220  A New Semester A New Evaluation 10

Feeling the sharp sting of pain encroaching her body, Stacia forced herself to stand, her breath ragged and uneven as she gasped for air.

Stacia’s unique constitution—one that allowed her to fully utilize both aura and mana—kicked in, and slowly, she could feel her body healing itself from the physical damage she had sustained.

Her resilience was one of her greatest assets, and she wasn’t about to let this battle end without pushing Riley to his limits.

Her grip on the Ignis sword tightened, its fiery aura pulsing with her renewed strength. She locked her eyes on Riley, but something about him had changed.

His gaze, once calm and detached, was now cold—almost unreadable.

Her body felt goosebumps as she felt her strength slowly being siphoned off for some reason.

His blue eyes reflected the fire she wielded, yet the flames seemed to have no effect on him. Unfazed.

‘What happened?’

This wasn’t the same senior she had seen earlier, sitting in the corner of the stage with that quiet, almost naïve demeanor.

The person standing before her now looked like a warrior—calculated, sharp, and entirely focused.

His coldness seemed to chill the air around him, making her flames feel small in comparison.

She had come here with confidence—confidence that her skills, her magic, and her training would be enough to take Riley on.

After all, she was a prodigy, a princess of the Luna family, with one of the most powerful flame swords in existence.

And yet, standing in front of him now, she realized her initial judgment had underestimated him completely.

This wasn’t the duel she had envisioned.

It seemed going all out from the start wasn’t just an option—it was a necessity if she wanted to survive this duel, much less win.

Stacia clenched her jaw, focusing her mind and energy.

The flames that had once spread wildly around her, filling the air with heat and light, were now drawn inward.

She condensed them, letting the inferno coil tightly around her body.

No more reckless attacks. She needed control—complete control.

The aura and magic intertwined within her, reinforcing her physical form as the flames settled into her limbs and sword, no longer spilling out wastefully.

Striking once more she dashed forward like another flaming rocket.

FWOOOOSH!

Riley and Stacia exchanged blows.

Clang!

Clang!

At first, Stacia hadn’t noticed it, but there was something distinctly different about Riley. The strikes he had landed, the way he moved—it all began to make sense as she replayed their exchanges in her mind.

[Aura.]

He was using aura.

It wasn’t constantly visible like most aura users, but just from the precision of his strikes and the way he had withstood her flames, she had all the confirmation she needed.

There was no way a normal human could withstand the searing intensity of her flames without being shielded by the anti-magical properties of aura.

Even when she had her Infernal Blaze active, his kick had still managed to injure her, bypassing the protection of her flame-enhanced armor.

Though Riley didn’t possess as much aura as she did, his control over it was frightening.

He used it sparingly, almost as if it were second nature to him, applying just the right amount in the most efficient of ways.

Where she expended energy, he conserved it.

His movements were precise, and his strikes had an economy to them—no wasted effort, no excess force.

It was terrifying to face someone with that kind of mastery.

Riley was faster than she had anticipated, much faster. His swordsmanship was impeccable, his strike delivers with a lethal accuracy.

Her Infernal Blaze, which should have been a significant obstacle for any opponent, barely fazed him.

He moved through the fire as if it were just an afterthought.

Facing him head-on with brute force was no longer an option.

She couldn’t overwhelm him with raw power, nor could she afford to waste any more energy.

He was reading her movements too easily, reacting to her attacks before she could even fully commit to them.

A change in strategy was needed.

Stacia gritted her teeth as she quickly recalculated her approach.

If Riley’s aura was nullifying the effect of her flames, then she would have to force him into a position where he couldn’t rely solely on defense.

She needed to pin him down, restrict his movements, and find an opening to strike.

With a sharp breath, she began casting a spell. Her hands moved in a precise, practiced manner as she summoned a series of flaming orbs into existence.

[Mid-Grade Flame Magic]

[Cinder Orbs]

Dozens of glowing, fire-laden orbs manifested in the air behind her, hovering ominously as a magic circle flared into life at her command.

Each orb pulsed with heat, ready to be unleashed.

She knew they wouldn’t pose much of a threat to Riley on their own, but that wasn’t their purpose.

The Cinder Orbs fired off in quick succession, hurtling toward Riley in a barrage of searing flames.

Although this time she could see some of them burning him as he cut most of them.

Stacia wasn’t expecting them to defeat him.

Afterall he’ll probably use his aura to block the ones that posed a real threat to him.

What she needed now was to restrict his movements, to make sure that Riley couldn’t maneuver as easily as he had been.

She could engulf the entire stage in flames but that would just be a waste of mana…

[Golden Lighting]

Rumble—! Rumble—!

The stage quaked beneath them, but Stacia’s focus was drawn to the sudden shift in Riley’s aura.

Golden lightning crackled and wrapped itself around his body and sword, illuminating the air with its brilliance.

Her eyes widened in shock as the radiant power of his mana surged, its intensity almost suffocating.

For a brief moment, she could hardly believe what she was seeing.

Then, in an instant, Riley disappeared.

He vanished from her sight, leaving behind only a trail of shimmering lightning where he once stood.

Before she could react, he reappeared directly in front of her, his sword already swinging toward her with terrifying speed.

Instinctively, Stacia raised her sword to block, pouring all of her strength into the defense.

BZZZT!!!

BOOM!!!

Their weapons clashed with an explosive force that sent shockwaves rippling across the stage.

Flames and lightning collided violently, intertwining in a chaotic dance of destruction.

Sparks flew, and a series of web-like cracks spread out from beneath them, the sheer pressure of their clash warping the ground beneath their feet.

Now, locked in a deadly contest of strength, Stacia found herself staring directly into Riley’s cold, unyielding eyes.

She struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

The speed, the power—it was as if he had become something else entirely, something beyond her initial expectations.

“Is this… the power of the Hero of Light?” she asked breathlessly, her voice barely above a whisper. She hoped for an answer, some explanation for this surge of power that Riley now displayed.

But he said nothing.

His expression remained distant, emotionless, as though the title she spoke of meant nothing to him.

Instead of replying, he stepped back, slipping out of their lock with a grace that only further solidified the gap between them.

Stacia, still reeling from the strength she had poured into blocking his strike, couldn’t adjust in time.

Her sword, now freed from Riley’s pressure, slammed into the ground with a deafening explosion!

BANG!!! Flames erupted around her as the impact sent a surge of mana through the stage, but she had no time to recover.

WHAM!!!

Another searing pain shot through her body as Riley’s boot connected with her stomach once more, sending her flying backward.

This time, however, before Stacia could even attempt to stand, another searing pain shot through her body.

“Aghh!!”

Her scream echoed across the stage as she was violently thrown in the opposite direction.

Phuack!!

She felt a sharp impact slam into her left side, solid and metallic.

The sensation was sickening—her left arm had broken upon contact, the bones giving way under the force of the blow.

She was still mid-air when her eyes caught sight of Riley, his sword swinging at her once more.

Though the blade was dull, meant for training, it hadn’t spared her from its intended damage.

The impact sent shockwaves through her body, enough to shatter her defenses and push her to the brink of her endurance.

CRASHH!!!

Stacia’s body rolled across the ground as she landed harshly, her limbs trembling under the weight of the pain coursing through her.

She gasped for breath, blood pounding in her ears as she tried to push herself back up.

Her mana, usually her greatest ally, felt sluggish and unresponsive—so she abandoned it.

Instead, she fully tapped into her aura, her body now coated in its protective sheen as she focused everything she had into surviving.

Rumble—! Rumble—!

The ground beneath her trembled again.

She heard the low, ominous rumble of thunder gathering in the air around her.

The atmosphere felt dense, electric, as the wind picked up, swirling violently around her.

[Raging Storms]

Her heart sank.

Stacia looked up, eyes widening in realization.

Above her, the sky seemed to split open, golden lightning cascading down from the heavens, crackling with terrifying intensity.

BOOM!!!!

The first bolt struck, slamming into the stage near her with an explosion of raw power. The shockwave sent her reeling, her aura barely holding up under the barrage.

Before she could recover, the lightning came again.

CRASH!!!

Lightning danced across the stage, crackling, hungry, as it tore through the air.

The electric storm showed no mercy, and the strikes were relentless.

Stacia felt her muscles spasm uncontrollably as the energy surged through her, forcing her to her knees.

Her aura, which had held out so far, was beginning to flicker, straining under the repeated impacts.

The once strong protective layer around her seemed to be faltering.

Her breathing was ragged, and she struggled to maintain her focus as the pain became unbearable.

And then—

BOOM!!!!

The final strike came down like the wrath of the gods.

The golden lightning crashed into Stacia’s body directly this time, her aura completely shattered as it enveloped her in a storm of electric fury.

The force of the impact was overwhelming, burning through every last ounce of her strength.

Stacia’s consciousness slipped away, her body crumpling to the ground.

Though she lost… she felt pleased in knowing that her intention was fulfilled.

….

‘Damn… I may have overdone it…’

Watching the unconscious Stacia being immediately whisked away by the emergency medical team, a bead of sweat formed on my brow.

Panic surged through me as I processed the situation.

Fuck…

Unintentional or not, I just hurt a princess—badly.

And not only that, but I had been ruthless about it.

The realization hit like a brick, and the weight of what I’d done pressed down on me.

This was no ordinary sparring session.

I’d gone too far, and now I was going to have to deal with the fallout.

Around me, the whispers were growing louder, the students unable to hide their shock.

“Woah…!”

“I-Is this alright?”

05:59

“Uhm, isn’t she dead?”

“What was up with that level of power?”

“I thought the seniors were supposed to restrain themselves?”

The murmurs around me were relentless.

I could feel the eyes of everyone in the arena locked onto me, their gazes a mixture of awe, confusion, and concern.

It was like I had just crossed an invisible line, and no one quite knew how to react.

It seemed that my intense training with the Duke had gotten the better of me.

Ever since I returned, there hadn’t been anyone strong enough to push me to my limits, to truly test out my newfound power.

I hadn’t realized just how much stronger I’d become—until now.

Maybe I shouldn’t have activated [Monarch’s Will], she could’ve showcased her true full power…. But then again, I would’ve turned into ash.

Considering her sadistic personality she’d probably do much worse despite her intentions.

I even had to use [Return] during her initial attack….

“Student Riley.”

There it was.

“Let’s have a talk, shall we? And you are to cease your function as a volunteer evaluator.”

The professor’s voice was stern but calm, like the calm before a storm. I could feel the tension building as he approached me, the weight of his authority pressing down on the already suffocating atmosphere.

“Yes, sir…”

Based on our match she’s probably around level 85-90 and above right now.

Although her intentions and mindset weren’t exactly aligned to what I was hoping for.

I just hope her defeat now would help her grow faster….

Her body should be naturally adapting right now.

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