No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

The Beijing Tournament Finals had finally arrived, igniting the city in a wildfire of excitement.

Streets were packed, stadium seats overflowed, and countless eyes glued themselves to giant screens displaying the event citywide.

It was not just another match, it was a symbolic clash between the pinnacle of mana awakening and the peak of mecha mastery.

Damien Bloodbane stood calmly at the entrance tunnel, his eyes shimmering with anticipation.

Across the massive arena, a sleek, pure-white mecha emerged. Its polished armor reflected sunlight brilliantly, making it appear celestial against the afternoon sky.

Piloting this mechanical marvel was none other than Bai Xue, War God College's undisputed champion.

Bai Xue herself was renowned beyond just her mechanical prowess.

Tall, graceful, with striking silver hair cascading down her back and sharp, analytical eyes of ice blue, she embodied the elegance of a dancer and the lethal grace of a seasoned warrior.

Her reputation as an unmatched pilot had made her the pride of War God College. Even among the elite, Bai Xue stood distinct, an elegant blade wrapped in beauty and power.

Her mecha, aptly named "Divine Aegis," was a technological masterpiece.

Standing nearly five meters tall, it was designed for both speed and precision combat. Its slim limbs were intricately engineered for maximum agility, powered by cutting-edge plasma actuators.

Two long, slender blades rested upon its back, shimmering with energy, and its wrist-mounted cannons pulsed faintly with stored power. Enhanced sensory arrays dotted its smooth chassis, allowing unparalleled battle-awareness and reaction speed.

Divine Aegis wasn't merely a machine; it was an extension of Bai Xue herself.

The announcer's voice roared with enthusiasm.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the battle we've all been waiting for! Damien Bloodbane of Pearl Institute, the strongest mana-awakened junior, versus Bai Xue of War God College, piloting the legendary Divine Aegis! Who will emerge victorious? Mana or Mecha? Let the battle begin!"

Instantly, Bai Xue launched Divine Aegis forward with breathtaking speed, its engines humming fiercely.

Damien watched, excitement flickering in his eyes. This was exactly the kind of challenge he'd been waiting for.

He dashed forward, his body blurring as death mana surged powerfully within.

Divine Aegis unleashed its wrist cannons, beams of intense plasma scorching through the air, precisely targeting Damien's path.

Damien shifted effortlessly, dancing between the blasts as if predicting their paths with absolute clarity.

The audience gasped, mesmerized by his agility.

Seeing the ineffectiveness of her ranged attacks, Bai Xue pivoted elegantly, drawing the dual blades in a fluid, sweeping motion. Divine Aegis leaped high, arcing gracefully through the air before descending rapidly, blades poised to strike.

Damien smiled sharply, meeting the deadly blades head-on.

He raised a single palm, enveloped in swirling darkness. "Shadow Grip," he whispered.

The shadows around him surged forward, wrapping tightly around the blades, halting Divine Aegis mid-strike.

Bai Xue reacted swiftly, twisting the mecha's frame to wrench the weapons free and delivered a spinning kick. The blow, enhanced by plasma thrusters, sent a shockwave reverberating through the stadium.

Damien flipped backwards gracefully, his landing smooth and unaffected.

Divine Aegis dashed forward again, blades spinning in a whirlwind of deadly steel and crackling energy. Each strike was precise, every motion a calculated dance. Bai Xue's mastery was undeniable; her mecha moved not like a machine, but like a living extension of her very will.

Damien countered each attack fluidly, his movements smooth and calm amidst the chaos. His fists, wrapped in dark energy, parried blades effortlessly, each collision sending sparks and echoes roaring across the battlefield.

"You're exceptional," Bai Xue acknowledged through her external speakers, genuine respect in her cool voice. "But let me show you true mastery."

Suddenly, Divine Aegis surged with intense light. Its armor panels opened slightly, revealing pulsing blue cores, energy capacitors activating simultaneously.

The crowd gasped as Divine Aegis blurred forward at unprecedented speed, blades trailing streaks of blinding light.

"Flash Tempest!" Bai Xue's voice resonated clearly.

Damien's eyes widened slightly in excitement. He responded immediately, raising both arms as death mana flooded outward, forming a translucent sphere around him. "Energy Barrier!"

The impact was monumental, a shockwave erupting outward. Light clashed violently with darkness, creating an explosive wave of energy that shook the arena.

Dust and smoke obscured the battlefield momentarily, the crowd holding its breath in tense silence.

As the smoke cleared, Damien stood firm, his barrier flickering but intact. Divine Aegis had been pushed back, armor scorched but functional. Bai Xue's eyes narrowed in surprise, but her determination only grew.

Divine Aegis surged forward once more, its movements sharp and blinding, but Damien was already in motion, his body a blur of deadly grace. His left hand flicked up and cast a rune into the air.

Gravemind Pulse.

Instantly, black sigils burst beneath Divine Aegis, slowing its next movement for a fraction of a second. That pause was all Damien needed.

"Ten moves." Damien said. "I will defeat you in ten moves."

"You can try, pretty boy!" Came Bai Xue's scathing reply.

In an instant, he appeared at its side, his fist cloaked in swirling green mist, Poison Crush.

Bam! He struck just below the arm joint. The armor dented visibly. Sparks flew.

Bai Xue reacted instantly, slashing backward in a tight arc.

Damien ducked beneath the gleaming blade, sliding under the mecha's leg and planting a rune beneath it, Reaper's Mark. The rune exploded, throwing the mecha slightly off balance.

Damien twisted mid-slide, calling up his next spell, Void Anchor. Tendrils of spectral chains erupted from beneath, grabbing Divine Aegis's other leg and pulling it down. The mecha buckled, left knee hitting the ground.

Bai Xue shouted and launched counter-thrusters, spinning Divine Aegis into a rising slash. Damien leapt over the whirling blades, extended his fingers, and hurled a Necrotic Spear straight into the exposed left shoulder joint.

The impact left a small explosion of death energy and a molten scar on the armor.

Divine Aegis roared, systems compensating for the damage in its limbs. Bai Xue activated a plasma overdrive. The mecha exploded upward with sudden force, aiming to slam Damien midair. But Damien vanished, Sovereign Stride flickered. He reappeared behind the mech, hand crackling with violet lightning.

"Silencer Bolt!" he whispered. The bolt hit the energy core shielding, causing it to sputter. Divine Aegis staggered, and Bai Xue narrowed her eyes.

She whirled and struck out with both blades in a pinwheel pattern, but Damien matched her speed. He summoned two mana runes, Bone Wind Step, each rune expelling a burst of wind-infused death energy to propel him backward. He landed with a small skid, unscathed.

Damien slammed his hand into the ground. "Rise," he whispered. Shadow Servant emerged behind Divine Aegis, an ethereal, translucent replica of himself. It rushed forward, distracting Bai Xue with rapid palm strikes and illusions, just long enough for Damien to prepare.

He raised both palms and focused. Dread Spiral surged outward, a vortex of compressed death and poison energy that struck Divine Aegis square in the chest. The mecha reeled, its chest armor now cracked and leaking steam. The core dimmed briefly.

With a shout, Bai Xue activated her final protocol, White Vortex Drive, the mecha burst forward with tremendous speed, blades extended. But Damien anticipated it. His eyes glowed faintly as he met her charge head-on.

He flickered to her right and whispered: "Soul Burn."

His hand tapped the side of the mech.

A ripple of death energy surged inside Divine Aegis, not destructive, but draining. Bai Xue's systems warned her of internal mana instability. Her movement slowed. Her HUD blurred.

She pulled back, gasping in her cockpit, sweat beading on her brow.

Outside, Divine Aegis stood still, steam billowing from its vents, core flickering.

The arena exploded in thunderous applause.

Fatty leapt to his feet, waving both arms like a maniac. "That's my boss! My legendary, cheating, monster boss!"

Beside him, Elly pouted, hands on her hips. "Hmph! He didn't even tell me he learned Soul Burn! I could've used that on the cafeteria lady!"

Fatty blinked. "You were gonna soul burn a lunch lady?"

"She shorted me one fishball!" Elly growled.

Fatty slowly backed away. "Remind me never to mess with your fishballs…"

Damien stepped back respectfully, bowing lightly towards the immobilized mecha.

"You fought incredibly," Damien said sincerely, offering Bai Xue a nod of genuine respect.

Her cockpit opened with a soft hiss, and she stepped out with poise, silver hair shimmering under the lights.

She bowed gracefully, eyes filled with quiet admiration. "The honor was mine, Damien Bloodbane."

Damien turned toward the roaring crowd, his heart calm but steady with pride. It had been a good fight, intense, thrilling, and clean.

He'd tested several new spells, each one performing exactly as intended. Power, precision, and discipline.

As he stepped up to the podium, the gleaming Beijing Trophy raised high in his hand, something shifted in the air.

His eyes, trained by countless battles and sharper than any camera lens, caught movement in the crowd.

Six individuals had appeared near Elly's section, cloaked in thick traveling robes that seemed too heavy for the season. They moved silently, unnoticed by those around them, but Damien's instincts screamed.

One of them locked eyes with him.

And smiled.

A slow, crooked, sinister smile that reeked of intent.

The next moment, that same man spun, his robe flaring like a bat's wing—and flung it violently around both Fatty and Elly. The cloth shimmered with some kind of spatial distortion, swallowing them whole.

The whole crowd was still shouting and screaming his name, none of them noticed anything amiss.

And in the next moment, they all disappeared.