Even if the match had already started, Ava and Sapphire were forced to halt themselves as Dashiel stepped in the way.
"What's this about? You don't think your friend has what it takes to face me?" Ava asked.
Dashiel nervously smiled, "To be perfectly honest, I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But hey, is it alright if I talk to her for a sec? It won't be long."
Ava rolled her eyes impatiently, "Okay, go for it. Just don't take centuries."
Dashiel grabbed Sapphire's arm, pulling her to the other end of the room.
"I told you to go easy when you sparred. Now everyone here wants to prove themselves. And it's not just the trainees, you caught the eye of two War Knights. Do you know what this means? You're pretty much doomed, I don't think you can win against them. You might need to grovel down before the match starts, it's the only option."
Sapphire felt just a little disappointed that he wasn't saying anything motivational at all.
"You interrupted the match just to tell me how much you think I can't win. That kinda hurts :("
Dashiel patted the top of her head, "That's not what I mean. I know you're strong, but War Knights become War Knights for a reason, though some have low stats, they all have one thing in common, they all have the power to hold their own against a Legendary-rank boss."
Sapphire thought on this. If someone had what it took to rival a Legendary-rank boss, they were certainly greater than her current self. Still, she couldn't pass up this chance. If she could win against this War Knight, it would prove that she didn't need high stats to defeat a strong opponent.
"I'm still going to fight her. If I can beat her, that would mean I'm on the level of a War Knight, right?"
Dashiel sighed, "..Well, if you really do plan to face her, I should at least tell you this: Don't let her words get to you, she has a sharp tongue, it's how she turns the tide of a fight. And don't let your guard down, she's among the strongest for a reason."
Knowing about this wouldn't necessarily help in the long run, Ava had other skills to fear.
Doing all he could to inform Sapphire, Dashiel left the sparring room and proceeded to watch from the outside.
With a single shout, the match set back in motion.
Sapphire swung her sword so fast that there didn't seem to be any way for Ava to avoid a hit, but she proved why she was a War Knight. Ava effortlessly dodged around the strikes, and wacked her opponent's shoulder. Sapphire didn't get to recover, she was struck again, this time in the stomach. She was sent sliding across the room until she laid still for a few silent seconds.
Wack!
"Did I go too hard? I was intentionally holding back more than 90% of my strength" Ava stated.
Sapphire stood from the floor, holding her shoulder in pain.
"I can tell. If you weren't holding back, there would be a hole through me right now. I freakin hurts when that happens, even death feels better than that."
Ava smiled at her words, "You speak like you've experienced death. You have a great sense of humor. Can you keep going? Or should I stop"
Sapphire matched her smile, "I'll let you get in on one of my little secrets."
"What kind of secret?" Ava asked.
"Come attack me, you'll find out."
"Very well, then. Brace yourself."
Sapphire kept a harsh stare while Ava's figure came speeding over. Then at the right moment, time ceased to move and everything became stuck in place.
[Time has been halted]
'Now, i just hit with everything I have. A single punch with a side of everything.'
[Penetrate' activated]
['Attack Amplifier' activated]
{Mp: 0/2,760}
Sapphire transferred every drop of mana to her fist. It shined like a beacon of sunlight. She swung an incredible right jab, smashing her knuckles against Ava's chest.
After doing so, Sapphire walked over to her previous standing point.
"I need to make this look cool. I should do a pose or something."
She crossed her arms and let time move once again.
['Time Halt' deactivated]
Ava's body shot back, falling against a wall.
Crackle!!
Every trainee had the face of disbelief. Had they just watched War Knight Ava Dracilice get defeated? All their assumptions were proven false, Ava got back on her feet, wiping a river of blood from her mouth.
[Enemy's skill 'Angel of the Dead' has set active.']
{Ava: Hp: 2,891/289,111}
The look within her eyes grew serious. Holding her hand into the air, magic briefly flowed from her palm.
"Area, Isolate."
Something pulsed through the air.
After Sapphire blinked, she saw a major difference in the surroundings.
Nobody, not even the trainees were around anymore. The lighting seemed to be more grey than a while ago and the atmosphere had a strange feel to it.
"Umm. What did you do?...." Sapphire asked.
"I put up a barrier."
"A barrier? That means nobody will be able to see what's going on. That also means nobody will be able to interfere."
"Mhm." Ava nodded.
But what was the meaning of this? What was the point of the barrier?
"Okay..but why? Does it make you stronger..or something?" Sapphire asked.
Ava gently shook her head, "No. I put it up for an entirely different reason. Nobody will be able to stop me from killing you."
Sapphire jolted from surprise, "W-what?! Kill me? I didn't think the sparring match was that serious."
Avan giggled, "I enjoy your sense of humor, but let's get real now. I know that you're up to no good. Since the moment I met you earlier, I could feel a dark magic embedded within you. This leads me to believe that you're only here to stir up trouble."
Sapphire tried her best to clear the misunderstanding, waving her hands around while explaining.
"I swear, I'm not here to do anything evil. I'm really just here to practice my sword skills against the top War Knight. I was hoping to have a sparring match against him."
A bright flash of light shined from Ava's palm, where a purple blade apaeread. Aiming it's tip in Sapphire's direction, Ava spoke.
"I have heard enough of your excuses. If it wasn't for one of my skills, your attack probably would've left me dead. I know for a fact that you're up to no good, I know a Disciple of Darkness when I see one."
Sapphire nervously laughed, "Well, about that… I knew for a fact that you would survive. That's the only reason I used such an attack. I wasn't trying to kill you."
Her attempts to explain were pointless, Ava had already made the decision not to listen. Ignoring it all, she only stood with a cold look, ready to lunge forward at any second.
[Enemy has activated 'Angel of War']
___________
(Outside the Barrier)
"Where did they go?"
"They just disappeared."
All the trainees stood baffled, they had no idea what happened.
Dasheil was probably the only one who knew it was a barrier.
'What's Ava doing? She's trying to keep anyone from interfering, but why? I'd say she wanted to kill Sapphire, but there's no way a fellow War Knight like Ava would do that..right.'
Dashiel reached his palm above and tried chanting.
"Barrier, Disspell...AGH!"
A pulse of energy shocked his hand, forcing him to pull back.
The barrier wasn't an ordinary one, it was too advanced. This was only more proof that Ava was up to something.
War Knight Alan Fabelin came to his side, "So she's put up a barrier? Any idea why?"
"No. There shouldn't be any reason."
Alan explained his theory, "You may not have sensed it, but that girl had some amount of dark magic coursing through her veins. As you know, I can see the truest will of a person's soul, her's is good. But I assume Ava thought differently. She sees her as a threat that needs to be dealt with."
Dashiel shook in worry, "Ava plans to kill her??"
Alan nodded, "Precisely. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do here to intervene."
War Knight were trained in many things, except for barriers. This was something a person had to learn on their own time.
Dashiel let himself slump against one of the walls.
"No, there has to be some way to stop her. I'm just not thinking hard enough."
The familiar voice of War Knight Ezume approached.
"Think all you want. But no matter how much you do, you can't solve this with no knowledge of barriers. As for me, I have quite a lot of experience with barriers, so I'll go ahead and take care of this for you."