The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the battlegrounds of Silverleaf Academy.

The air was thick with heat and dust, the ground stained with the sweat of countless students.

But amidst it all, one figure stood out.

Aestrea.

His muscles tensed as he swung the dark, massive scythe through the air.

SWISH!

The blade cut through the air with a sharp whistle, striking the dummy with a sickening thud. The impact echoed across the training grounds.

THUD!

Another swing.

Aestrea’s feet shifted, his body flowing seamlessly from one movement to the next.

SWOOSH!

He spun, the scythe cutting a wide arc in the air.

His foot dug into the dirt as he pivoted, launching the weapon at the dummy with more force. The dummy groaned under the assault, its sturdy frame splintering in places.

CRACK!

Another hit, this time with a powerful thrust, and the dummy shook violently.

THUD!

Derek and James stood off to the side, watching in silence.

Both of them had seen Aestrea train before, but today… today was different.

The intensity in his eyes, the pure focus, the way he attacked the dummy like it was his last chance… it was unlike anything they’d ever seen.

“He’s really going at it today,” Derek muttered, crossing his arms.

James, hanging a spear on his shoulder, nodded.

“I’ve never seen him this… desperate. He’s pushing himself too hard.”

SWISH!

THWACK!

James watched silently, a frown forming on his face.

“I get that he wants to get stronger… but… this? It’s like he’s trying to break himself.”

Derek grunted.

“I don’t know. Maybe something’s eating at him. But I’ve never seen him so… animalistic before. He’s trying to get stronger faster than anyone else.”

Aestrea’s movements slowed for a moment, his breath heavy as he took a step back. He wiped the sweat from his brow and closed his eyes for a brief second.

“Fuuu… I need to be faster, much faster!”

His eyes snapped open.

The ground around him seemed to grow colder.

CRACKLE!

He lifted his free hand and slammed it forward.

In a flash, the air around him began to crackle with icy energy.

『 Ice Generation! (✦ 1st-level Spell ✦) 』

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

『 Ice Series: Frost Spikes! (✦ 3rd-level Spell ✦) 』

『 Ice Series: Frost Barrage! (✦ 3rd-level Spell ✦) 』

Aestrea didn’t hesitate—he let loose a storm of spells.

Ice rained down on the dummy from every angle, each one carefully aimed, spinning around it like a deadly whirlwind.

SHRIEK!

BAM!

CRASH!

The dummy was bombarded from all sides, each icy blast hitting with perfect timing, an explosion of frost and shards.

Ice gathered in midair, freezing the surrounding ground, but not one of the blasts hit the others.

But the most shocking thing was that each spell was thoroughly worked on, designed to hit at the perfect moment, along with the other spells.

BOOM!

The dummy was completely covered in ice, frozen in place, its form nearly unrecognizable.

“Hagh… fu… agh…”

Aestrea’s breathing was heavy, his chest rising and falling quickly as he stared at the destroyed figure.

Derek blinked in disbelief.

“Did… all the spells just… explode at the same time?”

James looked at the frozen remains of the dummy and swallowed hard.

“Yes, they did… just at the perfect moment.”

They watched as Aestrea stepped back, his eyes still fixed on the ice-coated dummy.

He didn’t seem satisfied.

No.

He wasn’t even close to being satisfied.

“Fuck…”

Aestrea let out a resigned sigh.

But then, he felt a pair of eyes on his body, and turned around.

His grip on the scythe loosened for a moment, noticing that it was James and Derek who were watching him, standing at the edge of the battleground.

He shook his head slightly and then, as if an idea suddenly struck him, waved his hand in a casual gesture.

“Yo!”

James and Derek looked at each other, then smiled and walked over.

“You never stop, do you?” James said with a grin, wiping sweat off his forehead.

“Yeah, we saw what you were doing… But hey, why are you so worked up today?” Derek laughed lightly.

Aestrea tilted his head, having a pretty much nonchalant look.

He shrugged like it was no big deal, but his eyes still glowed with intensity.

“Just training. Nothing special.”

James raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing special, huh?” He looked at Derek.

“You’re really pushing yourself today. Don’t you think it’s too much?”

Aestrea’s gaze shifted for a second, then he looked back at them, speaking casually.

“I have my reasons. You guys don’t have to worry about it.”

Derek laughed, crossing his arms.

“We know you always train hard, but this? This is different. It’s like you’re in a hurry.”

Aestrea smirked, not saying anything about what Derek said.

“Doesn’t matter,” he muttered, changing the topic.

“How about a spar?”

James blinked, surprised.

“A spar? You want both of us to fight you?”

“Yeah.”

Aestrea said, his smile getting a little bigger.

“What, scared?”

Derek chuckled, shaking his head.

“Scared of you? Please, you should be worried about yourself.”

James laughed and shook his head.

“I’m up for it, Aestrea, but no holding back, okay?”

Aestrea grinned slightly.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Let’s see if you can keep up.”

Derek and James exchanged another look, both of them smiling.

“Alright, you’re on.”

“And of course… the spar should be at the arena.”

Derek added with a sly smirk.

Aestrea shook his head at his words.

“Anywhere you want.”

—

At the main arena of the academy…

The crowd was buzzing with excitement. The announcer’s voice echoed through the air, booming across the large space.

“On one side, we have Derek and James, the twin brothers who’ve always managed to be in the top ten of the entire academy!” The crowd erupted into cheers, their claps thunderous.

“JAMES! DEREK!”

They shouted in unison, the stands shaking with their collective energy. Some fans even waved banners with the brothers’ names.

“And on the other side… the Moonlight Swordsman, Aestrea Moon, who’s always been number one in our lovely academy!”

The crowd went absolutely wild, a wave of roaring cheers filling the space.

“AESTREA!”

“AESTREA!”

They screamed, stomping their feet and clapping in sync, as if to shake the very ground beneath them.

They even started singing, and cheerleaders even popped out.

Some of the students even whistled and shouted out:

“MOONLIGHT SWORDSMAN!”

While others raised their hands in excitement.

Derek and James exchanged a glance, their faces barely showing any emotion, but the slightest sigh escaped James.

“Aestrea’s as popular as always,” he murmured, rolling his eyes playfully.

Derek chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

“Doesn’t help that we’re constantly compared to him,” he added.

They looked forward and saw Aestrea waving at the crowd with a faint smile.

“AHEM!”

The announcer cleared his throat, ready to explain the rules.

“This spar will be a friendly match, but both teams are to give it their all. No serious injuries, understood?” He paused as the crowd murmured in agreement.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Maria and Mia were seated together, looking at the arena.

Maria leaned forward, a grin on her face. “I think Aestrea’s going to win. No doubt about it. He’s been at the top since forever.”

Mia nodded, but there was a slight glint of doubt in her eyes.

“True, but Derek and James are also no joke. They had the ones always been the closest behind him. If anyone can beat him, it’s probably them.”

Maria laughed lightly.

“You really think they can take him down? Aestrea’s skills are on a whole different level. Did you forget that Aestrea supposedly beat down an Archdemon?”

Mia shrugged lightly, but her eyes remained on the arena.

“I’m just being realistic, James and Derek are strong A-level awakeners now! Besides, we’ll see, won’t we?”

Maria sighed, shaking her head, and then turned to the arena.

Fwip!

A completely black scythe materialized in Aestrea’s hands.

At the same time, James took a stance with his spear while Derek took out a pair of axes, both of them locking their eyes on Aestrea’s figure.

“Now… MAY THE DUEL BEGIN!”

The announcer shouted loudly, grabbing the microphone tightly.

FWOOP!—

Both Derek and James vanished in Aestrea’s direction.

At this, Aestrea cracked his neck slightly as a faint judgment symbol appeared in his glowing red eyes.

『 Judgement Eye (✦ S+ Level Skill ✦) 』

‘I’ll try to hold back a little so I won’t end up killing them…’

‘Both of them are earth users… but now, unlike a few months ago, they are using weapons… This might be a little interesting…’

Aestrea raised the scythe high, but before he could make his move, he saw James and Derek’s bodies shift, their hands pulling up the earth beneath them.

『 Earth Series: Earth Spikes! (✦ 3rd-Level Spell ✦)』

『 Earth Series: Mud Trap! (✦ 3rd-Level Spell ✦)』

A burst of spikes shot from the ground in a jagged line towards Aestrea, and the ground beneath him shifted into sticky, slippery mud, trying to trap him.

Squesh!

The sound of heavy, squelching steps echoed in Aestrea’s ears as the mud started to grab at his feet.

Instantly, with a powerful leap, he pushed off the ground, his boots barely leaving a trace before he soared backward, just out of reach.

WHOOOSH!

His scythe swung down, slicing the air as he landed, narrowly avoiding the spikes as they shot up where he had been standing moments ago.

SPLIT!

CLANG!

Derek swung one of his axes toward Aestrea’s side, aiming for his ribs.

Aestrea twisted, his scythe snapping in a counter-attack that clashed against the axe with a sharp clang.

Then, he quickly spun, bringing the scythe down in a wide arc, narrowly missing Derek’s head as he ducked and rolled to the side.

James was already back on the move, charging in with his spear raised, aiming for Aestrea’s midsection.

The sound of his boots thumping against the earth could be heard.

BANG!

CLANK

Aestrea sidestepped, spinning on his heel and throwing out his scythe in a quick, precise slash toward James’ spear.

The two weapons collided with a loud clank, sparks flying as the force sent James stumbling back.

“You’re not getting away that easily!”

Derek growled, charging in once more, swinging both axes with brutal force.

However, at that time, Aestrea dropped his scythe on the ground, and lowered himself low dodging beneath Derek’s axes.

Then, he smiled.

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Art Combat Variant…”

『 Frostbound Arcana! (✦ Flash Freeze Counter ✦) 』

Aestrea vanished and, in an instant, appeared right before Derek, slamming his fist strongly against his solar plexus.

BAM!

“HAUGH!”

Derek was sent flying, saliva mixed with blood escaping his lips as he gritted his teeth before raising an earth wall to stop himself from flying.

However, Aestrea had followed him, lashing out with his scythe.

Fwip!

Fortunately, Derek quickly raised one of his axes in a desperate block, the scythe clashing against it with a sickening crack, sparks flying from the contact.

The crowd roared with excitement.

Maria leaned forward in her seat with widened eyes.

“They’re actually keeping up with him,” she murmured, clearly impressed.

Mia, beside her, nodded slowly.

“Yeah… but Aestrea didn’t use his ice element yet…”

Back in the arena, Aestrea’s eyes glinted, a small smile tugging at his lips.

‘They’re much better than I thought they would.’

‘Maybe… I should shift the gears a little…’

Fwoop.

A bland noise of him vanishing.

Except for the smoke that appeared as Aestrea’s vanished, no other sound echoed out.

Derek’s eyes widened.

Then, as he blinked, a scythe came down, the whoosh of the air just barely heard as it sliced toward Derek’s unguarded side.

CLANG!

But James was there, intercepting the strike at the last second with his spear, the metal screeching as they collided.

“Oh? That was a good block.” Aestrea smiled, taking a few steps back.

At that moment, both James and Derek exchanged glances.

“…Aestrea, what we are going to use now is a secret technique that we’ve been training for a while.” James began, dropping his spear on the ground.

“So… be grateful that you are going to be the first opponent we’re going to use this technique against.” Derek added.

At that moment, both of them turned to each other.

Their eyes strangely started to shine as they uttered loudly.

“Ashford’s Family Secret Twin Technique…”

『 Fusion 』

BAAAM!

A cloud of smoke erupted.

Crackle…!

And the sound of lightning crackling made the cloud disappear.

There, a strange man appeared as both James and Derek had completely disappeared from Aestrea’s sight.

“Fuck…”

Aestrea smiled widely.

“Now… this is something really interesting…” He gripped his scythe tightly, licking his lips quietly as his stance shifted slightly.

Derek and James had fused with each other.

Creating a stronger, more perfect body.

To defeat their enemy.

“Prepare yourself, Aestrea.”

The fusion of them raised his hand, and a double-headed axe appeared in his hand.

“Because we’re going to win.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep