Levi's halberd dissolved into a mist of grey nanites, which reformed instantly into a katana. His body shook violently as it was covered in nanite armor.
The nanites pulsed violently with a green aura that made everything around him freeze.
"If you are not going to attack, then I will take the honor of attacking first," Levi said. Then he moved. His body trembled violently as lightning spilled from it. Space trembled at an insane frequency. The floor exploded in a burst of flames and magma. Tremors swept past the entire place.
In a flash, Levi appeared before the demon, katana arced diagonally. The demon raised its katana in an attempt to block. But it underestimated the force behind the attack.
As katana struck against each other, the floor beneath the demon blew into rubble. The demon's knees buckled from the sheer might of the attack. A fierce glint appeared in Levi's eyes. He jumped back, creating space between him and the demon. The demon eased when it felt the force release. It got ready to attack, but never saw the attack that was coming from the sky. By the time he noticed, it was too late.
A pillar of light crashed into it. The entire field was devastated by the attack. Trenches several miles deep formed in the field.
The pillar came down like the judgment of an angry god, vaporizing everything in its path. Buildings, the earth, and even space were not spared.
But even after unleashing an attack on this stage, Levi did not revel in victory. He knew the battle was far from over; it barely even started.
From the heart of the explosion, a blade cleaved through, slicing the entire light like it was butter against a hot knife.
The demon stood, unscathed and spotless. He did not linger on discussions, as he split the light, he darted at Levi, breaking the sound barrier.
He reached Levi in an instant, his sword coming down in a graceful arc that threatened to wipe Levi out of existence.
Levi was ready; his sword came down even before the demon's sword reached him. The demon smirked, looking at Levi as an inexperienced warrior who lacked timing.
But Levi merely grinned before realization struck the demon. Several cuts embedded themselves in his body, tearing shallow and deep wounds in all parts of his body.
Levi used the ability of his chronite to attack all versions of an enemy, even without a direct hit.
But the demon did not falter. His sword came down regardless of pain, if he even felt any.
Levi was truly inexperienced when it came to battle. His attack was successful, but he did not account for what would happen if the enemy's attack caught him, and that brief moment of foolishness, he paid for.
The demon's sword connected, cleaving through Levi's arm. Flesh tore like fabric, and blood splattered to the floor in a mess.
Levi stared, confused and unbelieving. Everything had happened in a flash that he could not even process anything. Then, a loud shriek erupted from his mouth as pain shot through his form. The pain was not from the cut, but from the power behind the cut.
The demon had infused the blade with an element unique to paragon demons: chaos. Chaos was a conceptual-level element, something that even endless regeneration could not regrow.
And in addition to its properties, it also amplifies pain to extreme levels.
The demon kicked Levi in the stomach with enough force to send him flying, making him spit blood through his mask.
His body rolled on the floor, covering in his entire body in dust. His nanite armor disintegrated into nothingness as his consciousness began to fade.
Levi could barely open his eyes. The demon walked closer, his steps calm and steady. Unlike Levi, who rushed into battle when the enemy was weak, the demon knew not to underestimate the power of comebacks and last-ditch efforts.
Even Levi, who looked like he would die from blood loss even if he was not immediately killed, was not underestimated.
Levi's eyes flickered closed and open as he looked at the demon who stood above him, katana raised high to end the battle.
A bitter smile formed on his lips. 'Who knew chaos was this painful?' he thought through his agony.
Levi was surprised that even with perfect adaptation, he was still cornered and failed to register the attack.
'Well, I should learn from this, never charge in recklessly. If I should use that, what will Riven say?' He still managed to joke.
The demon brought his sword down in a cataclysmic slash aimed at Levi's neck with one intention: to kill.
But a flash. Levi disappeared from the space.
The floor around erupted into a shockwave that shook the already broken ground.
Levi, who appeared far from the place, stared wide-eyed at the space he had occupied just moments ago.
"Isn't this too strong to kill someone who you can kill with a simple slash?" he muttered. His eyes were barely open, still feeling pain from the earlier attack.
But seeing the scene before him, he could not help but comment.
The demon raised his head slowly and calmly. His expression betrayed shock or surprise. It felt like he had always anticipated an escape.
The demon raised the katana. Flames swirled wildly in his legs as his gaze locked onto Levi.
"Wait, I should also get prepared," Levi said, as if mocking or enjoying the sight of the demon. The pain or feelings about his detached arm did not hold him back. This was the academy exams, and they will surely regrow his arm.
With a thought, nanites stitched, forming a replacement for his arm. That was not all. His mask opened a small hole that stitched back as nanites entered his nose, then, as if a glitch, Levi's frame shivered.
The entire pain dulled instantly. He regained full clarity of the world as all his senses were heightened far beyond normal.
"Ready for a round 2?"
Levi said again, another katana forming in his hand.
Like bullets released, they launched for each other in the same breath.