“Bam! You’re dead now.”

The moment I opened my eyes, Eleonora’s teasing voice greeted me.

I groaned.

“…Agh, that hurts.”

Blinking, I reached up, rubbing my aching forehead.

A dull throb pulsed where she had flicked me.

Eleonora stood above me, arms crossed, a smug grin on her lips.

“You really thought you could break through my mana pressure just by pushing harder?” She clicked her tongue, shaking her head.

“Aestrea, brute force isn’t always the answer. You were wasting energy the entire time.”

I exhaled sharply, sitting up.

“I wasn’t just pushing harder—I was trying to outmaneuver you.”

“And that’s the problem,” she said, crouching beside me.

“Your movement was predictable. You relied too much on speed and direct attacks, thinking you could overwhelm me. But I barely needed to move.”

I frowned.

“You did move.”

“Only when I felt like it,” she shot back.

“I never needed to dodge seriously. Your attacks were strong, but they didn’t force me into a bad position. That’s why I could counter you so easily.”

She wasn’t entirely wrong.

“You have talent, Aestrea, but talent alone won’t carry you.” She tapped my forehead again—gently this time.

“Besides, now you’ve gotten used to fighting against weaker opponents, and because of that, your brute force always ends up working. But against a stronger opponent, that brute force won’t work at all, only technique and the way you use your brain.”

“You need to refine your instincts. Every attack should have a purpose. Every movement should put pressure on your opponent, not just throw punches and hope something lands.”

I thought I was doing pretty well.

But thinking back, I always fought like how Aestrea used to fight.

And every time, it was against a weaker opponent.

Not to mention that my combat style is weapon-based, so I don’t exactly have much experience in hand-to-hand combat.

“Haa…”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

“So what do I do?”

She smirked.

“You fight me again, of course.”

I blinked.

“Already?”

“Unless you’d rather sit there sulking?”

I shot to my feet.

“Like hell I would.”

Eleonora chuckled, stepping back and stretching her arms.

“Good. But this time, don’t just attack blindly. Think. Watch my movements. Read my mana flow. And most importantly…”

Her light blue eyes gleamed.

“Surprise me.”

I took a deep breath, rolling my shoulders.

If she wanted me to fight smarter, I’d fight smarter.

I took my stance.

Eleonora smirked, then—

FWOOOSH!

She vanished.

I barely had time to react before—

BANG!

Something slammed into my side.

“Kh—!”

The force sent me skidding across the floor, my feet struggling to find grip. I dug my heels in, stopping myself just before crashing into the far wall.

My ribs ached where she struck me, but I didn’t have time to complain.

She’s faster than before.

I snapped my head up, scanning for her—

Too late.

THWAP!

A sharp blow landed on my shoulder from behind. My body twisted involuntarily from the impact, and I swung out with my arm, trying to hit her back—

Nothing.

She was already gone.

“Tsk, tsk~” Her voice echoed from somewhere above.

“You’re still reacting too late, Aestrea. Just trust your instincts.”

I clenched my jaw.

Calm yourself, Aestrea…

Remember…

Mana is the energy that flows through the entire planet…

I exhaled, calming my mind.

Instead of chasing her, I spread my mana outward, letting it flow through my body and sharpen my senses.

Watch the mana.

Feel the movement.

There—

A flicker of energy to my left.

I pivoted—just as she appeared, her fist already swinging toward my gut.

WHAM!

I barely managed to block with my forearm, but the impact sent a shockwave through my body. My feet scraped against the ground as I was pushed back.

Her light blue eyes widened slightly.

“Oho? You blocked that?”

I smiled faintly.

“Lucky.”

“Good.”

She stepped in again, twisting her body, aiming a high kick at my head.

SWISH!

I ducked just in time, feeling the wind from her leg as it passed inches above me. Without missing a beat, I countered—

BOOM!

A burst of icy mana exploded from my palm, freezing the air around us instantly.

Crystals of frost spread outward, coating the floor and walls in shimmering blue.

Eleonora clicked her tongue, making me smirk.

She exhaled sharply, her breath turning to mist in the sudden cold.

Then, with nothing but a flick of her fingers—

CRACK!

The ice shattered.

My eyes widened.

Shit, I almost forgot that her mana control is simply too terryfying.

Before I could react, she moved—

FWOOOSH!

I saw the flicker of mana—her figure appearing just inches away.

She’s fast—!

Her knee shot up—

BAM!

A direct hit to my stomach.

“Guh—!”

Air left my lungs as my body lifted off the ground from the impact. My vision blurred for a second, but I forced myself to recover.

Don’t fall.

I twisted midair, channeling ice beneath me—

FWIP!

The moment my foot touched the ground, I reinforced it with mana, stopping my fall.

Eleonora raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

I didn’t give her time to prepare.

CRACK!

Jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground, launching toward her.

She clicked her tongue, raising her hand—

BOOM!

A pulse of raw mana burst outward, shattering the spikes before they could reach her.

I didn’t stop.

I lunged forward, my fist encased in a swirling storm of frost.

WHAM!

I aimed straight for her chest—

But—

SWISH!

She sidestepped effortlessly.

Shit—!

I felt a presence behind me.

I spun around—

TOO LATE.

BAM!

Her palm struck the back of my neck, and before I knew it—

THUD!

I was on the ground, gasping for air.

Eleonora stood over me, arms crossed, smirking.

“Dead again.”

I groaned.

“Dammit…”

She crouched, resting her elbow on her knee, watching me struggle.

“Better this time. But you’re still letting me control the flow of the fight.”

I clenched my fists.

She was right.

Again.

“But,” she continued, tilting her head, “you did manage to get me to move more than last time.”

I glanced up.

There was a thin line of frost on her sleeve.

A grin tugged at my lips.

She noticed, following my gaze.

Then, she chuckled.

“Oh? You think that’s enough to count as a win?”

I smirked.

“Didn’t you say I needed to surprise you?”

Eleonora smiled, shaking her head.

“You really don’t give up, huh?”

I pushed myself up, breathing hard but determined.

“Not a chance.”

She laughed softly, standing up.

Then, she stretched her arms, rolling her shoulders.

“Good.”

She raised her fists again.

“One more round.”

Alright.

I lowered my center of gravity, keeping my weight balanced.

No unnecessary movements.

No wasted energy.

I have to get a clean hit this time.

Eleonora made the first move.

FWOOOSH!

She blurred toward me, her mana pressure slamming against my body like a tidal wave.

I clenched my teeth—ignore it.

She threw a lightning-fast jab at my ribs—

SWISH!

I barely managed to twist my body out of the way, feeling the wind from her punch rush past me.

She’s testing me.

She followed up immediately, her knee snapping toward my stomach—

I stepped back just in time—

But she was already spinning.

WHAM!

Her elbow crashed into my shoulder, sending me stumbling back.

“Fuck!”

I barely kept my balance, but she wasn’t done.

She dashed forward—faster than before.

I saw her arm move—another strike aimed at my stomach.

I see it.

I inhaled sharply.

NOW!

I twisted my body at the last second—just enough to avoid the brunt of the impact.

Her fist grazed past my ribs—

And in that instant—

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Combat Style Variant…”

『 Frost Bound Arcana! (✦ Flash Freeze Counter ✦)』

I countered.

BOOM!

My fist shot forward, aiming straight for her chest.

I felt it—

A clean hit.

Right against her—

…

Wait.

Something felt off.

Her light blue eyes widened slightly, and then—

FWOOM!

Everything around me froze.

Not physically—

But like it was time itself.

I blinked.

Or at least, I tried to blink.

My body wouldn’t move.

My mind raced—what the hell just happened?

And then—

THUMP.

I felt warmth against my palm.

The soft, undeniable sensation of—

…

Oh.

My fingers were sinking into something warm.

Something… large.

Something… very, very soft.

A cold chill ran down my spine.

I didn’t dare look down.

But I didn’t have to.

I knew exactly what my hand was touching.

Right in the center of Eleonora’s massive, barely-contained—

“Hoh…?”

Her voice purred through the frozen time.

I swallowed hard.

Shit.

The glow in her light blue eyes pulsed.

Then, time resumed.

BOOM!

A sudden force blasted me backward, sending me flying through the air.

“GAAAH—!”

I barely had time to react before I crashed—THUD!—into the far wall, cracking it from the impact.

“Kh—!”

Dust and debris rained down around me as I gasped for air.

My entire body ached.

My nerves screamed.

What the hell was that?!

I looked up—

Eleonora stood where I had just been, arms crossed, an unreadable smirk on her lips.

Her light blue eyes still glowed faintly, though they were slowly dimming.

She let out a small hum.

“Interesting counter,” she mused, tilting her head.

I quickly pushed myself up, wiping the dust from my face.

As I did so, Eleonora tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“You did manage to land a solid hit, so I suppose that counts as progress…”

Her gaze lowered slightly—to where my hand had been just moments ago.

“Ahhh~” She let out a dramatic sigh, placing a hand on her hip.

“That sensation was… quite comfortable indeed~”

Her tongue darted out, running along her lower lip, her narrowed eyes watching me like a predator eyeing wounded prey.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Do you want me to touch them again?”

The second the words left my mouth, her smirk widened.

“Hmm… next time for sure.” She waved a hand dismissively, but the mischievous gleam in her eyes told me she was far from uninterested.

Then, her tone shifted.

“But let’s talk about your actual mistakes.”

I nodded.

She stepped forward, her posture shifting back into something more serious.

“Your counter just now was good. You read my movements well and acted immediately. But…”

Her eyes narrowed.

“You hesitated just enough for me to hit you back.”

Listening to her words, I frowned.

“…What you did to block my counter… what exactly was that?”

Eleonora blinked.

For the first time, a genuine look of surprise flickered across her face.

“Y-you… actually saw that?”

Her voice lost its usual confidence, turning into something more… speechless.

I tilted my head.

“Yeah…? Wasn’t I supposed to see it?”

I tilted my head.

Her light blue eyes widened slightly.

“N-no… not really.” She shook her head quickly, composing herself.

Then, she took a breath and explained:

“What I did just now is something only I can do for now—manipulating the laws of time itself through mana.”

She crossed her arms.

“I stopped time for a few seconds to dodge your blow. It was purely instinct, but…” Her gaze locked onto mine.

“I can’t believe you actually felt me stopping time.”

I kept my expression neutral.

“Huh… really?” I faked a surprised tone.

Of course, I wouldn’t tell her my second element was Time itself.

Eleonora stared at me for a moment longer before shaking her head.

“Not even a 9th-level mage has ever sensed it before… but you did.”

Curiosity flashed in her eyes, but she didn’t press further.

Instead, she furrowed her brows.

“Anyways…”

She took a step forward.

“You’re relying too much on reading the fight instead of feeling it,” she continued.

“A good fighter reacts without thinking. You’re still caught in that split-second moment of decision-making. I told you to follow your instincts, remember?”

Her words sunk in.

I clenched my fists, but not out of frustration.

Excitement burned in my veins.

I had just felt something that was very useful to me.

A clue about my Time element.

And I wouldn’t waste this opportunity.

I exhaled slowly, meeting Eleonora’s sharp gaze.

“Let’s go again!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep