The air was heavy with the sharp tang of iron and fresh grass, every breath as sharp as a blade. Every sound, every movement reverberated through the clearing, the vibrations traveling through the ground like faint tremors. The spectating students murmured, their voices low but present, only to be swallowed by the oppressive air.
Malphas stood still, eyes locked on Rion, detached from the stares of the crowd. His gaze wasn't that of an opponent. It was colder. More distant. It didn't acknowledge Rion as an equal, but as something else entirely.
Rion's lips twitched into a grin, slow and deliberate. His eyes narrowed with predatory excitement. He rolled his shoulders, loosening his muscles like a lion ready to pounce.
Suddenly Professor Meyer's hand cut through the air, a sharp snap that pierced their ears. Every student straightened as if pulled by invisible strings.
Willian's heart pounded, his gaze stuck on Malphas. His breath felt forced, each inhale manual like a lever being pulled. 'What are his capabilities?' he thought, unable to suppress his growing anxiety. His eyes stayed glued to Malphas, scanning for a clue. Anything.
But no matter how hard he searched, the answer never came. No essence ran through Malphas's body. No surge of energy. No flicker of light. He was an enigma standing in plain sight.
"Begin."
The professor's voice echoed like a leash being slipped off a wild dog.
The ground shifted. The grass around Rion twisted in a spiral. The spectating students' gazes snapped toward it like moths to a flame.
Time stretched.
Honey dripping from a spoon. Every second grew long, syrupy, and endless. Rion moved. No, he disappeared. A gust of air scattered blades of grass in a spiral, and an instant, he was in front of Malphas.
His vision tracked every detail: the slow rise of Malphas's chest, the faint twitch of his fingers, his eyes blinking — slow. Too slow. Rion's grin widened. 'Pathetic,' he thought. 'He can't keep up.'
But as Rion prepared to strike, something coiled inside Malphas. It wasn't his own anger. It wasn't his rage. It felt foreign, like an ancient thing surfacing from the depths. Roots were coiling in his mind, tight as vines around his heart. Malphas knew it wasn't his. But it didn't matter.
It was here now.
As those thoughts clouded his mind Rion narrowed his eyes noticing Malphas's eerie yet clueless eyes.
'He's wide open!' his mind concluded as his fist flew at Malphas's face. But instead of interacting, a loud echo of skin-bashing skin emerged. Rions's mind couldn't keep up; instead, he saw Malphas in a new position, his arm low like he deflected something.
'What!?' his mind raced, blood pumping through his veins, a cold sweat swept through his body and an unnerving feeling of nakedness loomed over him.
Rion was now wide open.
Within these fleeting seconds, only the combat students could perceive the incredible pace of the fight. As their eyes widened in awe, a strange pulse coursed through Rion's body—an ability manifesting within him.
Blood cells raced, neurons fired at lightning speed, and his muscles contracted and released with astonishing precision.
[Resonance: "Accel Shift" has been activated.]
Planting his feet firmly on the ground, Rion moved so fast that afterimages lingered in his wake. In an instant, he unleashed a flurry of punches aimed directly at Malphas.
In this slowed world, Malphas seemed like a statue to the accelerated Rion, who grinned as he stepped back. 'Try blocking that!'
But as Rion lunged forward with another punch, his confidence wavered.
His eyes widened in shock, struggling to process what had just occurred.
Malphas's silver eyes shifted, locking onto the incoming fist. With a speed that rendered everything else a blur, he ducked beneath the blow, crouching low as he balled his fist.
Rion could only watch, frozen in disbelief, as Malphas's anger-fueled gaze met his. In the next instant, a powerful strike landed squarely on his chin.
Pain surged through Rion's body, his legs trembling as he fought to stay upright. But within milliseconds, thanks to his Resonance, a fiery determination reignited in his eyes. Fueled by his pride, Rion managed to stabilize himself, retaliating with another flurry of punches.
Malphas's lips twitched—an unnatural sensation to him—but he couldn't dwell on it. He was in the middle of a fight. Blocking and deflecting most of the attacks, he noted how relentless Rion's strikes were. A force unfamiliar to Malphas was driving his opponent forward.
'How the hell is he still keeping up!?' The thought raced through Malphas's mind as he worked to solve this puzzle. Then, realization struck him like lightning. 'This must be the base of essence—an unnatural force that surpasses all, bestowed by the deities.'
Gritting his teeth, Malphas's resolve hardened. 'I guess I've got to try a bit harder now.'
Seizing one of Rion's arms, Malphas positioned himself with his back to his opponent. With exceptional speed, he drove his elbow into Rion's gut.
"EGH!" Rion grunted, the impact reverberating through his entire body.
Malphas didn't stop there. A second, third, fourth, and fifth strike followed, each one echoing through the air with devastating force.
But Rion refused to falter. His sharpened eyes locked onto Malphas's movements as he caught the sixth strike, pushing the elbow away with even greater speed.
'This bastard is going to make me use all my essence!' Rion realized frustration and determination blended within him.
Gathering his strength, Rion launched another attack. This time, Malphas couldn't dodge in time, held down by Rion's relentless grip.
'I could just break out of his hold and dodge,' Malphas considered, 'but I'd have to use more strength than Caelen allowed me to.'
Resentment flickered in his mind as he came to a decision. 'I'll have to take this hit.'
Rion's fist collided with Malphas's cheek, forcing him to stumble. He caught himself quickly, regaining his balance.
As he adjusted, a new thought crossed Malphas's mind. 'Now that I think about it, this guy's been glaring at me the entire time…'
Recalling Caelen's instructions to stand his ground and not let anyone interfere with him, Malphas felt a faint, joyful presence surround him. Though his expression remained blank, a rare sense of joy flickered within. 'I guess I can make an exception—just this once.'
'Let's end this.' The thought echoed in both their minds.
Simultaneously, they leaped toward each other, the students watching with bated breath. Blood pumping and adrenaline spiking, Rion drew his arm back for one final strike. So did Malphas.
Both fists hurtled forward with everything they had.