Chapter 390: Chapter 390 – Splitting Shadows!!

The training grounds of Arcadia Academy soon grew far more lively than they had been only moments earlier.

What had begun as a quiet morning practical test quickly began to draw attention from the students who had been training nearby. The wide courtyard, paved with enchanted stone meant to withstand magical combat, echoed faintly with the movement of mana as the test began.

At the center of the field stood Sylthara, her posture tense but steady as she faced the shimmering figures created by Professor Seraphina’s magic.

The water silhouettes shifted fluidly before her, their forms vaguely human but constantly moving, as though their bodies were nothing more than living currents held together by mana.

The atmosphere was thick with anticipation.

Then the first water silhouette moved.

It lunged forward in a swift motion, its arm shaping into a blade-like edge of hardened water as it slashed toward Sylthara’s side.

Sylthara reacted instantly.

Her twin daggers flashed into motion, the dark metal glinting under the sunlight as she twisted her body aside and struck back with a clean diagonal cut.

A pulse of dark elemental energy surged through her blade.

The water silhouette split apart under the strike—

But instead of collapsing, the severed halves rippled and reshaped.

In an instant, the divided water gathered again.

Two silhouettes became four.

Sylthara’s ears flicked sharply.

The next wave came immediately.

One silhouette struck low while another moved from the side, their movements coordinated as though guided by a single mind. Sylthara leapt backward, spinning midair before landing lightly on her feet as her daggers carved through another figure.

Water exploded outward.

But once again—

The broken form divided.

Now six silhouettes stood before her.

Sylthara’s brows knit slightly as she darted forward again, her movements quick and predatory as her dark mana spread along her daggers like shadows dancing along the blade.

She struck one.

Then another.

Each time her blades tore through the water bodies with precise lethal movements.

But each time—

They multiplied.

The silhouettes flowed apart and reshaped themselves, forming more and more opponents that slowly began surrounding her.

From the edges of the courtyard, students who had been practicing their own techniques gradually stopped what they were doing.

Curiosity spread quickly.

Small groups began gathering.

“What’s going on over there?”

“Is that a test?”

“Wait… who’s that fighting?”

Some of the students squinted toward the center of the arena.

One of them tilted his head slightly.

“Is she… an elf?”

Another frowned.

“But why does she look like that?”

Sylthara’s ashen silver hair and dark skin with dark aura gave her an appearance different from the elves most students were familiar with.

Just then someone else’s gaze drifted toward the group standing near the edge of the arena.

Recognition struck immediately.

“Hey… look over there.”

Several heads turned.

“Isn’t that Luca Valentine?”

A murmur of recognition spread instantly.

“Wait—you’re right.”

“Even in the holidays he did not stop causing trouble and moving from here and there.”

“The one who cleared the forgeheart crucible.”

“Then that must be the dark elf that’s been seen with him…”

The gathered students began watching the fight even more closely now, whispers spreading through the crowd as curiosity grew.

At the edge of the field, Luca and his friends stood quietly observing the battle.

Sylthara continued moving through the growing cluster of water silhouettes, her daggers flashing again and again as she cut through the figures with ruthless precision.

But even as she fought, the problem remained obvious.

Every time she destroyed one—

More appeared.

Her movements began slowing slightly as the silhouettes surrounded her from multiple directions.

Kyle leaned forward slightly, watching the flow of combat with sharp interest.

After a moment he shifted closer to Luca and lowered his voice.

With his arms folded thoughtfully across his chest, he spoke quietly beside him.

“So…”

Kyle’s eyes followed Sylthara’s movements carefully as she cut down another silhouette that immediately began reforming.

“How exactly is she supposed to win this?”

The fight in the training courtyard continued to intensify as Sylthara refused to slow down, even while the number of water silhouettes surrounding her steadily increased.

Her movements became faster and sharper, her twin daggers flashing through the air in streaks of dark metal as shadows gathered around her blades. With every step she took, faint traces of dark elemental mana rippled around her form like wisps of smoke carried by the wind.

Instead of retreating, she surged forward again.

One silhouette lunged toward her from the left, its arm transforming into a curved blade of hardened water.

Sylthara twisted aside with fluid precision and slashed through its torso before it could complete the strike. The watery body split instantly under the attack, collapsing into a spray of droplets—

But before the fragments could fully scatter, the divided mass shuddered and reshaped itself.

Two silhouettes formed where one had been.

Sylthara didn’t hesitate.

She dashed through the growing group of enemies, her speed increasing with every passing moment as she began striking them before their forms could fully stabilize. Her daggers moved in a blur, cutting through the watery bodies in rapid succession as she attempted to disrupt their formation entirely.

One slash.

Two.

Three.

Water burst outward again and again across the training field as she tried to dismantle each silhouette the instant it appeared.

For a brief moment it seemed as though her strategy might work.

But even that relentless assault failed to stop the inevitable.

Every divided form simply reformed and multiplied again, as though the water itself refused to remain destroyed.

From the sidelines, Kyle watched the fight with growing fascination, his brows slowly lifting as he leaned closer toward Luca.

“Do you really expect this to be easy?” Luca said calmly as he observed the battlefield.

Kyle tilted his head slightly.

“What do you mean?”

Luca’s crimson eyes remained fixed on Sylthara’s movements as he answered evenly.

“Do you think it’s easy to deal with the magic of an Archmage?”

Kyle blinked once.

Then nodded slowly as realization dawned on him.

“Fair point.”

Just then Aiden, who had been quietly observing the fight with sharp focus, spoke from beside them.

“Still,” he said thoughtfully, “if this is an exam, there must be some way to overcome it.”

Luca and Kyle both glanced at him briefly before nodding.

They knew he was right.

Arcadia Academy’s examinations were never designed to be impossible.

There was always a solution hidden somewhere within the challenge.

Meanwhile, at the center of the field, Sylthara finally slowed to a stop.

She stood in the middle of the training ground as the water silhouettes gradually surrounded her from every direction.

Dozens of shifting figures now circled around her, their bodies rippling as they waited for the next opening to strike.

Sylthara’s breathing had grown heavier after the prolonged exchange, faint strands of silver hair clinging to her forehead as the strain of constant movement began to show.

Her golden eyes moved rapidly.

Back and forth.

Tracking every silhouette surrounding her.

Each movement.

Each shift of water.

Each pulse of mana.

The courtyard had grown almost completely silent now as the watching students leaned forward in anticipation.

A murmur began to spread through the crowd.

“Is she stuck?”

“There are too many of them now…”

“How is she supposed to defeat all of those?”

“Those things just keep multiplying…”

Some students even exchanged doubtful glances.

“That’s Professor Seraphina’s magic.”

“No wonder it’s overwhelming…”

Back in the center of the field, Sylthara slowly turned in place, her sharp golden gaze scanning the battlefield as the water silhouettes tightened their circle around her.

For the first time since the fight had begun—

She stopped attacking.

And simply watched.

For a few tense seconds the courtyard remained completely still as Sylthara stood surrounded on every side, the shifting water silhouettes tightening their circle around her like a living tide preparing to crash inward.

Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as the strain of the battle caught up to her. The daggers in her hands lowered slightly, though she did not loosen her grip on them.

The watching students murmured quietly among themselves, many of them convinced the fight had already been decided.

But Sylthara did not move.

Instead, she slowly closed her eyes.

Her shoulders lowered a fraction as she drew in a deep breath, steadying the rhythm of her breathing and forcing the tension from her body.

For a brief moment, the battlefield fell into a strange calm.

Then—

Her golden eyes opened again.

This time they were no longer searching frantically for answers.

They were focused.

Clear.

A faint ripple of dark elemental mana began to spread outward from her body like a silent wave moving across the ground.

At first it appeared like nothing more than faint shadows stretching beneath her feet.

But within seconds the darkness began to expand.

The shadow spread rapidly across the training field, moving like living ink across the stone floor as it reached toward the surrounding water silhouettes.

Students watching from the edges of the courtyard gasped quietly as the darkness surged forward.

“What is that…?”

“Is that her element?”

Before anyone could fully react, the shadows suddenly rose upward.

Like serpents made of darkness, they coiled around the watery figures surrounding her.

One by one—

Every silhouette was caught.

The shadow element split into countless strands, wrapping around the water bodies and holding them firmly in place.

The flowing figures struggled as the water rippled violently inside the shadow bindings, but Sylthara’s control held them steady.

For the first time since the fight began—

The multiplying silhouettes had been stopped.

A strange deadlock formed across the battlefield.

Water figures trapped within living darkness.

At the edge of the courtyard, Luca’s expression brightened slightly as he watched the scene unfold.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Good,” he murmured under his breath.

Beside him Kyle let out a low whistle, clearly impressed.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

Aiden folded his arms, his sharp gaze following the control Sylthara maintained over the battlefield as a small approving nod escaped him.

Even Elowen, who had been watching with playful amusement until now, allowed a proud smile to appear on her face as she leaned slightly forward.

Sylthara slowly straightened her posture as the shadows continued holding every silhouette in place.

Then she lifted her head and looked directly toward Professor Seraphina.

Seraphina met her gaze calmly.

For a moment the professor said nothing.

Then a small smile appeared on her lips.

Without another word she flicked her fingers lightly.

At once the water silhouettes lost their form.

The figures dissolved instantly into harmless streams of water that scattered across the ground before evaporating into mist.

The shadows binding them faded just as quickly, leaving the training field completely still once more.

Sylthara remained standing at the center of the arena, her breathing still slightly heavy but her posture firm.

Just then hurried footsteps echoed across the courtyard.

The assistant instructor who had been grading the written exam came running toward the training field, holding a stack of papers tightly in his hands.

He stopped beside Seraphina and spoke quickly.

“Professor Seraphina…”

He caught his breath before continuing.

“The exam has been graded.”

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