Darian's wind mana flared, twisting into a storm of force that rippled through the dueling arena. The ground cracked beneath his feet, the air buzzed with raw energy, and his rapier hummed with condensed power.
The crowd held its breath.
Elias wiped sweat from his brow. His gauntlet was overheating, warning runes flickering across its surface. If he pushed it any further without a proper cooling cycle, it might just blow up in his face.
Lira's voice echoed from the sidelines, "Elias, I highly suggest you start thinking of a plan before you get vaporized."
Elias exhaled. "I have a plan."
Lira frowned. "Does it involve not dying?"
Elias smirked. "Fifty-fifty."
Darian shot forward, moving faster than before. The moment his foot touched the ground, the air itself exploded, launching him like a bullet toward Elias.
Elias reacted instantly, activating his thrusters, dodging just in time as Darian's rapier slashed through the space where he had just been standing.
The air pressure alone sent cracks through the floor.
Elias skidded back, his boots leaving scorch marks as he regained control. "Alright. That's ridiculous."
Darian turned sharply, his silver eyes focused. "You can't dodge forever."
Elias flexed his fingers. "Then I won't."
Countering the Noble Arts
Darian attacked again, closing the gap in a fraction of a second.
Instead of dodging, Elias stepped forward.
Darian's rapier sliced downward—but Elias twisted his gauntlet's wrist, catching the blade between two reinforced plates.
For a split second, the two fighters locked eyes.
Then, Elias activated his energy pulse.
BOOM.
A concentrated shockwave erupted point-blank, launching both of them backward. Darian flipped mid-air, landing smoothly, while Elias skidded, boots grinding against the stone.
Darian blinked. "You… absorbed the impact and redirected it?"
Elias smirked. "That's kinda my whole thing."
Darian exhaled, adjusting his stance. "I see. Then let's test your limits."
With a flick of his wrist, the storm around him condensed.
Lira tensed. "Oh no. That's Storm Fang."
Elias frowned. "Storm what now?"
Darian vanished.
Then—
A dozen slashes struck at once.
The air screamed, pressure exploding outward as Darian's Wind-Forged Blades cut through the battlefield.
Elias barely managed to raise his gauntlet, blocking the first two strikes. But the rest?
Too fast.
Pain flared across his body as invisible cuts raked against his side, his arm, his leg. None were deep, but they were precise.
Darian landed gracefully, untouched.
Elias coughed. His vision blurred for a second, his gauntlet smoking from the strain.
Darian sighed. "That should've finished you."
Elias grinned through the pain. "Yeah? Well, I'm a slow learner."
Darian narrowed his eyes. "Then let's—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
The wind around them wavered.
Darian looked down—and saw thin, shimmering threads of energy wrapped around his feet.
His eyes widened. "When did you—"
Elias chuckled weakly. "I told you. I learn."
The energy threads snapped tight—and exploded.
BOOM.
Darian was blasted backward, skidding across the arena.
The crowd erupted in gasps.
Lira's jaw dropped. "Wait… did you just trap him?"
Elias grinned. "Used my last three dodges to leave energy threads behind. You were right, Lira—he's fast." He wiped blood from his lip. "But even speed can be predicted."
Darian stood, his expression unreadable. His rapier trembled in his grip, his pristine dueling uniform scorched from the blast.
Then, to everyone's shock—
He laughed.
Darian shook his head, smiling. "Elias Graham… you really are something else."
He exhaled, twirling his rapier before planting it into the ground.
"I yield."
The instructor stepped forward immediately. "Darian Velcroft forfeits! Elias Graham wins!"
The crowd exploded into cheers and stunned whispers.
Lira blinked. "Wait. You won? Again?"
Elias grinned, barely keeping himself upright. "Huh. Guess I did."
Darian approached, wiping dust from his shoulder. He extended a hand. "That was the most fun I've had in years."
Elias hesitated, then shook it. "Good to know I can keep things entertaining."
Darian smirked. "You've made a lot of enemies today."
Elias exhaled. "Yeah. That's becoming a pattern."
Darian studied him for a moment, then grinned. "I look forward to our rematch."
With that, he turned and left, his team following.
Lira shoved Elias's shoulder. "You maniac. That was Darian Velcroft. You just beat one of the Academy's strongest duelists."
Elias chuckled, finally feeling the exhaustion set in. "Neat."
Reinhardt clapped him on the back. "House Null just went from underdog to contender."
Cecilia smirked. "The nobles are really going to hate this."
Marco adjusted his glasses. "We'll need to prepare for retaliation."
Ivy simply nodded. "We've made our mark. No going back now."
Elias exhaled, staring up at the Academy towers.
No going back.
House Null wasn't just recognized anymore.
They were feared.
And this was only the beginning.