Chapter 162

Jason had told me before.

That Peregrie was originally a spirit.

So I thought—perhaps the wind stirred by Peregrie’s power, maybe I could wield that wind like the power of a Spirit.

If that were possible, I would’ve practiced the Hawkbat Family’s swordsmanship once myself.

Lightening my body with the power of wind, moving with that distinctive swiftness.

‘But it didn’t work.’

I was aware that Peregrie’s power was originally the power of a spirit.

Yet even so, it didn’t work.

No matter how I tried, I couldn’t figure out how to make my body lighter using the wind’s power.

So I decided to think about it later—after the Tournament was over.

‘Still, that doesn’t mean I haven’t practiced some of the Hawkbat Family’s techniques.’

I drew out the Power of Peregrie within me, and at the same time, Eisen launched lava toward me.

The lava surged around me like a river.

I timed it perfectly and summoned the wind.

Then leapt upward.

From midair, I used the wind as a foothold and took two steps forward—

Reaching right above Eisen’s head.

From there, I swung my sword downward at him as I fell.

Clang―!

As expected, Eisen easily blocked my strike.

Our blades locked, eyes meeting.

He looked at me as if he found it fascinating.

“You’re even using the Hawkbat Family’s swordsmanship now?”

“I can’t quite call it swordsmanship yet. I’m just mimicking a few techniques.”

“…To think you can handle the wind like this. You really are… a swordsman I can’t quite figure out.”

Clang―!

With that, Eisen deflected my sword and swung again in a flash.

At the same moment, he hurled lava toward me.

Countless red dots appeared before my eyes.

“Damn it.”

The sword and lava came at unpredictable timings, from unpredictable directions.

I threw myself out of the way, blocking what I could with my water-coated blade.

Clang―! Ssshhh―!

Lava flowed around me as well, making it impossible to move freely.

Still, I struggled desperately, forcing my body to respond to each of his attacks.

‘If I didn’t have the Attack Prediction Skill, I’d be dead right now.’

After blocking one wave of attacks, I exhaled heavily and reset my stance.

It was only a single round of defense, yet I was already this exhausted.

“Huff… huff… huff…”

“…Didn’t think you’d block that last attack. Impressive. Your swordsmanship truly deserves praise.”

“Praise… thank you. But Lord Eisen, using lava like that—are you sure you’re all right?”

“……”

“You look in pain. Every time you control the lava, your body trembles. It’s hard not to notice.”

At my words, Eisen said nothing.

He merely raised his sword again and stepped toward me in silence.

“Sigh… Fine, let’s just keep fighting then.”

Before I could even finish speaking, Eisen’s sword came flying toward me.

“Wow, Luke. Your student’s putting up quite a fight.”

“I didn’t make him the academy’s representative for nothing.”

At the highest row of the audience seats in the stadium, Luke watched the match with Andrew.

Andrew chuckled at Luke’s curt reply.

“Come on, relax. It’s just us here.”

“…Why did you suddenly call me out here anyway?”

“I just wanted to talk with you alone for once.”

“Yeah? But hey, Andrew—was it really okay to leave Nazar behind?”

“Why? Ah… because of Dilug?”

Andrew smirked faintly at Luke’s remark, then glanced toward where the Emperor was seated.

“No need to worry. I’ve got members of my house secretly on standby nearby, and Kafka’s right beside Nazar.”

“So you noticed it too, huh?”

“That Dilug’s changed? Of course. Outwardly, he looks the same, but… not to us. We’ve known him for nearly twenty years—wouldn’t it be weirder if we didn’t notice?”

“So, have you found out anything yet?”

“Not yet. I’ll look into it properly once the Tournament ends. Both Dilug… and Eisen.”

Andrew turned his gaze back to the arena.

There, Gideon was holding off Eisen’s fiery attacks like an impregnable fortress.

“Anyway, putting suspicions aside for now… your student’s good. I’ve never seen defense that solid.”

“He’s not someone I can beat easily either, Andrew. Honestly, there’s probably no one in the Empire who could beat Gideon using only the sword.”

“True. If I sparred with him purely in swordsmanship… I doubt I’d lose, but I doubt I’d win either.”

Andrew’s eyes shifted from Gideon to Eisen.

Unlike yesterday, Eisen seemed fine while using lava.

Which meant, at least outwardly, he appeared to be the Eisen Andrew knew.

But the lava he wielded—its energy still felt strange to Andrew.

‘What the hell is really going on? I still can’t figure it out.’

Seeing things unfold beyond his comprehension only frustrated Andrew.

But soon he shook his head.

There was nothing he could do about the Isrinbloom Family’s matters right now.

So he focused again on the match before him.

“Hm. He’s defending well, sure… but you can’t win by blocking alone. If he keeps only defending like that, he’ll never win.”

“Stop pretending you don’t know, Andrew. You already know what Gideon’s capable of.”

“…The mist that’s been appearing around him, and now he’s deliberately cutting his palm to draw blood… and he’s started gripping his sword with both hands.”

“And you’ve already noticed the weather, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. Ten minutes ago it was perfectly clear, but now it’s suddenly overcast. And those storm clouds—only over the stadium.”

Andrew grinned faintly, glancing at Luke.

Luke smiled back the same way.

“You really don’t miss a thing, do you, Andrew?”

“There’s still plenty I don’t know. Anyway… do you think Gideon can beat Eisen?”

“Didn’t Jason tell you? During the last final exam, Gideon unleashed a full-power strike at me. It was an attack where he poured in every bit of strength he had. And that time… he pierced through my aura and left a wound on my face.”

“I heard. Hm, to pierce through your aura… that’s no small feat. But the problem is……”

Andrew looked up at the dark clouds gathering over the arena.

He had heard that Gideon wielded the Power of Peregrie, but this was the first time he had actually seen it in action.

“I heard that lightning of his is nearly impossible to land—think Eisen will let himself be hit?”

“You’re right, it’s hard to aim. But Gideon’s fired lightning more than a few times. Just watch for a bit—you’ll see.”

At Luke’s words, Andrew nodded.

Eisen’s relentless offense, and Gideon’s unyielding defense.

Their exchange continued for a while until—

A single bolt of lightning crashed down toward the arena.

And then——

KWA-KWA-KROOM!

Gideon, his arms wrapped in Blood Energy, swung his sword.

The black mist swirling around him released the violet current it had contained, exploding outward together with it.

“Huff… hah… huff….”

I had just unleashed the strongest strike I could muster.

Lightning born from the Power of Peregrie.

The Reflection of the Mistcatcher.

And Blood Energy, too.

I’d been focused on defense, waiting for an opening—to finish the enemy in one decisive blow. That had become my usual tactic lately.

After painstakingly charging the Mistcatcher with impact to its limit, I’d just released it all at Eisen.

I was sure that strike had hit critically…

“…You blocked it?”

“I’ve faced people who could hit even harder.”

Eisen was still standing on both feet.

Of course, he wasn’t unscathed.

His clothes were torn and charred, and severe burns covered parts of his body.

Perhaps noticing my gaze, Eisen nodded slightly.

“The sword you swung under Blood Energy—I barely dodged that. As for the violet current and explosion from your mist, I surrounded myself with flame to soften the impact. If you shape fire magic properly, it can act as a thin shield.”

“But I guess that shield couldn’t stop the lightning?”

“It couldn’t. Thanks to that, I learned something new—my fire can’t block lightning.”

Eisen staggered slightly as he raised his rapier once more.

Just as he said, most of my attacks hadn’t worked.

Still, that lightning strike had definitely done some damage.

‘Looks like those burns are serious… but the problem is, I’m exhausted too….’

I quickly checked my condition.

No critical injuries yet.

But maintaining both my aura and the Water Rune that coated the Mistcatcher’s blade—it was getting harder by the minute.

‘And Eisen… he’s still using magic just fine.’

Despite those burns all over his body, Eisen was still sustaining his fire magic.

Not just flames, either—lava still flowed steadily around him.

‘What can I even do now? My aura and Water Rune… I can probably keep them up for only a few more minutes. I can use Blood Energy if I have to, but not for long either.’

It seemed my only remaining option was the Power of Peregrie.

But that was the issue.

‘My lightning’s too easy to dodge. Eisen only got hit because he tried to block it and failed—if he seriously tried to evade, I’d never land it.’

And lightning needed time to recharge after each use.

That left me with only wind manipulation—and with that alone, I saw no chance of victory.

‘If he’d just fight me without those flames and lava, only with his sword, maybe I’d stand a chance. But how do I get rid of those?’

As I mulled it over, Eisen slowly approached me…

— You seem troubled. Let me tell you one thing.

“…Huh?”

A voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

It was a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time.

‘…Peregrie?’

— Remember this. The power I gave you is not to control lightning and wind—it is to command the storm. And in every storm… there is always rain.

With those words, the voice vanished completely.

He’d said only what he wanted and disappeared.

But those words struck me with a sharp realization.

“…Right. It was the power to control the storm.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

Then I raised my left hand—the one marked with Peregrie’s sigil—toward the sky.

Rumble――

Dark clouds once again gathered above the arena.

Eisen glanced up.

“Calling lightning again? It was powerful, sure, but too predictable. Don’t expect me to take that hit twice.”

“I’m not calling lightning. I can’t, not right now anyway.”

“Hm?”

“I just thought… I’d summon lightning’s old friend.”

I focused the power within me.

I’d never used it this way before—but somehow, my body knew how.

And a moment later—

Plop.

A single raindrop fell onto the palm of my hand.

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