Luca's P.O.V
Paul and I clashed our swords at each other as sparks and dust erupted from the collision, though Paul kept using his strange shockwave powers to keep my blade from reaching his and instead launched his sword with force at me.
"I will gut you!" Paul roared at me while trying to attack more viciously at me though I just kept on besting him when it came down to sword art and techniques, as I parried and evaded his attacks. Paul then swung his sword to the ground and shattered it as I jumped back by this to a safer ground for a better footing but then Paul swung his sword again at me and launched a wind attack that pushed the rocks at me at an insane velocity.
"Alright then!" I called out and launched myself in between the rocks and evaded the ones that could've harmed my lower legs as I used this opportunity to swirl and brought up my sword edge out and chanted.
'Weapon technique: total concentration!"
"Art of the Blade"
I created a constant wind after-effect from my blade and started to turn my swirling motion into a tornado of blades and shredded most of the rocks to dust, using this form to reach Paul faster as I ended the move and collided again with Paul's, sword to sword, though the force had forced him down on one kneel. But before he could create another shockwave to push me back, I immediately jumped off and observed his movements to see anything suspicious
'That shockwave attack must be from something on him, it can't be his sword, though it's a wind-based attack... It's not possible to cast two spells simultaneously... Even elites can't do that 'cause it's impossible.' I thought while I landed and crouched with my blade within my right hand in a reversed grip, as I kept on monitoring Paul, who finally got his footing and started to launch multiple wind strikes at me at this point the ground was starting to tear up from the vicious wind-based attack. 'hmm I guess I will just have to get closer and simulate a false attack.'
I started to cut through and evade some of the strikes, though the clash of the wind striking against my blade shook my hand and made it harder to defend against. Soon all of our attacks started to become faster and faster as everyone soon started to lose track of our speed, then the whole area started to become even more windy as all the wind strikes from Paul started to create a vortex around us, ultimately blocking the view of the observing cameras.
"damn it, talk about recklessness!" I chipped out and started to reach Paul little by little until... I started to sense something from him... Something bitter... "This guy needs to cool off fast."
"DIE YOU PIG!" Paul roared out and started to launch even more wind-based attacks at me, breaking the floor beneath him to rumble. I started to get sick of evading and blocking and started to grip my sword even more.
"If you wanna get rough... Then let's get rough" I called out and started to release my wind strikes that started to overcome his own attack's intensity as we both continued our carnage Eventually even though we were far apart, the sound of sword clashing still filled the whole terrain and suddenly the whole area was now in a disarray of flying rocks and harsh wind... Until it became a full-on typhoon.
The observation room
Author's P.O.V
Everyone in the room was at the edge of their seats and even the officials present were in awe by this event, as some of the officials compared the overall battle to clashes between two trained elites.
The general's grin never left his face, as his eyes were stuck to the screens, though most of everyone in the room could not make out the details of the fight as the harsh wind blocked the observing camera's view, but the sound of swords clashing could still be heard.
"This is amazing, I knew this year would be different the moment I saw all the participants' mana presence report checks... Almost all their mana presences were scaled above elites... Just imagine." the general pointed out, as he started to recall the mana presence examinations.
Flashback
All the participants were gathered at the reports facilities, as this was where the first assessment was going to be carried out. They were all gathered in batches with their various teammates, the facility was almost as big as the main assembly hall but just had a glass dome at the centre of the room... It is not that technological, just a simple glass dome at the centre.
I came towards all the reps and scanned them up and down.
"Alright reps, this will be the first assessment of this exam, The glass dome in front of you will be measuring your mana presence, so nothing that complicated, This is the easiest part of the exam," I said while I made my way, towards the dome and placing my hand on the side of it, as automatically a door section of the dome vanished and allowed me to enter in it. Upon my entry, the door reappeared and sealed me in. "All that is required from you is to charge up your mana or to summon your chronicle... Like so!"
I roared out, as an orange glow started to manifest just in front of me and then suddenly a blast of mana erupted from my body and even outside the dome, all the students present could still feel it.
A number appeared on the walls of the room. And read
[5000000]
"That is the level of a general... Though this can still be shattered as that is just at the base level." I mentioned and walked out of the dome with some of the reps still shocked by my display of power. "Now the 1st and 12th reps will go first and then all the rest will proceed."
[Dutchess Gel Magnolia - 100000] - summoned chronicle
"amazing... An elite level... Very impressive, nothing less from the 1st reps" I said while maintaining my stoic expression
[Paul Grande - 150000] - power up
[Cron Law - 500000] - power up
'Such power... And he didn't even summon his chronicle... Truly a monster.' I thought with a grin.
[Her grace Monalisa de Montford - 900000] - power up
'Of course... Nothing less from her... The second-best disciple of Bishop Linus' I nodded in acknowledgement... But then I saw the boy with dark hair get into the dome, and I started to feel an overwhelming sense of power from him. 'That kid.'
[Lance caul....... 1000000] - power up
"what... How come?" I said, as even most of the students around were shocked at this. "... This boy truly is Linus's first disciple"
The whole 1st reps were done and up next was the 12th reps.
[Rin kamado - 700000] - power up
'......huh.....?' I was shocked at what I just witnessed.
[Luca Gomen - 300000] - power up
'.... these kids are monsters... They have even surpassed most of the ranks in the force... Though amongst the elites."
[Mark kinal - 500000] - power up
[Trinity hashima... 2000000] - power up
Everyone in the room just stared at the figures... Even the 1st reps were shocked at this and I was the most shocked. 'THIS GIRL IS ADMIRAL LEVEL!'
[Dante Sarutobi....]
"huh... Wait what... Alfred has a kid... How come" I thought out loud in curiosity.
[Dante Sarutobi....]
End of flashback.
'hmmm... That boy... ' I thought as I started to notice that the wind in the combat room had started to destroy the terrain in it, as even the floors started to peel off like paper tape. "This fight is getting to its peak."
Back to the combat room.
Luca's P.O.V
'Just a little bit and... Now!' I analyzed and focused my wind attack towards a gap between two of Paul's wind slices and was about to strike him on the chest until... I focused hard and sighted a medallion with a red gem at its centre releasing a mana-based attack... In the form of a shockwave. "Bingo"
"Well, it was fun... But it's just too boring now." I said while evading the attacks as I started to close in on him, he saw this and lifted his sword and brought it down to the ground, shattering it into piles of rocks. But at that same time, I brought my sword and pointed it towards his attack and chanted.
"infusion... Wind cavalry!"
My sword unleashed a torrent of wind that blew away the attack and knocked Paul over, losing his footing and had his sword in a tight position over his head, leaving the medallion and him wide open.
'That medallion seems to have this kind of automatic response before an attack hits its user... Instantaneously... But of course, it's just a matter of time.' I thought and shifted into a slicing position and felt my breath in synch with my beating heart and the surroundings were starting to move in slow motion... As I closed my eyes and opened it once more. 'And when it comes down to time... I like to keep it short.'
.
.
.
.
.
'...it's over!" I said and blitzed through him and the catastrophe, as the vortex and wind stopped in an instant, and Paul just knelt down and then passed out. While I just walked out through my entrance and stealth my sword back...
"Good match twig"
As I moved through the entrance, though in the back to the combat room, a sliced medallion in two halves both dropped to the ground at the same time.