But before he could even finish those words, a thunderous noise roared as El kicked off the ground, and she was already in my face by the time he finished saying “Begin.”
It was exactly as I’d anticipated. She’d extended her arm toward my neck, her sharp, clawlike nails protruding from her outstretched hand. I swung my sword down and intercepted her attack. Of course, she didn’t stop there. Most people were surprised by my reaction speed, which would create an opening for me to counterattack, but she seemed to not be bothered by it at all. If anything, it was like she’d already known how quickly I could move.
She followed up her attack with a quick kick, flames propelling her leg forward. I managed to duck and then shift my weight so that I ended up behind her. She turned her head and shot me another glare— No, her focus is elsewhere. I immediately twisted my body and put my blade behind me. Just as I did, I felt something clash against it.
Though she’d been in front of me not even a second ago, she’d reappeared right behind me at her original starting point. Reset? So, she set up a reset point here in the center of the arena?
I used the force of her strike to my advantage, and I jumped backward.
I could immediately sense that something was wrong though, so I rolled to the right immediately upon landing. Just as I did, a lightning bolt struck where I’d just been moments ago. I quickly brought my blade back up to defend my neck as she, propelled by flames, flew toward me once again and targeted the same spot as before.
She’s really fast and can switch between magic and physical attacks so fluidly. Each blow of hers packed so much power that it threatened to break the very blade I used, if not my arms first.
As much as I wanted to dodge her attacks, I wasn’t fast enough to. The best I could do was to continue blocking, but her relentless physical attacks and the barrage of spells she simultaneously fired whenever an opening appeared were sapping my energy. I thought Karen is the only one who can multicast like this.
To the untrained eye, it might seem as if she was haphazardly hurling everything in her arsenal at me, but I knew better than that. There was thought behind the placement of each of her attacks and magic. Slowly but surely, she was shepherding me toward the corner of the arena where my dodging options would be limited without leaving the arena, thus forfeiting by default. That was where she’d launch an all-out attack. I couldn’t let that happen.
As soon as she threw another attack to my throat, I parried it with my sheath, which miraculously survived the blow. Then, I used that momentum to redirect her arm downward before raising my blade and swinging it down on her—or at least that was the plan.
But in the next moment, she blew a burst of fire at me, forcing me to halt my attack. I might’ve lost my chance at a counterattack, but I at least was able to use this opportunity to circle around her and get away from the corner.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance and once again assumed the strange stance that she’d begun the battle in, then she flew toward me again. She’s not letting me change the flow of the battle at all. I was once again a prisoner to her relentless offense of magic and powerful blows.
“Can you calm down?” I grunted as I parried another one of her potentially lethal swipes to my neck. “This is just a placement exam, not a battle to the death.”
I should’ve known better to think I could defuse this situation like that. Is that fire leaking out of her mouth?! I frantically broke away and leaped to the side, just barely dodging a burst of flame. I couldn’t help but gulp, imagining what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been able to move in time. How powerful do the flames have to be to melt rock?
A crisp swoosh cut through the air as her leg narrowly missed where my head had just been. This is an opening...right? But my instincts were screaming the opposite. I leaped back just in time for a lightning bolt to hit the very spot I’d just been in.
Focus, Ca’al. Focus. Listen to every last one of her movements. I closed my eyes, focusing solely on my opponent. If Soreya were in my shoes, she’d—
“What’re you grinning about?” El hissed as she began launching a flurry of attacks on me.
Yeah, if Soreya were here, she’d never run away from danger. She’d run right into it.
El’s eyes widened as I, instead of retreating, stood my ground, making sure to keep her within optimal range of my sword.
I’m settling this here and now.
I could see her getting increasingly frustrated with how quickly I was able to dodge her attacks and even weave in some of my own. I see you now. I know how you’re going to attack, and I have the reflexes to react. And I can move even faster.
I feigned an attack toward her head, causing her to try and block it with her arm, but as soon as she did, I quickly redirected my blade and went for her side. With her arm lifted to guard her neck, I had a clear shot at finally breaking through and landing a hit.
Didn’t expect this speed, did you, huh? That’s why it’s always best to save your secrets for last.
“So that’s it, then?” she muttered.
Filling her face right now wasn’t a pained expression or even one of surprise but of glee. Flames burst from the sole of her foot and the fist of the arm she’d been using to defend her neck. In the next moment, my blade was stuck, sandwiched between her left knee and elbow.
“Looks like you’re out of tricks,” she smirked. “It’s time to end this!”
I felt a little bit of slack in her grip as she released it from her knee and elbow, so I immediately tried to pull my blade back. But before I could, she grabbed it with her free, right hand, locking it in an immovable grip that didn’t allow it to budge even slightly.
She can hold it in her bare hand?!
But my surprise was quickly overridden by her wrenching the blade out of my hands and throwing it to the edge of the arena. At the same time, she slightly pulled me toward her and her fist, which was aimed at my stomach.
Though I barely managed to block her punch with my arms, it didn’t stop the momentum of the blow. I screamed as I was sent hurtling and then tumbling across the stage.
Don’t stop moving! Get up now! I rolled to the side just in time to avoid rock spikes that’d shot up from the ground and then a bolt of lightning. Gotta get away from here! Wait, where is...
I glanced over to where El had been. There, she’d returned to her initial stance, crouching on the ground with her arms stretched to her sides. Not good...
The ground trembled as she burst from it, flying straight toward me. Not even a second passed before she arrived right in front of me, her arm cocked and primed to swing down and sever my head from my shoulders. It took every last bit of my strength and reflexes to just barely tumble to the side and begin scrambling away.
I need to get some distance. I need to—
“It’s over!” she roared from behind me.
I could hear it. She was leaping over to finish the job. I glanced back and saw her practically flying toward me, her arm cocked backward with her hand straight, her razor-sharp nails gleaming.
Is this it...? Is it really over? My body was screaming that I was in danger, but something felt off. The danger didn’t feel like it was coming from her but—
Suddenly, a sound like glass shattering came from the school’s barrier.
“Watch out!” I screamed.
El only realized at the very last second that a ball of shadow was hurtling down from the sky. She retreated using a burst of fire, just narrowly avoiding the ensuing explosion of abnormal black smoke. It quickly surrounded the entire arena in a pitch-black dome, trapping me, El, and a mysterious individual inside.
Steadying myself, I kept my focus on the shadowy presence in the epicenter of the smoke that had descended with the ball of shadow. I still didn’t know what was going on, but, as if my body instinctively understood, a chill ran down my spine. I had no clue who or what’d appeared before us, but I could tell that “dangerous” didn’t even begin to describe it.
“Found you...” an eerie voice called out to us from the smoke. The first thing I saw was his bright red eyes glowing from behind the smoke. And then, the blade that had haunted my nightmares cut through the darkness.