The atmosphere around the training field completely changed.
Even the wind itself felt heavier.
Sylph stood at the center of the field wearing her full combat mage armor while magical energy slowly flowed around her body.
Blue symbols glowed across the armor plates.
Mana pressure leaked into the air.
Meanwhile—
Blaze simply stood there calmly.
Relaxed.
One hand holding his glowing blue sword loosely at his side.
No battle stance.
No killing intent.
No visible aura.
Honestly…
He looked almost harmless.
Which somehow made it even scarier.
Volt quietly stared at the field.
"…This seriously doesn't look like a spar anymore."
Ryze crossed her arms nervously.
"…Yeah."
Even Axell looked unusually serious now.
"…I've never seen Sylph wear her high-end gear just for a spar."
That alone said enough.
Sylph slowly raised her hand.
Magic circles instantly appeared around her body.
Buff spells.
Enhancement magic.
Speed reinforcement.
Defense amplification.
Strength boost.
One after another.
The amount of magic alone already surprised Volt.
"…Whoa."
"She's stacking ALL those buffs?"
Axell nodded slowly.
"She's going all out."
Meanwhile Blaze simply watched calmly.
Completely unfazed.
Then casually—
He spoke.
"You can go first."
"Let's see what you can do."
Sylph froze slightly.
Then frowned.
"…You're underestimating me."
Blaze tilted his head innocently.
"Am I?"
That response alone irritated her even more.
Back in her old Game—
Sylph was feared for her combat ability.
Even if she never officially became a top-ranked player—
She stood very close to that level.
And now—
Blaze was treating her like a beginner.
Sylph slowly lowered her stance.
"…Fine."
"Don't regret it."
BOOM!!
The ground exploded beneath her feet.
Ryze's eyes widened immediately.
"…Fast!"
Sylph rushed forward at terrifying speed.
Her fist glowed with concentrated mana as she aimed directly for Blaze's chest.
But—
Blaze casually stepped sideways.
WHOOSH!
The punch completely missed.
"…Too straight," Blaze commented calmly.
Sylph immediately spun and launched a kick enhanced with wind magic.
Again—
Blaze dodged effortlessly.
Not even moving much.
Almost like he already knew every attack before it happened.
Sylph narrowed her eyes.
Then dozens of magic circles appeared around her.
"Let's see you dodge this."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosive magic bullets fired from every direction.
Dust and smoke swallowed the entire field instantly.
Volt shielded his face from the shockwave.
"…Holy crap."
Ryze stayed tense.
Watching carefully.
Then—
From inside the smoke—
A blue slash cut through everything.
FWOOOSH!
The smoke split apart instantly.
Blaze walked out completely untouched.
Still calm.
Still relaxed.
"…Nice attack," he admitted casually.
Sylph gritted her teeth.
Not a single hit.
Not even close.
She immediately rushed forward again.
This time combining close combat with magic reinforcement.
Punch.
Kick.
Mana blade.
Wind burst.
She attacked nonstop from every angle possible.
And Blaze—
Dodged everything.
Effortlessly.
Sometimes only moving slightly.
Sometimes blocking casually with his sword.
Sometimes stepping aside at the last second.
The difference in experience became painfully obvious.
"You're open there," Blaze casually pointed out while dodging another strike.
Sylph immediately attacked again.
"You rely too much on momentum."
Another dodge.
"Your left side drops after using wind acceleration."
Another dodge.
At this point it almost sounded like he was teaching her mid-fight.
Which only frustrated Sylph more.
Volt stared in disbelief.
"…He's reading her completely."
Axell nodded slowly.
"And Sylph's not weak either."
Even Blaze looked slightly impressed now.
Honestly—
Sylph was genuinely skilled.
Her magic control.
Combat movement.
Battle instincts.
All of it was incredibly refined.
Compared to most players—
She absolutely stood near top-player level.
But against Blaze…
It still wasn't enough.
Sylph quickly jumped backward breathing heavily.
"…Tch."
Meanwhile Blaze barely looked tired.
That calm expression never disappeared.
And somehow—
That annoyed Sylph the most.
"…You're really ticking me off now."
Blaze blinked.
"Why?"
"You still haven't taken this seriously!"
Ryze suddenly became nervous hearing that.
"…Sylph…"
But it was already too late.
Mana exploded around Sylph's body.
Even the ground beneath her cracked slightly from the pressure.
Axell's eyes widened.
"…Wait."
"She's using THAT much mana?!"
Volt immediately stepped backward.
"Okay nope."
"This officially stopped being friendly."
Magic symbols surrounded Sylph completely now.
Her armor glowing brighter and brighter.
Then—
She vanished.
BOOM!!
A shockwave exploded across the battlefield.
Even Blaze's coat moved from the impact.
Sylph reappeared directly in front of him.
This time faster.
Stronger.
More aggressive.
Punches enhanced with explosive magic rained down nonstop.
For the first time—
Blaze actually needed to move properly.
CLANG!
Their attacks collided repeatedly.
Magic explosions shook the training field.
The villagers nearby had already started hiding inside their homes.
Ryze looked seriously worried now.
"…This is bad."
Sylph meanwhile continued attacking relentlessly.
She finally started landing slight pressure on Blaze.
Not damage—
But pressure.
Enough to force him into defensive movement.
And seeing that—
Sylph pushed even harder.
"I'm not done yet!"
Mana gathered around both of her hands.
A massive spell formed instantly.
"Impact Burst!"
BOOOOOOM!!
A giant explosion swallowed Blaze completely.
The shockwave alone shook nearby trees.
Volt stared wide-eyed.
"…Did she actually hit him?"
The smoke slowly cleared.
Blaze still stood there.
Sword raised calmly.
Still unharmed.
Though this time—
His expression looked slightly more focused.
"…That one was pretty good," he admitted.
Sylph breathed heavily.
Sweat ran down her face.
Yet despite everything—
Blaze still looked composed.
That difference…
Started terrifying her slightly.
Still—
She refused to back down.
One more attack.
One final push.
Sylph rushed forward again using everything she had left.
Speed magic.
Strength enhancement.
Close combat techniques.
All combined into one final offensive.
Blaze quietly watched her approach.
Then—
She Finally Strike
But
Sylph made a mistake.
Just a small opening.
A tiny imbalance in her stance.
Normally nobody would notice it.
But Blaze did.
Instantly.
And for the first time—
He moved
Not to deffend
but to attack.
The moment Blaze stepped forward—
Ryze's eyes widened immediately.
"…WAIT—"
Sylph noticed too late.
His sword was already moving.
Instinctively—
She raised her arm to block.
Thinking she could counter afterward.
But then—
It happened.
A terrifying aura exploded from Blaze.
Not visible.
Not loud.
But overwhelming.
A pressure so monstrous—
It felt exactly like facing a Nightmare-level raid boss.
Sylph's mind froze instantly.
Fear.
True fear.
The kind she hadn't felt in years.
For one brief moment—
Her instincts screamed at her.
RUN.
Her body moved before she could think.
She leaped backward violently—
Tumbling across the ground in panic.
The entire field suddenly went silent.
Volt stared in shock.
"…What just happened?"
Ryze froze too.
Even Blaze himself looked stunned.
He still stood there holding his sword in mid-strike stance.
Like he didn't fully understand what happened either.
Meanwhile Sylph sat frozen on the ground breathing heavily.
Her hands trembling slightly.
"…What…"
"What WAS that…?"
That pressure…
That feeling…
It genuinely felt like death itself stood in front of her.
Ryze immediately ran forward.
"Okay that's enough!"
"This spar is over!"
But Sylph clenched her fists.
"…No."
"I'm fine."
"I can still fight."
Even though her voice clearly shook slightly.
The others looked worried now.
Sylph slowly tried standing again—
But suddenly someone grabbed her arm firmly.
"…Stop."
Sylph looked up.
Axell.
For once—
He sounded completely serious.
"End the spar."
Sylph frowned angrily.
"Let go."
She tried pulling away—
Even attempting to smack his hand aside.
But Axell grabbed her wrist firmly.
"No."
"I'm serious, Sylph."
"That's enough."
Then he looked toward Blaze and waved calmly.
"We're ending it here."
Blaze quietly lowered his sword.
"…Alright."
He sheathed the weapon immediately.
The terrifying pressure disappeared completely.
Only then did Axell finally let go.
And the moment he did—
Sylph collapsed back onto the ground sitting heavily.
Reality finally hit her.
Blaze wasn't just strong.
He existed on an entirely different level.
Ryze slowly approached carefully.
"…Sylph?"
"Are you alright?"
Sylph quickly forced herself to calm down.
"…Yeah."
"I'm fine."
"You guys don't need to worry."
But honestly—
Everyone could tell she was shaken badly.
After a few moments, Sylph slowly stood back up.
Then walked toward Blaze directly.
The others watched nervously.
But Sylph simply smiled weakly.
"…That was an amazing fight."
"Thanks for letting me go all out."
Blaze awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"…That was nothing."
And somehow—
That answer sounded completely genuine.
Volt suddenly stretched his arms.
"ANYWAY."
"I need to get something done."
He immediately pointed toward Ryze and Blaze.
"You two help me."
Ryze blinked.
"…Right now?"
"Yup."
Without waiting, Volt immediately walked away.
Blaze followed shortly after.
Before leaving, Ryze glanced back toward Sylph one more time.
"…You sure you're okay?"
Sylph nodded quietly.
Eventually—
Only Axell and Sylph remained near the training field.
For a while—
Neither spoke.
Then Axell finally sighed.
"…You honestly okay?"
Sylph stared quietly at the ground.
Then finally answered softly.
"…No."
"I'm just shocked."
"Shocked by what?" Axell asked carefully.
"…Blaze."
Axell crossed his arms.
"…Is he really that strong?"
Sylph slowly remembered that terrifying feeling again.
That pressure.
That overwhelming instinctive fear.
Then quietly—
She answered.
"…Ryze was right."
"Strong isn't the right word."
Sylph looked toward the direction Blaze walked away.
"…He's terrifyingly strong."