Chapter: 0.85 1v3 Fight
marble halls of the academy echoed with distant murmurs as Rina Amberheart walked beside Jin Rotschy, her steps sharp and fast, her golden eyes a cold flame of irritation. Ethan, Knox, Lilia, and Leona followed a few steps behind, watching silently.
Jin strolled beside her with infuriating calmness, hands in the pockets of his long black coat, his expression light, smug even, as if nothing in the world could bother him—not even the fire smoldering beside him.
**"You're still angry?"** he asked, his crimson eyes glinting with amusement as he glanced at her from beneath his dark fringe. His voice was playful, with that velvety undertone that made every sentence sound like a taunt.
**"Come on, Rina, I only teased you a little yesterday. That's no reason to stop acting like a wife."**
Rina didn't answer. Her jaw was tight. Her eyes stared straight ahead. Her silence was louder than any insult.
Jin sighed, dramatically placing a hand over his heart.
**"So cold. I might freeze to death before the duel even begins…"** he chuckled to himself.
But then—he stopped.
He felt it.
A presence behind him. Sharp. Cold. Intrusive.
He turned slowly.
And there she was.
A girl with long, flowing **silver hair**, eyes like **shards of blue ice**, and a smirk on her lips that was both elegant and wicked. Her uniform was worn to perfection, and her steps were graceful like a dancer on snow.
**"Well, well,"** she said with silky menace. **"So this is the infamous Jin Rotschy."**
Jin raised an eyebrow, smirking lazily.
**"And you must be Miss Frostbite."**
She gave a short laugh.
**"Sarafina Frost. Close enough."**
She extended a hand.
Jin didn't hesitate. He took it—lightly, deliberately, his posture unchanged.
**"Charmed."**
The moment their hands touched, Rina's spine stiffened.
Sarafina turned toward her, her gaze calculating.
**"Rina Amberheart."**
Her voice lowered, amused yet edged with steel.
**"Mind if I ask... what's the nature of your relationship with Rena."**
Jin tilted his head toward Rina, his grin growing wider.
**"Why don't you ask her yourself?"**
He let go of Sarafina's hand and turned away without waiting for her response, walking calmly down the hall like nothing had happened.
The group followed in silence—except for Rina.
Her face was a mask of restrained fury.
Her thoughts were a storm.
*She touched him.*
*She looked at him like she could have him.*
*No one—no girl, no noble, no goddess—touches what is mine.*
Her chest was tight, her footsteps stiff with possessiveness she refused to admit aloud. She didn't even want to look at Jin. Not while her blood boiled.
Leona noticed her expression and leaned close.
**"You okay?"** she whispered.
Rina's voice was low and firm.
**"She's not allowed to touch him."**
Leona smirked.
**"I'll take that as a no."**
Until now, Rena does not know the nature of her feelings towards Jin, but in the end, he is her husband and she wants him to be hers alone.
Rena's golden eyes flashed golden with anger.
**"That dirty bitch touched him"**
---
They arrived at the private training chamber—one of the largest in the academy. Marble floors, reinforced arcane runes along the walls, mana barriers shimmering faintly overhead.
Jin stepped inside, glanced around once, then scoffed.
**"Small."**
Ethan blinked.
**"Small?"**
Lilia stared at him like he'd insulted a cathedral.
Even Knox blinked in disbelief.
**"This is the largest combat chamber in the academy."**
Jin shrugged, walking to the center of the platform.
**"In the Rotschy estate, we have five arenas. The smallest one makes this place look like a hallway closet."**
Ethan's brows furrowed.
**"Right."**
But Rina and Leona remained unfazed. They'd seen it. The legendary obsidian battlefield beneath the Rotschy palace. The place where mana cracked the sky and swords carved through gravity.
Jin took his place at the center.
No armor. No shield.
He raised a single hand—and with a hum of raw, eerie energy, summoned **Nihil**, his spirit weapon.
A sleek, obsidian blade with a deep red core that pulsed like a heartbeat.
It shimmered to life in his palm, its edge glowing faintly.
He held it in one hand—casual, unbothered.
**"Ready when you are."**
Ethan stepped forward, unsheathing his glowing azure blade.
Knox drew his greatsword, its silver edge humming with stored wind magic.
Lilia notched an arrow into her enchanted bow, eyes narrowing.
**"Three on one,"** she said, narrowing her eyes. **"You sure you're not biting off more than you can chew?"**
Jin's grin returned.
**"Oh, please. Chew faster."**
---
**The first strike came from Ethan.**
He moved like a bullet—fast, precise, clean. His blade slashed down toward Jin's shoulder with enough force to split stone.
Jin sidestepped effortlessly, his coat fluttering like smoke, and parried without even looking.
**Clang!**
The shockwave rang out.
Knox was already charging in from the side, blade overhead, a battle cry on his lips.
Jin twisted, ducked, and spun—parrying both Ethan and Knox in a whirlwind of elegant steel.
Then—
**Thump.**
A fiery arrow from Lilia whistled past his cheek. He turned at the last moment, letting it skim his jaw, slicing a single thread of his black fringe.
His smile widened.
He vanished.
**Teleportation. Short-range flash.**
He reappeared behind Lilia.
**"Boo."**
She yelped, flipped backward, and launched a flurry of arrows, lighting the chamber in brilliant gold.
**Clang. Slash. Spark.**
The air was filled with the ringing of metal, arcs of mana crashing into barriers. Dust swirled. Arrows hissed. Sparks exploded.
Jin danced through them like a shadow with a heartbeat.
His movements were effortless. Lazy, almost. Yet impossibly precise.
One block here. One twist there. A single swipe forcing Knox back. A footstep redirecting Ethan's momentum. A flick of his wrist slicing through two arrows midair.
The others fought with all their might.
Jin fought like he was enjoying a game.
His swordplay was graceful, bordering on theatrical—yet he never wasted a movement.
Lilia gritted her teeth.
**"What *is* he?"**
Knox growled.
**"A demon."**
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
No. Not a demon.
A genius.
---
On the edge of the room, Rina watched in silence, her golden eyes focused.
Every flash of Jin's blade, every dodge, every playful smirk—it pulled something deeper from her.
She hated him.
She was furious.
But gods, he was magnificent.
Leona folded her arms.
**"Your husband is crazy."**
Rina didn't blink.
**"I know."**
And somehow… she couldn't look away.
............
Heat: What do you think of the story so far? Do you want us to continue at this pace or jump straight into the fighting?