A Vain Person (5)
Shing!
The air was sliced apart.
Following closely, a spear hurtled towards me.
A swift, direct attack.
Calmly, I raised my blade like a shield.
Clang!
Immediately, a heavy shock traveled through my hand.
My body was naturally pushed back.
Unbelievable strength coming from such a delicate frame.
As I regained my balance, shaking off the tingling sensation, a provocation flew at me as if waiting for this moment.
"You're holding up well. I expected you to crumble immediately."
Her lips twisted into a cruel smirk.
In the girl's hand was a spear sculpted from ice.
Emilia's ability, [Freezing].
"Even so, you're nothing but a bug to me!"
Whoosh!
A sharp sound reached my ears as something flew towards me from behind.
I lightly twisted my body, dodging it.
Thwack!
What embedded itself in the floor was an arrow.
Turning my head, I saw more shards of ice flying from my blind spot.
A surprise attack aiming for an opening.
However, I didn't panic.
"Oh my, oh my. How troublesome."
Slice!
A single, relaxed swing of my sword cut the arrow down.
The ice shards clattered to the floor.
"Tsk...!"
The girl clicked her tongue and stepped back.
Her blue eyes were filled with pure annoyance.
Was she surprised?
The 'bubble' top student, who she thought would easily crumble.
That opponent was now fluidly blocking her attacks from the very beginning.
I smiled faintly.
"It seems things aren't going your way?"
"Ha...!"
She let out an empty laugh.
She probably never imagined she'd be provoked like this by the bug she was looking down on.
As expected, her mental state was easily shaken.
"How dare you, you're just..."
"Oh dear."
Clang!
An earsplitting, sharp sound erupted.
The spear thrust, thrown in a fit of emotion, was swallowed by the shadows. We were briefly locked in a clash of strength, blades pressed against each other.
Her wide eyes were filled with venomous light.
Crack... Thud!
I pushed back the girl who was wildly pushing forward.
A small distance opened between us as a result of the recoil.
"This is disappointing."
I continued my cheerful taunting.
"You spoke so confidently, I had my hopes up... but 30 minutes have passed and you haven't even landed a single blow."
"Shut up."
"At this rate, being top student seems difficult, don't you think?"
"I said, shut up...!"
Ah, bliss.
This was dopamine.
Her reactions were so good, it made teasing her all the more satisfying.
While parrying the sharp spear thrusts that occasionally came my way, I continued my cheerful verbal assault.
"How about you try aiming for my toes?"
"I'll tear it apart. That mouth of yours...!"
"Oh, I'm looking forward to it. By any chance, may I ask when you plan to tear it?"
"How dare you, to the esteemed daughter of Vanity...!"
"Vanity's standards are truly something else. To think someone like you is the heir."
Clang! Crack, Crack...!
With each sharp sound, the girl was swept away by her emotions.
The duel had become completely one-sided.
"Haah, haah...!"
Emilia was panting, clearly exhausted.
Her blue hair was damp with sweat.
By now, her legs should be giving out, but she was still holding onto her spear.
As expected of a stubborn one.
"Haah, haah...!"
"Your skills are commendable... but it seems you've met your match."
That much was true.
No matter how enjoyable the teasing was, I had no intention of belittling her.
Emilia was undoubtedly one of the most talented individuals of this generation.
Solid fundamentals built through sheer effort.
Her spear skills, sniping, and psychological warfare, all backed by her overwhelming ice magic, were already beyond the level of a student.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that two Emilias could take on Charlotte.
Her talent was undeniable, one that would be etched in history.
Her confidence was well-founded.
She was more than qualified.
It was just... her opponent wasn't human.
"Haha~ You won't be able to touch me with attacks like that."
Clang!
I deflected another arrow flying from my blind spot.
The freezing shards fell away powerlessly.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
The students were stunned.
- Wh-what are we even seeing?
- Lady Vanity... she can't even land a hit? Is she not feeling well...?
- The 'buble' top student is fighting too well.
- It looks like a complete domination.
- He's been deliberately defending this whole time. It's as if he's...
'Toying with Lady Vanity.'
Emilia must have heard it too.
The whispers of the students around her.
The reputation she had built up was crumbling, and the stage she had meticulously prepared had become a trap, binding her instead.
It was as if someone was ripping at the scars left by her inferiority complex.
"Wouldn't it be better to surrender now?"
"...."
I returned the words she had spoken before the duel began.
Since I had decided to be serious, I was going to thoroughly crush her, tear her to shreds.
Of course, it seemed like the girl wouldn't accept it.
After briefly catching her breath, she clenched her fists and glared at me.
"...Who said I would?"
A sticky, murderous intent emanated from her.
How stubborn.
It seemed she was determined to see it through to the end.
Emilia discarded the ice spear she was holding and brought her hands together, drawing power.
Her clear, blue eyes were now clouded.
"I'll never lose to someone like you... I, absolutely, cannot lose."
Crackle, Crackle!
Blue sparks flew.
The mana within her body began to explode.
'Mana Overdrive,' a state where one forcibly clashes their remaining mana and ignites hundreds of thousands of magical circuits.
It was a reckless technique, impossible to attempt without exceptional control.
Within the surging torrent.
Her red lips chanted the incantation.
"Oh, winter of frost."
Before records were kept.
Meribel, who had bloomed frost flowers in the pristine world.
Hear my call, the rightful successor of the icy plains.
I crave your magnificent slaughter.
Gather the tears of fallen witches, and build a tower of sorrow.
"Erase everything."
-Emilia Ryu's Freezing Magic Secret Art-
'Frostbite'
The moment the incantation ended, the surrounding temperature plummeted.
White frost began to form around Emilia's feet.
Visible puffs of breath escaped her lips.
And behind Emilia, gigantic ice shards rose.
"Haa..."
Ten thousand ice spears filled the sky.
I took in the breathtaking spectacle and smirked.
She was actually unleashing her ultimate move.
It was a whole different experience witnessing it firsthand, compared to just seeing it through a game screen.
Shhh!
The sheer pressure was overwhelming.
It felt like I was being crushed.
Even the noisy students in the stands were silent.
"..."
"..."
Our gazes briefly met.
There was no defeat in either of our eyes.
Only the conviction, or perhaps the delusion, that each of us would be the victor.
A brief standoff.
"Winter."
The fleeting peace shattered.
Her red lips finished the final verse.
"Attack."
And at the same time.
The ten thousand spears that had painted the sky rained down in unison.
Like a torrential downpour of light blue.
Fwooosh!
The fierce barrage was, naturally, aimed at the spot where I stood.
A waterfall of spears promising utter despair.
But.
"Hehe."
Even in that situation, I laughed.
As if I couldn't contain my amusement.
"Magnificent."
Since she had shown me something good, it was my turn to return the favor.
I slowly extended my hand.
Black mist flickered.
Calmly, I condensed 'Lies.'
Shing!
A sound tore through the surrounding air.
I shaped the shadows into a gun with my index finger and aimed it at the incoming torrent.
The shadows writhed.
"Hehe."
There was no need for something grand like with Charlotte.
This was simply a difference in caliber.
I would crush her with sheer output.
The power gathered at my fingertips, I whispered the incantation as if pulling the trigger.
"Shatter."
Click.
The next moment.
The entire arena was painted black.
***
The students were buzzing with excitement.
The duel between the 'bubble' top student and the villainess.
"Lady Vanity has finally drawn her sword."
"That guy's really unlucky."
"Young Master Snakus... he's unexpectedly skilled, but it's still wrong for him to be in the top spot."
"It's common sense that he wouldn't be able to beat the princess."
"They say no one her age can compare to her when it comes to Freezing Magic."
Though they didn't express it like Emilia, the students also harbored doubts about the results of the placement test.
For them, this duel was bound to be exciting.
This was their chance to witness firsthand the boy's true abilities, which they couldn't see during the last match because of Charlotte's barrier.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Lady Vanity, of course."
"As expected."
"She's amazing. If it weren't for Her Highness, she would have taken the top spot long ago."
"They say no one her age can compare to her in Freezing Magic."
No one expected an upset.
Everyone knew the weight of the name 'Emilia.'
"I bet Lady Vanity will win within a minute."
"Then I'll say 30 seconds!"
"You're all underestimating Lady Vanity... I think it'll be 5 seconds."
The students in the stands made their bets on the outcome.
The top student's defeat seemed certain.
However.
Contrary to the students' expectations of a one-sided match.
The fight turned into a fierce battle.
《Clang! Crack... Thud!》
At first, it seemed like both of them were fighting fiercely.
"What? He's lasting longer than I thought?"
"His movements are clean and his footwork isn't bad either... Didn't they say he was worthless?"
"Right, he's quite good."
"Lady Vanity will win in the end... huh?"
As time passed, the atmosphere shifted.
The tide began to turn.
While Emilia seemed to be tiring, the boy was effortlessly evading her attacks.
Without throwing a single attack of his own.
"Wha-what are we even seeing?"
"Lady Vanity... she can't even land a hit? Is she not feeling well...?"
"The 'bubble' top student is fighting too well."
"It looks like a complete domination."
"He's been deliberately defending this whole time. It's as if he's... toying with Lady Vanity."
The villainess was visibly being pushed back.
Confusion filled the stands.
It was surprising enough that he was able to keep up with Emilia, but now he was overwhelming her?
This unexpected turn of events came as a shock to them.
According to rumors, he was nothing special.
Then what about the scene unfolding before them?
"This is ridiculous."
"Lady Vanity's being toyed with...?"
A single hypothesis popped into their minds.
The placement test that had caused such a stir in the academy.
Charlotte's withdrawal from the match.
What if she had given up not out of a whim, but because she knew she couldn't win?
The absurd hypothesis...
"There's no way..."
Unease filled the air.
And at that moment.
The duel reached its climax.
《Winter.》
The cornered girl was in a precarious position.
As if walking on a razor's edge.
But she didn't back down.
Forcing the last of her mana to erupt, she unleashed the maximum output she could muster.
Azure ice blanketed the sky.
"Oh my god... What is that?"
"I knew she was one of the most talented students, but to think she had reached this level...?"
"The entire arena is going to be destroyed."
"Is someone going to die?"
"Shouldn't the professors intervene...?"
They desperately looked for the professors, but they only watched in silence.
Finally.
The girl's lips finished the incantation.
The ten thousand spears that filled the sky like stars began to move.
《Attack.》
Fwooosh!
A deafening roar pierced their eardrums.
The fiercely charging winter descended with the force to swallow everything in its path.
It was like watching a scene of utter destruction.
"Kyaa!"
"How?!"
"Even if he's the top student, if he gets caught in that barrage, he'll be seriously injured at the very least...!"
The students screamed and backed away, anticipating the disaster.
But.
The boy was different.
The snake, who had been chuckling to himself, stood his ground.
And then, he raised his finger and aimed it at the sky.
Was he insane?
He should be running away, yet there he stood, frozen.
The students screamed.
Regardless.
The boy moved his lips.
《Shatter.》
For a fleeting moment, his closed eyes opened.
Clear, white pupils. Time seemed to stand still.
And then.
A burst of shadow shot out from his fingertips.
It pierced through the sonic wave of spears and rapidly spread outwards.
The sky was painted black.
Crack, Crackle!
Instantly coated.
The ice spears, their surfaces now covered in pitch black, froze in midair.
Shadows dripped from them.
Snap!
The boy then flicked his finger.
Elegantly.
The next moment.
Shatter!!
Ten thousand ice spears.
All shattered at once.
The vicious winter scattered into countless fragments.
Whoosh-
Black snow fell.
The ebony snowflakes danced gracefully in the gentle breeze.
Like a snowfield bathed in the night.
Bizarre, yet beautiful.
Their gazes were naturally drawn to the layer of snow softly accumulating on the arena floor.
A spectacle that shimmered faintly.
"..."
Silence fell over the stands.
The students stared blankly at the winter blended with shadows.
Having forgotten the chaos from moments ago.
Crunch, crunch-
A scene resembling a handful of dreams.
And within that dreamy landscape, a lone boy walked.
The snake asked generously,
《Are you still thinking of fighting?》
His whisper seemed to bewitch the listeners.
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