chapter 17 : Combat test part 3

"Fuck!"

A gasp escaped my lips, murmurs rising among the students watching from the sidelines. No one expected the fight to be so brutal. Erwing's body lay on the ground, motionless, like a puppet whose strings had been suddenly cut.

A cold gaze swept across the field, briefly resting on the spot where Erwing had fallen. But there was no interest on his face, indifferently Sir Galahad turned his gaze elsewhere.

"Are you just going to stand there watching, or do I have to go find you?" he asked, his soft but firm voice making the air thick.

His gaze fell on Cyan, Aziel, and Amelia, who didn't dare move an inch.

A heavy silence fell over us. The three of us watched briefly, assessing, weighing, trying to decide what to do. But none of us made the first move.

Time seemed to slow down, waiting for one of us to decide to act. But nothing. Not a sigh, not a movement. Just stillness, as if everyone was waiting.

Not long after, the two women looked at each other again for a moment that seemed eternal and as if they had reached a consensus, they both answered at the same time.

"I'll go," Aziel said, his voice firm and his gaze burning with determination.

"Me first!" Amelia answered at the same time, without showing even a hint of hesitation.

... It seemed like they were treating each other like air. But I wasn't angry, on the contrary, he was delighted, nor did he want to intervene if possible; I prefer to give up...

They stood face to face, silently challenging each other, a spark of tension floating in the air. Neither of them was willing to give in. In that brief space, like two opposing forces repelling each other, their eyes shone with an unstoppable fire. But before they could reach an agreement, Aziel, unable to contain his impulse, suddenly launched himself forward. His sword cut through the air with deadly precision, heading straight for Sir Galahad, who stood impassively in place.

"Hey!" Amelia exclaimed, frustrated by Aziel's recklessness. But without wasting a second, his fingers began to move, as if drawing invisible symbols, magic power began to gather around him, forming complex gears in the air, which quickly assembled. Three magic circles glowed brightly, one after another, radiating a red so violent that it seemed capable of consuming everything in its path.

" Ίγνης! (Ignis) " Amelia bellowed, releasing a torrent of flames that fell like a scorching deluge over the training field.

Aziel leaped in a swift movement, dodging the fire magic that surrounded him, but Sir Galahad did not move. Instead, the master faced the firestorm with calm. The fire enveloped him, but he remained upright. Meanwhile, seizing the moment, Aziel attacked from behind, his sword descending with weight and lethality ready to finish everything.

Sir Galahad, with superhuman precision, not only absorbed the blow. He anticipated it. With a quick step and a turn, he deflected Aziel's attack and blocked Amelia's spell with an almost contemptuous gesture. In the blink of an eye, with the speed of lightning, his movements were cutting

"Pretty decent..." Sir Galahad murmured, with a slight smile on his lips, as if he were having fun.

The pressure between Aziel and Amelia continued to grow, like two disproportionate forces fighting to impose themselves. At times, their movements seemed almost coordinated, as if they had synchronized without speaking, unleashing a combination of attacks so fierce that even Sir Galahad was forced to retreat a little. However, just a blink later, the harmony was broken. The momentum of each was so intense that their forces could not coexist in the same space without clashing, creating a chaotic dance of magic and steel.

"Each side wanted to claim their right over the other, and face the master, but neither was willing to yield."

The air seemed to vibrate with tension, and the presence of Sir Galahad, as unflappable as ever, only increased the weight of the confrontation. The sense that the end was drawing near was imminent, and the battle soon reached its boiling point.

"That's enough!" Sir Galahad said, his voice deep and firm. His tone left no room for doubt. But neither Aziel nor Amelia paid attention to his words.

Both of them refused, their eyes shining brightly. In a single movement, they enveloped their bodies in an explosion of mana and aura, as if the wind itself had changed direction. The force emanating from them was incredible, a palpable energy that seemed to distort the space around them.

Without saying a word, they ran towards Sir Galahad at breakneck speed. The ground creaked beneath their feet, and shadows seemed to follow them, as if the very environment was immersed in the fight. In an instant, they both found themselves in front of the master.

***

The air was dense, almost unbreathable, as if the heat of the battle had turned the place into a sauna. A thick steam circulated around, impregnating everything with a sticky humidity. The ground was marked by deep steel scars: huge sword marks embedded in the earth.

To one side, two figures lay in the mist of steam, both women exhausted and brutally beaten. Aziel, with his dark hair and silver eyes, and Amelia, whose fiery mane fell in disarray around her face, her red eyes still glowing with fury. Both were breathing heavily, wounded and staggering, but refusing to give up.

The training ground was silent for a moment, as if the world had stopped spinning, watching the stubbornness of both, neither wanting to fall first, the fighting spirit in their eyes was not something normal.

Seeing the battle, in person. It was something completely different from what I had read in the novel. The brutality, the air charged with tension. The emotions contained in each blow, each spell cast, were so intense that it was overwhelming. It was, to say the least, incredible. If it weren't for my ability to remain calm, I would probably be crying from what I had just witnessed. The strength, the skill, the sacrifice...