My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them

The announcer gives the signal for the match to begin, and Cassian wastes no time.

He immediately unleashes a storm of lightning, brighter and stronger than ever, spreading in every direction. The arena is instantly flooded with electric flashes, forcing Eiric to dodge with quick, sharp movements to avoid them.

«You little bastard,» Eiric growls. «Getting good with your cowardly tricks, huh?» A sneer forms on his face. «I'll show you what real strength is! The kind built on sweat, training, and study — something no dark spell will ever let you match!»

The space around Eiric starts to distort, bending as if trapped inside an invisible bubble, and the ground beneath his feet cracks deeply.

Cassian reacts at once, casting enormous lightning tentacles, even larger than the ones he used to defeat Edward. The crackling limbs coil around the warped space like the grip of a giant octopus, trying to crush it.

But despite the power of the attack, the tentacles disintegrate the moment they touch it, crushed by the invisible force surrounding Eiric.

«Manipulation Magic: Gravitational Wave!»

An invisible wave of energy bursts from the bubble and strikes Cassian square in the chest, slamming him against the outer edge of the magical barrier surrounding the arena. The impact forces him to spit blood.

Lilvyra, seated among the spectators, watches closely, her expression unreadable. In her eyes, this is not just a duel — it's a test for Cassian, a way to see if he's ready to join the dark cult to which all his ancestors once belonged. A trial within a trial.

Cassian gets back on his feet, wiping the blood off his lips with his sleeve. A twisted smile, almost out of place, spreads across his face. «Lilvyra's blows hurt a lot more...» he mutters under his breath.

During the preliminary rounds, Eiric demonstrated his mastery of Manipulation Magic, and to prepare Cassian for facing such a threat, Lilvyra had created, through those same space-distortion effects, a vast training field within the boy's room.

There, Cassian learned to endure those fearsome attacks and, above all, how to counter them. Eiric's spells are powerful, but Cassian has been trained by someone who masters such magic with a skill the young Serenvalir could never even imagine.

«The first time, let yourself be hit on purpose. It will help you grasp Eiric's limits. If the strength of his spells turns out to be weaker than the one I just cast, you should be able to defeat him. Otherwise, retreat.»

That was what Lilvyra had told him during one of their harsh training sessions, after striking Cassian with a Manipulation Magic infused with a mere fragment of her own vast power.

Cassian's smile widens, twisting into a twisted grin of malice. His eyes, empty just moments before, now gleam with madness.

«Eiric, get ready,» Cassian whispers in a low, sadistic tone. «I'm coming.»

Bolts of lightning whirl around him with devastating fury, their violence shattering the ground beneath their feet. He launches a massive surge of lightning that slams into Eiric's gravitational bubble, driving it steadily backward.

Eiric's Manipulation Magic, which bends space to protect his body, demands an enormous amount of energy to sustain — even for someone as gifted as him. He had planned to cancel the barrier as soon as Cassian's offensive subsided, but the electrical storm doesn't let up — it keeps raging on, longer than he expected.

His energy nearly spent, Eiric is forced to deactivate the barrier prematurely, lunging sideways to avoid the lightning beam.

However, he can't dodge it completely — his left arm is caught by the lightning, and a cry of pain escapes his lips.

The entire arena falls silent in shock. It's the first time Eiric Serenvalir, the school's prodigy, has ever been hurt this badly before. To many, this duel had seemed little more than a formality, and no one could have imagined that Eiric would be forced to fight this hard.

In the stands, Professor August Gorakthal watches the scene with growing frustration. His face twisted with anger, he moves to stand beside Lilvyra.

«Brat, I demand an explanation!» he snaps, his voice thick with irritation. «Before you showed up, that useless boy couldn't even cast a basic spell properly. And now... who the hell are you?»

Lilvyra gives him a mocking look. «Who am I?» she repeats. «Apparently, a better teacher than you, Professor Gorakthal.»

Her sharp words only make August angrier. «There's something going on here, and I know it! I don't have proof yet, but I'm certain that you and Cassian are involved with that damned cult — just like his father. It's only a matter of time before you meet the same fate!» he exclaims, his tone threatening.

Lilvyra remains perfectly still. She takes a step forward, bringing her face close to the professor's, locking eyes with such intensity that he instinctively steps back.

«You seem to hate Cassian's father quite a lot. After all, defeat is a bitter pill to swallow, isn't it, Professor Gorakthal?» Her tone is sharp, almost amused.

Her words strike the professor like a precise blow, making him stiffen. «Defeat? What nonsense are you talking about?» he stammers, visibly unsettled.

Lilvyra steps forward again, and August takes another step back. «When you were a student at Sereltha, you were considered a true genius. But despite everything, you were always second. No matter how hard you tried, you could never match the strength of the academy's top student — Balthor Thalukvar.»

That name, spoken in a cutting tone, seems to unearth a painful memory from the professor's mind. «He's the one who humiliated you in the semester tournament finals, isn't he? That's why you harbor so much hatred toward Cassian. You saw in him the same potential as his father, and you've done nothing but hold him back, terrified that history might repeat itself.»

August's face turns pale as he stares at her, eyes wide. «How do you know all this?» he asks, trembling.

Lilvyra smiles with a dark, sinister grin. «I know everything about my children,» she says, her voice thick with inhuman malice.

«Your children? What are you talking about?» August replies, shocked and unable to grasp the meaning of her words.

Lilvyra ignores the question. She takes another step toward him, driving him back until his shoulders press against the wall.

«Cassian has always been a mage of extraordinary talent. After all, my own blood runs through his veins, so it could never be otherwise. All he ever needed was someone to teach him — something neither you nor the other teachers were ever capable of, blinded by your own hatred for his name. But it doesn't matter. In the end, that's exactly why I'm here.»

Lilvyra's eyes shift toward the center of the arena, where Cassian and Eiric continue their fight without restraint.

«Now, enjoy the fall of your beloved pupil,» she murmurs.

«Manipulation Magic: Gravitational Wave!»

Eiric, visibly exhausted, casts the same spell again. But this time, Cassian — also drained after nearly twenty minutes of relentless combat — doesn't allow himself to be hit. With a swift motion, he conjures a cage of lightning around his body, neutralizing the attack.

The arena, now reduced to a massive crater, is scarred by their devastating magic, and the crowd, electrified, holds its breath at the sight of such an incredible battle.

Eiric summons the last of his strength, gathering every drop of energy into the palm of his hand, creating a small sphere so dense it appears pitch black. «I'll finish you with this, Cassian! This farce has gone on long enough! Manipulation Magic: Black Star!»

With a quick motion, Eiric hurls the dark sphere toward his opponent — a sphere that seems to swallow the surrounding light, tearing the very air apart as it moves.

«Elemental Invocation - Wind: Lightning Arc!»

Cassian unleashes every ounce of energy left within him, generating a rapid sequence of lightning bolts that spark from the arc formed between his fingers. The electric streams twist through the air like luminous serpents, racing straight toward Eiric's dark sphere.

The impact between the two spells is catastrophic. A colossal explosion of light and energy spreads across the entire arena, blinding and deafening everyone. Both fighters are thrown violently to opposite sides of the barrier, crashing hard against the shattered ground.

As the smoke and dust from the explosion begin to clear, a stunned silence falls over the crowd. Everyone holds their breath, eyes wide with disbelief. Cassian and Eiric lie motionless on the ground, their bodies battered and broken. Blood flows freely from their wounds, staining the scorched earth a deep, macabre red.

«I can't believe this...» Professor Gorakthal says, unable to tear his eyes away from Eiric's still body.

«Yes...» Lilvyra agrees, her gaze fixed on Cassian, who shows no sign of movement. «I was convinced Cassian would be able to defeat him, but Eiric has shown a strength well beyond what I expected.»