Chapter 34: Sword of The Trickster

Chapter 34 – Sword Of The Trickster

Everything had become ice.

From the highest stands to the deepest corners of the arena, the world had turned to frozen beauty. Shards of light reflected off crystalline surfaces. Spectators held their breath, staring down at a battlefield that looked like a painting—ethereal, divine.

But for Yuki, it was a nightmare.

She stood in the middle of it all—her arms wrapped in frost, parts of her clothes torn, legs half-frozen. But she wasn't someone who would shatter under pressure.

No—she was a blade.

Her aura flared, sharp and wild, slicing through the cold around her like a sword through silk. Ice hissed and cracked as her energy surged outward. Her orange eyes, burning with silent fury, locked onto Noah.

He watched as he rise from his kneeling position with calm detachment, brushing ice dust from his shoulder.

"What a humiliation," Noah muttered, rising from his knee. "And I even held back."

Tsk.

…

In the stands, Elijah leaned forward, his gaze fixed like a predator's.

His golden eyes flicked between Noah and Yuki, measuring every movement. Every fluctuation of aura. Every twitch of intent.

'So… this is Noah's ice power. Incredible.'

Yet despite the tension, he couldn't help but glance at Yuki's form—the way her body moved, the intensity in her stance.

'Just my type.'

The girls flanking him noticed.

Leona grinned wickedly. "You want her? That sword freak?"

"I can help you have her if you want."

Elijah chuckled, making no effort to hide the hunger in his eyes. "I'd love that. You're amazing, Leona."

She puffed her small chest proudly. "Anything for you, Elijah."

He smiled, savoring the game.

A few seats away, Elizabeth sat stiffly, fingers clenched in her lap. Her thoughts were chaos. Her heart raced—though not from the cold.

Elijah's eyes kept drifting. First Sophie. Now Leona. And Yuki.

He wanted all of them.

'As if they're his. As if they belong to him.'

And in her mind, she heard Noah's voice, echoing like a curse:

"Eternity in agony…"

She shuddered.

"Are you alright, Saintess?" Leona asked, tone almost mocking to Elizabeth's ears. 

Elizabeth forced a gentle smile. "It's nothing… just the chill from Noah's magic. An SSS-rank is something else, huh?"

'Calm down. You're a Saintess. You serve the Goddess. Elijah is the Goddess's chosen. You just have to serve him… not feel.'

'I can do this… I must…'

She squeezed her hands tighter and looked back toward the arena.

⸻

The battle had reached a fever pitch.

Noah's ice spears flew like comets. Yuki twisted through them with elegance, her feet barely touching the ground. One spear veered toward her heart—

But midair, her body shifted.

She didn't even land.

Just moved into her stance—balanced on nothing but instinct—and whispered:

"One Slash Technique — Slash of Sharpness."

BOOOM!

Every ice spear around her shattered, cleanly sliced mid-flight.

She landed silently, staring Noah down. No emotion. No pride. Just relentless focus.

Noah exhaled.

He could've ended the fight minutes ago.

But where was the fun in that?

'She's better than expected… No, she's exceptional.'

'Alright, Yuki. I want you. And I won't give Elijah a chance.'

Each girl had their path.

Sophie needed someone to believe in her destiny, in her destiny to be the Empress and support her toward that. 

Elizabeth is unique. For she needed to be abandoned by Elijah before she could ever open up to anyone else. She needed to break. She needed to do the unthinkable and be abandoned. 

And Yuki…

'Yuki only cares about the sword.'

That was Elijah's path to her—swordsmanship, training, proximity. The classic route. Predictable.

Cliché.

'But I'm not him. I am not good with sword, but I have enough trick. Let me show you something to ponder upon Yuki.'

Noah's grin sharpened.

"What about one final strike to decide the winner?" he said, loud enough for the arena to hear.

Gasps.

Silence.

Even his mother, in her office, arched a brow. She knew her son never said anything without purpose.

Yuki's eyes narrowed.

Noah extended his hand.

And crafted from ice, a katana took shape.

Perfect. Elegant. Almost identical to hers.

The crowd buzzed.

And for the first time since the match began, Yuki frowned.

"…Are you mocking me?"

Noah's voice was calm. "No. I'm being serious."

She didn't speak again. But her aura said everything.

It surged—cutting wind, screaming pressure, the promise of death.

Noah smiled. "I seem to have upset you. My apologies."

He lifted the blade—not with proper form, not with refined posture. Just a trickster's loose grip. And then—his aura changed.

Gone was the cold calm.

Now it was wild. Chaotic. Unpredictable.

Noah activated his Aura Of Trickster. 

"Huuuuuuu…"

Yuki exhaled.

And the world seemed to freeze again—not from ice, but from stillness.

Spectators held their breath.

Even the wind paused.

Then—

Her voice cut the air like a blade:

"One Slash Technique: Fusion Edition — Penetrating Slash of Space."

At the same moment, Noah whispered:

"Noah's Improvised Sword Technique — Sword of the Trickster."

⸻

They moved.

Yuki's slash didn't travel—it simply appeared. A piercing, divine line through space, impossible to follow. It didn't strike Noah's body yet—

But he felt it pierce him anyway.

"Shit—!"

Ten layers of reinforced ice erupted between him and the slash, walls thick enough to stop a tank.

But Yuki—

Yuki was stunned.

Because what she saw…

Was not one slash.

Not two.

But hundreds.

Hundreds of slashes, spiraling, dancing, unpredictable. Trickster aura warped reality—each illusion felt real, each blade hummed with power. A storm of swordplay she had never witnessed before.

Her heart skipped a beat.

'Illusions…? Illusions swords ?…'

"How… beautiful."

That was her last thought—

Before—

BOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The two attacks collided.

And the arena—

Exploded.

Ice shattered. Stone crumbled. Magic barriers struggled to contain the shockwave. Dust rose like a curtain over the arena.

Silence.

Then—

Roars. Screams. Applause. Madness.

—End of Chapter 34—