Unexpected
"Draw."
Lerven activated his skill with a lingering reluctance. Fighting someone with full force felt deeply off-putting to him, still shackled by his modern sensibilities. But the current situation wasn't something he could dodge just because it felt wrong. Both Evan and Lerven understood that, so neither entertained any thoughts of evasion.
Face the situation head-on, clash as the audience demanded. That was the only certainty.
Flash!
IX – The Hermit
Card Orientation: Reversed
Meaning: Gloomy, Withdrawn, Greedy
A mystical power envelops the card, cloaking gloomy and withdrawn emotions while unfurling a veil that pursues greed.
Lerven checked the card's info amid the flickering light. This time, he'd drawn number nine, The Hermit in reverse. It was the first reversed card he'd pulled since gaining the ability.
After reading the meaning, Lerven pondered how to use it. Gloomy, withdrawn, greedy. It didn't scream "combat useful" at first glance.
Thud!
"Ugh…!"
"Was that a unique skill just now? It's nearly impossible to get one early on—how'd you pull it off? And it's one I've never even seen…"
But such deliberations proved a luxury. Evan closed the gap in a flash, slamming her foot into his shield. As Lerven moved to deflect her spear-like punch with it, she spread her hand wide and grabbed the shield instead.
She tried to strip away his defense and fight on equal terms, but Lerven's mace swung toward her side.
"This doesn't seem like the place for chit-chat…!"
"Sorry! As a vet, I get kinda excited around noobs!"
Evan kicked Lerven's gut and flipped backward through the air. She landed lightly and scanned him. Despite the blow to his abdomen, Lerven dusted it off casually, proving his sturdy build was no exaggeration.
'As expected, attacks without real power behind them won't cut it.'
Evan clicked her tongue inwardly and rotated her ankle. Her small frame made her agile enough for any maneuver, but it robbed her strikes of weight—light hits barely scratched.
Reddin and Lime pointed it out too. Small stature meant inherent disadvantages in reach and weight class. Fighting with fists and feet amplified that blind spot. With Lerven towering nearly two heads taller, Evan seemed at a steep disadvantage—
"—Don't make that mistake, Lerven."
Evan drew a short breath and tensed her abs. She pushed and pulled the unprecedented energy dormant within her—mana—crafting a single motion. Mana, usually stagnant in the body, began circulating via attraction and repulsion.
That circulation shed energy, accelerating her body and adding mass. Basic mana use.
"Woooaaah─────!"
Using mana meant going all-out beyond raw skill. End of probing—the real fight. Cheers surged, heating the stands.
"…I've seen her level an island solo. No way she'd get careless."
Beneath the roar, Lerven didn't grasp exactly what she'd done, but her surging momentum felt viscerally different. Like with Sidus, he stayed vigilant against invisible power. Until his turn came.
"I always suspect till the end."
Clap. Lerven spread his left hand, the one not gripping the mace.
"……?"
The palm, looped through the shield's handle, was empty. The card he'd held was gone.
"Ah…!"
Evan lunged the instant she noticed. Unique skills at Triam Academy ignored all laws in a localized miracle, spawning countless variables. She knew most academy skills, but Lerven's was new to her.
Unknown miracle? If it could tip the scales instantly, it was deadly.
Thud! In one step, she was in his face, stomping to launch herself airborne. Using the recoil, she spun her elastic body like a pendulum, heel axing down like a blade.
Aim: maximum damage before he fully activated.
BOOM!
A cannon-like explosion swept the arena. Dust erupted violently from the coliseum floor.
Yet everyone inside fell silent, awestruck by Evan's display.
As Reddin and Lime resumed commentary, Evan—first to sense wrongness—swept her arm, clearing the rising dust.
The murky curtain split, restoring sight.
"…Where…."
Clear view revealed neither dodged nor blocked Lerven. Her footprint-marked spot was empty. As if she'd been alone from the start.
The crowd and casters buzzed in confusion. Evan whipped her head around, hunting traces.
'Illusion? Teleport? High-speed move? Invisibility?'
She brainstormed similar skills and countermeasures.
As she lifted her foot to counter most scenarios—
Crack— A brutal sound echoed from her side.
A heavy, bludgeon-like impact burrowed in.
"Kgh…!"
To minimize damage, Evan leaped opposite the hit from her unstable stance. Landing, she glared at the spot—still no trace.
No trace, but a clue. Evan raised her leg faster, slamming it down.
BOOM!
Vibration rippled across the floor from her stomp. Murky dust rose everywhere.
As Lime said, a smokescreen to reveal Lerven. Now, pinpoint his spot.
Evan sharpened all senses, watching dust flows. Ready to pounce at the slightest motion.
"……."
One second, five, ten. Time enough to kill, tension maxed—
Snap! Major motion in the dust.
"There—"
Evan snapped her head toward it—but froze.
The dust-piercing objects...
...weren't just one.