Ocirne and Kaedryn arrived at the scene, seeing destruction near the tower. Above it, two circle eights were fighting in a restrained manner, careful not to destroy the city with their movements. One was an elven guard in full-body armor, and the other was an older elf also wearing armor—though without a helmet. That elder was Tailon Zerferith.
Below them, a lower-level battle was taking place between common soldiers ranging from circle five to six.
"Let's go, soldier."
Kaedryn used his nature magic to cause a vibration in the air, generating a wave that disoriented the enemy elves. Taking advantage of that, the corrupted elves attacked with their magic, managing to wound—but not kill—their opponents, as there were healing mages among them.
"Tsk, I need to use more—"
Seeing a shadow approaching from above, Kaedryn moved aside, narrowly avoiding a heavy earth hammer. A tremor shook the entire area. Ocirne stepped behind him to block another attack coming from the rear.
"Spatial Magic: Void Cut."
"Extreme Cold Magic: Magical Freeze."
The cut that would have struck Kaedryn froze in midair. A spatial slash was suspended in the air in an astonishing display. The only thought that crossed Kaedryn's mind was that they needed to keep Ocirne alive—especially because of his immense potential. Victoria, who had launched the attack, whistled when she saw it stopped by the strange elf in front of her.
"Nice defense. Let's see if you can entertain me."
The two charged at each other at high speed. Ocirne formed two ice staffs in his hands, while Victoria used her fingers wrapped in spatial magic to unleash attacks.
On the other side, Kaedryn struggled to defend against Erina's earth hammer. It was unbelievable how that girl could wield something so heavy—something even a circle six would struggle to lift.
'That girl… she'll be difficult.'
The clash between the ice staffs and the spatial blades didn't produce a normal sound—it produced distortion. The air around them seemed to fold with every exchange.
Victoria struck first, her fingers tracing invisible lines that tore through space in thin arcs. Each slash opened small rifts that sucked in air before sealing. Ocirne twisted his body with absurd precision. One staff froze the edge of a rift before it expanded, while the other thrust directly toward her shoulder.
'This elf is impressive.'
She leaned back by mere centimeters, the staff passing so close that a strand of her hair froze and shattered midair. Her eyes lit up with genuine interest for the first time. She slid sideways, disappearing briefly and reappearing above him using spatial movement magic. Two slashes crossed the sky like scissors about to snap shut.
"Let's see you defend this: Cross Execution."
The temperature around Ocirne dropped abruptly.
It wasn't ordinary ice. The space where the cuts were about to close lost movement, as if the air itself had stiffened. The spatial blades slowed—not because of physical obstruction, but because of lost fluidity.
He spun his staffs in a circular motion, shattering the distortions before they fully struck him. Victoria landed midair as if stepping on something invisible. A small smile appeared on her face.
"Better than the last prodigy I fought."
Compared to the previous one—a failure of a prodigy—this one was very different. This time, she would advance without merely testing him. Raising her hand, she summoned magic in the blink of an eye.
The space behind Ocirne opened at an irregular angle, attempting to crush him between two folds. He slammed his staff against the nonexistent sky beneath him, and a wave of cold expanded outward. The fold froze along its edges, cracking like glass exposed to extreme temperature. Fragments of shattered space dissipated like mist.
"Very good… very good…"
She felt that this elf wasn't merely reacting—he was keeping up with everything she did.
"You don't seem very talkative."
"Sorry about that. I concentrate too much when I'm fighting."
She was surprised—not exactly by his answer, but by the awkward expression he made while scratching the back of his head. It seemed he wasn't often praised for his abilities.
Shaking her head, she charged again. He immediately grew serious, taking a defensive stance.
"If that's the case, focus more so I can enjoy this."
Victoria spun and unleashed multiple slashes in sequence—not linear, but crossing—to force a miscalculation.
Ocirne moved forward instead of retreating, entering her range. One staff rose vertically while the other descended diagonally, forming an X of compressed ice. When the blades collided, the extreme cold didn't just block—it slowed the vibration of spatial magic itself.
The impact exploded into fine crystals that cut both of their skin. A scratch appeared on her cheek, and a shallow cut formed on his arm. Below them, the sky seemed divided by invisible lines and suspended trails of ice. Victoria attacked again, this time disappearing entirely from normal sight. Ocirne closed his eyes for half a second.
The cold around him expanded into a small sphere—not to attack, but to sense thermal variation. The instant the space behind him suffered a micro-disturbance, he twisted his body and locked his staff against something invisible. A spatial blade clashed against the ice. The two locked eyes. Even as she pushed with full force, he didn't give up a single inch.
"Spatial comprehension."
Victoria retreated only to unleash a deeper distortion—not a cut, but compression. The air around Ocirne folded inward, trying to crush him from all sides.
The extreme cold responded instinctively. The compressed space began to crystallize. Cracks formed in the invisible pressure itself—yet blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his left staff partially shattered.
"Hey, what's your name?"
Victoria felt the resistance as if she had found someone on her level. Of course she was enjoying it. Her smile widened.
"If you defeat me, I'll tell you."
She opened both hands and traced a long line in the air. Space split vertically like a giant scar descending from the sky. Ocirne took the cut across the chest—but instead of retreating, he advanced.
The cold condensed around his body, forming a dense white layer that wasn't just ice—it was temperature nullifying movement. When the rift tried to slice deeper, it didn't immediately sever him. It slowed. And that only made Victoria more excited.
"If I defeat you? How about joining us when I win? You know, having a prodigy—"
"Sorry, but I can't go out with you. I don't like dating girls."
He lifted his remaining staff and struck the rift itself while Victoria blinked in confusion—not because she felt rejected, since she hadn't meant it that way. But because she realized something. She truly looked at the figure before her.
"Because I'm a girl."
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she noticed it was true—the figure revealing part of her chest beneath the torn clothing. Now revealed as an elf girl, she made a sulking face.
"I know I look like a handsome guy sometimes, but why does everyone always mistake me?"