I moved faster than their eyes could follow.

Leon barely had time to react.

『 Royal Swordsmanship – Heavenly Strike! 』

He swung his sword, aiming straight for my neck.

CLANG!

I blocked it with my scythe.

The impact rattled my arms, but—

THWACK!

I slammed my knee into his stomach.

This always worked somehow.

“GAH—!!”

Leon coughed up blood. His body bent forward, but I wasn’t done.

CRACK!

I elbowed him in the face.

His nose snapped.

Blood splattered as he staggered back, dazed.

I spun my scythe—

Fwip!

The blunt side smashed into his ribs.

“AGHHH—!!”

He was sent flying, crashing against the frozen wall.

He slumped to the ground, coughing violently.

Four down.

Only Ella remained.

She was shaking.

Her fingers gripped her sword so tight her knuckles turned white.

She knew she stood no chance.

But she refused to back down.

Her breathing was uneven. Blood dripped from her forehead, her arms covered in cuts and bruises.

Her legs shook.

Yet, she still raised her sword.

I exhaled.

“Admirable.”

I rushed forward.

BOOM!

She barely had time to react—

“HAAAAGHHH!”

She let out a battle cry and swung her sword with everything she had.

CLANG!

I blocked it—but damn, she was strong.

The force sent a shockwave through the frozen ground, cracks forming beneath us.

She pushed forward, screaming.

She was putting everything into this one strike.

But—

『 Ice Series: Ice Burst! (✦ 3rd-Level Spell ✦)』

SHATTER!

Ice exploded beneath her feet.

Her balance broke.

And that was all I needed.

I twisted my body—

And drove my fist into her stomach.

BAM!

“GHHH—!!”

Her eyes bulged. Blood sprayed from her mouth.

She collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath.

I towered over her.

“You fought well.”

I lifted my scythe—

And slammed the blunt edge into her shoulder.

CRACK!

Her collarbone snapped.

She screamed.

Her body hit the ground, twitching violently.

She tried to move—but she couldn’t.

Her sword fell from her grip.

Her breathing was shallow.

She was done.

I took a step back.

And looked around.

All of them—Lucas, Maya, Leon, Ella, Telmo, Rose, Violet—

All defeated.

Blood covered the floor.

Their bodies were broken, battered, twitching from the pain.

And yet…

None of them were dead.

I could’ve killed them.

But I didn’t.

I never intended to.

I let out a deep breath, my violet aura flickering around me.

“Now you understand.”

My voice was calm.

Cold.

“You were never strong enough to stop me.”

Silence.

None of them spoke.

They couldn’t.

I turned away.

It was over.

I had proven my point.

Or so I thought.

Until Lucas moved.

“N-Not yet…”

His voice was weak.

Barely a whisper.

But still…

He was standing.

His legs shook. His body was covered in blood. His arms hung limply at his sides.

And yet—

He was still standing.

I narrowed my eyes.

“You don’t know when to quit, do you?”

Lucas raised his head.

His golden eyes burned.

With determination.

With rage.

With hatred.

“Even if you break my body…” He staggered forward.

“Even if you shatter my bones…” He tightened his fists.

“Even if you crush every last bit of me…”

He looked me in the eyes.

“I won’t stop fighting.”

The room fell silent.

Even in their broken states—

They all looked at him.

At their leader.

Their hero.

I finally smiled.

Now, he finally had a passing grade.

A bright golden aura leaked out of her body, enveloping the Excalibur as he looked at me with completely enraged eyes.

At that moment, I decided to activate my skill—

『 Judgement Eye (✦ S+ Level Skill ✦)』

An overflowing holy power coming out of his body.

His overall attributes increased by a ton.

『 Limit Breaker 』

That’s the only name that could be given to the form he was taking.

Breaking all of his limits.

Unleash all his potential.

Opening all the seals.

His power now…

Had at least reached the margin of an SS+ ranker.

From the S- level to the SS+ level, that was quite a big jump.

Now, he really was more powerful than me.

So…

I couldn’t hold myself back any longer.

But of course, under the safe circumstances.

Mana Output increased to 5.

Crackle…!

Lightning suddenly cracked around his body.

Along with it, black flames completely engulfed his entire body mixing with the golden aura he was radiating.

“Demon Slaying Sword Art…!”

He whispered.

『 Limit Breaker: Corrupted Sword! 』

Fwoop!

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight.

Not even a blur.

Just a sudden vacuum of space where he had been.

Before I could even react—

CLANG!

The sound of steel meeting steel shattered the silence of the room.

I lifted my scythe just in time, blocking his sword as it appeared before me with the speed of lightning.

Sparks flew from the contact, lighting up the room like a burst of fireworks.

Fwip!

I took a step back, gathering distance.

But almost immediately—

“Demon Slaying Sword Art…”

He charged at me once again.

His sword was raised high, lightning and black flames swirling around the blade. The sheer power in the strike made the air feel heavy.

I didn’t move.

CRASH!

His sword slammed against me, the force sending shockwaves through my body. I could feel the heat of the black flames and the sting of the lightning.

Blood sprayed as I took the full hit, but I didn’t even flinch.

I let it happen.

But that was my plan.

I smiled coldly as the pain surged through me. The moment Lucas’s sword made contact, I gripped my scythe tightly and swung it upward—

WHAM!

THWACK!

The blunt edge of my scythe hit Lucas square in the stomach, sending him flying back. He slammed into the ground with a sickening thud, but he didn’t stay down.

Gritting his teeth, he stood up, blood dripping from his mouth, eyes filled with fire.

“You think that will stop me?”

I chuckled.

“You’ll see.”

Then, I raised my scythe, twisting it as a cold violet aura enveloped me, swirling like a storm.

I raised my hand, and the ground cracked beneath me.

『 Ice Generation (✦ 1st-Level Spell ✦)』

WHOOSH!

A burst of ice shot from my hand, freezing the ground beneath Lucas’s feet.

He was forced to stop in his tracks.

CRACK!

I whipped my scythe toward him again, creating ice shards that shot through the air like daggers.

Lucas barely dodged, his lightning crackling around him as he spun to avoid the ice, but I was already moving.

THWACK!

I sliced him with a wide arc of my scythe.

The blade grazed his side, leaving a deep cut.

“AGH!”

He gritted his teeth, clutching the wound as he stepped back.

But he didn’t back down.

His eyes burned with unyielding resolve.

CRACK!

Lucas charged again, this time his sword crackling with lightning and holy fire.

『 Mixed Lightning Series: Lightning Strike! (✦ Thunderbolt Slash! ✦) 』

WHOOSH!

He swung the sword, and lightning exploded from the blade. The strike shattered the air around us.

BAM!

It hit me head-on, but I stood firm. The lightning burned through my body, but I kept my footing, enduring the pain.

At that moment, I saw the opening.

I stepped forward, ignoring the pain, and swung my scythe.

WHAM!

My blade cut through his side, and I could feel the deep gash as his body jerked back.

“Ugh!”

Lucas fell to his knees, blood pouring from his wound. He was struggling to keep his sword steady.

But even then—

He gritted his teeth and rose again.

“You’re… not the only one who can take a hit.”

The ground shook as Lucas’s body glowed brightly, the holy energy swirling around him.

…Not enough.

I said inwardly, gazing at him.

He still can’t release his full power of an SS+ ranker.

So…

Let’s give him a bit of a hard time.

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Art…”

『 First Move! (✦ Ice Lotus Bloom ✦)』

I charged at him, my body surrounded by a swirl of ice and violet aura.

I swung my scythe in a wide arc, and in that instant, the ground shattered.

A massive bloom of ice exploded from my scythe, sending shards flying toward Lucas.

CRASH!

The ice clashed with his shield of black flames, exploding into a shower of sharp ice fragments.

He was forced to dodge as the ice ripped through his defenses.

CRACK!

But I was already following through.

SLASH!

I cut through his guard, my scythe leaving a deep gash across his chest.

Blood poured from the wound, but Lucas kept pushing forward. His sword crackled with more power, but—

I didn’t give him time.

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Art…”

『 Second Move! (✦ Ice Lotus Barrage ✦)』

In an instant, I whipped my scythe, and a barrage of ice shards exploded from it, pelting Lucas from all sides.

CLANG!

He blocked some, but many pierced his flesh, leaving him covered in blood, stumbling under the force of my attacks.

“UGH!”

But Lucas wasn’t done.

He charged at me with another flurry of attacks.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

His sword crackled with lightning, each swing leaving a trail of black flames in the air.

But I was ready.

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Art…”

『 Third Move! (✦ Moonlight’s One Flash ✦)』

I moved like lightning, dodging his attacks with ease. My scythe cut through the air with sharp precision as I countered.

SLASH!

Lucas was cut again across his chest, the wound deepening. His body shuddered, but he still fought.

“Not… yet…!”

The holy energy around him flared, and he swung—

But I was already there.

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Art—”

BAAAAM!

His aura suddenly exploded, causing me to fly away.

Plop!

I landed on my feet, gazing at Lucas, whose aura only got stronger.

He looked at me coldly, his golden eyes leaving a trail of black flames.

『 Demon Slaying Sword Art— 』

He uttered in a fast voice.

Fuck…!

I braced myself. But I couldn’t move fast enough.

CRACK!

Before I even had a chance to react, Lucas disappeared in a blur. I barely had time to raise my scythe to defend myself.

BAM!

His fist slammed into my side with the force of a hammer.

I was sent flying across the room, my body crashing into the ice-covered walls with a sickening crunch.

SPURT!

Blood poured from my mouth as I struggled to breathe.

I forced myself to rise, my body shaking from the impact. My violet aura flared around me as I gathered my strength.

“Haaah…”

I breathed heavily.

There it was.

The strength of an SS+ ranker.

“Pftt…”

I spit blood into the ground before my eyes locked onto him.

But Lucas was already on the move.

He dashed toward me, the ground shaking under his feet.

He was faster than me, his movements were too quick for my eyes to track.

His sword came down in a blinding flash.

CLANG!

I blocked it, but the sheer force sent me skidding backward, my feet scraping against the ice.

He wasn’t done.

Lucas didn’t give me a chance to recover.

With a scream of fury, he swung again. This time, his blade was accompanied by a torrent of lightning, crackling through the air.

I could feel the heat from the black flames as they collided with my scythe.

THWACK!

My arms shook violently from the force, but I held my ground.

Barely.

CRACK!

His fist slammed into my stomach with a sickening thud, driving the air from my lungs.

BAM!

Before I could react, another hit sent me spinning in the air, my body crashing into the frozen ground with brutal force.

SPURT!

More blood poured from my mouth as I coughed violently.

I tried to rise, but Lucas was already on top of me. His eyes burned with golden light, rage radiating from every inch of him.

“You wanted to prove something, Aestrea?” Lucas’s voice was cold but fierce.

“Then let me show you what true strength looks like.”

He raised his sword high.

“This is the end.”

In a flash, he was upon me again, his sword coming down with the speed of lightning.

The air cracked under the weight of his power.

SLASH!

The blade cut through the air with terrifying precision. I barely managed to parry the strike with my scythe.

But the impact was too much.

I was sent flying backward, my body crashing into the ice-covered ground again.

SPURT!

More blood spilled from my body.

Then, he stepped forward, his body glowing brighter than ever. His sword crackled with black flames and golden light.

With a swift motion, Lucas swung his sword, cutting through the air like a bolt of lightning.

CRASH!

The force of his strike sent me flying across the room. My body slammed against the ground with a sickening thud.

SPURT!

I could taste blood in my mouth.

My vision was blurring.

Lucas stood above me, the golden aura around him radiating with power.

His sword lowered.

“You lost,” Lucas said, his voice filled with certainty.

“I’m stronger than you now.”

He raised his sword.

“And you’ll never defeat me again.”

“Pfft…”

I couldn’t help it.

I laughed, even as blood dripped from my lips.

“…Only in that temporary form, you’re stronger than me.”

A symbol of a judgment scale appeared in my eyes, glowing faintly.

“And now… the time should be on its end.”

Fwoop!

As soon as I said those words, the aura on his body diminished, and my instincts flared up.

A violent amount of mana and aura gathered in my right hand.

Lucas’s eyes went wide. He was too stunned to move.

I didn’t waste time.

BAAAM!

With every ounce of strength I had left, I slammed my fist into his solar plexus.

“KAUGHH!”

The sound of his body hitting my fist was sickening. Blood and saliva shot from his mouth, his face contorting in pain as his body was sent flying backward.

THUD!

He slammed into the academy wall with such force that cracks spread across the reinforced stone.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself as my bloodied lips curled into a small, almost mocking smile.

“…You’re barely passable.”

I wiped my bloodied lips.

“But, it should be enough.”

Even though I didn’t use Lumi’s abilities.

He should be strong enough.

At least, when he activates the Limit Breaker ability.

I brushed my hair back, sighing softly.

My eyes scanned the room, landing on the others who were still scattered on the floor, broken and barely conscious.

Fear radiated from them like an invisible cloud.

I stepped forward, slowly.

And I saw them flinch, just a little.

It was almost like I could feel their fear.

Gosh…

I did it again.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep