CH 9: Steel Vs Ice
“Uh…” Isao blinked at the rising tension, her mouth slightly open. Then, with a resigned sigh, she threw her hands into the air and shouted, “Go Isla! Go Sylvie! Woohoo!” Her cheer sounded more like she was watching a festival match than a serious duel.
Sylveria didn’t share her enthusiasm. With icy focus, she lunged forward, her rapier thrusting like a silver flash straight for Isla’s vitals.
But Isla’s calm, stoic eyes barely flinched. She raised her wooden greatsword, parrying the strike in perfect motion. The air cracked from the impact. Then, in an instant, the two clashed again and again, Sylveria’s precision met Isla’s raw, instinctive power.
Sylveria’s mind raced. 'Impossible…! She’s keeping up with me? Her attacks, they’re wild and untrained, but every swing is instinctively precise!'
Realizing she was being pushed back, Sylveria leaped away, skidding across the dirt. She spun her rapier and whispered coldly, “Ice Stinger!”
A frosty blue aura flared beneath her boots as she surged forward, her speed exploding, she blurred like a streak of winter wind.
“Tch!” Isla clicked her tongue. Her eyes could follow Sylveria’s movements perfectly, but her body lagged behind. She twisted slightly, avoiding a fatal blow, though Sylveria’s rapier pierced her side, a thin line of blood tracing down her robe.
Before Sylveria could withdraw, Isla gripped her wooden sword tightly, spun with sudden force, and used the momentum to throw Sylveria upward!
Sylveria gasped as her feet left the ground.
“Two spins,” Isla muttered, her voice steady but laced with eerie calm. Her body rotated twice, then she stopped mid-spin, entering a perfect drawing stance. Her gray eyes gleamed like silver mirrors, reflecting the rising dawn. White mana erupted around her, crackling with divine intensity, the injury from her hand bled.
Accla’s and Sayuri’s faces both drained of color.
“That stance—!” Accla shouted.
“This is bad!” Sayuri said urgently, stepping forward with her hand already resting on the hilt of her katana.
Yet, instead of drawing it, she stopped.
Curiosity flickered in her eyes.
The thought crossed her mind, 'Could that white haired kid really use Valerica’s technique?' It sounded ridiculous. Sky Splitter wasn’t just a skill anyone could imitate; it was Valerica’s own perfected skill. Because of that disbelief, Sayuri hesitated, lowering her guard as she dismissed the idea.
'There’s no way she can use Sky Splitter,' she told herself.
So, she stayed where she was, watching.
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The air trembled as Isla’s mana erupted outward, her aura pressing down like an unseen weight.
Then,
With a swift, fluid spin, she swung her greatsword.
“Sky Splitter!!!” Isla shouted.
Sayuri and Accla's jaw dropped.
The blade surged upward in a devastating arc. A blinding crescent of white energy ripped through the sky, cleaving the clouds apart.
Sylveria, still suspended midair from Isla’s throw, felt terror seize her entire body.
'If that hits me… I’ll die!' She thought, but there was nowhere to dodge. So, she clenched her jaw, fury igniting in her eyes. “Tch! Then I’ll meet it head-on! Ice Art: Diamond Piercer!!!”
Her rapier flared with icy blue light as layers of crystalline mana wrapped tightly around the blade, sharpening it beyond mortal limits. She thrust forward,
And the moment slash met pierce, everything turned white.
A thunderous explosion tore through the air.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Blinding light swallowed the entire training ground. The shockwave was heard through the Citadel like a loud thunder, hurling debris and shattered stone in every direction.
Sayuri was thrown off her feet, barely managing to shield her eyes as dust and fragments rained down around her. The air crackled violently with residual mana, and when the light finally faded, the ground beneath them had collapsed, leaving behind a massive crater at the point where sword and rapier had collided.
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Sylveria slammed into a stone wall with a thud, coughing as her body slid to the ground. She tried to push herself up, blood trickling from her lip, but her body refused to move. Her vision blurred with fury and disbelief before everything went dark.
Isla wasn’t any better, she lay unconscious in the middle of the crater, her wooden greatsword split in half, blood staining her robe where Sylveria’s blade had pierced her earlier. Her mana and aura were completely exhausted, leaving not even a trace of power around her. The hand she had already injured was now far worse, swollen, torn, and limp, the damage unmistakably severe.
Meanwhile, Isao sat on the ground, her pink robes covered in dust and dirt, eyes wide and jaw practically touching the floor. “T-they really went all out…” she muttered, half in awe, half in terror.
The explosion rattled the Citadel’s walls, and elsewhere, Valerica jolted awake from her nap, her bed had shaken violently. “W-what in the?!” She stumbled to her veranda and looked out, only for her face to go pale.
The once-pristine training ground was now a smoking crater.
Her voice cracked in horror. “N-NOOOO!!! MY PAY!!!” Her scream echoed across the courtyard as she is somewhat sure Isla is included in this mess.
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Moments later, Lady Solace and Cateleya appeared, their robes billowing from the winds. Cateleya’s sweet smile didn’t reach her eyes as she surveyed the destruction.
And from the opposite hall, Pryce, the Spear Saint, came jogging lazily, hands in his pockets, but even his calm demeanor wavered as he saw the devastation. “Alright, who just caused a minor earthquake in the middle of my nap?”
The scene was chaos, dust, debris, and the faint hum of residual mana still crackling in the air.
“Cough, cough…” Accla wheezed as she stood up from the pile of debris, brushing the dust off her once-elegant attire. Her usually calm face was pale, and a nervous twitch pulled at her brow. “Oh no… Cateleya’s going to kill us…” she muttered under her breath.
“Ugh… my head…” Sayuri groaned beside her, rubbing her temple as she surveyed the smoking crater. “Can you believe it? Such raw destruction.” She sighed, exasperated but faintly impressed.
“Sis~ hehehe!” Isao chirped, running over to her with a grin, only to get a sharp bonk on the head.
“You idiot! You should’ve interfered the moment that white haired girl took that drawing stance!” Sayuri snapped, glaring.
“Waaa~ Don’t blame me! You were present! And I didn’t know it would end up like this!” Isao whined, clutching her head.
Before anyone could retort, a chillingly sweet voice cut through the air.
“Just what is the meaning of this, Accla and Sayuri?”
The two froze.
Cateleya stood at the edge of the ruined field, her expression the picture of grace and composure, but the dangerous glint in her eyes could melt stone. That gentle smile… promised punishment.
Accla stiffened and looked away, whistling innocently. Sayuri did the same, her face twitching. “Ahaha… Lady Cateleya… good morning?”
Behind her, Lady Solace sighed deeply, rubbing her temples.
“Hey, hey! Look over there!” Pryce suddenly called, pointing toward the crater. “The white-haired kid and the blue one both out cold!”
Cateleya exhaled, placing a delicate hand on her forehead. “Of course they are the cause of this…” She looked at Sayuri and Accla again before speaking “Solace,” she said, her voice calm but tight, “please tend to those two before they bleed out. Pryce, help Sayuri and Accla carry them to the infirmary.”
“Guess we should hurry,” Sayuri said, feigning nonchalance but clearly rattled.
As the others scrambled to obey, Cateleya’s voice followed them, soft, almost motherly.
“This isn’t over. Once those two are safe… we will have a very… VERY long chat.”
Her tone was sweet as honey.
But both Accla and Sayuri felt the chill crawl down their spines—because that voice was far scarier than any explosion.
