Akira stood in the center of the field, his traditional blade drawn and a faint yet confident smile on his face. The golden-white aura surrounding him shone even brighter now, enhanced by the last of Madalyn's energy. Everyone around him sensed that what was about to unfold was truly extraordinary. This wasn't just about physical strength or ordinary magic, but something unique to the Yoshitsuki family—void magic.
With a smooth motion, Akira began to focus his energy. From his blade flowed a terrifying gray energy—void. This wasn't ordinary power; it was the ability to manipulate the void, creating empty spaces that could destroy anything in its path, including dimensions.
"This is the Yoshitsuki family magic, pure void," Akira said slowly, his serious gaze locked on Ellora.
The crowd fell silent. Even Madalyn, usually so self-assured, swallowed hard, awed by the power before her eyes.
"I hope you're ready, Ellora," Akira continued, moving forward with a distinctive stance—a Yoshitsuki family swordmanship technique that made his movements incredibly fast, sharp, and unpredictable.
"Gray Magic: Star Stance."
In an instant, Akira was right in front of Ellora. With a swift, precise strike, his sword tore through the dimensional barrier that had been Ellora's strong protection. A faint tearing sound was heard as the dimension was ripped like fabric, but it quickly healed.
"You managed to cut through my barrier…" Ellora murmured, her eyes widening in surprise. She hadn't expected Yoshitsuki's magic to breach her dimension.
Ellora responded immediately. Without hesitation, she teleported, vanishing from her spot and reappearing at various points in the arena, moving so fast she seemed like a flickering shadow. As she continued to shift, Ellora began firing void lasers—empty magic containing absolute void—directly at Akira.
Yet Akira remained unfazed. With each void laser shot by Ellora, Akira sliced through them with his blade, easily splitting the attacks. Each time a laser approached, Akira's blade moved, slicing through the void and eliminating the threat without pause.
"Perfect strikes…" Ellora thought, continuing to fire more void lasers, searching for a crack in Akira's defense.
Akira remained unshaken. In an instant, he utilized the mirrors placed by Charlotte around the arena. Combining his movements with Charlotte's magic, Akira used the mirrors to reflect himself, moving at lightning speed from one spot to another. Every time Ellora tried to strike him, Akira had already shifted, reappearing from another mirror, ready to counterattack.
Ellora paused momentarily to catch her breath, but she knew Akira wouldn't give her much time. Swiftly, she launched several void lasers simultaneously in different directions, creating nearly unavoidable barrages. Akira, seeing the onslaught of attacks, stayed calm. One by one, he sliced through the lasers with extraordinary precision, even as their numbers grew. His movements seemed to dance among the void explosions, his blade always striking at the perfect moment.
Everyone watching was spellbound by the duel. Madalyn, Gareth, Cestine, Chris, and the others held their breath, amazed by Akira's and Ellora's abilities.
"He's cutting through my magic effortlessly…" Ellora thought, frustrated yet fully focused. Each of Akira's strikes was like a nightmare for her; no attack could reach him because they were all sliced apart by the void power channeled through his blade.
Ellora knew she needed to change her strategy. Although her speed and teleportation helped her avoid Akira's strikes, she needed something more. In her mind, she began to devise a new plan.
Meanwhile, Akira also realized that Ellora was not an easy opponent. Despite his ability to cut through the void lasers with ease, Ellora's unpredictable movements made the situation much more challenging. Yet, Akira showed no sign of fear. Instead, he relished the challenge.
With a swift move, Akira appeared near Ellora again, but this time, she was ready. She used a small dimension to create distance and immediately launched a stronger attack—layered void lasers, a denser and more complex assault.
Once again, Akira deftly sliced through the attack, as if the void magic from his blade was more potent than Ellora's void lasers.
"Nice work, Ellora," Akira said, taking a breath, slightly sweating but still fully in control.
"Yet I haven't used everything I've got," Ellora replied with a faint smile, her eyes glinting coldly.
The battle had evolved into a test of agility and deeper strategy. With every attack and movement, both Ellora and Akira knew they were in a duel at the peak of their abilities, where even the smallest mistake could mean defeat.
Akira realized that facing Ellora directly would be challenging if she continued to evade attacks through teleportation and absorb strikes with her dimensions. He needed a smarter tactic to counter her unpredictable movements.
"Gray Magic: Moon Stance," Akira muttered to himself, shifting his stance. The flow of magical energy around him became denser. Magic atoms in the air gathered around his blade, and the golden light from Madalyn's magic continued to flow through him, enhancing the power of the traditional Yoshitsuki blade he wielded.
"This time, I'll strike from a distance," Akira decided, knowing he couldn't let Ellora get too close.
He began slashing the air in front of him with his sword, but this time, his attacks were different. Each swing left behind a crescent-shaped blade of void energy. This energy not only cut through the space in front of him but also spread at incredible speed, striking Ellora from afar.
The crescent blades of void energy shot towards Ellora with increasing strength and speed. With every swing, the void blade grew more powerful, hitting with tremendous force.
Yet, Ellora, maintaining her calm, raised her hand with a smooth motion. Amid Akira's attack, she cast a complex dimensional spell, and instantly, a medium-sized black hole appeared between them. The black hole spun slowly, but its power was immense, drawing everything around it into its pull.
"It feels like a black hole…" Akira was stunned, realizing that each of his strikes was being drawn into the dark vortex. No matter how fast or powerful the crescent blades were, they couldn't reach Ellora. Everything was absorbed and vanished into the black hole.
"It can absorb everything…" Akira thought, beginning to feel a bit anxious, though he didn't want to show his panic.
Ellora, observing Akira's reaction from behind her dimensional barrier, smiled slightly. Her tactic was working. The black hole she had created not only absorbed Akira's attacks but also started pulling Akira himself into it. With each movement, Akira felt the gravitational force of the black hole growing stronger, drawing him closer. If he didn't act quickly, he could be sucked in and trapped in the void.
Akira swiftly tried to retreat, using his speed to move away as fast as possible. However, the black hole's pull remained strong. He knew that if he wanted to escape this situation, he would need to change his strategy once again.
"You can't escape the gravity of this dimension, Akira," Ellora said with a low, confident voice. "Your void attacks… they mean nothing against me."
But Akira wasn't about to give up. He gazed at his sword, plotting his next move. Instead of continuing with long-range slashes that could be absorbed by the black hole, he decided to attack from multiple angles, using the mirror magic from Charlotte and his unexpected strategies.
In a swift motion, Akira jumped into one of Charlotte's mirrors and disappeared. In an instant, he reappeared in a mirror on the opposite side. Before Ellora could react, he swung his sword again, this time with a crescent blade that was sharper and came at an unpredictable angle.
Ellora, ever alert, responded quickly by creating absorbing dimensions around her. Whenever the crescent blade neared, the small dimensions she set up would absorb it, as if no attack could actually reach her.
"You're too slow," Ellora said, holding back a smile. Although she was surprised by Akira's speed and his use of Charlotte's mirrors, she had prepared for this with her absorbing dimensions surrounding her.
Akira emerged from another mirror, trying to attack from a different angle, but once again, his attack was absorbed by the small dimensions around Ellora. Every time the void blade approached her, the dimensions quickly absorbed it, leaving no trace.
"I need to think of another way…" Akira thought intensely. Direct attacks seemed futile, and the black hole still in the center of the arena was limiting his movement.
But then, in his frustration, Akira suddenly smiled. "In that case, I'll change everything," he murmured.
With a decisive move, he halted his attacks and stood upright. His sword still glowed brightly with void energy, but this time he focused his energy not to attack, but to split the void itself. Akira was determined to try something he had never attempted before—splitting Ellora's dimension.
Ellora, watching Akira cease his attacks, raised an eyebrow, wondering what his opponent was planning. "Is he giving up?" she thought.
But Akira wasn't ready to give up. With a powerful swing of his sword, he concentrated all the void energy into a single point—right in the center of the swirling black hole.
"Void against void," Akira whispered before he swung his sword with full force.
He stood before the ferocious spinning black hole in the center of the arena. With one determined strike, he sliced through the void with his family's blade, which radiated void energy. The vibration from the cut temporarily halted the gravitational pull of the black hole, and in an instant, the hole split into two parts and vanished as if it had never existed.
Ellora, watching from a distance, was stunned. No opponent before had been able to destroy one of her dimensional spells so efficiently. However, her shock quickly turned into a chilling calm. She knew the fight needed to end soon, and she had saved her most powerful attack for this moment.
Without hesitation, Ellora raised her hand to the sky. The air grew tense. Slowly, the sky above the arena began to tear apart, just like when she had opened a dimensional portal before. But this time, the view that appeared was different. Instead of a starry expanse or the void of space, what opened above them was a blazing red sky, like another world full of rage.
Madalyn, Chris, Gareth, Charlotte, and Cestine, watching from the edge of the arena, couldn't hide their fear. They stared up with wide eyes, realizing that the power Ellora was summoning was something beyond their ability to counter.
"What is that?" Charlotte whispered, her voice trembling.
"Did we just try to defeat someone who can summon that?" Gareth whispered, holding his breath.
"This… this is too much," Cestine added, her body trembling. Even Madalyn, who usually never shows weakness, could only gasp, her face pale at what was unfolding.
In the distance, the Lupusrica Headmaster and Professor Fei Zhang watched with equal astonishment. They had never anticipated that Ellora possessed such abilities. Fei Zhang, typically calm and wise, appeared tense, his expression filled with worry.
"This… this is magic from another dimension… a dimension we don't understand…" the Headmaster of Lupusrica whispered, his eyes fixed on the rift in the sky.
"How many dimensions does she know about..." Astrid whispered in awe.
Akira, still in the arena, felt a tremendous surge of magical energy pouring from the rift in the sky. He sensed the approaching power and knew that this was the climax of their battle.
From within the red dimension, a gigantic eye emerged, peering directly into their world. The eye focused on Akira, staring deeply as if it could pierce through to his very soul. Akira felt his entire body tremble under its gaze. There was something ancient and furious behind that eye.
Then, slowly, a giant hand emerged from the dimensional rift, resembling a spirit. The hand held a massive sword, as if it were an enforcer from another dimension. The sword blazed with the same red energy as the surrounding sky, aiming a direct strike at Akira.
Akira had little choice. Gritting his teeth, he lifted his sword once more, bracing himself for the attack from the colossal entity. Their swords clashed in the air with tremendous force. A deafening roar echoed across the arena, causing the ground around them to shake. Akira struggled to hold his ground, but with every passing second, he felt his strength draining away.
"This… can't be…" Akira muttered, his voice trembling as his body began to weaken. The giant spirit's strike was too powerful.
The next blow hit Akira hard, forcing him to his knees. The golden glow from Madalyn's light magic that had surrounded him began to fade. His sword trembled in his weakening grasp, and his legs could no longer support his weight.
Akira screamed out in pain, but despite pouring all his strength into the fight, it wasn't enough. Slowly but surely, the giant spirit's power overwhelmed him, causing his sword to slip from his hands. He lay helpless on the ground, gasping for breath, his body battered and bruised.
The giant eye still looked down, seemingly satisfied with the outcome. The giant hand slowly retreated into the dimension, taking the blazing red sword with it. As everything disappeared back into the rift, the sky closed up, as if the extraordinary events had never happened.
In the center of the arena, Ellora sat on the ground, her face pale. Exhaustion was evident in her eyes. Although she had managed to summon that overwhelming power and defeat Akira, her own energy had been completely depleted. She panted heavily, her hands shaking. Yet, she kept her gaze fixed on Akira, now lying motionless on the ground.
"I won…" Ellora murmured, though the words seemed more like a confirmation to herself. She knew that this fight had pushed her to her limits.
Meanwhile, Madalyn, Charlotte, Chris, Gareth, and Cestine could only watch from a distance. No one dared to move or speak. They all understood that what had just transpired was beyond their comprehension.
The Headmaster of Lupusrica and Professor Fei Zhang exchanged worried glances. They knew that what they had witnessed was far from ordinary—Ellora had opened a portal to a power much greater and more dangerous than they had imagined.
Nadeshiko, however, had already sprung into action. She ran to Akira, who lay on the ground, looking exhausted but not severely injured. The normally composed Nadeshiko's face was a mask of concern. Kneeling beside her brother, she gripped his arm with her gentle hands, trying to ensure he was okay.
"Akira!" she called out, her voice trembling. "Are you alright?"
Akira, though still weak, slowly lifted himself with a faint smile on his face. He turned to his sister and nodded slightly. "I'm alright, Nadeshiko," he said in a soothing tone. "Just a bit tired. But I must admit…" He glanced at Ellora, still sitting exhausted in the center of the arena, "I lost. Ellora is incredible."
Nadeshiko breathed a sigh of relief, but her worry was still palpable. She kept holding onto Akira's arm, as if trying to make sure her brother was truly there with her.
Ellora, on the other hand, was still catching her breath on the ground, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. This victory had come at a cost. Her energy was depleted, her body weakened, but she knew she had given her all in this battle. Her gaze swept across the arena, seeing how everyone remained silent, still processing what had just happened.
Madalyn, usually so confident, could only stare with defeat written on her face. The light that normally radiated from her was almost entirely extinguished, and though frustration remained, she knew Akira was the one who deserved to face this situation. She sighed deeply, acknowledging inwardly that there were limits to power that even she could not surpass.
Professor Fei Zhang and the Headmaster of Lupusrica approached Ellora. The Headmaster, with a serious yet appreciative expression, spoke first, his voice calm but resonant across the arena.
"With this, the training match is officially won by you, Ellora," the Headmaster declared firmly. "This exercise has showcased the extraordinary strength of everyone here, but ultimately, Ellora has demonstrated an undeniable skill."
Fei Zhang, standing beside the Headmaster, nodded in agreement. "You've exceeded our expectations, Ellora," he said with a proud smile. "Rest now; you've given it your all."
Ellora could only manage a weak smile. The words felt like a conclusion to the intense battle. She felt a slight relief, but her body remained heavy and exhausted.
Meanwhile, Charlotte, Chris, Gareth, and Cestine, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally began to relax. Charlotte released her control over the mirrors she had prepared for Akira; the mirrors gradually faded, disappearing as if they had never existed.
"So… it's finally over?" Charlotte murmured quietly, her voice trembling slightly despite her attempt to appear calm. Beside her, Chris gave a small nod.
"I've never seen a fight like this," he said, glancing towards Akira, who was still struggling to stand beside Nadeshiko. "Ellora… she's stronger than we imagined."
"But honestly, this might have been the most exciting training session I've had at the academy," Gareth added, relieved to see everything end well.
Cestine, usually more reserved, offered a small smile. "But it was also... quite frightening, wasn't it? The power she has… it's not something to be taken lightly."
At that moment, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Astrid, who had been quietly observing everything, deactivated her illusionary domain magic. Gradually, the extraordinary scene began to fade. The magical arena that had been created by Astrid's spell returned to its ordinary state—clean floors, simple walls, and a much calmer ambiance.
The participants were taken aback, some even looking confused as they realized that their arena had actually been a regular training room. Yet, even though the room was back to normal, the memory of the epic battle remained etched in their minds.
Nadeshiko, still by Akira's side, took a deep breath before helping him to his feet. "I'm so proud of you, Akira," she said softly, her voice filled with affection.
Akira, still with a faint smile, turned to his sister. "I'm proud of you too, Nadeshiko. You did your best."
They exchanged smiles before Akira looked towards Ellora. With slow steps, he approached her, despite still feeling exhausted.
When he reached Ellora, who was still seated on the ground, he bowed his head slightly in respect. "You were truly amazing, Ellora," he said with genuine admiration. "I admit my defeat. You deserve to be the winner today."
Ellora gave a weak nod, a small smile on her lips. "What are you talking about? It was just a training exercise."
"Just a training exercise, haha, you're right," Akira responded with a light laugh, appreciating Ellora's modesty.
Everyone watching felt a sense of relief. The tension that had hung in the air slowly dissipated, replaced by a feeling of respect and appreciation among them. This battle, though intense, had elevated them all—both in strength and in mutual respect.
***