Compared to the others, Athar remained calm and composed.
At first, he was unsure whether he should volunteer for the spar or not. But after observing how Angelica had handled the previous students, dispatching each with just a few controlled moves, he made up his mind.
Whether he would be chosen or not was left to fate. And fate answered. The moment he raised his hand, Angelica called him out.
Angelica had been defeating every opponent in one or two exchanges and she had been doing it not through her overwhelming strength, but through her razor sharp presence of mind and rich battle experience.
She had not said anything outright, but it was clear, at least to Athar, that she had been deliberately targeting the weakest link in each student's technique. Perhaps it was a subtle lesson, one she expected each student to uncover on their own.
Athar had noticed this pattern. And so, in search of a worthy challenge and a chance to test himself against someone far stronger, he decided to step forward.
He had been sparring regularly with Ryler in recent days, but Ryler simply didn't have the skill or power to push him to his limits anymore.
Now standing in the centre of the hall, Athar calmly drew his sword from the scabbard tied to his waist.
"A sword user," Angelica observed with mild interest. "Then I shall use a sword as well."
With that, a sword appeared in her hand, seemingly from nowhere.
A flicker of surprise crossed Athar's face before he quickly understood. Storage Rings. Tools of immense convenience. It was a luxury reserved for the wealthy and not something Athar could afford. Athar could only dream of owning such a thing.
Athar emptied his mind of all distractions as he sprinted toward Angelica. A flicker of surprise passed through both the crowd and Angelica as like every other student, he had not summoned his beast.
In moments, Athar was upon her, leaping high into the air before bringing his sword down in a vertical slash. Angelica blocked the strike with ease, and Athar landed smoothly, creating distance once again.
Her curiosity was piqued. Unlike the other students, Athar did not recklessly throw everything into his first attack. He was not here to prove a point. He had understood the purpose of this assignment and he was here to learn. And that, coincidentally, was what Angelica was here for. To teach.
He charged again. This time, when their blades met, he did not back down. His strikes came in a flurry, one after another, sharp and relentless.
And it was nothing difficult for Angelica. Angelica did not move a single step. She parried each blow with calm precision, as if she were fending off the wind. It was child's play for her, yet she recognized the intent behind Athar's every movement. He was not just swinging wildly. He was analysing and adapting. Probably trying to find an opening which sadly he was not going to find.
Athar's agility was on full display as after every attack he moved and the changed the direction of his next attack.
Then, she decided it was time to bring this to its natural conclusion. She raised her leg to take a step forward. But that was exactly the moment Athar had been waiting for.
A black mist erupted from his body, engulfing the two of them. The students gasped, within moments, Angelica and Athar were reduced to shifting silhouettes.
Angelica's vision blurred. The mist was not particularly harmful or something that could threaten her, but without using mana, she could not dispel it, and that limitation made things difficult. Athar had chosen his moment well.
If he had activated the mist's corrosive properties, it could have a chance to give him some edge. But he was not that reckless. He was saving that trump card for a real fight, not a training match.
Angelica remained still, one foot still raised, awkwardly frozen in transition. Then, a faint sound brushed her right ear.
She moved instinctively, stepping back just in time for Athar's blade to pass harmlessly in front of her.
"Trying to kill me?" she chuckled. Despite her jest, she was genuinely impressed by Athar's tactics. She could have easily escaped the mist by leaping away, but doing that in front of students would have been… undignified.
She narrowed her eyes, trying to pierce the fog. It wasn't thick enough to blind her completely, but Athar had cleverly concentrated a dense quantity of the mist right around her eyes, severely limiting her vision.
Another whisper of steel slicing through air. Angelica dodged again.
Her patience thinned.
"Time to end things," she muttered.
With a swift slash of her sword, she cut through the mist before her. The air parted, and enough of the haze was dispersed to give her a full view of Athar.
He tried to reinforce the fog, pumping more mist toward her face, but it was too late. Angelica had already moved. In a flash, she crossed the distance between them, her sword raised and aimed at Athar's neck.
Then she felt it, something slithering around her legs.
Her eyes darted downward. A snake—Sarpinash. Though she had not forgotten Athar's beast, she had not expected him to deploy it so strategically.
That moment of distraction was all Athar needed. He lunged and stabbed. His blade aimed for her stomach—fast, clean, decisive.
For any other opponent, the fight would have ended there. But this was Angelica.
At the last second, her sword swept down and deflected the attack. In one fluid motion, she brought her blade low, slipping it between her legs and the coiling serpent. With a flick of her wrist, she flung the snake toward Athar.
Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a flying Sarpinash, Athar instinctively recalled his beast into his mindscape.
But he had no time to recover.
Angelica was already upon him. Her sword arced downward. Athar raised his arms in reflex, but the blade landed softly on his shoulder.
It was over. A clear, clean defeat.
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[Thank you for reading. Rate, Review and Comment on my novel. Also send the power stones]