"ISA... DORA! ISA... DORA! ISA... DORA!"
Occupying the space opposing me was Isadora Nightingale, her brilliance emanating as her hair waved with glossy sleekness, overshadowing my existence entirely.
With nebulous dark hair that absorbed all incoming light, many would find it not dissimilar to her personality as an individual, someone who'd suck up all reputation and promise you'd had just by being in your vicinity.
She had a doll face so perfect in proportion that she could pass as Greek myth and the body to back it up, curvy in all the right places. She was what one could consider the pinnacle of human beauty.
Voluptuous but still not salacious in her clothing, she tried covering up what was already impossible to hide, sticking out as males would have a hard time concentrating when conversing with her.
She was the class beauty, and yet here I was, standing in front of her.
Below us were gray tiles, darker shades sectioning off each part of the grounding as the binding agent was still visible. Circular in shape, it spanned for about 40 meters before achieving its end, water hiding 10 feet below, not too far but not too close as if to remind you that if you fall off, there will be a fall, simulating a real death trap.
Then there was I, the most beautiful and courteous of them all!
That's what I'd like to say, but I really paled in comparison. Anorexic, I'd always tried to bulk up, falling short each time as working out was tough. With short dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, I would always take pride in how my hair flowed, reaching my shoulders before I was bullied into cutting it by my classmates.
The laughingstock of the year, I always found myself in less than ideal positions, often being ganged up upon by those stronger, preying on me to elevate their own social status.
It'd always infuriated me, but there was nothing I could do yet.
"ISA... DORA!" They kept chanting, waiting in anticipation for our spar to begin.
This was The University of Veridia, the highest ranking school in all the lands of Laplace, housing the most tip-top condition training equipment whilst maintaining the highest-grade education simultaneously, fundings for the school reaching the sky as every man of high status wanted the prestige that came with their family graduating from such a fabulous education.
As the chatter of the audience began to rouse even further, I scoured for the source, eventually discovering it to my left.
Out came the instructor, stoicism evident in her facial expression as she'd walked forward, exuding such elegance that could bring me to my knees, the delicate yet polished mannerisms in the way she trekked causing minute tremors in my lips as I felt the urge to speak up, desire to have even just a minute of direct conversation with her.
It was her mystery and intrigue that caused such provocative reactions, the unknown fueling the basic desire to grow closer to her. However, the opposite could be said for me, as this lady is my birth mother.
"Hello, students of Veridia University. I welcome you--along with the board of education--to our latest commerce of student activity, the yearly tournament held here to both commemorate and appoint our past and future knights respectively, the Tournament of Holy Ordains!"
Turning back to my opponent, I greet her deeply absorbent eyes as she stares blankly upon my chest, signaling out the necklace I've adorned as long as I can remember.
Prying curiously, I turn back to the instructor, who didn't bother to share but a single glance at me this entire time.
Cold!
"Today, we have here Isadora, of the Moon Knight family!"
"ISA... DORA! ISA... DORA!"
The crowd's flaring roars echoed deeply upon the most cavernous crevices of my soul.
Did I really have what it takes to be here? After all, this was a tournament that all students must take if they fail a single one of their magic courses. It was a test; to see if one had what it took to attend the University of Veridia, and considering my past transgressions, the answer to that was most likely no.
After all, I only got here by a fluke. I enrolled to the University as a half-joke, knowing I had no chance. However, when the higher-ups saw my last name, they felt inclined to accept me despite my grades in primary school.
Of course I would be excited when I got accept, who wouldn't be? However, my friends despised me for my lucky backgrounds, and slowly drifted off, even if they were never upfront about it. It was this loneliness that led me to be anti-social, and with this came no desire to live up to expectations.
So when I got the report card and I was demanded by the head principal to attend the tournament, I had no choice but to agree unless I wanted to get kicked out of the university.
But then here I was, standing in front of what is possibly the strongest kid my age in the entire continent.
"And here we have..." The instructor states as she turns over to me whilst avoiding eye contact, biting her bottom lip viciously as blood began to trickle down, "Belle."
Hey, how come she gets her full name addressed while I only get my first! Favoritism much? And why is it you despise me so much you'd make yourself bleed? You want to talk about blood... I am your blood son!
The entire crowd dies down as the previously roaring stadium comes to a cold still. Okay guys, you didn't need to make it that blatant who you like more!
Feeling the lack of energy, I decide to speak up to ease up the tension a little bit between me and my soon-to-be opponent.
"Hey Isadora, I think you're pretty cool!" I yell out, a smile on my face to display authenticity.
"Huh...?" She says, spite in her voice as her face contorts to make a disgusted sideways glance.
"You think I care what an insect like you thinks of me? I'm Isadora. I... sa... do... ra! Who doesn't think I'm cool? Don't state the obvious as if to insinuate we're on equal ground."
Feeling even weaker than I was before, I tilt my face downwards in a soft pout, giving up all hope of making friends.
That's all that I wanted. Friends.
"Well, with that all out of the way, shall we commence the show?"
The stadium once again became a shaking ground as people stomped their feet, roaring at the top of their lungs. The complete energy shift was enough to make anybody excited, all but me.
How was I to defeat her? According to rumors, she singlehandedly fended off an A-rank beast with her right arm incapacitated (not to mention she's right handed), and this was all in a single attack. What could I have that would contend her in the slightest?
As these thoughts continued to race in my head, I looked to my right to see the metal sword that materialized within a hilt at my waist, shrouded in a brilliant light.
As the light dissipated, I examined the design, a helix-like engraving wrapping the entirety of the metal handle. There was a conic protuberance exuding from the bottom of the handle, acting as a stoppage from your hands slipping. At the top of the handle was a rectangular gold-colored cross guard, conveying the essence of what it meant to go to a rich school.
Feeling like the sword was a little too out of my league, I was hesitant to wield it, but it was with this hesitation that the instructor began to call out.
"Go on, nothing to be afraid of. Trust me, someone of your caliber could never mend a blade such as the one you're holding in your hand, even if you tried."
With confidence I held on with both hands, ensuring that my grip was tight, then looked up at my opponent.
Isadora was handling it with such grace situating it upon her shoulder as she held a pose, emasculating the divine sword itself with her own divine beauty. It was a sight to behold.
"With both sides having their weapons, it is now time for the first match of the day to begin. Isadora Nightingale vs Belle begins now!"
Immediately Isadora buckles upon her weight as she enters a crouched stance, potential energy escalating. As the ground itself began to give to her weight, I understood the gravity of the attack she was about to perform, and knew that it was neither dodgeable or defendable. Either route I took would lead to me losing incorrigibly.
Whish!
Without having the luxury of even witnessing her rapid motion, she was already on the other half of the stadium, her body before she swung still visible behind her in a feverish image.
However, there was nothing on the other end of her blade, nothing but a torn up shirt.
"Woah, that was close!" I yelled out, a cold sweat running down my face.
With anger building in her face, she met me with a low-pitched growl, her eyes almost shifting to a red.
"W-w-what!?!" The stadium all exclaims in confusion, none grasping what had just occurred.
"Huh, so you're not completely useless." The instructor sighed under her breath, closing her eyes as she looked down.
Understanding that none would be able to process what occurred since they were unaware of my abilities, I silently replayed the events back in my head.
I'd been training my body for years to counteract my lack of talent in the art of magic, so my athleticisim--if nothing else--had always been on the higher end of things. Even if I lacked muscle, that just meant it took less force to accelerate myself, which was more of an advantage for me.
On that note, it is because of this training that I was able to even perceive her swing. It was something that would normally be unavoidable, but my physical stats are anything but the norm.
However, that by itself would've never been enough to avoid. Even if I could see the swing even by a little bit, dodging is another conundrum. After all, this is Isadora we're talking about.
My magic「Levitation」allows me to levitate anything under 120 pounds for 10 seconds.
Usually that would be useless in practical combat against someone with combat-oriented abilities, but in my case, I've centered my entire fighting style around levitating, and it was with this that I came to an epiphany.
Usually, it takes time--no matter how small--to accelerate yourself off the ground. This is because there is the counterforce of gravity always pulling you down, so there's an infinitesimal period of time where you're pushing off but still in contact with the floor when jumping.
Conventionally, this period of time would be irrelevant, but not in this fight. She swung so fast that even those few milliseconds would make a substantial difference--win or lose.
So, with my levitate, I'm capable of instantly going from 0 to 100 in terms of acceleration, something most would consider impossible, and it's with this that I was just barely able to dodge.
However, she was able to just barely stab into my shirt, stealing its cloth as it was ripped off in our exchange.
"Cool, you dodged something that no normal student should be able to dodge, but what's your game plan now that you're in the air?"
As she said this, she raised her sword again, this time letting out an extensive jab as the air itself warped to avoid the sword, instead running into me.
These aren't air slices... these are slices dangerous enough to scare the air itself!
Instead of the conventional gust of air, they're straight up vacuums with velocity... imagine the destructive force!
"『Vaccum Barrage』!"
Each slice was only barely visible by the air contorting around it, warping as if they were heat waves, but I knew that getting hit by a single one was bad news.
The time I had left for my levitation was running out, so I knew I had to do something quick.
"『Air Levitate』!" I yelled out, closing my eyes.
The vacuum attacks soon dissipated, reverting into a base state of surrounding air.
"So you're a direct counter to my repertoire, huh?" Isadora stated, relaxing her right arm as she watched me fall back down to the ground. "You'll be fun to play with."