"Stella," Mr. Calder, Stella's teacher, approached her with a serious expression. "I have some news for you. During your sparring session with the third-year student tomorrow, the Black Guard scout will be present. It is crucial that you leave a good impression so go all out, Stella."
Mr. Calder's words echoed inside Stella's mind.
'I won't let you down Mr. Calder,' Stella clenched her sword in her mouth and retrieved three knives from her pocket. The same complex pattern adorned the knives' and sword's handles.
"Bring it on, Purple Flash!" Kurt declared confidently, observing the change in Stella's stance. He quickly activated his ability and created multiple spikes that erupted from the ground, aimed directly at Stella.
Stella swiftly hurled the three knives at Kurt.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Kurt easily blocked Stella's attack, maintaining his composure.
"You won't catch me off guard with that trick!" Kurt exclaimed as he prepared to counter Stella's next swap.
Shing! Clang!
Just as he had thought Stella swapped places with one of the knives, however, Kurt easily blocked the strike.
Shing! Clang!
This time Stella swapped places with the second knife. Kurt skillfully blocked the attack again and prepared for the next swap.
However, instead of swapping again, Stella reached into her pocket, retrieving another marked knife, and threw it beside Kurt. The knife soared past him, landing on the floor beside him.
Kurt anticipated Stella's strategy, realizing she would appear on his left.
Shing!
As he had guessed, Stella swapped places, but not with the knife she had just thrown. She appeared opposite to it, catching Kurt off guard since he had turned towards the last knife she threw.
Clang!
Stella clashed with Kurt, their weapons colliding, however, Kurt's reaction had been delayed because of Stella's tactic. She took out another pair of knives and threw them to the floor beside Kurt.
'She's setting multiple swapping positions,' Kurt thought as he realized Stella's plan.
Shing!
Stella teleported the first knife she swapped places with to her free hand.
Shing!Shing!Shing!Shing!
Even though he saw through Stella's plan, he wasn't able to get out of the perimeter formed by Stella's knives before she started swapping places randomly around him, trying to catch him off guard.
'Her swap speed is faster than I had thought,' Kurt thought as he started spinning his spear around him, preparing to block any upcoming attack.
Clang! Shing!
Stella and Kurt clashed but she immediately swapped places again.
Clang! Shing! Shing! Clang! Shing! Clang!
Stella launched a series of strikes, attempting to overwhelm Kurt. However, he managed to react in time, skillfully blocking her attacks. Although Kurt was able to block Stella's attacks on time, he could barely keep up with her attack speed, having less and less time to react after each attack, until…
Bang!
Suddenly, Stella landed a powerful kick to Kurt's face, destabilizing him and finally breaking through his defense.
Shing! Bang! Shing! Clang! Shing! Bang!
Stella swiftly moved around Kurt, swapping places multiple times, attacking from different angles simultaneously. Kurt could only focus on defending against the flurry of sword strikes.
Bang!
Another kick landed on Kurt's body. "Enough," he exclaimed, frustration in his voice. Countless spikes shot up from the ground, surrounding Kurt and extending beyond the circle formed by Stella's knives.
Stella quickly fixed her gaze on a specific spot above the chaotic spikes, her mind performing all the necessary calculations in an instant.
Shing!
She teleported away, barely dodging the attack. Crackling purple bolts danced around her as she reappeared in mid-air.
From the midst of the gray spikes, Kurt wiped the blood from his mouth.
'She teleports to a point within her line of sight,' Kurt deduced, remembering how Stella had looked at her current position before teleporting. 'I just need to limit her vision.'
'Tsk, I wasn't able to land a decisive blow,' Stella thought, gritting her teeth in frustration.
Kurt channeled energy through his body, activating his ability to its full potential. He raised his hand, his gaze locked on Stella. In an instant, countless spikes emerged from all directions, hurtling toward Stella
'F*ck,' Stella cursed inwardly as she found herself airborne, with more spikes closing in. She quickly threw the remaining knife in her left hand, swapping places with it.
Shing! Bang!
The knife materialized where Stella had been but was instantly decimated as the spikes collided, creating a cloud of smoke.
Shing!
Stella swiftly teleported one of her knives to her left hand, while the other two found their place back in her pocket along with two knives she still hadn't used.
Shing! Bang!
As she noticed a new barrage of spikes hurtling toward her she quickly threw the knife in her hand and swapped places with it. The clash of the spikes and the knife created yet another smokescreen. She was left with only four knives.
Shing! Bang!
The cycle repeated, and Stella appeared in the air above Kurt. She hurled one of her knives at him, but with seemingly no effort, Kurt deflected it with one of his spikes, destroying the knife in the process. Stella desperately searched for a teleportation spot amidst the now chaotic ring, which was starting to get filled with smoke.
Shing! Bang!
She teleported to another spot in mid-air, narrowly evading the spikes.
Shing! Bang!
She threw her final knife and swapped places. Now she had no knives left. As she surveyed Kurt's position, she realized that the entire ring was now engulfed in smoke.
Whooosh!
Kurt emerged from the smoke beneath Stella, appearing behind her while swinging his spear. Stella barely managed to block the attack in time.
Bang!
The impact sent Stella hurtling toward the ground. As she fell, she desperately maneuvered in order to avoid getting impaled by one of the spikes. She managed to land in a spot devoid of spikes, though some of them still injured her. However, she was now trapped within the smoke, her vision blocked by it in every direction. Kurt had completely countered her ability.
"You're trapped, little one," Kurt's voice echoed from somewhere within the smoke. "Feeling like giving up already?"
"You talk like you've already won"
"Haven't I? You can't teleport away, and you have no idea where I am, while I know exactly where you are."
The principal watched anxiously from a window, realizing the dire consequences if Stella lost the spar in front of the Black Guard scout. His job and the academy's reputation were at stake.
Executioner Leywin's expression, on the other hand, remained inscrutable. The principal couldn't decipher whether she still held an interest in Stella or not, which increased his nervousness.