[Lucinda's POV]
I gritted my teeth as my body crashed against the wall once again.
Cracks spread through the obsidian surface behind me while frost uncontrollably leaked from my sword.
Pain shot through my arms.
I should have expected this.
Sir Christopher never held back during training.
Still—
wasn't this excessive even for him?
I coughed lightly before forcing myself back onto my feet.
William wasn't in much better condition nearby while Joseph remained kneeling entirely.
Even Anastasia had collapsed.
Pathetic.
The thought irritated me more than the pain itself.
Then—
the doors to the South Tower opened.
A boy with black hair and golden eyes entered quietly.
Hm?
What was he doing here?
Was his name Zio Norken?
But then—
he handed Sir Christopher a letter.
And something strange happened.
Sir Christopher smirked.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
In all four years within Mythralis Academy—
I had almost never seen him show visible emotion.
Christopher Nova was someone colder than ice itself.
Yet now—
he looked amused.
What exactly was written in that letter?
Then—
everything escalated instantly.
Sir Christopher suddenly attacked him.
The black-haired boy barely avoided the punch before landing backward.
Fast.
Very fast.
Even without mana reinforcement—
his reaction speed was absurdly sharp.
Interesting.
Then I heard it.
"You wish to create an Arcane Core?"
My eyes widened slightly.
Arcane?
The others reacted similarly.
Even William's expression shifted.
That wasn't a term ordinary people casually mentioned.
Not even within Mythralis.
Yet before I could think further—
the boy calmly declared he would create it.
Despite Sir Christopher openly calling it impossible.
Arrogant.
That was my first thought.
Then—
it became worse.
Much worse.
"I'll fight all five of them together."
Silence filled the tower.
For a second—
I genuinely thought I misheard him.
All five?
Together?
Pure swordsmanship only?
No mana?
No enhancements?
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Joseph burst into laughter immediately.
Even Isolde looked speechless.
Meanwhile—
I simply stared at him.
At his golden eyes.
Calm.
Steady.
No hesitation whatsoever.
That confidence irritated me instantly.
Who did this stranger think he was?
Sure he had good knowledge in mana theory.
But did he truly believe he could challenge us together?
Without mana?
My grip around my sword tightened slightly.
Then—
something bothered me.
That face.
Those eyes.
The way he stood.
For some reason—
it felt strangely familiar.
Lucinda slowly narrowed her eyes toward the black-haired boy once more.
Yet somehow—
the more she looked at him—
the more uncomfortable she became.
...
I glanced toward Joseph Valoris.
The same arrogant guy from the classroom.
Unlike the others though—
his irritation was obvious.
The challenge itself had offended him personally.
Meanwhile the others looked at me like I was insane.
William's expression practically screamed disappointment.
Isolde looked annoyed as she puffed her cheeks.
Anastasia simply thought I was a idiot.
Only Lucinda remained quiet while observing silently.
Joseph grabbed one of the practice swords from the nearby rack afterward before pointing it toward me with a grin.
"You're lucky."
"I was already pissed after training."
He rolled his shoulders lightly.
"So I'll enjoy this."
I quietly picked up another sword nearby.
Then—
instead of taking a standard stance—
I flipped the blade into a reverse grip.
The entire tower went silent for a second.
Joseph's expression immediately darkened.
"A reverse grip?"
The irritation in his voice deepened instantly.
Because among swordsmen—
reverse grip was often viewed as mockery.
An insult.
A way of saying your opponent wasn't worth fighting seriously.
Though—
if mastered properly—
it was also an extremely dangerous style focused on speed, angle manipulation, and close-range lethality.
Christopher's eyes narrowed slightly the moment he saw my stance.
Interesting.
Meanwhile Joseph clenched his teeth.
"You bastard…"
"You really think that stance is enough against me?"
I didn't answer.
Christopher crossed his arms.
"Begin."
The instant the word fell—
Joseph exploded forward.
Fast.
That was my first thought.
Even without mana enhancement—
his speed was impressive.
His blade instantly cut toward my neck.
CLANG.
I blocked immediately using the reversed blade.
Sparks flew violently from the collision.
Joseph's eyes sharpened.
Then his attacks accelerated.
One strike flowed into another relentlessly.
Sharp.
Aggressive.
Refined.
The others quietly watched from nearby.
William crossed his arms.
"Joseph's actually serious…"
Isolde frowned slightly now.
"That reverse grip…"
"Is he insane?"
Joseph's irritation slowly transformed into frustration.
Because despite attacking continuously—
he couldn't force me backward even once.
Every strike was blocked with the smallest movement possible.
The reverse grip made my defense unpredictable.
Awkward angles.
Minimal openings.
No wasted motion.
Only precision.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Joseph suddenly twisted his body mid-combo before sharply changing angles.
A difficult strike aimed directly toward my blind spot.
Fast.
But—
STEP.
I shifted slightly.
The blade missed completely.
Joseph's eyes widened slightly.
Then—
I attacked.
The reverse grip instantly changed direction unnaturally before my blade shot upward toward his wrist.
CLANG.
Joseph's sword flew from his hand instantly before spinning across the arena floor loudly.
Silence.
The others widened their eyes.
One exchange.
That was all it took.
I calmly lowered my blade afterward.
"You tighten your grip before changing attack patterns."
"That habit exposes your next movement."
Joseph stared blankly at his empty hand.
Then humiliation twisted his expression completely.
"You bastard—!"
He rushed forward recklessly.
This time his emotions ruined his form entirely.
I sidestepped calmly before striking the back of his knee with the flat of my blade.
Joseph immediately collapsed forward.
Then—
CLANG.
My sword stopped directly at his throat before he hit the ground.
Joseph looked completely stunned.
"N-no… I was clearly—"
Before he could finish—
THUD.
I struck the side of his neck with the hilt of my sword.
His body instantly collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
Silence filled the South Tower.
Then—
I smiled lightly before glancing toward the others.
Their expressions had completely changed now.
Gone was the mockery.
Gone was the irritation.
Now—
they were finally taking me seriously.
Isolde blinked repeatedly.
"W-what?"
"Was Joseph not taking it seriously?"
William slowly stepped forward afterward.
"No."
"He was serious."
"But it seems like he underestimated him."
I met his dark green eyes calmly.
Soon the others also spread out slightly around me.
Then—
Isolde awkwardly raised her hand.
"W-wait."
"What about me?"
"I'm a mage."
"I can't even battle without mana."
An awkward silence engulfed the tower.
Even Christopher seemed to pause for a second.
Then he coughed lightly.
"…You sit this one out then."
Isolde puffed her cheeks immediately.
"That's unfair!"
She stormed toward Christopher afterward, probably already complaining.
Meanwhile—
I glanced toward the remaining three.
The Imperial Twins.
And—
My Elder Sister.
A faint smile appeared on my face.
"Well."
"It seems I have no way to escape now."
Then—
my instincts screamed.
FAST.
William instantly appeared directly in front of me.
CLANG.
Our swords collided violently.
The sheer force behind the strike traveled through my arms instantly.
Strong.
Far stronger than Joseph.
At the same time—
WHISTLE.
An arrow shot toward my blind spot from behind.
Anastasia.
Tch.
I twisted my blade instantly, barely deflecting the arrow while William attacked again immediately afterward.
No hesitation.
No wasted movement.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
His swordsmanship was overwhelming.
Heavy.
Precise.
Aggressive.
Each strike forced me backward step by step.
Then—
Lucinda moved.
Unlike William's explosive attacks—
her movements were silent.
Smooth.
Almost impossible to read.
My eyes widened slightly as steel suddenly appeared inches from my neck.
I barely leaned backward.
The blade sliced several strands of my hair instantly.
Too close.
William immediately capitalized on the opening.
BOOM.
His knee slammed directly into my stomach.
Pain exploded through my body as I slid backward across the arena floor.
Before I could recover—
three arrows descended simultaneously from above.
FAST.
I rolled instantly.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The arrows exploded against the ground behind me.
Anastasia wasn't just accurate.
She controlled the battlefield itself.
No openings.
No safe spots.
Tch.
I rushed toward her immediately.
If I stayed surrounded—
I'd lose instantly.
But the moment I moved—
William intercepted me again.
CLANG.
The impact nearly knocked my sword away.
Then—
Lucinda appeared beside me once more.
Her sword descended diagonally toward my shoulder.
FAST.
I blocked barely—
only for Anastasia's next arrow to strike the side of my blade itself.
CLANG.
The impact disrupted my balance instantly.
Bad.
William's eyes sharpened.
Then—
BOOM.
His kick struck directly against my ribs.
I crashed across the arena floor violently.
Pain spread through my side immediately.
The three didn't give me even a second to breathe.
William attacked head-on.
Lucinda pressured my blind spots.
Anastasia controlled every escape route from behind.
Perfect coordination.
No—
monstrous coordination.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Sparks continuously erupted around the arena as the pace became faster and faster.
Even my breathing slowly became heavier now.
Meanwhile—
the three Imperial Prodigies looked completely calm.
...
Haah—
my breathing grew heavier.
Their coordination was flawless.
No hesitation.
No wasted movement.
No openings.
William pressured from the front like a raging beast.
Lucinda silently cut off every blind spot.
And Anastasia—
she controlled the battlefield itself.
Every arrow forced my movement exactly where they wanted.
Tch.
Monsters.
I exhaled slowly before tightening my grip around the sword.
Fine then.
If I couldn't overpower them—
I would destroy their coordination instead.
My eyes immediately locked onto Anastasia.
The weakest in direct combat.
The moment my gaze shifted—
I exploded forward.
FAST.
The arena floor cracked beneath my feet.
Anastasia's eyes widened slightly.
William instantly moved to intercept—
but this time—
I accelerated even further.
CLANG.
Our swords collided violently.
The impact echoed throughout the tower.
Heavy.
William's strength was absurd.
But—
instead of contesting the clash—
I twisted my blade suddenly using the reverse grip.
William's eyes sharpened.
Too late.
The angle of my sword abruptly shifted underneath his guard before sliding directly across his blade.
A technique meant to redirect force rather than stop it.
William's balance faltered slightly.
That tiny opening—
was enough.
STEP.
I slipped past him instantly.
WHISTLE.
Three arrows flew toward me immediately.
FAST.
I tilted my head slightly.
One arrow missed my cheek barely.
I knocked the second aside.
The third—
I grabbed.
Anastasia's pupils contracted.
Then—
I threw it back.
Not toward her.
Toward Lucinda.
Her eyes widened slightly before immediately parrying the arrow.
CLANG.
But that tiny interruption—
broke their rhythm.
Now.
I vanished forward instantly.
Lucinda reacted quickly.
Too quickly.
Her sword cut directly toward my shoulder.
But this time—
I didn't dodge.
CLANG.
I forcefully locked our blades together.
Her crimson eyes widened slightly as our faces drew close.
Then—
BOOM.
I kicked her backward directly into William's path.
The two immediately separated smoothly—
but the formation had already broken.
Anastasia lost her firing line for a split second.
That single second—
was enough.
I rushed her instantly.
FAST.
Anastasia's calm expression finally cracked.
Her bow transformed immediately into a short blade stance—
interesting.
CLANG.
She blocked my strike barely.
Yet compared to William and Lucinda—
her close combat was weaker.
I pressed harder immediately.
One strike.
Two.
Five.
My reverse grip swordsmanship became increasingly aggressive at close range.
Unpredictable angles.
Sharp redirections.
Anastasia's defense immediately began collapsing.
Then—
William arrived again.
Too fast.
Tch.
I immediately stepped sideways—
only for Lucinda's blade to already be waiting there.
Cold air brushed against my throat.
I barely leaned backward in time.
FAST.
The three instantly resumed attacking together again.
But this time—
their movements were no longer perfectly synchronized.
Tiny delays.
Tiny overlaps.
Almost invisible.
But to me—
it was enough.