Vale turned to Yuki, who was already smirking wickedly in anticipation of their coming match. He glanced back at Callum, who offered him a kind yet excited smile before turning away and walking alongside Evelyn. Together, they moved toward the wall, stopping once they reached it. Both turned back, clearly ready to watch the spar unfold.
Vale returned his attention to Yuki, a nervous smile forming on his face.
"So… where should I go?" he asked.
The white-haired woman grinned broadly and pointed toward an open spot on the ground. "Right there."
Vale nodded and walked to the indicated position. He gestured to Ember, prompting the small wyvern to hop off his shoulder. Ember chirped softly before taking flight, gliding toward Evelyn and Callum. The creature landed in front of them, wings folding neatly at its sides as it turned its attention back to the sparring field.
Vale adjusted his stance and positioned his black blades carefully, closing his eyes as he focused. He reached out with his senses, feeling the familiar hum of energy within the weapons. After confirming that everything was in order, he exhaled and released his focus, opening his eyes once more.
He now held a single blade in each hand.
Yuki, however, stood completely unarmed.
Vale tilted his head, confusion evident on his face. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Shouldn't you also have a weapon? You know… for a fair match?"
Yuki's smile widened, clearly amused. "Well, aren't you considerate?" She paused briefly, her grin turning playful. "Since you reminded me, I'll allow you to choose my weapon."
Vale's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected that. His surprise quickly shifted into thought as he studied her more closely. She was muscular, powerfully built, someone who looked perfectly suited for a heavy weapon.
After a moment, he made up his mind.
"How about a greatsword?" he suggested.
Yuki burst out laughing, the sound catching Vale off guard.
"Nice, nice. Good choice," she said, still chuckling.
She raised one hand in front of her, palm open. Vale watched curiously, until the air around her hand began to twist and howl. A sudden whirlwind of icy wind spiraled into existence, frost forming instantly as shards of ice gathered and condensed. The ice flowed downward, shaping itself at the base of her hand.
Slowly, unmistakably, it took the form of a massive greatsword.
Within moments, the transformation was complete. Yuki now held a towering blade of solid ice, its surface gleaming with a cold, unnatural sheen.
Vale frowned slightly.
"Uh… miss? Wouldn't your weapon break if it makes heavy contact with mine? I mean, it's ice."
Yuki gave him a proud, almost offended smile.
"Don't worry, kid. My weapons don't break."
She lifted the enormous greatsword with a single hand, resting it effortlessly at her side.
Vale sighed quietly and raised his own weapons. One blade held high, the other low, his stance tight and defensive. His gaze locked onto Yuki, every muscle tense, ready to respond to even the smallest movement.
"Ready?" Yuki asked, her voice brimming with excitement.
Vale swallowed and smiled nervously.
"As I'll ever be."
Yuki's grin turned feral.
"Then let's begin!"
She launched herself forward in an instant.
Vale reacted just as quickly. As Yuki swung the greatsword from the side, he leaned with the motion, letting the massive blade pass dangerously close to his body. He planted one of his own blades against the ground to steady himself as he moved.
But Yuki was far more dangerous than he had anticipated.
Mid-swing, she forced the greatsword downward toward him. Vale barely had time to react, he rolled to the side, the blade slamming into the ground where he had been a moment before. He sprang back to his feet, but Yuki gave him no time to breathe.
In a blink, she was upon him again.
Her assault was relentless. She didn't wield the greatsword with slow, crushing power as Vale had expected, instead, it moved with terrifying speed, flowing seamlessly between her hands. Vale blocked strike after strike, but each impact drove him backward.
'This is bad,' he thought. 'She's not using the sword the way I thought she would.'
His arms began to ache under the strain. With every clash, he was forced closer and closer to the wall.
'My arms are getting tired… am I going to lose?'
Yuki pressed forward like a wild beast, her attacks fierce and unyielding. From a distance, Evelyn and Callum watched in uneasy silence, tension evident on their faces.
Then Vale saw it.
An opening.
Yuki had taken a wider swing than usual. If he timed it right, he could slip past her guard and counterattack. But something felt wrong. He had only been fighting her for less than a minute, yet he knew instinctively that Yuki wouldn't leave such an opening without reason.
'A trap?' he wondered. 'But I'm already cornered.'
He bit his lip.
'I don't have a choice.'
Vale lunged forward. One blade shot out to lock Yuki's greatsword in place while the other thrust forward with all the force he could muster, aimed directly at her chest.
Yuki grinned.
Vale's eyes widened.
From the ground beneath him, sharp ice erupted upward with terrifying speed. A jagged icicle surged toward his chin, far faster than his blade could reach its target.
'So this is what you were planning…'
He tried to adjust his movement, but panic set in. Every desperate shift only made the situation worse. His form broke down, his control slipping.
The icicle reached his chin.
The moment it touched his skin, something inside Vale changed. His mind had already surrendered to the inevitability of defeat, but his body had not.
In a single, instinctive motion, he kicked off the rising ice, using it as a foothold. He launched himself backward, twisting midair before landing hard against the wall. Without hesitation, he pushed off it violently, propelling himself forward once more, ready to continue the fight.
Something about Vale had changed.
He was no longer actively thinking about the fight, no calculations, no hesitation. He had surrendered completely to his body, allowing instinct to take over. And it paid off spectacularly.
As Yuki swung her greatsword in a wide arc, Vale moved without conscious thought. One of his black blades snapped upward, meeting the ice weapon mid-swing. The impact brought the massive greatsword to a sudden halt, frozen in the air.
Yuki blinked, momentarily disoriented by the abrupt interruption.
That instant was all Vale needed.
He twisted, his second blade flashing forward. Yuki leaped backward just in time, but not far enough. The tip of Vale's blade sliced across her cheek, drawing a thin, crimson line.
She landed several steps away and reached up, touching the cut with two fingers. Slowly, she looked down at the blood now staining her skin. A faint, twisted smile crept across her face. She brought her fingers to her lips and licked the blood away, her eyes burning with excitement.
Then she charged.
She came at him with terrifying speed. Vale barely had time to brace himself. As Yuki swung her greatsword down from above, he angled one of his blades, deliberately guiding the heavy ice weapon off its original course. The steel-on-ice scrape echoed sharply through the training area.
But Yuki didn't rely on her weapon alone.
Using the momentum of the swing, she twisted her body and drove her foot into Vale's chest. The kick landed solidly, even as he was still blocking the blade. The force sent him flying backward, his body slamming hard into the wall.
"Come on!" Yuki roared, her voice wild with exhilaration. "I know you can do better than that!"
She hurled her greatsword at him.
Vale forced himself to move, ducking just in time as the massive blade tore past him and embedded itself deep into the wall behind him, the ice cracking but holding firm. As he straightened, pain exploded across his chest. Each breath felt sharp and shallow, his ribs screamed in protest.
'That felt broken…'
But there was no time to stop.
Yuki was unarmed.
'This is my chance.'
Vale pushed through the pain and rushed forward, moving faster than he had at any point during the fight. In a single fluid motion, he drove one blade straight toward Yuki's face, intent on ending the match.
Yuki was faster.
She tilted her head aside, the blade slicing harmlessly past her cheek. In the same motion, she surged forward, grabbed the back of Vale's head, and yanked him toward her.
Their foreheads collided.
The headbutt landed with brutal force. A dull crack echoed as pain erupted through Vale's skull. His vision swam violently, stars bursting across his sight. He stumbled backward, barely managing to stay upright.
He tried to retreat, but his legs felt weak. His world blurred as he forced himself to look at Yuki, desperately swinging one blade in her direction.
She dodged it effortlessly.
Then she stepped in and drove a hard jab into his already-damaged ribs.
Vale gasped as the impact crushed the air from his lungs. A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips as he collapsed to the ground, his body finally giving out. He laid there, his chest heaving, exhaustion and pain etched across his face.
A shadow fell over him.
Through his blurred vision, Vale could barely make her out, but he didn't need to see clearly to know who it was. After all, there was only one person in the room with white hair.
A moment later, he heard her voice.
"Good job, kid!" Yuki said, her face alight with excitement. "You're the first one who's almost beaten me!"
She paused, looking down at him more carefully. Something about his condition caught her attention, and her expression shifted.
"…Yeah. I guess I shouldn't have gone that hard on you," she admitted, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry about that."
She extended a hand toward him.
Vale took it, his grip weak but steady enough. As she pulled him up, he let out a tired, pained breath.
"So," he muttered, wincing as his ribs protested, "is there a healer here?"