Time always flies by when you’re studying (debatable).
A week passed in the blink of an eye, and suddenly it was Thursday afternoon.
At the Aerial Arena of the Witch Academy of the Vast Sea City, a magnificent magical barrier blocked out the howling sea winds, leaving only calm air currents for the students to practice in.
Sunlight filtered through the semi-transparent barrier dome, spilling onto the circular track suspended in mid-air and making the metal guardrails along its edges gleam brilliantly.
“Mind your center of gravity! A broom has its own spirit. You need to feel its rhythm, not force it to obey you!”
Instructor Shirley flew through the air on her broom, her pristine white scholar’s robes flapping in the wind.
The snowy owl feather decorations on her head twitched slightly as she guided her three students on the track below.
Tunzuo rode her newly purchased “Night Phantom” broom.
She had adopted the most stable riding posture, sitting sidesaddle.
Her hands rested lightly on the broom handle, her legs together and angled to one side.
The young witch looked like an elegant noblewoman attending a tea party, though the heavy dark circles under her eyes somewhat ruined the image.
Guided by Tunzuo’s magic, the broom flew along the edge of the track at a steady, leisurely pace, as gentle as a tame black cat.
Meanwhile, Huli clung tightly to her teddy bear plushie, riding a white broom adorned with carved ice crystal shards.
Her snow-white fox ears were pressed flat against her head in nervousness.
Though she also sat sidesaddle, her posture was as stiff as a board.
Her broom wobbled unsteadily, several times nearly grazing the Acceleration Runes embedded in the track.
“Tu-Tu… I’m scared…”
Huli, who was afraid of heights, whimpered softly.
“Don’t be scared, Little White. Just pretend you’re on a merry-go-round. Relax and maintain a steady magic output.”
Tunzuo yawned and reached out to help Huli adjust her broom’s balance.
In stark contrast to Tunzuo and Huli’s leisurely, almost geriatric flying style was Sally, who was racing her broom on the opposite side of the track.
Our dashing black cat witch had completely abandoned the standard posture taught in the textbooks.
With a kick of her legs, she stood sideways on the broom handle, one foot in front of the other, looking exactly like those extreme sports skateboarders back on Blue Star.
“Woo-hoo, liftoff—!!!”
Sally shrieked excitedly, her black cat tail stretched taut behind her like a rudder to help steer.
Her broom let out a piercing shriek as it tore through the air, transforming into a black bolt of lightning that accelerated madly along the outer edge of the track.
Every turn was taken at the extreme limit, the incredible speed leaving a series of Mach rings in its wake.
“Sally! Slow down! Guardrail ahead!”
Seeing that Sally had completely lost herself in the thrill, Tunzuo had to raise her voice, shouting at the wildly flying figure.
However, Sally had entered a state of pure focus.
The wind roaring in her ears drowned out everything else.
She couldn’t hear Tunzuo’s warning at all.
If anything, Tunzuo’s shout only made her more excited.
She abruptly lowered her center of gravity, and her broom performed a dangerously close drift along the track.
Watching this, Tunzuo shook her head helplessly, thinking to herself that this mischievous kid would definitely grow up to be a street-racing hooligan.
Since tomorrow was Friday, Tunzuo was somewhat curious about the content of the upcoming public practical class.
After all, in her first week at the Witch Academy, she hadn’t really learned much knowledge or magic applicable to actual combat.
Social Studies had been a complete waste of time, Magic Theory class had blown up half a building, and Broom Riding class so far only involved slow laps around the track.
This “slacking off” learning progress filled Tunzuo with curiosity about tomorrow’s public practical class.
Were they really going to fight monsters in the wild tomorrow?
Or perhaps a simulated battlefield?
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Tunzuo finally spoke up and asked Instructor Shirley, who was flying alongside them.
“Um… Instructor Shirley, what are we going to do in tomorrow’s public practical class?”
Hearing Tunzuo’s question, Shirley smiled faintly.
A mysterious glint flashed in her gentle yet serious eyes.
“Tomorrow’s public practical class won’t be held at the academy. Instead, I’m taking you all to watch a match.”
Shirley said unhurriedly, a hint of anticipation in her voice.
“A match?”
Tunzuo was somewhat surprised, not quite understanding the connection between practical combat and a match.
“Yes, a match. Tomorrow, a rather extraordinary guest will come to Vast Sea City to perform a witch duel. A high-level witch duel match will be held at the Vast Sea City Witch Dueling Arena. Such an opportunity is quite rare, so I plan to take you all to watch and learn. The experience of a senior can often teach you things that books cannot.”
Shirley added by way of explanation, her tone becoming somewhat impassioned.
Tunzuo blinked, curious about who this “extraordinary” personage might be.
To be called that, she’d have to be at least as strong as An Lin… well, no, probably much stronger than An Lin, right?
Seeing Tunzuo’s confused expression, Shirley smiled and explained.
“Student Tunzuo, as a Lost Witch who has been wandering outside for a long time, you might not be very familiar with the witch I’m talking about. But for young witches who grew up in the Dona Yala World, like Sally and Huli, this witch is all too familiar.”
Here, Shirley paused, a trace of undisguised admiration appearing in her eyes.
“She is the strongest among this generation of young witches, and, like you all, she is also a Young Witch.”
“A Young Witch? The strongest?”
This confused Tunzuo even more.
She simply couldn’t connect those two terms.
Before Tunzuo could press further, Sally, who had just finished a lap around the track and executed a difficult aerial emergency stop, zoomed over with eyes full of fervent heat.
Her goggles were still on, and her voice was shrill with excitement.
“Instructor Shirley! Are you talking about… Lady Olivia?!”
“Indeed.”
Shirley nodded with a smile.
“Waaaah—!!!”
Sally instantly let out a shriek loud enough to shatter glass.
She excitedly bounced twice on her broom, nearly throwing herself off.
“It’s Lady Olivia! The brilliant, dazzling Golden Dragon! The star we look up to! The rising hope of the witch world!”
Even the usually ditzy Huli blinked her big eyes, two blushes appearing on her originally pale face.
Clearly, both of them idolized this witch named Olivia to the extreme.
Baffled by Sally and Huli’s reactions, Tunzuo asked, somewhat dazed.
“Is this Olivia something special? Isn’t she just a powerful Young Witch?”
“‘Just’?! Tu-Tu, you have no taste!”
Sally wore an expression of utter shock, as if Tunzuo had just blasphemed against a deity.
She then began passionately educating Tunzuo about Olivia.
“Lady Olivia won the Witch Academy League championship three times in a row with her overwhelming strength! She’s only twenty-five years old but can already skillfully cast Seventh-Circle spells! And Lady Olivia is a Golden Dragon Witch! Tu-Tu, do you know what a Golden Dragon means? That’s a bloodline with the legacy of a Legendary Witch!”
Sally grew more and more excited as she spoke, her hands gesturing excitedly in front of her chest to mimic dragon horns.
She continued.
“Even though Lady Olivia is a Young Witch as a Golden Dragon Witch, she already possesses a higher magic reserve than many Great Witches! She’s the leader of our generation of young witches! The idol of all young witches!”
Tunzuo listened, somewhat dumbfounded.
Twenty-five years old and mastering Seventh-Circle magic? That was indeed impressive.
She, this “fake” Young Witch, might have a terrifyingly large magic pool, but from the start of school until now, aside from the shadow magic Antuxi taught her, she hadn’t really learned many proper spells.
“But… if this Olivia is so strong, why is she still a Young Witch? Logically, a genius like that should have graduated from the academy long ago, right?”
Tunzuo keenly seized on a blind spot in Sally’s words.
Sally was taken aback for a moment, then scratched her head. Her excited expression turned somewhat gossipy.
“Uh… well… According to rumors, it’s said that Lady Olivia has some sort of… physical defect? So she can’t graduate from the Witch Academy for the time being…”
“A defect?”
Tunzuo raised an eyebrow. This was an answer she hadn’t expected.
“Hmm, I’m not sure either. Compared to a physical defect, I think it might be more like… some ‘trouble caused by being too popular’? Or ‘feeling empty because she’s too strong to find a worthy opponent’? Anyway, there are many theories, but Lady Olivia has indeed remained at the academy. There’s also a saying that Lady Olivia is deliberately delaying her graduation to enjoy academy life.”
At this point, Sally looked envious.
“I’d like to enjoy that kind of life where the whole academy worships you…”
At that moment, Shirley interrupted the conversation between Tunzuo and Sally.
“Alright, enough of unclear rumors. Actually, I’ve already made an appointment with Olivia. After the match concludes, she will temporarily stay at the dueling arena to teach some techniques to you, her fellow Young Witches.”
Shirley cleared her throat and dropped a bombshell.
“Really?!”
This heavy piece of information made Sally and Huli even more excited.
Sally was so thrilled she even did a somersault on her broom, nearly falling off.
“To see Lady Olivia in person! And to be personally instructed by her! I could die without regrets!”
Tunzuo, however, looked indifferent.
She had never been interested in being taught by peers; in fact, she somewhat disliked it.
Lacking enthusiasm, Tunzuo began to fantasize in her mind about what kind of witch Olivia might be.
Since she was a Golden Dragon, she must have a suit of dazzling golden armor, right?
Or maybe a domineering, unpleasant personality? Or perhaps she was a muscular, tomboyish type?
Tunzuo got a bit too lost in her thoughts, completely failing to hear the warnings from Shirley and the others.
“Student Tunzuo! Watch out ahead!”
Shirley cried out in alarm.
“Tu-Tu! The guardrail!”
Huli also hurriedly shouted.
But Tunzuo remained immersed in her fantasies about the Golden Dragon Witch.
She rode her broom straight into the metal guardrail at the edge of the track.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed as Tunzuo, broom and all, was sent flying back.
The young witch ended up face-down on the guardrail like a hanging sausage, the broom handle wedged right at her waist, swaying back and forth with the inertia.
“Oof…”
Tunzuo let out a pained groan, feeling like she was about to paint a beautiful rainbow with her lunch.
Shirley hurriedly flew over, her face full of concern as she supported Tunzuo.
“Student Tunzuo! Are you alright? Are you hurt?!”
Tunzuo lifted her head with difficulty, her hair a mess and the pattern of the guardrail imprinted on her face.
She silently gave a thumbs-up, indicating she was fine, just thoroughly embarrassed.
Soon, Friday arrived.
The skies over Vast Sea City were clear and sunny, without a cloud in sight.
Shirley brought Tunzuo, Sally, and Huli, the three little ones, to the Vast Sea City Witch Dueling Arena.
But the moment they entered, Tunzuo was stunned by the sea of people before her.
This wasn’t a dueling arena; this was the World Cup finals! The massive oval stadium was packed to the brim.
Tens of thousands of witch spectators waved glow sticks and support banners, their roars deafening.
Huge holographic projection screens floated in the air, broadcasting the scene inside the arena in real-time.
“So many witches… Is this the economic effect brought by a star?”
Tunzuo couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Of course! Tickets for Lady Olivia’s matches are incredibly hard to get!”
Sally held up a huge banner with Olivia’s name on it, stars of admiration practically shining in her eyes.
Shirley led Tunzuo and the others through the crowded throng to their assigned seats.
The view was excellent, overlooking the entire dueling arena.
“She’s here! She’s here! Lady Olivia is making her entrance!”
As the entire audience erupted in a collective gasp, the large gate on one side of the dueling arena slowly opened.
A golden light instantly illuminated the entire stadium.
Tunzuo squinted, following the gazes of the witches.
A tall witch strode slowly into the center of the arena.
She was estimated to be over six feet tall, wearing a well-tailored white suit with a black shirt underneath.
The collar was open, revealing delicate collarbones.
A dazzling cascade of golden hair flowed down her back, shimmering with a metallic luster under the lights.
Most eye-catching were the majestic golden dragon horns atop her head and the powerful, slowly swaying golden dragon tail behind her.
Olivia’s features were handsome and cold, with sharp eyebrows and star-like eyes.
A confident, composed smile played on her lips.
When she waved to the audience, that heroic, imposing aura directly ignited the entire stadium, causing countless witches to let out hysterical screams.
“Waaaah—! Lady Olivia is so handsome!!!”
Sally was so excited she nearly ate her banner.
Sitting in the spectator stands, Tunzuo looked at that radiant figure on the field.
For some reason, a sour feeling bubbled up in her heart.
“Tch… So what if she’s a bit taller, her hair is shinier, and her tail is longer…”
Tunzuo pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and muttered under her breath.
“These high-popularity characters who stand in the sunlight are always so popular… Definitely one of those ‘normies’ who’s been pampered and admired since childhood…”
Tunzuo glanced down at her own pitch-black gothic dress, then looked at her own pale, almost transparent hands.
Suddenly, she felt that compared to Olivia, she was like some shady, minor villain monster that couldn’t see the light of day.
“Tsk, doesn’t seem that amazing…”
Tunzuo silently gave Olivia a bad review in her heart, but her gaze couldn’t seem to leave that dazzling figure on the dueling field.
At that moment, Olivia seemed to sense something.
Her brilliant golden, slit-pupiled eyes suddenly swept across the spectator stands.
Her gaze lingered on Tunzuo for a moment.
Olivia raised an eyebrow meaningfully in Tunzuo’s direction, then withdrew her gaze, turning back to wait for her opponent in the center of the arena.
“Tch, putting on airs…”
Olivia’s look made Tunzuo click her tongue in dissatisfaction.
She knew what that look was—it was the absolute confidence and arrogance of a superior.
It made Tunzuo feel very uncomfortable.
However, Tunzuo did not know that from this moment on, the gears of fate let out a crisp click as they meshed.
The Phantom and the Golden Dragon would henceforth be inextricably intertwined.