness's reincarnation. I had the chance to meet him when I was little. It was around the same time I had met Nat and his family.

"Bring him down!" Mira commanded, pointing upward. 

Shuai smiled. "Burn him!" His flame angel lurched at Mira's. The two spells clashed swords, unleashing a stream of darkness and flames.

"Ugh," Jude said, shielding his eyes. It felt as if we were staring at the corona of an eclipse.

Shuai flew higher as my water got closer. He cupped his hands and unleashed several Ignis Bomba at it, sending the wave barreling back down toward us.

I winced from the frigid waters. My legs and arms became covered in a layer of ice.

"Cold!" Carter yelled, shooting into the air.

"He's still conscious?" Shuai asked as he floated back down.

"Cold! I hate the cold!" Carter said, running around in circles.

"Noisy," Huo mumbled as he stood up. He rubbed his arms.

"It's colder than the snowy mountains back home," Aurelius said as he hugged himself. Good thing he had his uniform on rather than his usual clothes.

"So, back to square one, huh?" Shuai said, sighing.

"That's right!" Kanja said as she and Lidia joined us.

I smiled. "Seems you've bitten more than you can chew, dear cousin."

Shuai gave me a toothy grin. "Well, you know me. I do adore a challenge!"

"Likewise!" I said, leaping at him.

**Solar Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter ^^**