Chapter 413
Chapter Title: Beyond Limits
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413.
Aina used aura to heighten her senses to their absolute limit.
‘I can’t tell which one is real.’
The four spells Juen had fused were stealth, ice clones, explosion, and mana distribution.
The stealth forced her to constantly sharpen her senses, accumulating fatigue.
Juen hid among the ice clones, using explosion magic to prevent Aina from indiscriminately attacking them to find the real one, while mana distribution made it impossible to locate her through mana detection.
It was, in a word, a flawless check.
Aina’s eyes narrowed.
‘I can’t find the mage’s location, but…’
*Zing—! Flash!*
As a powerful surge of mana swirled, Juen’s magic bullet spell took aim at Aina.
Aina’s golden eyes glinted.
*Thwack—!*
Using Aura Step, she dodged the magic bullet flying at incredible speed.
‘The moment she attacks, her position is revealed.’
No matter how perfectly she concealed her true body, her location was bound to be exposed the moment she attacked.
*Fwoosh—!*
She sprinted toward the spot where the magic had come from at a speed that was almost invisible to the eye.
If she delayed even for a moment, Juen would disappear among the clones again.
Aina gave her no such opening, intending to end the duel with a swift, decisive strike.
Closing the distance in an instant, Aina thrust her sword without hesitation.
*Shunk!*
“Gah?”
Juen, her shoulder pierced, let out a sharp cry.
*Fwoosh—!*
The stealth broke.
“It’s over.”
Aina spoke calmly to Juen, who stood with her head bowed, her body trembling.
At her words, Juen stopped moving, then lifted her head and smiled brightly.
“Nope, not yet.”
“……!”
*Flash! KABOOOM—!*
Once again, an ice clone exploded.
Aina’s face, protected by her Aura Armor, contorted.
‘How…!’
In the moment Aina was caught off guard.
*Flash—!*
Another of Juen’s attacks flew toward Aina.
“Kuh!”
Narrowly dodging the attack, Aina charged toward Juen once more.
***
“Ooooh! Juen! She’s seized the initiative against Aina and is showing a completely dominant performance!”
Runba shouted in excitement.
“Whoa! This is completely unexpected.”
Iliana, who had been watching the match while eating popcorn, widened her eyes.
Many had predicted Aina’s victory, but they had at least expected a close fight.
But no one had anticipated Juen would display such overwhelming dominance.
Just then, Iliana spoke to Karl as he passed by.
“Karl! Get me another popcorn! With caramel!”
“Oh! I’d be happy to! But that’s your third tub already. You’re gonna turn into a pig.”
“Who are you calling a pig?”
An indignant Iliana kicked at Karl, but he cheekily dodged it.
“Leo, what do you think?”
Karl approached Leo and asked.
“If she maintains the initiative like this, Juen will win.”
Leo said without taking his eyes off the match.
“And it won’t be easy for Aina to take back control of this fight.”
Juen Torvina.
As the daughter of the Southern Magic Tower’s master, she possessed overflowing talent.
She could wield all elemental magic, a rare feat, and her understanding of each element was exceptionally high.
On top of that, she had powerful mana and a fast casting speed.
‘She isn’t a mage who unleashes overwhelming firepower, but for a traditional mage, she’s remarkably well-balanced.’
Juen’s greatest strength was her ability to continuously launch magical attacks of considerable power.
Furthermore, her mastery of various spells made her adept at responding to all sorts of situations.
Against a mage like her, once you lose the initiative, it’s hard to get it back.
“But it won’t end like this.”
Even now, Aina was swiftly cutting down Juen’s clones.
The exploding ice clones continuously dealt damage to Aina.
But they weren’t causing her any significant damage.
It wasn’t because Juen’s magic was weak.
Her magic was plenty powerful.
“Tricks don’t work well against a versatile mage like Juen.”
The moment a mage is strongest and most threatening is in a battle from a fixed position.
Therefore, for a mage, seizing the initiative means turning the surrounding area into their own territory, fortifying it.
“But trying to break through head-on is just self-destruction.”
Leo watched as Aina lowered her stance.
“Aina has more than enough ability to break through Juen head-on.”
“Hmm!”
Karl crossed his arms, a serious expression on his face.
“Well, she herself tends to fight instinctively without thinking too deeply.”
To put it nicely, she was the type to charge forward with brute force. To put it bluntly, she was the type to just mindlessly smash into things.
‘But sometimes, an enemy like that is the most terrifying.’
Aina was exactly that kind of case.
***
‘This girl, seriously!’
Juen screamed internally while hidden by her stealth spell.
Aina was silently felling Juen’s clones.
She was caught in the explosion each time and took damage, but there was not a shred of hesitation in her movements.
‘There’s a limit to being simple-minded and reckless! Seriously!’
The damage a single ice clone could inflict on Aina was probably minuscule from her perspective.
But even minor damage becomes significant when it accumulates.
Caught in what was literally a dilemma, most would have faltered, but Aina showed no hesitation.
She charged without batting an eye, without a hint of hesitation.
Her momentum seemed intent on crushing anything that stood in her way.
‘I didn’t think I could beat Aina with this. Still, I never imagined she’d break through my stealth magic so quickly.’
Juen clicked her tongue internally and gripped her staff.
‘I need to buy time.’
There was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation anyway.
For Juen to defeat Aina, she needed a decisive blow.
Juen’s magic possessed great power and an incredible rate of fire.
It had enough power to take down an average student from the knight department in an instant, but Aina was on a different level.
Besides, Aina’s sword was faster than Juen’s magic.
‘Aina can nullify my attacks with her sword strikes anytime.’
Juen’s eyes narrowed.
‘Even if my attacks hit, her Aura Armor will block them, and I won’t be able to deal significant damage.’
If that happened, she would face Aina’s counterattack.
Unlike Aina, whose defense could withstand Juen’s attacks several times, Juen would be finished if she allowed a single hit.
‘If I can’t take her down in one shot, I lose.’
That’s why she needed time to prepare a powerful, single strike.
Juen readjusted her grip on the staff.
The moment Aina was about to cut down Juen’s last clone.
*Flash—!*
Juen, aiming her staff at Aina, unleashed her mana at once.
*Ziiiing—! Flash—!*
A powerful bullet of mana shot toward Aina.
In that instant, Aina’s golden eyes flared.
*Flash—! KRA-KA-KA-BOOM—!*
As she swung her sword upward from below, a golden flash erupted.
Aina, having precisely bisected the spell, looked at Juen, who had dropped her stealth and revealed herself.
“Found you.”
Aina immediately rushed at Juen.
Seeing Aina approach, Juen unleashed a barrage of magic.
Spells poured out from the magic circles that formed in mid-air.
Aina’s golden eyes flashed as she readjusted her grip on her sword and swung it fiercely through the air.
*FWOOSH! KRA-KA-KA-KA-KA-BOOM—!*
Countless spells exploded in mid-air.
“Again!”
Juen gathered her mana and launched another indiscriminate attack.
“Ah! Juen! She’s launching a very inefficient attack! If she keeps using magic on that scale, she’ll be exhausted in no time, no matter how vast her mana reserves are!”
Runba shouted urgently.
“The stealth magic was good, but this…”
“It’s too disadvantageous for Juen Torvina. If the battlefield had cover, like in a city or a forest, it might have been a more even fight.”
“It’s a battle between a knight class specialized in close combat and a mage. It can’t be helped.”
Voices of disappointment emerged from among the upperclassmen.
Along with a golden sword strike, Juen’s magic was thwarted once again.
“Hah… Hah…”
Juen was panting from overusing her magic.
Blood trickled from the corner of Juen’s mouth due to the strain of her mana usage.
Her limit.
Juen sensed it instinctively.
In contrast, Aina looked relatively unharmed.
Although she had been hit directly by magic several times, she was different from Juen, who had reached her limit.
“You can’t beat me with attacks that rely on sheer numbers.”
Aina said, lowering her sword.
“This is just stalling. So, admit defeat.”
“I can’t just quietly admit defeat to someone who always ignores others as if they don’t even exist.”
“I’ve never ignored anyone.”
Aina said, her eyes cast down.
“I have something I must achieve, so I’m just focusing on that.”
“That’s what ignoring others is.”
Juen gritted her teeth.
When Aina first became the year representative, Juen was resentful inside, but she acknowledged Aina’s strength.
Aina’s skill, as shown in the entrance exam, was a cut above her own.
For now, she had no choice but to admit that Aina was better than her.
It was the same for Haviden and Sasha.
They had set their sights on the year representative position and resolved to do their best with Aina as their goal.
‘Aina Veydean! Just you wait, I’ll take that year representative spot soon!’
When she had boldly declared her intentions, Aina had replied indifferently.
‘I’m not interested in being the year representative.’
‘What? Then why are you aiming for first place?’
‘To be acknowledged by Leo-sunbae. If you want it, you can be the year representative. I don’t care.’
‘Wait. I have no intention of becoming the representative like that. I’m going to defeat you and take the position!’
‘Then just say you won.’
‘What?’
“I’m going to defeat you.”
“That’s impossible in your condition. You’re already at your limit.”
Aina shook her head at Juen’s words.
Seeing that, Juen grinned.
“Surpass your limits. Isn’t that our school’s motto?”
“……”
“And because you only see what’s right in front of you.”
“……?”
“You fall for it just like that.”
“……!”
Seeing Juen point down with her finger, Aina’s eyes widened as she looked below.
‘What is this?’
Her feet wouldn’t move.
‘Invisible threads?’
Threads of mana, like a spider’s web, were binding Aina.
*Click—!*
Juen aimed her staff at Aina.
“The magic before was a diversion! The real purpose was to set a trap to bind you!”
‘When did she…’
Juen’s unique magic, Arachne.
A spell that bound an opponent’s feet with mana threads, like a spider’s web.
And once caught in this spell, the more one struggled, the more entangled they became in the web.
Of course, Aina could break free from this spell with just a little time.
However.
“That’s more than enough time!”
Juen’s mana surged.
It was clearly different from before.
“Maximum firepower!”
*KABOOM—!*
It was as if a cannon had been fired.
The air around them trembled.
Aina’s eyes wavered at the magic that flew right up to her face.
*BOOM! KRA-KA-KA-KA-KA-BOOM—!*
As the explosion occurred, the arena itself vanished.
Juen stared at the thick cloud of dust that rose.
*Fwoosh—!*
In that moment, Aina burst through the dust cloud.
Her whole body was tattered, but Aina’s golden eyes still gleamed.
She had somehow broken through Juen’s decisive strike and reached her.
“I expected you wouldn’t go down from just that!”
“What?”
At Juen’s cry, Aina’s eyes filled with shock.
Juen, pointing a finger at Aina, unleashed her mana.
She fired a magic bullet even as she coughed up blood.
*BANG—!*
“Gah?”
Struck directly by the magic bullet, Aina tumbled wretchedly to the ground.
‘This is… my limit…’
Aina used her sword as a cane to push herself up.
She gritted her teeth and tried to move, but her body wouldn’t obey.
Juen approached, her finger still aimed.
*Step… step…*
At that, Aina seemed to give up, closing her eyes and bowing her head.
But when no magical attack came, she opened her eyes and lifted her head.
There stood Juen, her eyes unfocused, her trembling hand aimed at Aina.
In that instant.
*Thud—*
Juen collapsed.
Mel came over, checked the unconscious Juen’s condition, and declared.
“The winner is Aina Veydean.”
“Ooooooooh!”
“That was a close call at the end, wasn’t it?”
“Wow! If the conditions hadn’t been so favorable for Aina Veydean, she would’ve won, huh?”
Excited voices erupted.
Aina looked at the unconscious Juen.
Juen had already reached her limit long ago.
And yet, she had continued to push Aina.
Aina gritted her teeth.
Herself, who had been ready to give up the moment she hit her limit, and Juen, who had fought to defeat her until the very end.
If Juen had managed to hold onto her consciousness for just a moment longer.
‘I lost.’
Her heart was in turmoil.
She never dreamed she would struggle this much.
Her only thought had been to show her best performance and be acknowledged by Leo.
But…
‘How pathetic.’
*Trudge, trudge—*
Even as she received cheers, Aina hung her head low.
The image of Juen, pushing past her limits to fight, came to mind.
The image of Luke, always struggling at his limits, also surfaced.
Could she do the same?
Aina’s face twisted as she looked down at her own hands.
Be acknowledged by Leo, inherit the Sword Saint’s legacy, and take revenge on Tartaros.
That had been Aina’s plan.
Until just a moment ago, Aina had never doubted that if she became strong, she could earn Leo’s acknowledgment.
But.
‘Can I… really be acknowledged by Leo-sunbae like this?’