Ais held her weapon and looked at Ren Isana with a solemn expression. The last time she had fought Ren Isana was... well, the last time they fought, and she had lost.
At that time, neither Ais nor Ren Isana had broken through. After so much time and witnessing Ren Isana in battle so many times, Ais actually lacked confidence.
Ren Isana was simply too strong—frighteningly so. Moreover, this was a life-and-death battle. She silently materialized a rapier, and Ren Isana followed suit.
Once both sides were ready, without needing anyone to give the command, Ais immediately launched her attack. She didn't activate any magic, charging forward with pure swordsmanship.
Facing an attack aimed directly at his face, Ren Isana raised his hand to block. The two began clashing with pure [Sword Skills]. No matter what angle Ais attacked from, Ren Isana blocked her easily.
As they fought with pure swordsmanship, Ais's dense barrage of attacks was all effortlessly deflected. Ren Isana was like an airtight net, regardless of the angle from which Ais's attacks came.
Ren Isana could intercept them with ease, all while looking at her with a calm face. It was obvious he wasn't using his full strength, a situation that immediately put immense pressure on Ais.
Furthermore, as she failed to achieve any results, she grew anxious. She hadn't expected the gap between her and Ren Isana to be this vast.
After a round of offense, Ais quickly retreated to create distance. Teal light rapidly gathered around her, her form becoming ethereal as her speed suddenly surged.
At this moment, Ais directly utilized her magic. In response, Ren Isana moved as well. The same teal light gathered around him, and in the next instant, his figure vanished.
The two sides continuously clashed in the arena with even more terrifying speed, though the situation took a bit of a turn. Ais was now being suppressed by Ren Isana alone.
Now it was Ais's turn to defend. She had thought she could use her speed to gain some advantage over Ren Isana, but she had forgotten: whatever she knew, Ren Isana also knew—and he was even stronger at it.
The fight evolved from a normal duel into targeting each other's vitals as they both grew familiar with the practical combat system.
The moment she was fully acclimated, Ais unleashed the full power of her magic. Terrifying wind elements converged as she rapidly swung her longsword, sending waves of teal sword qi toward Ren Isana.
This move made Ren Isana's brows twitch. Wasn't this the [Phantom Sword Dance] he had used before? Had she actually learned it? Thinking this, Ren Isana immediately used the same technique.
[Phantom Sword Dance]. Larger, stronger, and more numerous. Densely packed teal sword qi erupted as Ren Isana's [Phantom Sword Dance] struck first despite being launched second, instantly swallowing Ais's [Phantom Sword Dance].
Seeing this, Ais's pupils shrank. She hurriedly used [Lightness Technique] to dash to the side. The collision of their [Phantom Sword Dance] techniques didn't result in an explosion; it was simply a one-sided crushing.
Ais's [Phantom Sword Dance] was consumed, and the remaining energy rapidly surged toward where she had just been standing, eventually crashing into the distant spectator stands.
Boom! A thunderous roar echoed. When Ren Isana's [Phantom Sword Dance] hit the area outside the arena, it triggered an explosion. Simultaneously, a ripple shimmered at the edge of the spectator stands; the attack was completely blocked by an invisible air wall.
"Tsk, still too easy to dodge." There was a reason Ren Isana didn't use this move often. Once an opponent understood the nature of the attack, dodging it was generally quite simple.
After all, [Phantom Sword Dance] could only attack in a straight line. Ais knew this perfectly well and had left the area the moment she realized things were going wrong.
After dodging the [Phantom Sword Dance], Ais rushed forward in a Z-pattern. Seeing this, Ren Isana's figure flickered, appearing in front of her like a blink.
A flash of light passed, and Ais's pupils constricted. Suddenly, she felt a surge of sharp pain, and then her consciousness went black. When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the classroom.
To the observers in the virtual arena, Ren Isana's figure had suddenly vanished, only to instantly reappear before Ais and deliver a single strike. Following that, Ais dissolved into a burst of light and disappeared.
"One-shotted?" Everyone was dazed by Ren Isana's display. One had to remember that Ais was Tier 6, yet she was one-shotted by Ren Isana? It was almost too ridiculous to believe.
"The feel of it is just like the real thing!" Ren Isana commented after one-shotting Ais. The sensation of his blade cutting into Ais just now had felt completely real.
"Don't you go getting addicted to it, kid!" Shizuka Hiratsuka appeared in the arena, her face darkening upon hearing Ren Isana. What did he mean, *the feel is like the real thing*? Wasn't this supposed to be real?
After all, these training pods featured 100% realism. Whether it was death or the tactile sensations, everything was 100% accurate. So what was this kid thinking?
Ren Isana rolled his eyes. Getting addicted was impossible—completely impossible in this lifetime. He couldn't help but look at Shizuka Hiratsuka and say, "Shizuka-sensei, how about you fight me instead? You see, there's no point in Ais fighting me anymore."
It was time for revenge! The opponent he couldn't defeat even with his best efforts back then... it seemed he now had a chance. Thus, Ren Isana wanted to fight Shizuka Hiratsuka.
Moreover, since they could use lethal force freely here, he could go as hard as he wanted against Shizuka-sensei. Thinking this, Ren Isana grew eager. He really wanted to defeat Shizuka-sensei.
Hearing Ren Isana's words, Shizuka Hiratsuka's eyelid twitched. She immediately grinned and said, "I refuse. I know you just want to hit me!"
Was he kidding? This guy's strength was becoming more terrifying by the day. Her fighting Ren Isana? Was she looking to get bullied? Thus, Shizuka Hiratsuka firmly refused.
After all, she currently lacked the confidence to defeat Ren Isana. This bastard's combat power was simply too frightening. Ais was also Tier 6, yet she had been taken out so cleanly and efficiently.
If she went up, she probably wouldn't fare any better. In that case, why look for trouble? Did she not care about her dignity? Getting hacked away by her own student in front of so many people would be way too embarrassing!
The more Ren Isana wanted to do it to her, the more she had to say no. She was just a minor teaching assistant, not a sparring partner. Why should she fight Ren Isana?
Seeing her refuse without hesitation, Ren Isana was stumped. What was with the immediate refusal? Shouldn't you be filled with fighting spirit, accept my challenge, and give me some guidance?
"Shizuka, shouldn't you accept my challenge with a face full of battle intent and then offer me some pointers?" Ren Isana said, looking at Shizuka Hiratsuka helplessly.
Hearing Ren Isana say this confirmed her suspicions. Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't help but sneer, "You really do have an ulterior motive, kid. Do you think I'll fall for it? Also, don't call me so intimately; I can't stand it!"
Even calling her "Mom" wouldn't work; she wasn't going to fight Ren Isana today. Or rather, she wouldn't fight this guy ever again—at least not until she broke through to Tier 7.
No, Tier 7 wasn't safe either. She'd need to reach Tier 8 to fight this guy. After all, she was actually on the verge of breaking through to Tier 7, but considering Ais had been one-shotted, Tier 7 seemed insufficient.
"Tsk, what are you afraid of?" This woman wasn't falling for it at all and had zero desire to fight him. This was truly frustrating. Couldn't she be a bit more spirited?
Seeing Ren Isana like this, Shizuka Hiratsuka felt even better. This kid really was up to no good. Fortunately, she was clever enough not to fall for his trap.
Shizuka Hiratsuka gave Ren Isana a look and then stopped paying him any mind. She turned her gaze to the crowd in the stands and teleported everyone over. "You all saw that, right? Don't be afraid of dying; you'll just be teleported out."
As her voice fell, Ais and Yor Forger appeared in the arena together. Ais still had a look of lingering fear on her face. For a moment just now, she truly felt like she had died.
"Ais, are you okay?" Seeing Ais enter, Lefiya hurried forward and asked with concern. She had been quite startled earlier when Ais was suddenly cut down.
Although no blood had spilled, the scene of Ais being taken out had been terrifying, and Ais's current complexion was quite pale.
Hearing Lefiya's concern, Ais shook her head. She touched the spot where she had been hit and said, "It just hurts a bit..."
"It's not physical pain, but phantom pain..."
Although she hadn't actually been cut, that sensation persisted. It was truly miraculous. Fortunately, it was bearable and not overly distressing.
Seeing Ais say this, Lefiya breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, Yor Forger couldn't help but speak up. "Ais-tan, use your Magic Power to cover your whole body. Just circulate it once and the pain will go away."
Yor Forger shared this method with Ais to help her dispel the sensation of pain. Everyone silently took note of this; so there was such a trick.
Promptly, Ais followed the instructions and tried it once. The phantom pain on her body vanished, though the sensation of having just died remained—a terrifying fear of being unable to wake up. She felt she would remember this feeling for the rest of her life. In fact, if possible, she never wanted to experience it firsthand ever again!
Having dealt with Ais's situation, Yor Forger turned her gaze to the other students. "Next, let us begin. Find your own opponents and fight each other. Of course, if you feel your strength is sufficient, you can also team up to fight one person."
When Yor Forger said this, her gaze shifted to Ren Isana. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly; her meaning was obvious. She was encouraging everyone to gang up on Ren Isana, a message Ren Isana understood instantly.
Hearing this, Sora and the others shook their heads like rattle-drums. Was she joking? Gang up on Ren Isana? Stop kidding. If they really fought, especially a Ren Isana who didn't fear death, wouldn't he just cut them down one by one? Firmly resist a one-sided massacre!