A barrier created by students could never surmount the flames of a green dragon. Yet, the magic-imbued flames, unleashed on Noin’s command, never reached their target. Lutiya stood at the heart of the barrier, right before the flag everyone was trying to protect.

Seeing this, Noin drew his sword and leapt of his dragon’s saddle.

“Now! Charge! Go for the flag! I’ll take care of Lutiya!”

“Noin, I’ll be your opponent! Don’t let them near the flag!”

Lutiya unsheathed his sword and glared at Noin. For some reason, that alone made the corners of Noin’s mouth lift into a grin.

A brutal ground battle without the grace of aerial combat unfolded. There was nothing elegant about it, yet the sound of their clashing swords rang out with astonishing clarity.  It was a sound that convinced him there was no need to hold back.

The cheers, jeers, and shouts from the audience blurred into the background.

“You’re not half bad!”

“Don’t talk down to me, you arrogant bastard!”

The two hurled insults at each other, yet they were also clearly assessing the battlefield. The strain of maintaining the anti-air magic was beginning to show. Leaping onto dragons and knocking their riders to the ground was no easy feat either. The formation of the Blue Dragon Class, exhausted from prolonged combat, was starting to break apart.

Lutiya turned, as if to check on the situation, but Noin immediately blocked him.

“You’re not going anywhere! If I break your school emblem here, it’s our complete victory!”

Lutiya’s eyes snapped back to Noin. Beyond their crossed swords, a familiar sly smirk curled on his lips.

“—You fell for it, oh great Elite.”

A massive shadow passed overhead.

Someone is still mounted on a dragon?

Noin’s eyes instinctively followed it, only for his breath to get caught upon seeing where the dragon was heading.

The Gold Dragon Class base camp.

And the rider— the rider was from the Blue Dragon Class.

The students of La Baia Military Academy were all exceptional. Every year, a few naturally possessed the ability to ride dragons. If riding was the only criteria, then there was bound to be at least a few within the Blue Dragon Class as well.

As for the Gold Dragon Class?

They had never learned how to counter a dragon.

“Damn—!”

“You strayed too far from your base, oh great Elite!”

The moment Noin was struck aside by Lutiya’s sweeping slash, a student of the Blue Dragon Class leaped off the dragon and toppled the flag.

Silence fell.

The once roaring spectators, so caught up in the battle’s excitement, were stunned into silence as they processed what had just happened.

“…It can’t be. The Gold Dragon Class… lost?”

“…We did it.”

Someone whispered.

The students of the Gold Dragon Class fell to their knees in disbelief while the blue Dragon Class students rose in triumph.  Noin saw Lutiya clench his fist.

Then—

A deafening cheer erupted, shattering the silence.


“WE WOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!”

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