Chapter 9: Painting of Mount Lunaria
"BEGIN!" August's voice echoed throughout the arena.
Kael immediately lunged forward with his giant hammer swinging high. His movement speed was surprising for someone with such a large build. The arena floor shook hard when his feet landed, and the air hissed as the large hammer cut through space.
But Sirius was no longer there.
Sirius's sword sheath struck Kael's back hard. The large young man stumbled forward, nearly losing his balance.
"Too slow," Sirius said while already moving to Kael's right side. "Are you sure that's a hammer, not a walking stick for old men?"
Kael spun around furiously, swinging his hammer in a wide horizontal motion. The wind from that swing was so strong that some spectators in the front rows felt the air rush.
Sirius jumped back gracefully, his feet barely touching the ground. "Oh right, you can indeed swing a big hammer. But can you hit anything with that hammer?"
"SHUT UP!" Kael slammed his hammer to the ground. The entire arena shook, and small cracks appeared around the impact point.
"I'll destroy you!" Kael lunged again, this time with a series of faster and more coordinated attacks. The hammer moved in complex patterns - horizontal, vertical, diagonal, trying to corner Sirius.
But every attack missed. Sirius moved like a shadow, flowing between those attacks with movements almost invisible to the eye. Occasionally he counterattacked with his sword sheath, striking Kael's ribs, back, or shoulders.
"You know," Sirius said while dodging a vertical swing that created a small crater in the arena floor, "I'm starting to feel sorry for your hammer. That poor thing has to work hard but never hits its target."
Three quick strikes from the sword sheath hit Kael's stomach, chest, and face within less than two seconds.
In the spectator seats, the prospective students began whispering in disbelieving tones.
"My god... Kael can't even touch him," Mikhail said with sparkling eyes. "The speed difference between them is like heaven and earth."
Aeris nodded while observing Sirius's movements. "It's not just about speed. Look at how he moves - every step, every body movement, everything is calculated perfectly. He already knows where Kael will attack before Kael himself decides."
Meanwhile, Sirius's white fox jumped down from the arena gracefully and ran toward the seating area. Its bright blue eyes observed the surroundings before finally choosing to jump into Astrid's lap.
Astrid, the girl who had brutally beaten her opponent earlier, was surprised when the small fox suddenly made itself comfortable in her lap. With movements very contrasting to her brutal nature in the arena earlier, she began stroking the soft white fur gently.
"Hey, you're so cute," Astrid whispered while scratching behind the fox's ears. The small fox closed its eyes comfortably and made a small satisfied sound. "Your master... he's amazing, isn't he?"
Astrid's eyes turned to the arena, observing Sirius who was still toying with Kael. There was something in the way Sirius moved that made her feel... interested. Not just in his strength, but something deeper.
Back in the arena, Kael's frustration had reached its peak. His face was flushed red, sweat was pouring, and his breathing was becoming labored. Meanwhile, Sirius still looked relaxed, not even sweating at all.
"What's wrong, Kael?" Sirius asked while standing several meters from Kael, spinning his sword sheath casually. "Earlier you said you'd crush me. But so far you haven't touched me even once."
"ENOUGH!" Kael screamed with a voice that echoed throughout the arena. "YOU THINK YOU'RE GREAT BECAUSE YOU CAN RUN AROUND LIKE A RAT?!"
Kael's dark brown eyes began changing to grayish brown, and his aura suddenly changed drastically. The ground around his feet began shaking and hardening, forming stone plates that adhered to his body.
"Now I'll show you the true power of an earth mage!" Kael spread his arms. From all corners of the arena, stones began lifting and moving toward his body, attaching and forming thick and solid armor.
Kael's already large build became even more frightening with the stone armor covering his entire body. His hammer was also coated with additional stone, making it twice as large and certainly heavier.
"Not bad," Sirius said while stopping the spinning of his sword sheath. "You finally used magic. I thought you only relied on muscles."
Kael in his stone armor moved slower, but each of his steps made the arena floor crack. When he swung his hammer, the wind generated was much stronger than before.
But Sirius could still dodge easily.
"Still too slow," Sirius said while jumping backward. "Nice armor, but what's the use if you still can't hit your opponent?"
Sirius's sword sheath struck Kael's stone helmet. This time his strike had no effect - the stone armor was too thick and hard.
"HA!" Kael laughed from inside his armor. "Now your little punches are useless! I'll destroy you!"
"Hmm," Sirius observed the stone armor with sharp eyes. "You're right. That armor is quite strong. But..."
Sirius suddenly moved with even higher speed than before. He ran around Kael in circles, each rotation creating swirling wind around them.
Then he began attacking - not at the armor, but at the joints between stone plates. His sword sheath moved like lightning, finding small gaps and attacking with perfect precision.
Within seconds, Sirius had attacked dozens of weak points in Kael's armor. Small cracks began appearing in several parts.
"Impossible..." Kael said in a disbelieving tone. "How could you find the weak points so quickly?"
"Experience," Sirius answered briefly while stepping back.
Kael became increasingly frustrated. He began attacking with wilder and more irregular movements, swinging his hammer in all directions hoping to hit Sirius.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Kael screamed while continuing to attack. Each swing of his hammer created craters or cracks in the arena floor. Dust and stone fragments flew everywhere.
But Sirius remained untouched. He moved between those crazy attacks calmly, occasionally counterattacking at the weak points of Kael's armor.
The spectators began watching intently. This was no longer a fight - this was a one-sided show where Sirius completely dominated.
"Crazy," Fiora murmured while observing Sirius's movements. "I can't even follow his movements with my eyes."
"And he hasn't even drawn his sword yet," Gleen added in an admiring tone. "He's just using the sword sheath to beat up Kael."
August, observing from the arena's edge, began to worry. Kael's mental condition was no longer stable, and he worried the young man would use dangerous techniques.
August's concern proved right.
"FINISHED!" Kael screamed with an echoing voice. He slammed both feet to the ground, and the entire arena shook violently.
From underground, stones began emerging in very large quantities. They gathered around Kael and began forming something much larger than the previous armor.
"Stone Summoning Magic: Giant Golem!" Kael shouted while raising his hammer high.
The stones continued multiplying and enlarging, forming a giant figure almost ten meters tall. Kael was on the golem's right shoulder, controlling it from outside. The golem's eyes glowed with frightening grayish-brown light.
The Titan Golem raised its hand, as large as a big tree trunk, and slammed it toward Sirius. The impact created a small earthquake and a large crater in the arena floor.
The spectators screamed in panic. Some sitting in the front rows began moving backward.
"THIS IS TOO MUCH!" August shouted while raising his staff. "KAEL! STOP NOW!"
But before August could act, Sirius raised his hand with a calm gesture.
"It's alright, Academy Head," Sirius said with a calm voice that was clearly heard throughout the arena. "Your prospective student here is very strong, you know."
August fell silent. There was something in Sirius's tone that made him confident the young man knew what he was doing.
The Titan Golem attacked again, this time with both hands simultaneously. The tremendous impact made the entire arena shake, and dust flew everywhere.
When the dust settled, Sirius was still standing in his place, not moving at all. But now his hand was already on the handle of his sword sheath.
"Enough playing around," Sirius said with a tone that suddenly became very serious. "Don't die in one strike, okay?"
The rectangular box in his hand - which was indeed a sword sheath with a very unique shape - began emitting a dim light blue glow.
"I'll use one slash on that damn golem," Sirius said while slowly drawing his sword. "If you can still stand after that, I'll acknowledge you as a worthy opponent."
The sword that emerged from the rectangular sheath was so beautiful it amazed the entire arena. Its blade was thin and straight, with a light blue color like sparkling ice. Along its blade, there were delicate carvings that glowed with the same light.
"Spring Painting: Mount Lunaria." Sirius said while raising his sword with both hands in a vertical position.
Sirius swung his sword in one simple vertical slash.
What happened next exceeded all the spectators' expectations.
From the tip of Sirius's sword, a gentle light blue glow began spreading. But this wasn't just light - this was a complete world, a three-dimensional painting so real and beautiful it took everyone's breath away.
Before them stretched a magnificent mountain, covered in thin mist that sparkled like silk. Trees with fresh light green leaves covered the mountain slopes, and among the foliage, cherry blossoms bloomed with petals falling slowly like pink snow.
Birds with sparkling feathers flew among the trees, creating small trails of glittering light. At the foot of the mountain, a clear lake reflected the bright blue sky, and on its surface, lotus buds bloomed with transparent crystal-like petals.
Most amazing were the magical animals playing within it. Deer with antlers that sparkled like crystal leaped among the trees. Butterflies with transparent wings that gleamed like gems flew in beautiful formations. White rabbits with sparkling eyes played in the green meadow.
The entire painting lived and moved in perfect harmony. Gentle breezes moved the leaves, the lake water rippled softly, and all the animals within moved with captivating grace.
"Beautiful..." Astrid whispered while unconsciously stroking the white fox still in her lap. Her eyes became teary seeing the beauty radiating from Sirius's technique.
"So he really is very strong, huh?" Mikhail could only smile seeing the beauty of the attack disguised as a painting before him.
Aeris, who was usually calm, appeared completely mesmerized. "How is it possible for someone to create something so beautiful with a sword?"
Even August, who was experienced with various types of magic, stood with his mouth slightly open. "Sirius... it seems from now on I'll trust your words," August murmured, remembering Sirius's previous statements.
The beautiful painting of Mount Lunaria continued spreading, enveloping the entire arena with captivating beauty. And in the middle of that beauty, Kael's Titan Golem began to crack.
But these weren't ordinary cracks. The cracks sparkled with the same light as Sirius's painting, as if the beauty was slowly seeping in and replacing the harshness and anger that formed the golem.
"No... impossible..." Kael's voice was heard from the golem's shoulder that was beginning to collapse. "How can beauty defeat power?" He could no longer move due to using the golem exhausting all his magic energy and could only surrender to the situation.
"Because true strength isn't about how hard you can hit," Sirius answered with a gentle voice that was clearly heard throughout the arena. "True strength is about how beautifully you can create something in this world."
The Titan Golem finally collapsed completely, and Kael fell to the arena floor. His stone armor had shattered into pieces, and he lay unconscious.
The Mount Lunaria painting slowly faded, leaving the arena back to normal. But the impression of that extraordinary beauty still remained in the hearts of everyone who witnessed it.
Sirius put his sword back into the rectangular box-shaped sheath, then walked toward the unconscious Kael.
But before reaching Kael, Sirius stopped. His ice-blue eyes stared sharply at Kael's lying body.
"You once threatened to make my little friend into a coat," Sirius said with a voice that suddenly became cold as ice. "I don't like people who threaten things I care about."
Sirius raised his foot, and with surprising force, he kicked Kael's ribs. The sound of cracking bones was clearly heard throughout the arena.
"SIRIUS!" August shouted, but Sirius had already kicked again.
-CRACK!
This time the kick hit Kael's shoulder, and the sound of breaking bones was heard again.
"You know," Sirius said while preparing a third kick, "I really hate arrogant people. So I think you need a more... thorough lesson."
-CRACK!
The third kick hit Kael's arm. The young man was still unconscious, but his body jerked in pain.
The spectators fell silent in horror. The contrast between the beauty of Sirius's sword technique and the brutality he showed now was stark.
"ENOUGH! STOP!" August rushed toward the arena, but Sirius was already preparing a harder kick.
"He's still breathing," Sirius said in a very calm tone, as if he was just discussing the weather. "So technically, he's still alive. But maybe a few broken bones will make him think twice before threatening innocent creatures."
Sirius raised his foot for the final kick, which seemed like it would hit Kael's head.
August had almost reached them when...
"Stop, Sirius."
Astrid's voice echoed in the arena. The girl stood from her seat while carrying Sirius's white fox.
"That's enough," Astrid said with a firm voice. "He's already defeated. No need to kill him."
Sirius looked at Astrid with eyes still cold, but slowly the raised foot came down again.
"You're right," Sirius said while walking toward Astrid.
He took his white fox from Astrid's lap gently. "Thank you for taking care of him."
Astrid nodded while still observing Sirius with eyes that were hard to read. There was something about the young man that made her feel... interested and slightly afraid at the same time.
August finally reached Kael and immediately checked his condition. "Medical team! Quickly!"
He looked at Sirius with concern. "You went too far, Sirius. This is an entrance test, not a real battle."
"He threatened my friend," Sirius answered in a still calm tone. "I just made sure he won't repeat it again."
August shook his head while helping the medical team lift Kael. "We'll discuss this later. Now... winner of the seventh match, Sirius!"
The applause heard in the arena was somewhat hesitant. The spectators were still mesmerized by the beauty of Sirius's technique, but also somewhat horrified by the cruelty he showed at the end.
Sirius walked out of the arena casually, his white fox perched on his shoulder. A few steps later, he disappeared from view, leaving the arena still silent in a mixture of admiration and fear.
The prospective students exchanged glances. They all knew one thing: Sirius wasn't just strong, but also very dangerous. And most frightening was how he could switch from total beauty to total cruelty in just seconds.
"Crazy," Mikhail whispered while playing with his silver ring. "I found another new friend..."
"Turns out we just met a monster disguised as a human," Aeris completed while observing the bloodstain on the arena floor where Kael had been lying.
In her seat, Astrid still stared toward where Sirius had disappeared. Her fingers could still feel the softness of the white fox's fur, and her eyes could still see the beauty of Mount Lunaria radiating from Sirius's sword technique.
"Interesting," she murmured while smiling thinly. "Very interesting."