All moisture around Seraline abruptly halted, whether on the ground or in the air and began to move sluggishly. Initially imperceptible, its pace steadily accelerated. As if she were in the center of a storm, Seraline watched as the droplets of water elongated as they began to spiral in through the air, with her position being the metaphorical eye of the storm.
Uncertain of what was unfolding, Seraline dashed forward, intent on breaking free from Velis's spell before it had time to finish.
Seeing this through her sensory magic, Velis tightened her grip on her staff and murmured, "It's too late to escape."
Suddenly, the water's rotation speed tripled, and Velis's mana materialized, weaving among the droplets to form an almost imperceptible barrier that seemed completely fluid in nature. As Seraline noticed the accelerating water around her, her muscles, which seemed practically dormant outside combat, bulged, every fiber becoming pronounced as she raised her spear and spoke in a low voice.
"Grounded Arts: Piercing Gale..." Thrusting her spear forward, her aura and the air condensed into a blast of intense air pressure, sharp enough to pierce through rock. However, upon meeting the rapidly churning wall of water, the air pressure encountered resistance as the wall began to morph.
It was like a rubber band; it pulled water from its surroundings to stretch and expand itself, shaping its form around any attack launched against it. At the same time, its constant rotational force caused the energy behind the attack to quickly be dispersed. In a matter of seconds, the air pressure and force behind Seraline's thrust, which could have easily pierced through a wall, dissipated.
Seeing her attack failed to pierce through the veil of water, Seraline's eyes narrowed as Velis's voice echoed from beyond the swirling veil of water now surrounding her.
"You're strong, Seraline, but even you can't break out of the Abyssal Deluge," Velis stated matter-of-factly, not attempting to provoke or mock her.
She continued, her tone cautious, "I still don't have complete control over this spell's power. If you want to avoid injury, surrender now."
Seraline didn't respond to her; instead, Velis showed a look of surprise as Seraline simply looked up in the exact direction Velis was watching her from. There was no hint of worry or intent to surrender in her eyes, only the unwavering determination to win.
"I see," Velis acknowledged, fully activating the Abyssal Deluge spell. The dome of churning water and mud refracted what little light pierced the rainforest canopy, casting everything in shades of blue. Even Seraline, with her keen knightly senses, could only catch a glimpse of movement across the water's surface.
Swiftly turning, Seraline assumed a defensive stance, but whatever she saw was gone by the time she looked. Meanwhile, atop the water seal around her, a dorsal fin slowly emerged. It seemed to be made entirely from water and was slowly gliding towards its target—that is until it finally came within range. The moment it neared striking distance, the fin suddenly accelerated.
Seraline's gaze shot upward just in time to see the dorsal fin transform into a shark nearly two times larger than a great white, composed entirely of water. Its form was so lifelike that, had it been in the ocean, it would have been indistinguishable from a real creature. Yet its watery body left a trail of instability in its wake, betraying its artificial nature.
Its jaws opened wide, revealing rows upon rows of teeth as it dove straight down towards Seraline. Anticipating its attack, she swiftly raised her spear, her aura once again enveloping its length. Instead of waiting, she leaped off the ground with such force that it cracked beneath her feet. As they met mid-air, she thrust her spear toward the shark's open mouth. But the shark didn't take the attack head-on.
Still airborne, it whipped its tail, propelling itself with surprising speed and agility for its size. This maneuver surprised the watching students, who had assumed Velis's spell merely created a controllable water elemental shark. In reality, the Abyssal Deluge was more—an almost autonomous spell.
The shark maneuvered through the air, swiftly turning and opening its jaws again, this time attacking from Seraline's right. Unable to launch another attack in time to counter it, Seraline raised the shaft of her spear to block the bite. Aura and the shark clashed, steam hissing as the shark pushed her down, attempting to close its jaws around her spear shaft and tear into her.
Even as her feet touched the ground, she began to slide, carving deep ditches in the muddy earth. The shark was relentless in its push towards the Abyssal Deluge's boundary. Glancing back, Seraline widened her grip on the spear shaft, and once again, her muscles defined themselves. With a sudden, forceful twist of her body and weapon, she tore the shark's mouth apart, water splashing everywhere and some evaporating on contact with her aura.
Without hesitation, Seraline thrust three times in rapid succession, dispersing the remnants of the shark's watery form. As it lost shape, the water that composed its body fell to the ground seemingly undisturbed, before suddenly being drawn away as if by a gravitational force—akin to matter pulled into a black hole. Similarly, the steam created from Seraline's aura coming into contact with the water around her condensed back into water droplets, all flowing back into the water dome surrounding her.
"I see, so destroying the shark is pointless," Seraline muttered to herself, observing three new dorsal fins slowly cresting the water's surface around her, circling closer. Once again on the defensive, she watched the sharks approach methodically, sensing her readiness without immediately attacking. They moved with precision, positioning themselves opposite each other.
Then, they struck. Bursting from the water in succession, they lunged at Seraline. She swiftly pivoted, planning to deal with the closest one before the others. But just as she was about to turn her body, she found her leg unexpectedly ensnared in a mound of mud.
"You didn't think I could pull something like this off, did you? Well, you'd be right; that was the case until you destroyed my water structures, at least. Before that point, the ground wasn't nearly moist enough for me to control it. But now, thanks to you, this whole area is a muddy field I can manipulate," Velis remarked. Seraline frowned yet remained silent as she focused her aura on her trapped foot in an attempt to break free.
Immediately, the water in the mud began to evaporate, but this had the complete opposite effect than what Seraline had been hoping for. Instead of becoming easier to break out of, the mud was hardening as the water disappeared. If she had more time, she could easily break out with her strength as a knight, but in a battle at this level, even mere seconds of delay meant not having a chance to react at all.
Not having any other choice, Seraline did what she could while swinging her spear down at the shark she was still facing as it charged in at her. Its head exploded into an eruption of water from the impact, but stopping that one meant the other two had a clear opening.
With jaws clamping down—one on her upper body, the other on her lower—Seraline relied on her aura to fend off the crushing force. Still, despite its protection, the mana-infused water in the sharks' bodies meant some pain seeped through. Seraline gritted her teeth as sweat began to drip down her face. She felt hundreds of serrated teeth, trying to saw their way through her flesh as her will was chipped away bit by bit.
Outside the Alternate Space, Lazitha turned to Mulvin with a small smirk as they watched the unfolding events.
"It looks like your young miss is in a bit of trouble, but you don't seem too worried," she observed.
Mulvin was a knight of the Sostenza Family, which meant Seraline was the Young Lady, whom he was meant to serve along with his Lord and Lady. However, despite all this, he was watching the match between Velis and Seraline with a clear air of nonchalance, even as she was being crushed under the jaws of two water elemental sharks. He glanced at Lazitha with a smile and posed an unexpected question: "Lazitha, what do you know about the Sostenza Family?"
Lazitha, intrigued by the shift in conversation, played along.
"Well, they're a well-known noble family with a strong knightly lineage. They're renowned for producing skilled knights who often serve as guards and escorts for the Upper Four Rings of Nobility, including the High Lords. It's quite impressive, really," she replied thoughtfully.
"Indeed, it is fairly rare to find a noble family so valued by those of higher nobility, but that's not what I meant. In truth, the Sostenza Family has existed for hundreds of years, since the very founding of the Batis Family. Yet despite that, unlike many other families with Knight-based lineages, they don't have a unique aura style of their own." Lazitha's casual demeanor shifted to genuine surprise.
"Wait, what? They don't?" Her shock slowly gave way to a look of self-reflection as she thought back. She had known Mulvin for a long time now, with the two of them first meeting when they were assigned a mission together by the academy. But now she realizes that despite all those years and all the times she has seen Mulvin fight, whether it be during training or in battle, she has never once seen him use any unique aura styles.
Instead, he always relied on the basics of Grounded Arts and Aerial Arts—fundamentals taught to every knight at the Apprentice level.
"But how is that possible? With their reputation and expertise in knight training, they must have some advantage," Lazitha pondered aloud, looking to Mulvin for answers.
"Just watch," Mulvin replied calmly, refocusing on the intense battle before them. Lazitha followed his gaze, now more attentive than before. Inside the Alternate Space, Seraline remained immobilized, her aura dwindling under the relentless assault of the water elemental sharks.
"This is your best chance to surrender," Velis warned, her voice once again seeming to come from no specific direction through the use of some kind of spell. But her warning fell on deaf ears as Seraline's focus seemed elsewhere, her eyes closed in deep concentration.
"Seraline, what do you think is the most unnecessary thing in combat?" asked an older man's voice. The question hung in the air, prompting Seraline to ponder for a moment before responding.
"Is it... fear?"
"Fear? No, child. While cowardice serves no one in battle, fear can keep you alive. In a world filled with creatures superior to us in every way, it is fear—fear of the known and unknown—that has allowed us to advance this far."
"Then what is it?" Seraline asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"It is doubt. In battle, even the slightest moment of doubt or hesitation can mean the difference between victory and defeat, life and death. You must act with unwavering resolve. Never second-guess your abilities, your training, or your weapon. Aura is the foundation of knights and will is the foundation of aura. Strengthen your resolve, make your will as unyielding as the finest steel, and you will never fail."
Seraline's eyes slowly opened, their glazed appearance devoid of any reflection of light, while the pain etched on her face had disappeared. Despite still being ensnared by the jaws of two water elemental sharks, she let out a slow exhale. As she did, her fiery aura, which had fiercely battled the sharks, seemed to relent, simmering down into a more subdued presence.
This gentle aura began to drift across the spear clutched tightly in Seraline's hand, which hadn't slipped even slightly while she was enduring the shark's bites.
If a person is comprised of mind, body, and soul, then their aura is an additional facet of their existence—a subtle weave that intertwines with each aspect and becomes one with them as a result. Yet, if aura is intrinsic to being, then why place limits its encompassment?
If aura embodies existence and willpower controls its manifestation, then for knights, the bounds of their being are governed by their will. And at this moment, Seraline could feel it—the spear in her hand, which had become more than a simple extension of her arm but a part of her very existence.
Every movement, every breath, and every heartbeat were synchronized with the weapon in her hand. The spear was her mind, precise and unwavering, and through it, her mind would never cloud. It was her body, strong and unyielding, and through it, she would bend but never break. It was her soul, fierce and boundless, and through it, she would pierce through what she could see and what she could not.
"Weapons Unity... But how did she..." Those words slipped from Lazitha's mouth as she stared wide-eyed at Seraline. Beside her, Mulvin's smile grew broader, a mix of admiration and anticipation gleaming in his eyes.