The news of what just happened had spread through out Meridian High like a wildfire.
By the time Verso and Xavier arrived at the practice grounds, an abnormally large crowd had already gathered.
A lot of students had abandoned their lunch breaks and skipped study sessions, lining up in the grounds with an intensity that was usually reserved for the city ranking battles.
"No way he actually said that straight to Xavier's face?"
"I swear to god, I saw it. He mocked him and his summon in front of everyone!"
"Verso is truly a dead man now. Does he even know what family Xavier comes from?"
The whispers around him had formed into a constant buzzing sound, but Verso ignored them.
He kept his eyes fixed on the center of the grounds, where a massive stage had been erected.
It was carved from a strange, grey marble that seemed to absorb the afternoon light rather than reflect it, it was probably made out of some strange material to ensure it could withstand the damage of the battle that was to take place.
Professor Ailene stood in the center of the marble stage, her hands behind her back. She looked at the two boys as they stepped onto the cold stone, her sharp eyes scanning their expressions.
"So," Ailene said, her voice easily taking over the chatter which quieted down.
"Are you guys ready?"
"Yes, Professor." Xavier and Verso said in unison.
"Okay then." Ailene started walking toward the edge of the stage and when she reached the boundary she turned back to look at them.
"Please head to your respective sides."
Verso gave a short nod and began turning. Just as he passed Xavier, a cold wind seemed to hit his face.
"I will kill you." Xavier whispered, his words so low and venomous.
Verso didn't stop, neither did he flinch hearing the threat.
He just turned his head slightly, a wide relaxed smile spreading across his face as he looked at the boy.
"Well, we'll see about that."
He continued walking until he reached his side of the stage.
Just as the both of them got into their position, Ailene's voice boomed across the practice ground, amplified by a touch of mana which made it vibrate in the students' eardrums.
"Remember! The match ends when one side is deemed unfit to continue or is knocked off the stage."
The crowd erupted in a deafening shout of excitement.
The sheer volume of the people would have rattled a normal student as it was not common for a duel to get this much attention, but Verso felt a strange sense of calm.
He looked across the stage at Xavier, who was staring at him with raw bloodlust in his face.
'Looks like he wasn't lying about wanting to kill me.' Verso thought, his own smile widening in anticipation.
"On my signal!" Ailene raised her hand.
"One! Two! Three… GO!"
Xavier didn't hesitate for a second. He slammed his hands together, his summoning space tearing open with a violent crack of grey mist.
Two summons emerged one after the other. The first was the Mutant rank Ash Wolf everyone knew of, although not the strongest mutant summon but still a formidable one.
The second one though was a large panther, its body composed of sleek, midnight black muscle. Wisps of dark smoke continuously drifted off its fur as its eyes glowed with a predatory purple light.
"Is that an Umbra Panther?!" Someone screamed from the crowrd.
Everyone in Meridian City knew about the Umbra Panther. It was one of the most popular and terrifying mutant beasts in the region, capable of melting into shadows to strike from a blind spot.
But Xavier wasn't done. A bright flash of light formed as the manifestation solidified in his his hand. It was a long golden spear with blue lightning crackling across the tip of the spearhead.
Verso stood perfectly still, looking at the display.
'Well, shit.'
He hadn't expected Xavier to be quite this loaded.
He knew the boy had family support, but this was absurd. He had not only summoned the wolf and the panther but had also manifested a lightning spear.
Xavier was effectively wielding three Mutant rank summons at once. Which was a staggering amount of resources for a student who had only just awakened a week ago.
"I guess I have to go all out too." Verso muttered, a sinister grin finally breaking onto his calm face.
He reached into his soul space, tugging at all of the summons in his arsenal that he had gathered over the last few nights of grinding.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Huge, jagged boulders seemingly materialized out of thin air, slamming onto the marble stage with enough force to make the ground beneath the students feet tremble.
The golden, sun like energy of Verso's mana wove between the stones, pulling them together in a frantic dance of construction.
Suddenly, the entire practice ground went silent. The cheering, the whispering and even the sound of the wind seemed to vanish.
"..."
"Am I seeing right?"
In front of the crowd, a wall of stone had occupied Verso's side of the stage.
Seven large golems stood in an intimidating formation. Four of them were seven feet tall standing in the front and just looming behind them were three even larger giants, each standing nine feet tall with golden runes pulsing across their chests.
Xavier's smug expression crumbled instantly as his jaw dropped.
Even Ailene's eyes had widened, her professional mask slipping for the first time as she stared at the sheer amount of stone golems that Verso had spawned.
A small, dry chuckle sounded across the silent grounds as Verso stepped forward, his eyes reflecting the golden light of his summons.
"So," Verso's voice was smooth, cutting through the silence like a blade.
"Should we get this fight going?"
The students erupted in a roar so loud it felt like it would tear the sky open. Their deafening noise signaling the start of a slaughter.