Rylan stepped forward, mana flaring around him like a tightening storm. The temperature in the arena shifted—air sharpening, pressure rising, every spectator instinctively leaning back as if facing a predator.
Not a student.
Not an upper-year.
A monster.
Damian whispered from the stands, trembling violently, "Leon… Leon… LEON, HE'S EVOLVING. WE NEED TO LEAVE. I CAN FORGE YOU A FAKE PASSPORT—"
Leon didn't hear any of it.
He watched Rylan, daggers steady, breath controlled.
His body still throbbed from the headbutt, ribs aching from the palm strike, vision slightly dizzy.
But he stood.
Rylan cracked his jaw. "Finally. A fight worth having."
His mana warped the air, creating faint ripples. Some students flinched just from the pressure—some even backed away despite being far outside the ring.
The referee raised a hand nervously. "R-Rylan—control your mana output. This is still an assessment, not a lethal duel—"
Rylan didn't look away from Leon.
"I am controlling it."
The referee went pale.
Damian fainted again.
Even Seraphine Arclight narrowed her eyes, one hand slipping slightly behind her back—close to where she kept her concealed royal blade.
Rylan rolled his shoulders. "Let me show you something, Leon Gray. A technique that even your Luck won't save you from."
His stance shifted.
It wasn't wind magic.
It wasn't brute strength.
It was something else.
Pure technique.
Rylan bent his knees, raised his fists, and tightened his foot placement.
Some instructors stood abruptly.
"That stance—!"
"He's using it here?!"
"He'll kill the kid!"
Seraphine murmured, "Interesting…"
Damian woke up mid-scream, "SOMEBODY STOP HIM BEFORE HE KILLS US—"
Rylan exhaled slowly.
Then—
He vanished.
Leon's vision blurred from the movement.
He didn't blink.
He simply reacted.
His body moved half a step—
Rylan appeared behind him.
A fist slammed toward Leon's spine.
Leon twisted—
The blow grazed him—
air blasting from his lungs—
but he stayed standing.
The crowd gasped.
Damian shrieked, "NO NORMAL HUMAN DODGES THAT!!"
Rylan's eyes sharpened. "You read it. Again."
He disappeared.
Leon didn't wait.
He rolled—
A kick sliced the air where his head had been.
Rylan landed, grinning.
"You're fast. Very fast."
Leon's ribs burned. His lip bled again. His hand trembled slightly.
But he met Rylan's eyes calmly.
Rylan lunged again.
This time — Leon reacted a fraction earlier.
Luck pulsed.
Instinct sharpened.
Leon ducked under the punch, slashing at Rylan's waist.
Rylan blocked the dagger with his elbow, sparks flying from mana reinforcement.
Leon flipped backward to gain distance—
Rylan was already behind him.
He grabbed Leon's collar, slammed him into the ground.
Leon rolled instantly, avoiding a crushing stomp by inches.
Dust sprayed.
The ground cracked.
The audience screamed.
"STOP—HE'LL KILL HIM!"
"THIS IS ILLEGAL!"
"He's too strong!"
Seraphine watched silently, expression unreadable.
Leon rose again.
He exhaled slowly.
His bones ached.
His muscles burned.
His mana flickered violently.
But he tightened his grip.
Rylan stalked forward. "You look like you're breaking."
Leon didn't reply.
Rylan's smile deepened. "But your eyes aren't."
Then he blurred again.
A flurry of blows rained down—punches and kicks so fast that to the untrained eye, it looked like multiple Rylans attacking at once.
Leon dodged what he could—
blocked what he couldn't—
took hits that rattled every nerve.
A punch smashed his shoulder.
A kick struck his thigh.
A palm crashed into his ribs.
He slid back, skidding across the stone.
Blood dripped down his jaw.
Damian screamed, "LEON LOOKS LIKE A BROKEN PUPPY—STOP THE FIGHT!!"
But Leon wiped the blood.
And lifted his daggers again.
Rylan's grin slowly faded.
"…Still standing?"
Leon said nothing.
But his eyes—
His eyes burned with calm determination.
Rylan straightened, aura shifting again.
"You're unbelievable. Fine."
He spread his arms.
"Let's end this properly."
Wind gathered around him—not magic this time, but raw force from moving faster than air could react.
Rylan's real stance.
The audience held their breath.
"No way…"
"He's using THAT technique?"
"Even instructors struggle with it!"
Damian curled into a ball. "We're dead… we're dead… Leon I'm burying your body myself…"
Rylan whispered, "Try to survive this."
He launched himself forward, faster than before—
a blur of violent motion.
Leon's Luck pulsed harder than ever—
a frantic warning.
Leon inhaled.
Mana surged.
Not a simple Mana Blade.
Not instinct.
Something sharper.
Something cleaner.
The very edge of a new evolution.
He slashed down—
Mana Blade burst forth—
but different.
Cleaner.
Sharper.
Faster.
Rylan's eyes widened for the first time.
Leon met him head-on.
A shockwave burst through the arena.
BOOM.
Dust exploded upward.
Visibility vanished.
Students screamed.
Instructors shielded their eyes.
The referee fell over backward.
Damian fainted for the thirteenth time.
Silence swallowed the arena.
When the dust settled—
Two figures stood.
Rylan breathing hard, a thin cut across his chest, uniform torn, eyes blazing.
Leon… still upright, daggers trembling, chest rising and falling rapidly, blood on his chin.
Rylan looked at him.
Truly looked.
And for the first time—
He smiled like a warrior who'd found a worthy enemy.
"…You stopped me," he said quietly.
The crowd went insane.
"HE SURVIVED!"
"HE BLOCKED RYLAN'S FULL TECHNIQUE!"
"A LEVEL TWO DID THAT?!"
Damian sat up, tears streaming. "LEON!! YOU'RE A DEMON IN DISGUISE!!"
Rylan exhaled slowly.
"You're stronger than your level. Much stronger."
Leon simply watched him.
Rylan raised his fist slightly. "I'm not done."
Leon tightened his grip.
Luck pulsed once more—
a deeper warning.
This fight…
was far from over.