This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

The arena was electric with anticipation.

Students, professors, and even alumni had gathered in greater numbers than usual.

There were separate arenas for the re-rankings of each grade level, but it appears as though the second years' finale match had as much public interest as the fourth years', which was typically the most popular due to them making up the bulk of the representative team.

However, this year the match between Serena and Kain seemed to have the most interest. In fact, if one looked carefully they could even see some students surreptitiously setting up cameras to film the stage.

Filming the re-ranking was strictly forbidden to control the spread of information to their rival colleges, but public interest in the 'genius researcher' Kain and 'beautiful goddess' Serena had grown since the National Competition and so footage and/or pictures of their fight could sell for quite a lot of money.

Whispers and murmurs filled the air as Serena entered the arena. Her very presence caused a wave of stunned silence to wash over the audience.

"She's so… beautiful," someone in the crowd said, their voice almost reverent.

"I mean, we see her every day, but still… she's just unreal," another added, their words laced with awe.

One student that was trying to conceal a filming camera by hiding it up his sleeve couldn't help but nod numbly in agreement. He'd thought disdainfully that the fan clubs for Serena and Kain. That had popped up since the National Competition were quite pathetic to offer such an overwhelming amount of money for the footage of her during the re-ranking—but now he thought that he could empathize with them…

Her silver hair cascaded down her back like liquid moonlight, and her piercing blue eyes seemed to look right through the crowd, sending chills down the spines of those that happened to make eye contact with her.

She moved with an effortless grace, her pristine white battle uniform catching the sunlight, making her appear as though she descended from the heavens. Based on the sigils etched into the fabric, anyone watching could tell that her outfit was out of the ordinary and most likely far out of the affordable range of most students.

"She's already won every match without breaking a sweat," a student whispered to their friend next to them. "Newman's good, but he's never beaten her. Not once."

Another chimed in, "You'd have to be insane to bet against her. This'll just be another win for Serena." With that statement he walked up to a student taking bets—most likely to bet on Serena.

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Speaking of which, Elias and the others were no longer in the business of collecting bets. After Kain's match against Mira resulted in many students losing their hard earned savings at the suggestion of Elias and the others, they had been chased and hunted down by an angry mob of students.

If those troublemakers dared to try and collect bets again, they'd probably be beaten by their classmates black and blue. Even now, none of their figures could be seen in the audience as they avoided the masses and only appeared when they had to compete themselves.

Kain, who in the minds of many was the underdog, stood in his designated corner of the arena, watching Serena intently. He'd known her long enough to recognize her tells, no matter how subtle. Something was off about her today.

Her breathing was faintly labored. It was barely noticeable, but Kain's sharp eyes picked up on the slight irregularity. After all, they'd practically lived together for days over the course of several Black Missions and when searching for a cure for Gabriel.

It didn't add up. He'd watched all her previous matches in this re-ranking tournament, and not a single one of her opponents had pushed her hard enough to leave her injured or exhausted.

'What happened to her?' he wondered, his brow furrowed.

Then he remembered something strange. After returning from the Eclipse Order Orientation, Serena hadn't come back to the college until almost a week after him. Had the department she'd joined immediately sent her on a mission? Was that where she'd picked up an injury?

The referee blew his whistle and both sides summoned their contracts.

Serena wasted no time summoning her contracts. First came the Elemental Guardian, shifting seamlessly into its wind-attribute form which resembled a sprite. The air around it shimmered with energy as it hovered near her, its small, wispy frame ready to strike.

This was the contract that everyone watching was the most familiar with. In fact, majority of the time it's the only contract that she bothers to summon. Even now, she only used the Elemental Guardian throughout Phase 1.

The audience gasped as Serena's second contract, the Starweaver, was also revealed. The familiar humanoid figure composed of stars and constellations appeared, its wings spreading out like a fragment of the night sky. The constellations on its wings shimmered faintly, hinting at its powerful skills.

At this point Kain couldn't help revealing a smirk due to being confident that he would be able to win. He had extensive knowledge of all her contracts, and even practiced against virtual version of them in the System's Training Arena. He felt that he could probably accurately predict what movements she would make before she even did so.

However, Serena wasn't going to play along as he wished.

Kain's smirk was quickly wiped off of his face as she summoned a third contract—one that was NOT BALENS.

It was a small, rabbit-like creature that appeared to be made of translucent crystal, its body radiating a soft, calming glow. Its large, luminous eyes seemed almost too innocent for the battlefield.

The audience tilted their heads in confusion.

"What is that?"

"Oh my god! It's soooo cute!"

"It looks so… harmless."

However, despite its meek appearance, Kain's unease grew.

Serena's contracts were never chosen for their appearances. If she had added this one to her team, it was undoubtedly powerful in ways he couldn't yet comprehend.

And most likely it's appearance would put a giant wrench in all of his carefully thought out plans.Nôv(el)B\\jnn