The instant Professor Veyra gave the signal, golden light surged around the edges of the arena once more.
The mont the barrier fully ford, both fighters moved.
Null struck first.
He closed the distance with frightening speed, his wooden blade cutting straight toward Eselin’s shoulder in a clean, precise slash. There was no hesitation behind it, no wasted movent. It looked less like a student attacking and more like soone who had repeated the sa motion thousands of tis.
Eselin reacted instantly.
Their swords collided with a sharp crack that echoed through the arena.
She twisted her wrist and redirected his blade sideways before stepping inward, aiming a quick slash toward his ribs. Null leaned back just enough to avoid it, then countered imdiately with a thrust aid at her stomach.
Eselin pivoted around it smoothly. The tip of his sword barely brushed the edge of her uniform.
The crowd erupted into cheers almost imdiately.
"Damn," Ken muttered beside . "They’re fast."
Fast was an understatent. Neither of them fought like the earlier students.
Null advanced again, pushing forward with short, efficient strikes ant to force Eselin backward. His sword moved in tight arcs, each slash flowing directly into the next. He attacked high, then low, then suddenly shifted his stance and thrust toward her throat.
Eselin knocked the blade aside and slid backward across the floor, boots scraping lightly against the arena.
Then she smiled faintly.
And attacked.
She exploded forward with a speed that actually surprised .
Her sword cut downward toward Null’s shoulder before changing direction halfway through the swing. The strike curved sharply toward his side instead, forcing him to block at the last second.
Wood slamd against wood again. Eselin pressed harder imdiately after. One strike. Then another. Then a third so fast I almost lost track of it. Null blocked each hit, but unlike before, he was now the one being pushed backward.
The sound of clashing wooden blades echoed nonstop through the courtyard.
Eselin fought aggressively, but not recklessly. Every movent flowed into the next with frightening precision. She constantly shifted her footing, attacking from different angles while forcing Null to stay defensive.
Then Null suddenly changed rhythm. Instead of retreating again, he stepped directly into her next swing.
His shoulder slamd into her chest hard enough to force Eselin back a step. The impact echoed across the arena floor, and before she could fully recover her balance, Null’s wooden sword ca slicing upward toward her jaw.
Eselin twisted her head to the side just in ti.
Instead of striking her face, the blade slamd against her shoulder with a loud crack. The hit still looked painful enough to leave a bruise.
Several students gasped from the seats.
Null did not waste the opening.
The mont Eselin staggered, he pressed forward again. His attacks beca noticeably faster now, his calm expression never changing as he swung low toward her legs before reversing the strike into a sharp thrust aid at her chest.
Eselin blocked the first strike and narrowly avoided the second, but the pressure behind Null’s attacks forced her farther toward the edge of the arena.
"He’s cornering her," Mio said quietly beside .
Null lunged again, his sword aid directly for her center.
This ti, Eselin stopped retreating.
She sidestepped at the last second, letting the blade pass inches from her body, then imdiately slamd the poml of her sword into Null’s wrist.
The strike disrupted his grip for half a second.
That was enough.
Eselin spun sharply and swept her blade toward his ribs.
Null barely raised his sword in ti to block it. Even then, the force behind the strike shoved him sideways across the arena floor, his boots scraping loudly against the stone.
The crowd erupted with cheers.
Queen Mia leaned forward slightly on her throne now, clearly interested in the fight. Even Yua watched with narrowed eyes, her attention fixed entirely on the arena.
Null steadied himself and imdiately retaliated.
A faint gray glow suddenly spread around his sword.
The temperature around the arena seed to drop slightly as dark mist gathered around the blade. Several students shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
Null moved again.
This ti, his speed increased dramatically.
He appeared in front of Eselin almost instantly and unleashed a rapid series of strikes that forced her entirely onto the defensive. Their wooden swords collided over and over, sharp cracks echoing through the courtyard with every impact.
Eselin blocked high.
Low.
Then twisted sideways to avoid another thrust aid at her stomach.
Null suddenly extended his free hand. Dark energy burst outward in thin black streaks that shot across the arena floor toward her feet.
Eselin reacted instantly. Golden light flared around her body.
The dark streaks missed her by inches as she dashed sideways with unnatural speed, her blonde hair whipping behind her. The students erupted into louder cheers at the sudden burst of movent.
"She boosted herself," Mio said.
Eselin did not stop moving.
Golden energy gathered faintly around her sword as she rushed straight toward Null again. This ti, her attacks beca overwhelming.
A slash toward his shoulder. A thrust toward his chest. A spinning strike aid at his side.
Null blocked each one with disciplined precision, but Eselin’s montum kept building. Every clash forced him farther backward across the arena.
Then she suddenly kicked toward his knee.
Null managed to shift away, but the hit still disrupted his footing for a mont.
That single mistake changed everything.
Eselin surged forward imdiately.
Null tried to counter with a downward strike aid at her head, dark mist swirling around his blade once more. Eselin stepped directly inside his range before the strike could fully descend.
Her shoulder slamd hard into his chest.
At the sa mont, her sword twisted upward beneath his guard in one clean motion.
The wooden blade stopped directly against his throat.
Null froze.
The entire arena fell silent.
Then Null slowly exhaled and lowered his sword. "I yield."
Professor Veyra imdiately raised her arm.
"Winner: Eselin Vaelcrest!"
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