The First Project, Part 6
"Then why don't you show me?"
Leon studied Cyan's expression.
Her face was flushed with anger, and she gripped her staff so tightly that the veins bulged on the back of her hand.
Cyan turned her head toward Professor Elena.
Her voice was ice-cold.
"Professor, may we proceed?"
Professor Elena crossed her arms, looking intrigued.
An involuntary smile played at the corners of her lips.
"Go ahead. I will intervene immediately if a dangerous situation arises."
Her gaze shifted to Leon.
"Do you agree as well, Student Leon?"
Leon's heart began to race.
The round shield in his hand was astonishingly light and boasted perfect balance.
This shield was unlike any weapon he had ever experienced.
It had powerful defensive magic, shock absorption and release capabilities, and even the special usage method Edward had explained.
Leon couldn't hide his excitement.
This feeling was just like... when he had first held the Kraken's Sword in his hand.
When he first began learning the Kraken-style swordsmanship, he felt he had made a massive leap forward as a swordsman.
If he were the same person who had just entered the academy not long ago, he wouldn't have lasted long and would have been severely injured in a serious fight against the combat doll Cyan controlled.
Although he was hailed as a genius swordsman with no equal among his peers in the Empire, there was still a vast gulf between him and a 4-star knight—a gap so wide that a duel would be decided in just a few clashes.
But now, having mastered the Kraken-style, he proudly believed he had reached a higher plane of swordsmanship.
And now, with this incredibly functional shield, anticipation swelled within him that he might be able to surpass his own limits.
"Very well."
Leon nodded resolutely and gripped the shield tightly.
This was the perfect opportunity to test his limits.
And at this very moment...
Leon had an intuition that he was crossing yet another threshold.
Cyan took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Her lips moved subtly as she whispered the incantation.
"Unleash the bonds of the purple stage,"
"Dance to the rhythm of my fingertips."
⟨ Chaînes Violettes de Marionnette ⟩
In an instant, the surrounding air shimmered as purple mana billowed upward.
'The Purple Doll's Chains.'
The advanced puppetry passed down through generations of the Winters family was unfolding.
Leon held his breath. This was his first time witnessing Cyan's puppetry in person.
From the sleeves of her robe, two streams of purple, chain-like mana slithered out like serpents.
It looked as if elegant snakes were swimming through the air.
The chains stretched toward the combat doll, linking with it perfectly.
At the same time, threads of purple mana bloomed from Cyan's delicate fingertips.
It was as precise and beautiful as a master puppeteer handling threads.
Instantly, the entire training ground was engulfed in an overwhelming aura.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and even the breath of the onlookers caught in their throats.
An oppressive pressure, like a giant predator awakening, washed over everyone.
The combat doll's eyes snapped open. Murderous intent poured from its blood-red pupils.
Leon felt a squeezing pain in his chest. Breathing became difficult, and his entire body felt as heavy as lead.
The combat doll approached Leon slowly, but with absolute certainty.
Each of its heavy footsteps dug into the floor of the training ground.
Wherever the doll's feet touched, cracks formed and the ground sank.
Leon's gaze tracked the combat doll.
The machine's slow walk rapidly accelerated.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
'Fast!'
He gripped the shield in his left hand even tighter.
Drawing on his extensive combat experience, Leon instinctively released his aura.
It was an instinctive realization that if this combat doll went all out, he would no longer be able to track it with his eyes.
In an instant, the rapidly approaching doll vanished from Leon's sight.
'Behind me!'
Clang—!
A tremendous metallic screech echoed through the training ground.
Leon barely managed to block the doll's fist with his shield, but the impact pushed him back significantly.
'Above this time!'
He instinctively raised his shield.
Claaang—!
Another attack flew in from below.
Leon quickly shifted the shield's position to block the strike.
Yet, the combat doll's onslaught did not stop.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Leon desperately blocked the consecutive attacks.
After just a few exchanges, his shield vibrated violently, and a blue magic circle began to flash on its surface.
'In that case... now!'
At the exact split second the combat doll landed on the ground, Leon activated the shield.
Iron Wall Surge
Boom—!
A massive shockwave exploded outward from the shield.
The sheer force gouged the floor, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
However, as if anticipating this, the combat doll leapt far backward to evade the blast.
Leon's counter-attack struck nothing but empty air.
Leon caught his breath and looked at Cyan.
He could sense the excitement and passion in her eyes.
Leon was feeling the exact same way.
At that moment, Leon realized something.
This was no longer a simple project presentation.
The representative of the Magic Department and the representative of the Swordsmanship Department.
Now that both possessed top-tier equipment, this was a clash between the Magic and Swordsmanship Departments, who had been rivals for ages.
The Great War of Sword and Magic.
It had already begun.
Their eyes met.
They understood each other.
This was not a mere duel.
They had been granted the opportunity to test their true skills while equipped with the absolute best gear.
Cyan's gaze fixed on Leon.
Her earlier anger had vanished, replaced entirely by pure excitement and anticipation.
'To think Nemesis, the Empire's greatest combat doll, was here at the academy...'
Her heart began to beat rapidly.
Cyan felt a thrill at the fact that she was directly controlling such a masterpiece of cutting-edge technology.
As far as she knew, Nemesis was a precious existence with only three units in the entire Empire.
She couldn't believe she was operating one of them right now.
This was a dream-like opportunity for her.
Leon drew the Kraken's Sword.
Instantly, blue flames began to blaze along the blade.
Cyan's eyes sparkled at the sight.
'Looks like he's finally ready to take this seriously.'
A smile spread across Cyan's lips.
'Then I'll give it my all as well.'
Cyan's lips moved elegantly as she chanted the spell.
"Rise, silent dancers of the stage,"
"Begin the performance of the spellbound."
⟨ Le Ballet des Poupées Enchantées ⟩
In an instant, the dummy dolls scattered around the area began to squirm as if injected with life.
Purple mana stretched like threads from Cyan's fingertips, connecting the dolls.
A complex and sophisticated network was formed in the blink of an eye.
The dolls' movements grew increasingly elegant and delicate.
It evoked a beauty akin to watching a ballet performance.
However, anyone could sense the danger hidden beneath that grace.
Cyan's gaze sharpened.
With every micro-movement of her fingers, the dolls' actions shifted.
It was as precise and overwhelming as a conductor leading a massive orchestra.
The entire training ground transformed into Cyan's stage.
The ballet of the enchanted dolls was about to begin.
Creak, creak—
The dolls began to move in unison.
Cyan instantly transmitted the spell formula, infusing explosive magic into each doll's fists.
Leon swiftly dodged the attacks, but the dolls' movements grew increasingly unpredictable.
Kraken-style First Form: Wall of Waves
With Leon's shout, blue flames erupted explosively from the Kraken's Sword.
A massive wave of fire swept the area, knocking down several dolls in an instant.
Cyan's eyes widened.
The sight of mana pouring out so intensely that flames blazed from the sword was overwhelming.
'Is that... the Kraken-style that's been sweeping the Swordsmanship Department lately?'
An excited chuckle escaped her lips before she could stop it.
"Hehehe..."
Cyan's eyes shone even brighter.
'Good. A fight between representatives should be at least this much.'
Cyan raised her left arm and began to move her fingers.
Moving her fingers passionately as she crossed her hands, she looked like a maestro playing the piano.
The dolls moved in sync with her brilliant hand movements.
Breaking through the wall of flames, the combat doll Nemesis charged toward Leon.
Clang! Clang!
Leon desperately blocked the attacks with his shield, but he seemed to be gradually pushed back.
Even when he swung his sword in counter-attack, he couldn't leave a single scratch on the combat doll, which was surrounded by multiple layers of defensive barriers.
Cyan quickly assessed the situation.
Realizing that Nemesis's defense completely overwhelmed Leon's offense, she decided to adjust her strategy.
'I'll just take his minor attacks. Instead, I'll focus entirely on offense.'
Her fingers danced once more, and Nemesis's movements shifted.
Now, the doll ignored Leon's weaker attacks, focusing all its power on offensive strikes instead.
At first, only small sparks flew whenever Leon's sword grazed Nemesis's body.
His attacks seemed as futile as waves crashing against a boulder.
Nemesis's barrier appeared flawless, and Leon's strikes seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
But as time passed, the situation began to change little by little.
Once, twice, thrice...
As Leon's relentless attacks continued, tiny cracks began to form on Nemesis's barrier.
At first, they were small blemishes, barely noticeable, but they gradually grew in size.
Five times, six times, seven times...
Now, it was clearly visible.
With every strike, portions of Nemesis's barrier were chipping away.
Moreover, as time went on, the mana radiating from Leon's sword grew even stronger.
Cyan's brow furrowed.
'I don't know why, but it feels like his sword is getting stronger.'
Cyan felt a surge of unease.
It seemed that the more Leon blocked her attacks, the more powerful his sword became.
She realized that if things continued like this, she might actually be in danger.
"Let's see you block this one."
Cyan made up her mind and activated a special device embedded in the combat doll.
As she sent a specific flow of mana through the threads, the combat doll's head opened with a click.
Whirrrr—
An intense light began to gather in the doll's head.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, a massive blast of mana artillery shot toward Leon.
Crash—!
With an explosive roar, the entire training ground shook.
'Did I get him...?'
As the smoke cleared, defying everyone's expectations, Leon was revealed standing tall with his shield raised.
Blue mana was still pulsing across the shield's surface.
Cyan's eyes widened in shock.
The shield had perfectly blocked the incredibly powerful mana bombardment she had fired.
"Unbelievable..." Cyan muttered under her breath.
Her face showed a mixture of shock and slight excitement.
She registered the immense surge of mana radiating from the shield.
But then, the situation suddenly shifted.
An amount of mana dozens of times greater than usual began to emanate from Leon's dark blue sword blade.
It was as if the mana from the shield and the sword had swapped places.
'He did something.'
Thanks to the heightened mana sensitivity developed through the long-range control of her puppetry, Cyan detected the shift immediately.
The mana radiating from Leon's sword had transformed from a gentle wave into a colossal tsunami.
Leon changed his stance.
He strapped the shield to his arm and gripped his sword with both hands.
True Kraken-style Secret Art: Wave Catcher
With Leon's shout, a massive amount of blue fire flared up from his sword.
It was no ordinary flame.
It surged upward as if to pierce the heavens, then spread in all directions in an instant.
The sight was like the breath of a colossal dragon.
The flames constantly surged up and down, radiating overwhelming power.
Every time Leon swung his sword, a wave of blue fire erupted with tremendous force.
Following the trajectory of his blade, a massive wave of flames exploded outward.
It was as if the raging currents of the ocean were flowing along the blade.
Every single one of his attacks now carried overwhelming power.
With just a single strike, the combat doll Cyan was controlling cracked heavily.
'That... is dangerous...'
Tension filled Cyan's eyes.
She instinctively knew that the tables had turned completely.