I Knew You'd Come
A chaotic free-for-all in the fog.
The arena thronged like a packed nightclub, bodies thrashing in every direction. Leon slipped through it all like a serpent — deceiving, misdirecting, circling wide, punching through. Gaps yawned open every time he brushed past an enemy, but he didn't bother cutting them down. There was a far more important target than a handful of disposable kills.
Whoosh! Bang—!
Flowing Wind Spear Style.
Celia's martial art, fusing wind-spirit power with spear technique, unfurled across the battlefield in fluid, elegant arcs. The Class A cadets opposing her kept giving ground under the onslaught.
She's gotten better.
Leon watched for a moment and offered a brief appraisal. Compared to the start of the term, when she'd fought the Reconnaissance Bureau agents, there was more force behind her thrusts now, and far less hesitation. Crossing the line between life and death after being dropped into the Demon Realm had probably done a great deal for that.
Of course, none of it changed what he had to do. If anything, it made dealing with her more urgent. Leave her alone and his allies would get swept away one after another.
Thump—
Leon launched himself forward. Mana condensed along the dagger driving toward her — all of it packed for a single decisive burst.
Slip—
His form stretched thin as thread, then — pop — reappeared behind Celia. He swept his right hand in a clean arc meant to open her throat. No more clamping a hand over her mouth or pinning her body the way he had before. There was no need for a proper assassination now.
This was an ambush.
The dagger hidden in his sleeve knifed in without so much as a whisper of air, aimed to pierce a vital point and end it in one stroke. In the fraction of an instant before the edge kissed her skin —
Crack!
The blade snapped free of its sheath and the compressed mana detonated outward. Power and speed both surged a full tier higher. He'd come this far. Leon was certain.
Got her—!
Whoosh!
Wind stirred. A cunningly applied pressure of air deflected the arc of Leon's wrist even as it rocked Celia's body. Her shoulder tipped; both feet slid as if on ice, swapping her position in a blink.
Whirl!
Then, with a move that looked like pure acrobatics, she spun and planted herself squarely in front of him.
"…!"
Leon reeled inwardly at the astonishing recovery.
"Leon."
A cool little smile touched Celia's face.
"I knew you'd come."
Her spear began to carve a long, sweeping arc.
"Heh."
Leon let out a short, incredulous laugh and drew the Heaven-Shattering Sword.
CLANG—!
Rank five, Celia.
Rank two, Leon.
A genuine one-on-one duel. An open space formed around them of its own accord — none of the other cadets dared so much as think about interfering.
Clang! Shing! Crash!
Livgium and the Heaven-Shattering Sword crossed in a furious exchange, each collision vomiting a burst of rupturing sound.
"Hup!"
As if she had been holding this strength in reserve for exactly this moment, Celia became a living storm and drove Leon back.
Flowing Wind Spear Style, First Form — Triple Consecutive Wave Slash.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Spear-blades turned to rolling waves rode the wind in a relentless chain. Three perfect successive cuts, each one flowing into the next — the sheer devotion she had poured into her spear art was unmistakable.
But then —
Jecheon Sword Style, First Form — Yeomyeong.
CRAAASH—!
A flash of sword-light erupted. A single vertical stroke shattered her entire chain of attacks — knocking them aside, cutting them off cold. It wasn't a difference of technique so much as raw power, speed, and sheer audacity.
"As expected…!"
Wonder and exhilaration lit Celia's eyes. The gap in skill had been obvious from the very first exchange, yet she neither faltered nor despaired. She stamped forward hard and set her spear in motion again.
Flowing Wind Spear Style, Second Form — Nine Consecutive Trembling Thrust.
The spear-tip shivered. The trembling point split into nine and unleashed a barrage of razor thrusts.
Shrrrrrrrk!
Violet spear-qi speckled the air like fireflies scattering through a midnight sky.
"Oho."
As if to say this one was actually decent, the corner of Leon's mouth curled in a wicked little grin.
Jecheon Sword Style, Second Form, Variant — Baegunyeongcheon.
Whoosh!
Clouds bloomed from the briefly vibrating blade. A hundred azure clouds steeped in the principle of illusion spilled out and swam through the air, weaving a broad curtain of blue trajectories against the violet.
Chiiiiing!
Blue and purple paths collided, ringing out in a clear metallic chorus. Sparks of mana flashed and burst between Leon and Celia. The two tangled forces strained against each other for a heartbeat — but her keen spear-strikes failed to pierce the cloud-mist through.
Fwoooosh!
In an instant the azure clouds crushed the violet points and surged toward Celia. Her brows shot up.
"Selphia!"
She called her spirit's name and let spirit power run wild alongside her mana. Wind twice as fierce as before began to spiral around her.
Flowing Wind Spear Style, Fourth Form — Typhoon's Embracing Annihilation.
Whoooooom!
The long spear-shaft spun like a windmill — powerful, blisteringly fast, as if it meant to suck every scrap of surrounding air into itself. Leon's sword-strikes were no exception. Before that violent typhoon the clouds tore apart, shredded, and were swallowed whole. Colossal energy began to gather inside the violet circle. A vortex rose, whipping Celia's hair and clothes into a frenzy.
Whether the sheer magnitude of the force was too much to bear, a crease dug between her brows. The way the pressure kept leaning forward made it obvious — she meant to unleash that vast power in a single release.
But who in their right mind waits politely while an opponent telegraphs a finishing move?
Whiiish!
Four daggers were already flying from Leon's fingertips, aimed with surgical precision at spots the typhoon wouldn't easily snatch — both ankles and the tops of her feet.
"…!"
She hadn't seen that coming. Celia's eyes flew wide again. She jerked backward in a hurry, but —
Thuk!
One dagger she couldn't dodge buried itself in the top of her left foot. Just as a person struggling under a heavy load can't easily shift their stance, her legs refused to obey while she was busy controlling that enormous surge of power. Her center of gravity lurched.
This was the Tower of Illusions, so the pain was less than half of what it would have been in reality — but the physical burden remained. Standing properly with a blade ornament stuck through your foot was no easy feat.
Seizing the opening —
Flash!
Leon dropped low and exploded to her left on the Heavenly Spirit Steps. His movement was so uncanny it felt as if his feet never touched the ground.
What—?!
Celia had no idea he'd gained a breakthrough in footwork here. The sudden leap in speed compared to their spar only days ago threw her completely off balance. She fired the power she'd gathered on pure reflex, slamming the still-spinning spear straight down in a crushing blow.
KRAAAAAASH!!
The space to Celia's left caved in and shredded to ribbons. Dust billowed up as thick as the fog already choking the field, muddying an already miserable line of sight.
"Where…?!"
She immediately swept her surroundings, every sense on high alert. There had been no solid feedback through the spear — not for a second did she believe the strike had actually hit him. Her senses, sharpened in an instant, scoured a tight radius around her with ironclad thoroughness. It was only a few centimeters of absolute domain, but it was hers. That was how she had caught Leon's ambush from behind only moments ago.
And yet —
"…?"
Silence. Nothing registered.
Wait. Don't tell me—!
Alarm bells screamed through Celia's mind as understanding hit. Too late.
GROOOOOOAN—!
A terrifying wave of force erupted from dead ahead. The dust and fog veiling her vision ripped away as if torn aside by a giant hand.
"…"
In the cleared field of her sight stood Leon, a typhoon coiled around his sword. The charge into her broken stance had been a feint. In the brief window he'd scattered her attention, he had finished forging a technique of his own.
GROOOOOOOAN—!
Mana and every other force in the vicinity funneled into a single point. The entire battlefield seemed to gather itself into Leon's blade.
KRAAAAAAAAAASH!!
Pressure like a falling sky crushed down on her, and the eyes of the man generating that sword-force began to blaze. The blade, lifted just slightly overhead, looked ready to drop at any instant and erase everything beneath it.
"Ha. Honestly."
Completely outplayed in the battle of wits, Celia was smiling — as if she were actually enjoying herself. Even knowing she couldn't possibly win, she was nothing like certain others. To the very end she clenched her spear and thrust it forward. Even with the outcome already decided, she gave it everything she had.
"…"
"…"
Leon's eyes met Celia's. Each of them held the other's image in their pupils. The sword began its downward stroke. In the instant the match was decided, both pairs of eyes curved at once in a light, mutual salute.
Jecheon Sword Style, Third Form — Heogunilsa.
And so Celia's thrusting figure was swallowed beneath the sword-flare, and the long, short blood-duel came to its end.