Fantasia Library

A sharp "Shhh..." echoed through the suddenly silent arena.

The sound of fabric tearing was accompanied by a few shreds flying into the air. Arkadi stumbled backward, barely maintaining his balance as he adjusted himself just before hitting the ground.

But his face betrayed his dismay.

Part of his uniform had been slashed open, the tear dangerously close to the insignia pinned to his chest.

"You actually dodged it?"

Across from him, Aizen held Ser-Veresta in an upward striking stance. His brow arched as he remarked:

"Not bad, Senior. It seems taking you down won't be as easy as I thought."

What might have sounded like praise only deepened the humiliation etched across Arkadi's face.

He glanced at the weapon in his hand—a gun-type Lux weapon now cleaved in half. The molten edges of the break still glowed red, like smoldering steel. Arkadi took a deep breath.

"I should be the one saying it: no wonder Ser-Veresta is a legendary Orga Lux. It destroyed my weapon so easily."

Without hesitation, Arkadi discarded the ruined and expensive weapon. His expression grew cold.

"I was foolish to think I could beat you with a weapon and style I wasn't used to."

"I should have realized that anyone recognized by a Four-Colored Magic Sword wouldn't be ordinary."

"I never expected our academy to be hiding someone as powerful as you."

Aizen didn't respond to the compliment.

Arkadi's mind churned as he thought back to the fight. Not only did Aizen display physical abilities on par with mid-tier Ranked students, but his mastery over Ser-Veresta's swordsmanship was also dazzling.

He's been hiding far too well, Arkadi thought grimly.

"But now, I won't give you another opportunity."

He drew his preferred weapon and activated it.

A thin, katana-like blade emerged, the edge unnervingly sharp and precise—far thinner than most Lux weapons. It was clearly customized for Arkadi's style.

This was the weapon that had earned him his fame.

While it wouldn't survive direct contact with Ser-Veresta without breaking, Arkadi wasn't planning to parry. His focus would be on evasion.

"Close combat is my specialty," he muttered. "Your swordsmanship might be impressive, but your physical strength and prana reserves are no match for mine."

"As long as I focus on dodging, you'll never keep up."

Arkadi's confidence was apparent.

But Aizen… smiled.

"If that's the case, it would be rude of me not to take this more seriously," Aizen said, his tone cool but amused.

The shift in Aizen's demeanor was palpable. His aura became heavier, sharper.

"What are you talking about?" Arkadi asked warily.

"I mean," Aizen replied, raising Ser-Veresta, "the real fight starts now."

"Zing…"

Stardust began swirling around Aizen, his entire body encased in radiant star-like light.

Channeling every ounce of his prana, Aizen poured it into Ser-Veresta. Black patterns swirled around the blade, spiraling toward the crimson Urm Manadyte at its core.

The pure white blade absorbed the power, its surface darkening until it turned a deep, ominous purple-black.

"Whoosh—"

Heat waves radiated outward, forming a scorching windstorm around Aizen. The air distorted and shimmered like a desert mirage as the temperature soared.

Standing at the eye of the heatwave, Aizen glowed with the brilliance of a flickering star.

The sight sent an involuntary shiver down Arkadi's spine, forcing him to retreat.

But—

"Boom!"

The star exploded.

Aizen shot forward like a comet, propelled by the heatwaves at a terrifying speed.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Arkadi.

"Wha—?!"

Arkadi's eyes widened in shock.

Aizen's figure blurred, surrounded by shimmering heatwaves. The surreal image seemed more like a mirage than a person.

"Buzz!"

Ser-Veresta hummed ominously, leaving a streak of purple-black light as Aizen swung it.

The attack was so fast, Arkadi couldn't react. He could only watch, helpless, as the blade arced toward his chest.

"Clink!"

Time seemed to freeze.

Arkadi stood still, his eyes wide and unfocused, staring blankly ahead.

Before him, Aizen's sword arm had already completed its motion. He stood amidst a swirling storm of heat and stardust, Ser-Veresta humming softly in his hand.

Aizen retracted the sword and spoke softly:

"Thank you for the match."

As his words fell, the synthesized voice of the duel's arbiter rang out.

"Match concluded."

"Winner: Aizen."

At that moment, Arkadi's insignia split cleanly down the middle and fell to the ground.

Silence.

A deathly stillness enveloped the arena.

Every spectator stared at the scene in stunned disbelief, their mouths agape, unable to speak.

Then—

"Whoa!"

The crowd erupted into chaos, the roar of voices deafening.

"Did you see that?!"

"That was so fast!"

"How did he suddenly get that much faster?!"

"His speed and strikes were on a completely different level than before!"

"How did he do that?!"

"He's incredible!"

The audience's amazement was unrelenting.

Julis stood abruptly, her face pale with shock.

"What just happened? How did he suddenly become so powerful?"

The final moments of the duel were beyond anything she could comprehend.

The speed at which Aizen had moved—Julis herself hadn't been able to follow.

Which meant…

If she had been on the stage instead of Arkadi, she likely would have met the same fate.

"How is this possible?"

It was the only question on her mind.

Claudia, sitting beside her, broke the silence.

"It's the heatwaves."

"The heatwaves?" Julis asked, puzzled.

"Yes," Claudia confirmed, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "He released Ser-Veresta's heat, using it to generate wind that propelled his movements."

"By directing the heatwaves opposite to his intended direction, he essentially created a makeshift booster."

"Even the final slash that destroyed Arkadi's insignia was accelerated by the same method."

Julis blinked, struggling to process what she was hearing.

"But he's only had Ser-Veresta for a few days! The Four-Colored Magic Swords are notoriously difficult to control. How could he possibly master it to this extent so quickly?"

Claudia smiled wryly.

"I've never heard of anyone using Ser-Veresta like this," she admitted. "This might be the first time anyone's ever attempted it."

Could this extraordinary control be the result of Aizen's unprecedented compatibility with the Orga Lux?

Claudia unconsciously touched the weapon at her waist, deep in thought.

Elsewhere in the audience, other high-ranking students stared at Aizen with grim expressions, their wariness unmistakable.

They all understood one thing:

Today, a new force had emerged at Seidoukan Academy.

A force capable of claiming a place among the Page Ones—or perhaps even at their very top.

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Author's Note: Consider donating powerstones and I might speed up the releases :)