I was declared the winner of that round, but for a solid few seconds, it didn’t even feel real.
The umpire—who had been standing just outside the Guardian the entire ti—looked like soone had just pulled the ground out from under him. He didn’t move. He didn’t blink. He just stood there, stiff as a statue, staring at the aftermath of the fight like his brain was still trying to catch up with what his eyes had already seen.
It wasn’t just surprise.
It was shock.
The kind of shock that hits when sothing way beyond your expectations unfolds right in front of you. A fight of that caliber, that intensity, that sheer dominance, that wasn’t sothing you saw every day. It wasn’t even sothing you saw every year.
And it had just happened.
The spectators were no different.
At first, there was this strange silence hanging over the arena. A heavy one. As if everyone was collectively asking themselves the sa question: Did that really just happen?
So were still half-standing, others frozen mid-motion, mouths slightly open. You could practically see the disbelief painted across their faces. It felt unreal to them. Unreal enough that if soone had told them it was an illusion spell, they might’ve believed it.
That was how stunned they were.
Then the umpire finally moved.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, like he needed to remind himself that he was still doing his job. He raised his voice, and it echoed louder than it probably should have.
"Winner!"
That single word shattered the silence.
The arena exploded.
It was as if soone had ignited a spark in a powder keg. People shot to their feet. The stands trembled under the sudden movent. Screams, cheers, shouts were layered over each other in a chaotic wave of noise that swallowed everything else.
It had been a good fight.
No.
Calling it "good" felt like an insult.
It was incredible. The kind of fight people would talk about long after this tournant ended. The kind that would get exaggerated in retellings until it bordered on myth.
The energy in the air shifted instantly. The earlier tension lted into exhilaration. Hands shot up. Fists pumped. So people were yelling my na. Others were just screaming because they didn’t know what else to do with the adrenaline surging through them.
There had been monts during that fight when things could’ve gone very wrong. When the sheer force of the clash might’ve endangered even the spectators.
But right now?
No one seed to care.
The danger had only made it better in their minds. Like standing near a cliff. It was terrifying, but thrilling enough that you keep leaning forward anyway.
I stood there, breathing steadily, letting it all wash over . The cheers. The raw excitent. The overwhelming noise pressing against my ears.
For a brief mont, I allowed myself to enjoy it.
***
Shredica’s POV
I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath until it finally left in a slow, quiet exhale.
I was stunned.
Not the dramatic kind where you gasp loudly or drop sothing. No. It was quieter than that. A still kind of shock. The kind that makes your thoughts lag behind reality.
Watching that fight unfold in front of ... it wasn’t sothing I had prepared myself for.
I had been certain it would be close.
Vice Commander Veronica wasn’t just strong. She was terrifyingly competent. Disciplined. Efficient. The kind of person who made strength look effortless. I had assud Leon would push her, sure—but I also believed she would push back just as hard.
I had imagined a narrow victory. A thin margin. Sothing that could’ve gone either way.
But that wasn’t what happened.
It wasn’t close.
It wasn’t even competitive.
It was one-sided.
And the one standing at the losing end of it... was the Vice Commander.
"So during our fight yesterday... he was still holding back, huh...?"
The words slipped out under my breath before I could stop them.
There was a tightness in my chest that I didn’t like. Not anger exactly. Not even resentnt.
Just... frustration.
When we fought, I had believed he gave everything he had. I had walked away from that loss thinking, He was better. That’s all there is to it.
That belief made it easier to accept.
But now?
After watching him dismantle soone far stronger than , I couldn’t lie to myself anymore.
He hadn’t been serious with .
Not even close.
He had taken it easy.
And that realization kept poking at my pride like a finger pressing against a bruise.
It ant I wasn’t a threat in his eyes. I wasn’t even important enough to demand his full strength.
A wry smile ford on my lips before I realized it.
It felt strange.
I wasn’t used to smiling like that.
Leon was strong. Incredibly strong. That much was undeniable now. What he showed earlier wasn’t just skill—it was dominance.
As I walked down the corridor, my footsteps echoing softly against the stone floor, I spotted Commander Lilia standing outside Vice Commander Veronica’s waiting room.
Her posture was composed, as always. But there was a subtle tension in her shoulders that hadn’t been there before.
Veronica was inside, being treated.
Given the damage she had sustained earlier, I doubted simple healing magic would be enough to fully restore her. Those weren’t minor injuries.
"Shredica," Commander Lilia called when she noticed . "You’re here to visit her too?"
"Yes," I answered, stopping a few steps away.
"I see..." She exhaled quietly. "That was quite the match. I didn’t think that man could handle Veronica like that." Her lips curved slightly, though it wasn’t quite a smile. "She’s my strongest piece. And even she couldn’t do anything against him."
Her eyes shifted to .
"Do you have any idea who he really is? Did you know he was capable of that?"
I shook my head. "No. I didn’t. I’m just as surprised as everyone else." I paused for a second. "We spent enough ti together at the academy. I thought I understood him at least a little. But I guess... that still wasn’t enough to truly know him."
She studied my face for a mont, like she was trying to read between my words.
Then she turned and entered the room.
I followed.
Vice Commander Veronica was already on her feet.
She was even stretching.
As if she had just woken up from a nap rather than a brutal defeat.
For a mont, I wondered if I had imagined how severe her injuries had looked earlier. But no—I hadn’t.
"You’re already standing?" Even the Commander sounded surprised.
Veronica rolled her shoulder once before answering. "I can manage. We only have about two hours before the next round. There’s no point in resting too long."
She looked composed and calm. But there was sothing deeper in her gaze. Sothing reflective.
"I’m sorry," she said to the Commander. "I lost. He caught off guard. I didn’t expect his mana reserves to be that vast."
"It’s not the end of the world," Commander Lilia replied evenly. "But tell honestly—can you win next ti?"
Veronica didn’t answer imdiately.
She thought.
And that pause said more than any words could.
"I think Leon is far stronger than ," she admitted at last. "He wasn’t even trying his best."
"You’re certain?"
"Yes." Her voice didn’t waver. "He was born to surpass . Out of the five of us, he’s the strongest. It’s only natural."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"He’s ant to beco the main vessel."
Main vessel?
The phrase echoed in my mind.
I frowned faintly. I had no idea what she ant. Leon? A vessel? For what?
Commander Lilia didn’t press her on that. Instead, she asked, "If that’s the case... then tell this. If we faced him together—the entire Magic Knights, even the heroes—would we stand a chance?"
Veronica’s expression grew serious.
She took a mont before answering.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"I think Leon has already crossed into a different level of power," she said quietly. "And he’s still growing. It’s like there’s no ceiling for him. He keeps getting stronger."
At first, I wanted to dismiss it as exaggeration.
But the look in her eyes stopped .
There was no doubt there.
Even dramatics.
Just a calm, unsettling certainty.
And that was what made it frightening.
Because if she was right...
Then Leon wasn’t just strong.
He was becoming sothing else entirely.
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