The moment Sylph raised her hand—
I immediately jumped backward.
BOOM!
A blast of magic exploded where I was standing just a second earlier.
"…Fast," I muttered.
Sylph smiled calmly from the center of the field.
"Told you I wanted a real spar."
I quickly pulled out my rifle and aimed at her.
Then fired.
BANG!
Sylph tilted her head slightly as the shot passed beside her face.
"…A sniper rifle in close combat?"
"Not ideal," I answered while creating distance again.
"But I'll make it work."
The boys watched from the sidelines while the spar officially began.
Volt crossed his arms excitedly.
"Ohooo this is getting good already."
Axell immediately answered confidently.
"Sylph wins. No doubt."
Volt looked offended.
"Hey now."
"Ryze isn't going down that easily."
Axell pointed toward Sylph proudly.
"She's literally built for combat."
Meanwhile Blaze simply watched silently.
Volt looked toward him.
"What about you?"
"Who do you think wins?"
Blaze stayed quiet for a moment before answering honestly.
"…I don't know."
"I think we should just watch."
His eyes stayed focused on the battlefield.
And honestly—
He looked genuinely interested.
Back on the field—
I fired another shot.
BANG!
Sylph instantly raised her hand.
A magic barrier formed beside her, redirecting the bullet away.
"…Annoying," I muttered.
Unlike me, Sylph was a full combat mage.
And worse—
She specialized in close combat.
Meaning if she got close enough—
I was done.
So I kept moving constantly.
Shoot.
Move.
Reposition.
Shoot again.
I used the terrain around the village training ground carefully while trying to maintain distance.
Sylph meanwhile walked forward calmly.
Almost casually.
Like she wasn't pressured at all.
Then—
Several magic circles appeared around her hands.
"Found you."
My eyes widened.
"Wait—"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions forced me to dodge sideways immediately.
Dust exploded across the battlefield.
I rolled behind a broken stone pillar before firing another shot.
BANG!
This time the bullet clipped Sylph's shoulder armor slightly.
Volt immediately pointed excitedly.
"SEE?!"
"Ryze landed a hit!"
Axell shrugged.
"She's still losing."
"You're no fun."
Meanwhile Blaze continued watching carefully.
"…She's good," he suddenly said.
Axell nodded immediately.
"Of course she is."
"In our old game, combat magic was everything."
"Sylph should've been one of the top-ranked players honestly."
Blaze looked toward him curiously.
"…Should've been?"
Axell nodded.
"She never officially reached top-player status."
"But she got close."
"Very close."
Back on the battlefield—
Sylph suddenly disappeared.
"…What?"
My instincts screamed immediately.
I jumped backward—
WHOOOSH!
A blade of compressed wind sliced through the spot where I stood.
Sylph appeared directly beside me.
"…Too slow."
I immediately blocked her kick using my rifle.
BAM!
The impact alone sent me sliding backward across the ground.
"…Ow."
Sylph smirked slightly.
"You rely too much on distance."
"Because distance keeps me alive."
I quickly fired another shot point blank.
BANG!
Sylph tilted sideways smoothly before grabbing the rifle barrel itself.
"…Got you."
"Not yet."
A small magic circle formed beneath my feet.
FLASH!
A burst of force exploded between us, pushing both of us apart.
I quickly regained distance again.
Volt whistled loudly.
"Okay that was cool."
Even Blaze looked impressed now.
Ryze had definitely improved.
Compared to the last time he saw her fight—
She moved more confidently now.
More experienced.
More precise.
Blaze smiled slightly while watching her.
Back in the field, both me and Sylph were breathing heavier now.
Honestly—
She was terrifying.
Every movement felt smooth and calculated.
And the scary part?
She wasn't even using a staff or wand.
She cast every spell directly with her hands.
Just like Axell.
But unlike Axell—
She actually knew how to fight properly.
I quickly aimed again.
Then stopped.
An idea appeared in my head.
"…Let's try this."
I fired several shots rapidly.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Sylph blocked two.
Dodged one.
Then she immediately noticed but it's too late—
The shots weren't aimed at her.
The last shot that hit the ground around
Magic symbols activated instantly.
FLASH!
A blinding burst of light exploded around Sylph.
"…!"
I immediately dashed sideways and fired another shot.
BANG!
This time—
Direct hit.
The bullet struck her shoulder and pushed her backward slightly.
Volt jumped excitedly.
"THAT'S IT!"
"You sound like a proud dad," Axell muttered.
I smiled slightly.
Finally.
A proper opening.
But then—
Sylph started laughing.
"…Okay."
"Now I'm having fun."
The pressure around her suddenly changed.
Magic energy swirled violently around both of her hands.
"…Oh no," I muttered.
She vanished.
My eyes widened.
FAST.
Way too fast.
I barely raised my rifle in time—
BAM!!
Her punch slammed directly into it.
The impact launched me backward across the training field.
Before I could recover—
Sylph was already above me.
"Checkmate."
A glowing magic circle pointed directly at my face.
I froze.
"…Yeah."
"I lose."
The magic disappeared instantly.
Sylph offered her hand calmly.
"That was fun."
I grabbed her hand while laughing tiredly.
"…You're insane."
"Thanks."
Volt immediately walked over clapping dramatically.
"Amazing performance!"
Axell crossed his arms proudly.
"Told you she'd win."
"Yeah yeah."
Blaze quietly approached too.
"…You both fought really well."
Sylph smiled slightly at the compliment.
But then—
Her eyes moved toward Blaze.
"…Actually."
The way she smiled suddenly worried me.
"Aren't you curious too?"
Blaze blinked.
"About what?"
"How strong you are."
Instantly—
Me and Volt reacted.
"NO."
Sylph looked confused.
"Hm?"
Volt pointed aggressively.
"That's a terrible idea."
I immediately nodded.
"Very terrible."
But Sylph crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Now I'm even more curious."
She looked directly at Blaze.
"Come on."
"You survived the Void."
"And Ryze herself said you're terrifyingly strong."
"I want to see it myself."
Axell quietly sat down nearby.
"Oh this is happening."
I looked toward him desperately.
"Axell help us here."
"Nope."
"I also wanna see this."
Traitor.
Blaze meanwhile just smiled awkwardly.
"…You sure?"
Sylph nodded confidently.
"I used to play sword combat RPG games before."
"I know basic swordsmanship or your style of fighting"
Volt whispered toward me nervously.
"She has no idea what she's asking for."
"I KNOW."
But Sylph remained determined.
Eventually—
Blaze smile softly.
"…Alright then."
"I gladly accept the challenge."
And somehow—
That answer scared me more.
Sylph immediately left to prepare properly.
Several minutes later—
She returned wearing completely different gear.
A combat mage armor set.
Silver and blue plating reinforced with magical circuits.
Even Volt looked surprised.
"…Wait."
"Isn't that full end-game gear?"
"Yup," Axell answered proudly.
Volt stared at Sylph in disbelief.
"Isn't this too much for a spar?!"
I immediately agreed.
"This is NOT a good idea."
Meanwhile Blaze simply walked forward wearing his usual ragged jacket armor.
Completely casual.
Then he stabbed his glowing blue sword into the ground beside him.
Sylph frowned immediately.
"…Use your sword."
"You'll need it."
Blaze looked at her quietly for a second.
Then slowly smiled.
"…Alright."
He pulled the sword back out.
The moment he did—
A strange chill ran down my spine.
Even the atmosphere around the field changed slightly.
Volt noticed too.
"…Ryze."
"Yeah."
We both already knew.
Who would win this fight.
And that honestly made me worried for Sylph.