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The distance between them narrowed. There was barely a meter left between their feet. Their eyes met.
Time felt almost frozen. An invisible game was being played to see which side would make the first move.
Then, Estelle took a step forward. It was a small yet elegant step — like the gentle touch of water meeting the shore. She raised her arms and turned her palms toward Kaelen. Kaelen mirrored her exactly. Their movements were synchronized — the same motion, at the same time… as if they were reflections of each other, like the same wave breaking on opposite sides of a lake.
Suddenly, Estelle twisted her wrists and made a gentle yet powerful push. The move was smooth, but there was serious strength beneath it. Kaelen leaned back almost imperceptibly. Planting his feet firmly, he responded as though directing an invisible wind with his hands. His movements flowed with nature; against Estelle's water-like attack, Kaelen glided like the wind, dispersing her strikes.
A glimmer appeared in Estelle's eyes. She stomped her left foot and spun her body in a circular motion, thrusting her palm toward Kaelen's chest. The move was graceful, yet deadly. But instead of blocking it head-on, Kaelen redirected the force. With a subtle flick of his wrist, he dispersed the impact — as though he had sent the incoming wave toward another shore.
Both attacked, defended, and struck again. Each move was an answer to the other. Each response created a new opening. Between fists and footwork, there was a rhythm — a rhythm of nature itself. Their fight was not about brute strength, but harmony — its essence lay not in resisting force, but in guiding it.
Even as Estelle retreated, her movements remained fluid. She instantly regained her stance, like a dancing water goddess. When she raised her arms and lowered them like waves, dewdrops scattered from the ground and formed small circles around her. Then, suddenly, she crouched, bending her knees to throw Kaelen off balance.
Kaelen, as if he had foreseen the move, stepped aside just in time. Twisting his body, he slipped out of the attack's path. He swung his leg swiftly for a counterattack, but Estelle blocked it with agile precision.
Within seconds, the battle had evolved into more of a dance than a clash. Neither was purely attacking nor purely defending. Every step, every touch, every shift blended together. The mana in the air was dense — it felt like an invisible aura surrounded them. Any of these blows could have seriously injured a normal person — especially someone like Liam, who was watching.
Kaelen's expression was calm yet focused. He blocked Estelle's spinning punch with skill and used her momentum for his own strike. Their fists collided mid-air, sparking light between them. Their skin shimmered with mana.
Finally, Estelle stepped back. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to steady her breathing. Kaelen stood his ground, a faintly mocking smile on his face. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead into the pond, forming small ripples.
"So who's worthy now, bitch?" Kaelen said, his voice laced with both exhaustion and triumph.
Then he raised his right hand and showed his middle finger. His grin widened, his face lighting up with a wicked smirk. Kaelen had been waiting for this moment — even in his previous life.
Estelle's voice slipped into the night like a cold whisper. Her tone was dark as ice, carrying a hint of confusion.
"You… you're dangerous. What's your name?"
A familiar, mocking curve appeared on Kaelen's lips. His eyes locked onto Estelle's as he replied with his usual arrogant tone:
"You're not worthy of knowing my name."
Estelle's expression changed instantly. The cold mask she had worn cracked — replaced by furrowed brows and blazing eyes. Her anger burned like fragments of wounded pride.
"I underestimated you," she hissed.
Suddenly, the air around her thickened. Estelle focused the mana gathering in her body, and with sparks bursting from her palms, she summoned the same magical sword that had obliterated the giant bear moments ago. The steel gleamed ominously in the dark, like a sinister light piercing through the night.
Kaelen turned around. For a moment, he glanced at Olivia and Liam, speaking with an almost playful indifference, as if everything happening were just a game.
"I think it's time we run. Otherwise, we die."
And with that, he turned and bolted. His feet pounded the muddy ground, the wind sweeping his hair back. Olivia and Liam froze for a second, trying to process what was happening. But instinct kicked in, and they began running after him.
"Damn it! Why are you running toward us?" Liam shouted between gasps. "Do you want that crazy woman to kill all of us?"
Kaelen glanced back with another smirk.
"Yeah, it'd be rude to die alone. Besides, I fought for you guys — and you're still being rude, Liam."
Before Liam could respond, Estelle's voice thundered behind them like a storm:
"You! Don't run — get back here!"
Kaelen shouted back without looking, his voice dripping with mockery:
"No thanks! I tend to stay away from women who chase men with swords!"
Olivia and Liam's faces were tense. Estelle was closing the distance with every second. Her red hair whipped in the wind, her eyes gleaming like those of a predator locked onto its prey. Kaelen's sarcastic tone wasn't just infuriating Estelle — it was also driving his teammates crazy. At least, that's how Liam felt.
Then suddenly, an idea struck Liam like lightning.
"Hey Kaelen! I've got an idea!"
Kaelen glanced sideways at him.
"What? Is this one of those ideas that's gonna get me killed?"
"Most likely — but there's also a chance we survive."
Kaelen hesitated, then asked,
"What are the odds we survive?"
"Fifty-fifty."
Liam smiled faintly as he shifted direction slightly.
"What do you mean, fifty-fifty? You mean fifty percent chance of dying and fifty of living?"
Liam's smile faded.
"Fifty-fifty."
Then he yelled quickly,
"Meet me where we first found the bear tracks in the forest!"
Kaelen nodded, then abruptly veered right, darting into the trees. Estelle hesitated for a moment, then locked eyes on Kaelen and gave chase. The silence of the night was broken only by the sound of footsteps and rustling branches.
After a short while, Kaelen looked back — and unfortunately, she was still there. Her red hair blazed in the darkness like fire, every step filled with fury and determination. The gap between them was shrinking fast. At this rate, she would catch him any moment.
"What can I do…" Kaelen thought to himself. His heart pounded in his chest, but there wasn't a trace of panic on his face.
Then it came to him — the fourth method of mana manipulation.
Theoretically, it could still work. He wasn't sure if he had enough mana left in his body to handle it, but he had no other choice.
Either he would take the risk…
Or be caught — and hear the final note of this deadly dance played by Estelle's sword.