Chapter 43: The Two Faces of the Desert
Eira felt sweat beading on her hand gripping her weapon as she stood on the arena stage, tension coiling through her. Even inside Nautilus, squabbles were common, and when they arose, Eira often mediated—or if mediation failed, the parties settled it with a duel in the arena. To prevent fights from escalating too far, someone with authority both sides respected had to serve as judge and witness. Eira had frequently filled that role, coming to the arena as a witness.
Though she'd visited the arena often, this was her first time standing in it herself. The tension felt different from real combat, and Eira double-checked her gear once more. The axe forged from the thick thigh bone of the massive polar bear Suhyun had felled, paired with a shield of its hide and skull—these held more potent magic than any weapon she'd wielded before. Yet against Hasina's overwhelming mana, they felt woefully inadequate.
"Not a bad spot, huh?"
Unlike Eira's taut nerves, Hasina wore a relaxed expression as she surveyed the arena, gauging its limits. Magic, unlike simple martial arts, could unleash massive destruction, so even in sparring, one had to adjust power to the venue. But sensing the mysteries woven into the arena, Hasina knew it could withstand plenty.
"Give it your all. If you disappoint me, I'll end it quick."
Hasina had asked Suhyun for this spar in exchange for dueling Eira, intending to give her best effort—but if Eira fell short, disappointment loomed.
"I will do my utmost."
Eira bundled her long, voluminous blonde hair, stuffing it into her helmet in place of padding, and began circulating her inner energy.
"Then let the friendly duel begin!"
North Sea Ice Technique - Residual Snow Step
Channeling the maximum inner energy her legs could endure into her footwork, Eira sent frozen snowflakes scattering in a chill gust as she surged toward Hasina at blinding speed.
North Sea Ice Technique - North Sea Ice Cleave
Mid-charge, Eira slammed into a wall of sand. She infused her axe blade with inner energy to heighten its cutting edge, then unleashed a burst of power on impact—aiming to pry even the tiniest gap, freeze it, and shatter through. It was the most devastating technique in her arsenal, but the sand wall posed a problem. North Sea Ice Cleave excelled against large, solid targets, yet proved ineffective against sand grains coalescing into one mass. The cold from her axe only froze the grains, expanding the surface area pushing back. Spotting sand coiling around her axe, Eira reacted swiftly.
"Talent's there, but experience? Not so much."
Not even swift, lethal crimson sand or sturdy iron sand—just ordinary grains halted Eira's strike. Hasina clenched her fist.
Sand Hand
Sand around Hasina morphed into a massive fist, slamming Eira with a thunderous boom that echoed through the arena.
"Ngh!"
Eira barely blocked with her shield, surprised by the weaker-than-expected impact. Hasina grinned from the same spot, urging her to try again. Eira reset her stance.
"Impressive to reach Knight realm so young, but to climb higher? You're barely taking your first step."
"Thank you for the chance, sir."
Eira had sparred many academy mages, but their spells shattered easily, breeding unconscious bias. She reflected, realizing she'd dismissed knight students as showy frauds—yet measured all mages against them, ignoring true prowess. Apologizing inwardly to other mages, she lowered her stance and charged again.
This time leading with her shield, Eira hit another sand wall.
North Sea Ice Technique - Snow Hare Frenzy
Illusions of cold scattered in all directions. Sand walls extended like tentacles, smashing the decoys until they crumbled. 'All fakes?' Hasina's sand chased every one, exposing a gap Eira exploited—cleaving through with her axe. Beyond a thin veil lay a thick wall; Eira struck immediately.
Snow Thunderclap
Her shield unleashed not impact but a deafening blast, loosening the sand slightly. Seizing the moment, Eira tore the gap wider with her axe and squeezed her body through the moving wall's crevice.
"Huh, tougher than I thought."
Even loosened, slipping through a combat mage's barrier—superior in realm—was no easy feat. The sand reformed swiftly, sealing like water over a blade. But Eira plunged in without hesitation, armor shredding, helmet flying as she pierced the sandy torrent to reach Hasina.
"Take this one, sir!"
Against a mage, it was a distance game. Though outmatched, closing in gave her odds. Eyes blazing with fighting spirit, Eira lunged.
North Sea Ice Technique - Shattering Ice Hammer
Ice encased her axe like a hammer; Eira swung with her full might. Unstable inner energy trapped in ice would burst on impact, freezing Hasina's defenses solid.
But the hammer never connected.
"Good effort. Try again."
Hasina sidestepped leisurely, delivering a roundhouse kick. Sand anklets on her ankle unraveled into a ferocious wave of black sand, crashing over Eira. An unbelievable volume—dense with iron and metals—heavier than normal sand—sent Eira flying into the arena wall.
"Guh!"
Sand powered by mana hit like solid metal chunks. The relentless black sand wave enveloped Hasina flawlessly; Eira, struck full-force, felt truck-like impact. Clutching her spinning head, she rose.
"Tch!"
The blow distributed evenly spared no vital spots. She shed her dented armor, hurling it aside. Face lacerated by metallic grains, straps frayed, yet she stood. Hasina admired her grit but spoke coldly.
"Impressive, but you're not my real target."
Eira's unbroken spirit pleased her, but Hasina wouldn't fill up on appetizers before the main course. The passion only heightened her craving for Suhyun. Eira's techniques seemed northern specialties at first, but closer scrutiny revealed otherwise. They mimicked martial arts superficially, yet their philosophy differed fundamentally.
Knight realms measured capability: what one could do. Mage realms measured understanding: what one comprehended. Accumulate mana to Squire: strengthen body. Quasi-Knight: emit outward. Knight: manifest tangibly. Elite Knight: infuse will. Knight Captain: alter world's laws—Swordmaster. But mages progressed through comprehending mana, mysteries, soul, imagery—to truth. Four insights qualified one for Archmage; reaching truth made one so.
Hasina, versed in imagery, pierced the truth: Eira wielded not her own imagery, but Suhyun's. Reading imagery glimpsed the creator's intent. Hasina asked,
"How well do you understand the power you're using?"
"It's a secret art of great value, and I know I'm still mishandling it, sir."
"Haha! You don't understand it at all. It's not a secret art—it's scholarship."
Secret arts implied guarded secrecy, for exposure nullified them easily. Martial arts crumbled if conditions were blocked; sword arts inevitably had gaps from human limits. All techniques hid as "secrets" for that reason. Exposure weakened anything, but arts had glaring flaws.
Martial arts differed. A glance revealed endless potential. North Sea Ice Cleave: condense mana in axe for cold burst. Shattering Ice Hammer: encase and explode ambient chill. Residual Snow Step: concentrate cold in legs, scatter snow for decoys in Snow Hare Frenzy. These four alone showed open-ended magic principles, not rigid martial closure.
Hasina's anticipation swelled. How far had this novice pioneer progressed beyond rote mimicry? Impatient, she ended the spar to show Eira something new—playing her hidden card.
"Here's a trial you'll face fighting mages someday."
"Mystery Manifestation - The Two Faces of the Harsh Desert"
⟨ Goddess of Scorching and Freezing Sands ⟩
A two-faced goddess materialized behind Hasina, wreathed in blistering hot sands and flesh-rending cold gales. Eira's bloodied mouth went dry, like desert sands thirsting for moisture. The goddess dominated space, devouring mana and life force. Every moment favored Hasina more. Eira tried to counter—but the floor had turned to sand, her feet sinking as if gripped by a giant's hand. Struggling only hastened it; using mana fed it straight to the goddess, weakening output.
"Most mages' Mystery Manifestations aren't for combat. Combat mages'? They are."
Mages grew their mysteries uniquely, shaped by research and desire—like Lucy's warm fire versus Terram's all-consuming blaze. Manifestations fleshed mysteries with imagery and wishes. Hasina's: desert duality of night/day. Imagery: resentment of man-eating wastes. Wish: death to all desert life. This lethal fusion overwhelmed Eira by mere presence, draining weak life and wielding stolen essence.
Eira saw the goddess grasp her ice-forged sand axe and made her final stand—forcing draining energy into her own axe, raising it high. The goddess mirrored, lifting a cold-radiating sand axe.
North Sea Ice Technique - Ice Thunder Mountain Breaker
Stolen mana axes clashed like cold lightning; the goddess's shattered, shoulder severed. But it halted short of Hasina.
"Damn it—"
Eira, spent to her limit, cursed softly and collapsed into the sand. Hasina caught her gently, glancing at Suhyun in the stands.
"I gave it my all. Now live up to my expectations."
Suhyun smiled at her request.
"Of course. I'll give my best to meet them."