Though Tascen and Lurkam seemed evenly matched, neither yielding to the other, it was evident that Lurkam was getting the worst of it. He was driven so forcefully into the ground that his knees were barely visible amid the debris.
Noticing this, Lurkam clenched his teeth, trying to strategize while simultaneously fending off Tascen.
If this keeps up, I'm going to completely lose my footing.
With this thought, Lurkam gradually adjusted his stance, straining against the debris encasing his legs. Then, in one smooth action, he tilted his shield and simultaneously disabled the protective aura around it.
Just as aura could reject the existence of magic or filter out hidden dangers, it also naturally resisted foreign auras from other knights. But once Lurkam dropped the aura surrounding his shield's, Tascen's downward momentum was left with nothing to oppose it, his blade scraping across the tilted shield and glanced off of it like water off a windowpane.
"Shit!" Tascen exclaimed, caught off guard by Lurkam's sudden disengagement. He had committed fully to his downward thrust and couldn't halt his momentum, leaving him exposed.
Without employing any fancy aura styles, Lurkam heaved his shield at Tascen, whose own attack had plunged into the earth after being deflected. The shield, carrying all of Lurkam's strength, struck Tascen head-on, hitting him like a metal wall in motion. Pain surged through every inch of Tascen's body as he was sent hurtling across the dirt field.
He skidded across the ground like a stone skipping on a lake's surface, coming to a halt only when he crashed into the arena's walls. A cloud of dust and debris burst out in all directions upon impact. At the same time, the walls where Tascen had landed began to glow—specifically, the runes previously hidden and engraved on their surface.
These runes activated immediately, neutralizing the impact and preventing any damage to the wall itself.
Up in the stands, Velis, who had been watching her cousins match carefully, clenched her fist.
That idiot! Why the hell did he try to win in a head-on clash like that? He knows his best attribute is his speed; there was no reason for him to do that unless...
A spark of realization lit up Velis's eyes as she turned back to where Tascen had landed after the hit. As the smoke thinned out, his figure slowly emerged, accompanied by his injuries. Despite all the chaos, he had somehow managed to cling onto his sword, but blood was trickling down the side of his face, slightly irritating one of his eyes. On top of that, his non-sword-holding arm had clearly been hurt and was hanging slightly.
Additionally, a closer look revealed that, despite the fact he was standing still, one of his legs was trembling slightly.
Damn... I knew I'd have to take a hit, but I didn't expect it to hurt this much! He got my dominant leg, and my other arm is barely responsive.
Tascen's ears rang as he tried to assess the damage to his body. For knights, aura is essentially the visual manifestation of their willpower. It could absorb or even completely negate damage, rendering physical attacks and weapons almost entirely ineffective against a knight.
However, this power wasn't without its limits. Just as willpower could influence aura, aura could also affect willpower.
The more damage a knight's aura took, the more that knight's willpower would be chipped away at. This, in turn, reduced their Aura Intensity. Ironically, it also meant that attacks enhanced by the aura of another knight were their biggest threat, with magic a close second due to aura being a mutation of mana in the first place.
If a knight happens to get caught off guard or fails to enhance their aura's strength in time, those kinds of attacks can not only breach their defenses but also directly damage their will. Both Tascen and Lurkam were aware of this, and with the first real strike landing, it was clear that their battle was drawing to a close.
Lurkam stepped out of the shallow ditch their confrontation had carved into the dirt field, fixing his gaze on Tascen. For a brief moment, everything froze—neither of them moved. Then, the tension shattered as Lurkam launched himself into an attack.
His armor may have taken away his agility, but Lurkam was far from slow. He had honed his ability to unleash rapid bursts of speed; in fact, it was a key element of his fighting style. Boosted by his own aura, he rushed forward like a cannonball that had just been shot from the barrel.
In mere seconds, Lurkam closed the gap, his hammer swinging high above his head. Tascen reacted instantly, jumping to the side to evade the blow. The hammer crashed down with such force that it tore through the ground, flinging debris in all directions and leaving a deep imprint where it struck.
"I won't let you get away!" Lurkam bellowed, dragging his hammer across the ground and sending a barrage of rocks hurtling towards Tascen.
Tascen quickly raised his sword to defend himself, skillfully blocking the smaller rocks and slicing through the bigger ones. As he did, a cloud of dust billowed around him. Suddenly, a large figure burst through it, shield first—it was Lurkam, charging like a rhino, ready to crush Tascen beneath him.
With no other option, Tascen pushed off with his dominant leg to dodge the shield bash, wincing in pain as he did. He rolled away just in time, narrowly avoiding the attack. Once on his feet, he counterattacked, targeting one of Lurkam's known weak spots.
However, he was too slow; Lurkam spun around and blocked the strike with his shield.
"Huh, it looks like that's it. This fight is over," Syrna declared, as she leaned back in her seat. Beside her, her twin Sylas nodded in agreement.
"You're right. Tascen might have stood a chance if he could still move at full speed after that hit. But there's no way he could outrun Lurkam now, not with that injury. He can still dodge and defend himself, but it's only a matter of time before he gets caught."
Although they hadn't said much and were engrossed in the match, both Magnus and Celia found themselves nodding along with the twins. It was obvious, even to them, who knew little about battles between knights, that the scales had tipped and that Tascen was on the losing side of things.
"Hmm, I wouldn't be so sure…" Everyone turned as Luden spoke up, breaking his silence. His comment even caught Blair's attention.
"Oh? You really think he has a way of winning this?" Although he would never admit it, his tone made it clear that he agreed with the twins.
"He has one more trick up his sleeve. He hasn't used it up to this point, probably because he wanted to hold off until he was further along in the Live Examination. I doubt he was expecting to encounter someone as strong as Lurkam this early on. I'm sure Seraline knows what I'm talking about," Luden remarked, looking towards Seraline.
Although some students had already dismissed the match like the twins did, Seraline's gaze remained locked on the arena, her attention unwavering, as if she were anticipating something and didn't want to miss a moment.
Is there really a chance for Tascen to turn this around?
The question lingered in Magnus's mind as he redirected his focus to the unfolding events in the arena. The others did the same, their expressions a blend of skepticism and curiosity as they silently decided to watch the remainder of the match.
Sparks erupted as Tascen's sword clashed repeatedly with Lurkam's shield. Tascen was constantly on the move, dodging and weaving, doing everything he could to avoid a decisive blow from Lurkam's hammer.
He attempted to counterattack, but each of his strikes was either intercepted by Lurkam's shield or deflected by his armor.
Come on, you big bastard; you know you want to end this already.
Tascen thought bitterly to himself as he gritted his teeth. Despite being pushed back after every exchange, he was still standing, and it was clear that this fact was beginning to annoy Lurkam. His opponent's tactics grew increasingly aggressive, shifting from a defensive to an offensive stance.
"This is getting annoying!" Lurkam bellowed as he swung his hammer in a wide arc, generating a blast of wind that swept across the dirt field. Tascen leaned back to dodge, but at that moment, Lurkam thrust his leg forward and kicked him in the stomach. His heavy, metal-covered boot struck Tascen in the gut, sending him flying backward and tumbling across the ground.
Seeing Tascen gasping for air on the ground, Lurkam's eyes narrowed as a thought struck him.
It's time to finish this...
The crowd watched intently as Lurkam tossed his shield away, which crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. Now with both hands free, he gripped his warhammer tightly, now able to wield it with full force. Then, without warning, he charged in Tascen's direction at full speed, faster now without the burden of his massive shield.
As he raced forward, Lurkam's will began to manifest itself again, igniting his aura with a newfound intensity. With a powerful leap into the air, his once clear, shield-like aura darkened, seeming to swallow any light that touched it. Against the bright backdrop of the sun, Lurkam's outline appeared almost supernatural, a stark contrast to the natural world around him.
"Sentinel Arts: Eclipse!"
In that instant, Lurkam became enveloped by what looked like a dark phantom, resembling a three-dimensional shadow that transformed into a towering, thirty-foot guardian armed with a hammer. It seemed as if Lurkam had grown, and the shadowy figure mirrored his every move. As Lurkam lifted his warhammer, the guardian mimicked him, bringing it down with tremendous force.
Tascen looked up, realizing there was no escape from the colossal strike, but escaping had never been his plan.
"Ethereal Arts: Ebb and Flow..." Tascen murmured, his voice barely audible and echoing through the air as though it were underwater. In a moment, he seemed to vanish, his body distorting and spreading like a drop of ink dispersing in water, engulfed by his own shimmering aura.
What the hell is he doing?
The question barely had time to arise in Lurkam's mind. Whatever it was, there was no way for him to stop his attack at this stage. Both his and the phantom guardian's hammers struck simultaneously, unleashing a shockwave that tore through the ground and whipped the air into a frenzy.
For a brief moment, the earth mimicked the liquidity of water, forming a wave that soon gave way to its true nature, shattering and cracking violently like glass. The entire arena shook under the impact, while at the center, Tascen seemed to disappear, presumably crushed beneath the devastating force, as both fighters vanished into a massive cloud of dust and debris.
Watching the scene unfold, every student around the arena believed the duel had reached its dramatic conclusion.
"Well, I guess it's over," a student commented, his words echoing the thoughts of many, earning a nod from another behind him.
"Yeah, there's no way that Tascen guy could have-" His speculation was abruptly interrupted as something shot out from the dissipating cloud of dust, trailing debris behind it.
"Huh, what is that?" Celia squinted, trying to make sense of the object hurtling through the air before it thudded heavily onto the ground several feet away. Her question hung unanswered in the air; everyone, from the twins to Blair, even Magnus, had their eyes fixed on the scene, recognizing not what but who had been sent flying.
Lurkam crashed to the ground, completely knocked out. His warhammer was nowhere in sight, and his armor had been cut clean through by a deep, vertical slash that ran across his chest, revealing a bloody wound on the skin beneath.
"Huh, well, I guess I stand corrected," Syrna said, her expression showing genuine surprise as the smoke began to clear.
"But how did he survive? That move Lurkam used was nearly on par with an Adept-level knight; blocking it should have been impossible unless Tascen countered with equal force and aura," Sylas mused, mostly to himself as he tried to piece it together. However, Seraline chimed in with an explanation.
"Ethereal Arts, the aura style created by the Mestor Family."
"Huh? The Mestor Family has an aura style? Why haven't I heard of it before?" Blair interjected, clearly intrigued.
"Aura Styles are the pinnacle of a knight's capabilities. By manifesting our will through our aura, we can alter its properties, allowing for various effects. The Aerial Arts Tascen used earlier are one example; they changed his aura's properties to let him defy things like terminal velocity. But while most aura styles affect things external to their users, the Mestor Family's Ethereal Arts are different," Seraline elaborated, pausing to gather her thoughts before continuing.
"The Etheral Arts focus internally, altering the aura's properties in order to also change the properties of the body. It allows its user to turn their body into something similar to an illusory fluid, negating things like physical damage. Though I don't know which technique Tascen used specifically, I suspect it involved adding absorption and reflection qualities to this state of invulnerability," she explained, her tone extremely technical. While Sylas and Syrna seemed to grasp her explanation, Celia appeared confused, turning to Magnus for clarity.
Observing her puzzlement, Magnus stroked his chin thoughtfully before simplifying it.
"Basically, his technique turns him into a sort of spring. Any force you throw at him gets absorbed and then redirected back at you." Understanding dawned on Celia as she nodded, making an 'oh' sound in realization.
"Still, I'd imagine such a powerful technique would have significant requirements to activate; otherwise, Tascen would have used it the moment he started losing," Luden added, prompting Blair to turn his attention toward him.
"So you two knew about this? Don't you think you should have included that information in the leaflet you gave us? If one of us had faced him without knowing about that move and he used it, we might have been defeated," Blair pointed out.
"I only knew it might exist; it was all just rumors, really. The Ethereal Arts are tough to detect in combat, especially when compared to more conspicuous aura styles. As you can see, the only one who really knew the details was Seraline. I did try asking her about it when she first joined our faction, of course, but she refused. I suppose she didn't want Tascen to lose the advantage of keeping his techniques a secret," Luden explained.
Upon hearing this, Blair looked over at Seraline with a complex expression and remarked, "Oh? I see."
Seraline didn't react to Luden's comment or Blair's probing gaze. She simply redirected her focus back to the arena. The dust had settled, and the only person left standing was Tascen, at the center of a crater, panting heavily with his arms hanging at his sides.
Nearby, one could see Lurkam's hammer lying on the ground.
To most of the spectators, Tascen appeared completely unscathed by Lurkam's formidable assault, looking just as he did before the attack hit. Only those who had heard Seraline's explanation and the professors, who had their own ways of discerning the truth, knew the real extent of what had happened.
Well, them as well as Velis, who had just let out a silent sigh of relief seeing Tascen still standing.
That idiot really went for it... I can't believe he used the Ethereal Arts and actually managed to get the timing right. If he had slipped up by even a second, he would have really gotten crushed.
The precision required to effectively use the Ethereal Arts was crucial; using it prematurely meant you were leaving yourself open for whatever attack you planned to counter, or worse yet, your opponent could catch on. That was precisely why Tascen had bided his time, prolonging the match until Lurkam finally got annoyed and was forced to unleash a finishing blow.
And now, despite the risks, Tascen's strategy had paid off—he had won. Eredim, who had at some point disappeared after the start of the match, suddenly reemerged and approached Tascen.
"Are you alright? Can you move?" he inquired, his eyes scanning over Tascen's body as he used his sensory magic. Tascen paused, then smiled at him.
"Of course."
"Hmm, you're in good spirits, at least. But make sure you head to the infirmary; you've got a few fractured bones and a dislocated arm," Eredim advised, then turned to address the gathering crowd of students, clearing his throat.
"The winner of the first match is Tascen Mestor!" His announcement was initially met by the stunned silence of the crowd, still bewildered by the unexpected turnaround. Slowly, however, applause began to ripple through the crowd. The Live Examination had just begun, yet the first round had already gotten so intense.
Everyone was swept up in the excitement, well, almost everyone. As the cheers celebrating the conclusion of the first match echoed around him, Magnus sighed.
Well, I guess that means I'm up next.