Chapter 189: Unfinished Duel!
Kayle leveled his blade.
"If that’s the case, then I won’t back down."
The sound of his sword leaving its sheath was sharp. He surged, unlike Kael’s chaotic dark energy.
His mana flowed so smoothly that it seemed like his very body was the embodiment of discipline.
Kael gritted his teeth, gripping his shadowed tungsten sword with trembling hands.
The red glow in his eyes flickered as he rushed forward. With a roar, he swung the heavy blade, sending out another wave of shadow.
Kayle barely moved. He stepped forward with perfect precision.
The single strike of his polished blade sliced cleanly through Kael’s attack, dispersing the dark energy like mist against the morning sun.
"What...?!" Kael’s eyes widened.
Kayle was already upon him. With one clean motion, his blade struck Kael’s side. Blood splattered as Kael was thrown back, his body tumbling across the ground.
"Too slow," Kayle said, his voice calm.
"Raw power without discipline is nothing."
Kael struggled to stand, coughing blood, but his legs shook under him. He swung again, desperate, his sword dragging dark trails through the air.
But each time, Kayle’s blade intercepted with minimal effort, cutting down Kael’s strikes before they could land.
Within moments, Kael was kneeling, his arm trembling as he used the sword just to keep himself upright.
His body was torn with wounds, blood staining his uniform.
The second-year students watching from the sidelines murmured loudly.
"Kael can’t win..."
"Kayle’s on another level."
"This is over."
But Jin and Veyla had already moved.
Running from the edge of the Ground One swiftly.
Veyla followed right behind, her hands glowing faintly with pale green light.
"Kael!" Jin shouted, stepping between him and Kayle. "You’ve done enough. Leave this to me."
"Heyyy you stupid face", Jin said to Kayle.
"I am not his friend but I can’t let the first year be humiliated like this"
"Then you shall taste my sword too", Kayle said.
Veyla knelt by Kael without hesitation, pressing her glowing hands against his chest.
Warmth spread through his battered body, closing wounds and slowing the bleeding.
"Don’t push yourself any further. You’ll die if you keep going."
Kael wanted to argue, but when he tried to speak, blood caught in his throat.
His body had already gone beyond its limits. All he could do was grip his sword weakly, watching as Jin stepped forward.
Kayle Virehart regarded Jin with narrowed eyes.
The clash was immediate. Jin charged in with blistering speed.
Unlike Kael’s raw power, Jin’s movements were precise.
He wasn’t reckless, he matched Kayle’s strikes with fluid counters.
Kael, half-conscious, watched from the ground as Veyla continued healing him. He watch the fight between Kayle and Jin.
Kayle’s blade sliced through the air with elegance, but Jin parried each one with grit and force.
Sparks flew.
The ground shook beneath their feet as mana clashed with mana, discipline against determination.
For the first time, Kayle’s expression shifted. His calm narrowed into slight annoyance.
"You’re not bad," Kayle admitted, driving his sword forward in a piercing thrust.
Jin grunted, twisting his blade to deflect, the impact pushing him back a step. He grinned through clenched teeth.
"Neither are you."
The fight between Jin and Kayle lit up Ground One.
Every strike was like lightning, every movement sharp and deadly. And while they fought, Veyla’s healing light kept Kael tethered to consciousness, his body mending just enough to endure.
But Kael’s hand still gripped the dark sword.
Even as he was being healed, he could not let his sword down.
Slowly, Kael’s breath steadied.
His grip on the sword loosened, and the dark red glow faded from his eyes. The blade, once shrouded in shadow, dimmed back into its dull gray tungsten.
The sinister aura dispersed like smoke on the wind, leaving only silence and the ragged sound of his own breathing.
Veyla pulled her hands back, relief softening her expression.
"Your eyes... they’re back to normal."
Kael blinked a few times, dazed. For a moment he wondered if the transformation had been a hallucination, but the blood on his blade told him otherwise.
He lowered it.
Far beyond the edges of the training ground, unseen by most, a tall man stood watching. His sharp eyes missed nothing.
"That boy..." Kaigaku muttered under his breath.
His arms folded across his chest. "Jin, or whatever his name is... always causes problems."
With measured steps, Kaigaku descended from the shadows of the fencing of ground one.
Students who caught sight of him instantly fell silent, their whispers cut short.
Just as he stepped into the ruined arena, another figure approached from the opposite side and it was Professor Kaito, their class monitor.
His robe swayed as he walked, and his stern gaze swept across the destruction.
The ground was scarred, grasses scorched, and training dummies lay shattered beyond recognition.
Kaito’s jaw tightened.
"What a mess," he muttered.
For a moment, he stood still, recalling Sylvia’s words from the meeting with the principal before the midterm.
"First-year students may even surpass the second-years... perhaps even the third."
At the time, Kaito had dismissed Sylvia’s optimism. But now, looking at Kael bloodied yet unbroken, Jin standing proud despite exhaustion, and Veyla still glowing faintly with healing energy, he felt those words stir unease within him.
He raised his voice.
"Enough. This friendly match is over. All of you—leave immediately."
The students flinched at the command. Some looked at one another, hesitant to move, until Kaito’s cold eyes swept over them again.
One by one, they began to disperse.
Kaigaku clicked his tongue, his gaze lingering on Kael. His lips twisted into a mocking smile.
"You got lucky this time, boy."
Kael said nothing, still catching his breath, though the faint fire in his eyes suggested he had heard every word.
On the other side, Kayle Virehart sheathed his blade with deliberate slowness. He looked directly at Kael.
"Kael... we have unfinished business."
Jin instinctively shifted forward, as though ready to step between them again, but Kayle turned and walked away without waiting for a reply.
Kaigaku followed, his presence vanishing into the distance.
Professor Kaito exhaled, his patience clearly worn thin. "You three," he said sharply, his gaze fixed on Kael, Jin, and Veyla.
"Back to your lecture. Now. This nonsense ends here."
The three exchanged looks with obedience. Slowly, they gathered their things and began the walk back toward the training ground.
The fight was over. But none of them could shake the feeling.